Disc: Same as before
A/N: Told you you would get it soon. Here y'all go. Enjoy it! And TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
Chapter 11
Reds, oranges and yellows painted the sky in a masterful piece of art. Amber sat on her balcony watching the sun rise from its hiding spot. Why are things so complicated? She thought. Bray had sat with her everyday, enjoying the company of his son. They really hadn't spoken much since she had found out about how he had arrived on this island. What did you expect, Amber? she asked herself. Did you actually expect to be fought over? Did you expect thing to go straight back to the ways things were? Questions such as these raced through her mind.
Getting up from the rocking chair, she walked over to her bed. On the night stand sat her ring, the ring that was never suppose to leave Bray's neck. Things happened and it did leave that neck. Picking it up, she put it in her pocket. Checking on Bray Jr. one more time, she walked downstairs.
Reaching the living room, she found a light on. The house was so quiet she had figured she was the only person awake. Looking around, she found Re-Nee curled in a blanket and hunched over a piece of paper. Should I say something to her? Amber had yet to say anything to Re-Nee since her arrival. She felt uncomfortable every time she was around her, not to mention she didn't know what to say. Maybe that's why Bray doesn't talk to me or Jay.
"Good morning," Re-Nee said, startling Amber. Amber took a couple of seconds to recover and then further entered the room.
"I didn't mean to disturb you," she said, already wanting to walk back out of the room.
"It's no big deal. Get comfortable. I don't bite, you know?" Re-Nee said looking up with a smile already stuck to her face. Re-Nee didn't know why, but she couldn't help but like Amber some. Shouldn't the ex-girlfriend always hate the girl that took her man away? she thought. Shrugging her shoulders, she saw Amber nodded her head and sitting down. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I was working on the chore schedule. Just trying to find where everyone fits best. Why are you up so early? You should be sleeping, like everyone else."
"I couldn't sleep," Amber said distantly. "You know, getting settled in a new place..."
"Pinning over Bray," Re-Nee finished. Again, Re-Nee was surprised about how easily she could talk about Bray. Well, I have to make friends with the Mallrats some way, and this is the best way to get to Amber. Jay, although we're not friends, we are on speaking terms... she thought, but stopped and focused back on Amber. Amber had quickly looked over to see if Re-Nee was being rude. Instead she saw an understanding and almost resigned face. "It's ok, you know. If you ever need to talk to some one, I am here. I probably haven't been too nice since you arrived. Blame it on uncertainty."
"Thank you," Amber said. The two of them sat in silence for a while, until Amber asked, "Do you love him?"
"Hmmm?" Re-Nee asked, coming out of her work daze. "Him who?"
"Bray. Do you love him?"
Re-Nee sat in silence as she thought about it. "The truth? Yes. Could we work out though? I think I always knew I would be competing with a ghost, so no." Amber let out a little laugh. "What?" Re-Nee said defensively.
"Nothing. I wasn't laughing at you. It's just that you're the second person who has compared Bray or I to a ghost." Amber seemed to trail off into her own mind.
"He's still in love with you," Re-Nee said, bringing Amber back to Earth. "He just doesn't think you are in love with him. Plus, he's scared he'll say the wrong thing. Jay has made him uncertain, almost not himself. Bray's usually suck a cocky person," Re-Nee said smiling at the fact that Amber was nodding her head in agreement. "Seeing you with Jay made him realize you could move on, and now he's unsure where he stands with you."
"Then why isn't he with you still? If I'm causing so much trouble for him or... " Amber asked.
"Why aren't you with Jay?" Re-Nee fired back, cutting her off in mid- thought. Amber sat quietly as she thought about it. "I've always believed we are meant to be with one person, 'the one'. I think I always knew that Bray wasn't my one, but sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming. Think about that," Re-Nee said as she gathered her things and left the room. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Amber. In her hand once more was the ring. Watching her bring it to her lips, Re-Nee knew that Bray and she would work things out.
/Another one down,/ Re-Nee thought, making another list.
A couple hours later, Re-Nee finally finished the assignment list. Well, to the best of her abilities. Gathering her papers once again, she moved them from the dining room table that would quickly be filling up. No sooner had she put them on the counter than the table filled up.
She couldn't help but smile at the good moods around the table. "Finally, it stopped raining," everyone seemed to say. Trudy was the last to enter and she looked like she had gotten less sleep than both Re-Nee and Amber put together.
After everyone had finished eating, Re-Nee stood up and gathered everyone's attention. "I have put together a list of what each person main job is. In this tribe though, if someone needs help, you help, even though it's not your 'job'. Understand?" Re-Nee waited for some sort of complaint, but when she didn't get one, she continued. "Good. Now, Jay, Ved, Jack, Slade and Bray, I want you to try and get the boat in working condition. Amber, Luke, Ebony and Trudy, I want you to gather the food. Luke, you are going to leave tomorrow right?" Re-Nee asked. Luke nodded his head. "Ok, if you want someone to go with you, tell me ahead of time.
"Trudy, I also want you to help Tina and Salene with the cooking. There are too many people for only one person to cook. Plus, the three of you have been doing an excellent job so far. They rest of us are here to do the miscellaneous stuff. That includes cleaning the house, laundry and babysitting.
"Is that okay with everyone?" Trudy felt a smile touch her lips. Lex, a babysitter? The thought alone would keep her busy for the rest of her life. Nodding her head like everyone else, Trudy agreed to the assignments Re-Nee had handed out.
After grabbing the picnic basket Trudy and Salene prepared, the five guys headed towards the boat. Slade naturally took the lead, while Ved and Jack were right behind. Jack was still a little unsure about being so close to the hot tempered blond, but the moment technology was mentioned, they were talking like the best of friends. Trailing behind was the silent duo. Each looked at the other, daring the other to say something first.
About halfway to their target, the five of them stopped. Already they were walking through mid-thigh water. Placing the basket where no animal could get to it, they huddled together to formulate a plan.
"Ved? Bray?" Slade asked, getting their attention. "How far do you think we'd get before we couldn't touch land anymore?" Both Bray and Ved took a couple of moments to think about it. Finally, Bray said, "We should reach the beach. If not, we'll get pretty close to it."
"Is it worth moving the boat though?" asked Jack. The four guys looked at him with a perplexed look. "I mean, will there be something to tie the boat to, so it doesn't float out to sea?"
"Yes," said Ved. "If we get close to the beach, there will be some trees strong enough to hold the boat."
"The thing is that this is all speculation. We should really be asking ourselves if we should take the chance." Jay said.
"What are you chicken?" Bray muttered under his breath. Only Jay seemed to pick up on it and choose to ignore it. "I know we can reach the boat," Bray said louder. "I think we should at least go to it and then decide what we should do." Everyone agreed, so the five of them set off again.
At the house, Salene and Tina were getting ready to make the next meal. An uneasy tension hung above them, but both were too scared to say anything. /I can't outright accuse her/, she thought to herself. /I need to know everything first./
Tina was a bundle of nerves herself. Unsure what to do or say, she nearly dropped every dish or cup she touched. /I wish I had talked to Re-Nee last night,/ she thought. /Maybe I would understand everything that was going on. Not to mention that I might know what to say right now./
Outside, Re-Nee and Danni were hanging the last of the laundry. Taking a break, Re-Nee looked up at the sky. "Not a cloud in the sky," she said to Danni. Looking up, Danni nodded her head.
"I never understood why uncle liked it here," she said distantly.
"He wanted a place of his own. A place he could escape to with just the family,"
"Plus the servants he brought along," Danni said with a smile.
"Not his fault that mom couldn't cook. Plus, I count my lucky stars we had Olivia. Had she not taught me how to cook, I don't think Johnny or I would have survived. Let's go," Re-Nee said, hanging the last shirt. "Tina wanted to talk to me."
Going back indoors, they passed Ellie and Guy cleaning the house. "Cloe's upstairs asleep," Guy said in passing. Re-Nee nodded her head and went in search of Tina.
Danni went in search of the kids. Having left Lex with them, she was debating on who would be living. Would the kids overcome the snake, or would Lex win? Going to the playroom, she saw what looked to be the aftermath of a hurricane. Toys, games and dolls were scattered all over the floor, shelves and furniture. In the middle were six sleeping bodies.
Mouse was laying next to Bray Jr., while Michael and Johnny were sprawled out. The strangest thing was Lex and Brady. Laying on his side, Lex had an arm wrapped around Brady, almost like a father cradling his child. "Awww," Danni whispered.
"What are you awwwing about?" Trudy asked as she walked to the playroom. She had come back to make sure Lex hadn't tried to kill the kids. She had to do a double take to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. Lex actually looked like an angel laying there asleep.
Abruptly turning, Trudy got away from the scene in front of her. She couldn't think of Lex like that. He was a snake, a baboon, a liar. He was... he was...he was sleeping in there with her daughter as if he actually cared for her.
Shaking her head, she went in search of Luke. She was going to wait until tomorrow to talk to him about Salene, but now she needed to clear her head of Lex and his cuteness. She found Luke packing some supplies.
"Let me help," she said, grabbing some cans that Luke was putting in a bag. Once the two of them finished, Luke turned around. "I'm glad you're coming with me. It can get really quiet out there without anyone to talk to."
"I'd like to get out of here for a while, so it's no problem. Could we talk though?" Luke looked towards the kitchen and then back to Trudy. Deep down he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he felt like he should say something to Tina first. Realizing Trudy wasn't going to back down, he nodded his head and lead her outside.
Trudy took a seat in one of the chairs on the porch, while Luke stood and paced. "This is about Michael, isn't it?" he asked. He stopped only to see Trudy nod. "I didn't know until after the Guardian had given him to Tina. She had come to me that first night telling me everything that he had said to her. There was nothing I could do or say. I had to go with what the Guardian did and said."
"So it is Salene's? Michael truly belongs to her." Luke only nodded her head. "That's why you left," her voice was growing with each word. "You were too much a coward to do the right thing. He belongs with his true mother."
"And hurt Tina and him in the process?" Luke asked. "I agree, I should have done something three years ago, but I can't do anything now. Michael believes one hundred percent that Tina is his mother. He knows no difference. Do you know how much it would hurt him to uproot him and give him to Salene?"
"Do you know what Salene is going through right now? She knows that Michael is her son! She has wanted a child ever since Brady was born. Michael is about the only thing she has left of Ryan. Who are you to keep a son from his mother?"
The two began a staring contest. Trudy daring him to do the right thing, while Luke begging her to forget it. Finally Luke said, "Let me talk to Tina first and then the two of them can come up with something."
A/N: Told you you would get it soon. Here y'all go. Enjoy it! And TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
Chapter 11
Reds, oranges and yellows painted the sky in a masterful piece of art. Amber sat on her balcony watching the sun rise from its hiding spot. Why are things so complicated? She thought. Bray had sat with her everyday, enjoying the company of his son. They really hadn't spoken much since she had found out about how he had arrived on this island. What did you expect, Amber? she asked herself. Did you actually expect to be fought over? Did you expect thing to go straight back to the ways things were? Questions such as these raced through her mind.
Getting up from the rocking chair, she walked over to her bed. On the night stand sat her ring, the ring that was never suppose to leave Bray's neck. Things happened and it did leave that neck. Picking it up, she put it in her pocket. Checking on Bray Jr. one more time, she walked downstairs.
Reaching the living room, she found a light on. The house was so quiet she had figured she was the only person awake. Looking around, she found Re-Nee curled in a blanket and hunched over a piece of paper. Should I say something to her? Amber had yet to say anything to Re-Nee since her arrival. She felt uncomfortable every time she was around her, not to mention she didn't know what to say. Maybe that's why Bray doesn't talk to me or Jay.
"Good morning," Re-Nee said, startling Amber. Amber took a couple of seconds to recover and then further entered the room.
"I didn't mean to disturb you," she said, already wanting to walk back out of the room.
"It's no big deal. Get comfortable. I don't bite, you know?" Re-Nee said looking up with a smile already stuck to her face. Re-Nee didn't know why, but she couldn't help but like Amber some. Shouldn't the ex-girlfriend always hate the girl that took her man away? she thought. Shrugging her shoulders, she saw Amber nodded her head and sitting down. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I was working on the chore schedule. Just trying to find where everyone fits best. Why are you up so early? You should be sleeping, like everyone else."
"I couldn't sleep," Amber said distantly. "You know, getting settled in a new place..."
"Pinning over Bray," Re-Nee finished. Again, Re-Nee was surprised about how easily she could talk about Bray. Well, I have to make friends with the Mallrats some way, and this is the best way to get to Amber. Jay, although we're not friends, we are on speaking terms... she thought, but stopped and focused back on Amber. Amber had quickly looked over to see if Re-Nee was being rude. Instead she saw an understanding and almost resigned face. "It's ok, you know. If you ever need to talk to some one, I am here. I probably haven't been too nice since you arrived. Blame it on uncertainty."
"Thank you," Amber said. The two of them sat in silence for a while, until Amber asked, "Do you love him?"
"Hmmm?" Re-Nee asked, coming out of her work daze. "Him who?"
"Bray. Do you love him?"
Re-Nee sat in silence as she thought about it. "The truth? Yes. Could we work out though? I think I always knew I would be competing with a ghost, so no." Amber let out a little laugh. "What?" Re-Nee said defensively.
"Nothing. I wasn't laughing at you. It's just that you're the second person who has compared Bray or I to a ghost." Amber seemed to trail off into her own mind.
"He's still in love with you," Re-Nee said, bringing Amber back to Earth. "He just doesn't think you are in love with him. Plus, he's scared he'll say the wrong thing. Jay has made him uncertain, almost not himself. Bray's usually suck a cocky person," Re-Nee said smiling at the fact that Amber was nodding her head in agreement. "Seeing you with Jay made him realize you could move on, and now he's unsure where he stands with you."
"Then why isn't he with you still? If I'm causing so much trouble for him or... " Amber asked.
"Why aren't you with Jay?" Re-Nee fired back, cutting her off in mid- thought. Amber sat quietly as she thought about it. "I've always believed we are meant to be with one person, 'the one'. I think I always knew that Bray wasn't my one, but sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming. Think about that," Re-Nee said as she gathered her things and left the room. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Amber. In her hand once more was the ring. Watching her bring it to her lips, Re-Nee knew that Bray and she would work things out.
/Another one down,/ Re-Nee thought, making another list.
A couple hours later, Re-Nee finally finished the assignment list. Well, to the best of her abilities. Gathering her papers once again, she moved them from the dining room table that would quickly be filling up. No sooner had she put them on the counter than the table filled up.
She couldn't help but smile at the good moods around the table. "Finally, it stopped raining," everyone seemed to say. Trudy was the last to enter and she looked like she had gotten less sleep than both Re-Nee and Amber put together.
After everyone had finished eating, Re-Nee stood up and gathered everyone's attention. "I have put together a list of what each person main job is. In this tribe though, if someone needs help, you help, even though it's not your 'job'. Understand?" Re-Nee waited for some sort of complaint, but when she didn't get one, she continued. "Good. Now, Jay, Ved, Jack, Slade and Bray, I want you to try and get the boat in working condition. Amber, Luke, Ebony and Trudy, I want you to gather the food. Luke, you are going to leave tomorrow right?" Re-Nee asked. Luke nodded his head. "Ok, if you want someone to go with you, tell me ahead of time.
"Trudy, I also want you to help Tina and Salene with the cooking. There are too many people for only one person to cook. Plus, the three of you have been doing an excellent job so far. They rest of us are here to do the miscellaneous stuff. That includes cleaning the house, laundry and babysitting.
"Is that okay with everyone?" Trudy felt a smile touch her lips. Lex, a babysitter? The thought alone would keep her busy for the rest of her life. Nodding her head like everyone else, Trudy agreed to the assignments Re-Nee had handed out.
After grabbing the picnic basket Trudy and Salene prepared, the five guys headed towards the boat. Slade naturally took the lead, while Ved and Jack were right behind. Jack was still a little unsure about being so close to the hot tempered blond, but the moment technology was mentioned, they were talking like the best of friends. Trailing behind was the silent duo. Each looked at the other, daring the other to say something first.
About halfway to their target, the five of them stopped. Already they were walking through mid-thigh water. Placing the basket where no animal could get to it, they huddled together to formulate a plan.
"Ved? Bray?" Slade asked, getting their attention. "How far do you think we'd get before we couldn't touch land anymore?" Both Bray and Ved took a couple of moments to think about it. Finally, Bray said, "We should reach the beach. If not, we'll get pretty close to it."
"Is it worth moving the boat though?" asked Jack. The four guys looked at him with a perplexed look. "I mean, will there be something to tie the boat to, so it doesn't float out to sea?"
"Yes," said Ved. "If we get close to the beach, there will be some trees strong enough to hold the boat."
"The thing is that this is all speculation. We should really be asking ourselves if we should take the chance." Jay said.
"What are you chicken?" Bray muttered under his breath. Only Jay seemed to pick up on it and choose to ignore it. "I know we can reach the boat," Bray said louder. "I think we should at least go to it and then decide what we should do." Everyone agreed, so the five of them set off again.
At the house, Salene and Tina were getting ready to make the next meal. An uneasy tension hung above them, but both were too scared to say anything. /I can't outright accuse her/, she thought to herself. /I need to know everything first./
Tina was a bundle of nerves herself. Unsure what to do or say, she nearly dropped every dish or cup she touched. /I wish I had talked to Re-Nee last night,/ she thought. /Maybe I would understand everything that was going on. Not to mention that I might know what to say right now./
Outside, Re-Nee and Danni were hanging the last of the laundry. Taking a break, Re-Nee looked up at the sky. "Not a cloud in the sky," she said to Danni. Looking up, Danni nodded her head.
"I never understood why uncle liked it here," she said distantly.
"He wanted a place of his own. A place he could escape to with just the family,"
"Plus the servants he brought along," Danni said with a smile.
"Not his fault that mom couldn't cook. Plus, I count my lucky stars we had Olivia. Had she not taught me how to cook, I don't think Johnny or I would have survived. Let's go," Re-Nee said, hanging the last shirt. "Tina wanted to talk to me."
Going back indoors, they passed Ellie and Guy cleaning the house. "Cloe's upstairs asleep," Guy said in passing. Re-Nee nodded her head and went in search of Tina.
Danni went in search of the kids. Having left Lex with them, she was debating on who would be living. Would the kids overcome the snake, or would Lex win? Going to the playroom, she saw what looked to be the aftermath of a hurricane. Toys, games and dolls were scattered all over the floor, shelves and furniture. In the middle were six sleeping bodies.
Mouse was laying next to Bray Jr., while Michael and Johnny were sprawled out. The strangest thing was Lex and Brady. Laying on his side, Lex had an arm wrapped around Brady, almost like a father cradling his child. "Awww," Danni whispered.
"What are you awwwing about?" Trudy asked as she walked to the playroom. She had come back to make sure Lex hadn't tried to kill the kids. She had to do a double take to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. Lex actually looked like an angel laying there asleep.
Abruptly turning, Trudy got away from the scene in front of her. She couldn't think of Lex like that. He was a snake, a baboon, a liar. He was... he was...he was sleeping in there with her daughter as if he actually cared for her.
Shaking her head, she went in search of Luke. She was going to wait until tomorrow to talk to him about Salene, but now she needed to clear her head of Lex and his cuteness. She found Luke packing some supplies.
"Let me help," she said, grabbing some cans that Luke was putting in a bag. Once the two of them finished, Luke turned around. "I'm glad you're coming with me. It can get really quiet out there without anyone to talk to."
"I'd like to get out of here for a while, so it's no problem. Could we talk though?" Luke looked towards the kitchen and then back to Trudy. Deep down he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he felt like he should say something to Tina first. Realizing Trudy wasn't going to back down, he nodded his head and lead her outside.
Trudy took a seat in one of the chairs on the porch, while Luke stood and paced. "This is about Michael, isn't it?" he asked. He stopped only to see Trudy nod. "I didn't know until after the Guardian had given him to Tina. She had come to me that first night telling me everything that he had said to her. There was nothing I could do or say. I had to go with what the Guardian did and said."
"So it is Salene's? Michael truly belongs to her." Luke only nodded her head. "That's why you left," her voice was growing with each word. "You were too much a coward to do the right thing. He belongs with his true mother."
"And hurt Tina and him in the process?" Luke asked. "I agree, I should have done something three years ago, but I can't do anything now. Michael believes one hundred percent that Tina is his mother. He knows no difference. Do you know how much it would hurt him to uproot him and give him to Salene?"
"Do you know what Salene is going through right now? She knows that Michael is her son! She has wanted a child ever since Brady was born. Michael is about the only thing she has left of Ryan. Who are you to keep a son from his mother?"
The two began a staring contest. Trudy daring him to do the right thing, while Luke begging her to forget it. Finally Luke said, "Let me talk to Tina first and then the two of them can come up with something."