Next up is the first chapter of the actual story! Thanks for reviewing, Hammsters.
Also, if anyone wants to review the first story, I advise you to listen to Cascada's song "Because The Night" which kind of really explains the way Katie felt in the makeout scenes.
Abby was bored. Jack was with a client at his office, being a successful psychologist. Lisa was at her two-hour sketching class, and Katie was starting on a new story.
Finally, Abby wandered into Katie's study. "Mama?" she said.
Katie sighed. "Abby, what is it?" she asked.
"I'm bored." Abby whined.
Katie gave another sigh. "Why don't you read something?"
That made Abby perk up a bit. "Can I read one of your stories?"
"Only my short stories." Katie said, as per usual.
"I've read them all." Abby said, whining again. "Can't I read another one of yours?"
"None of my other stories are suitable for eight-year-olds." Katie said sharply. "You can read them when you're older."
Abby walked out sulkily, as Katie went back to her story. But the young girl was not going to be deterred that easily, and she slid her hand into the section of the shelf where Katie's stories were (Katie placed a lot of trust in her girls, trusting them not to touch the stories she didn't want them to read). She snatched a book, not bothering to see which it was, and hurtled up the stairs to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.
Only then did she look at the book. "Oh, it's one of her most 'don't read this' ones!" she giggled. "Twelve Girls, Thirteen Boys and Savages." She looked at the dedication. " 'To my partner, Jack, whose encouragement and help got this story finished. Also a huge thank you to all the people who experienced the same thing as I did on the island, and in memory of Abby Mali, who died trying to survive'." She smiled to herself. "Like I ever see Mama and Dad being at all like partners." No self-respecting parents would be clingy to each other with their kids around, but Abby didn't suspect that. She opened the book and began to read...
"Wake up! Wake up!"
She woke up and the plane was being buffeted from side to side...
"Abby! Hey, Abby! Guess what?" An hour later, Lisa bounced into their room, waving a piece of paper. Abby looked up from Chapter 5 of the book, when the civilized boys were discussing how to rescue the girls.
"What, Lis?" she said, slightly annoyed at the interruption.
"Look at my cartoon!" the five-year-old cried, giving it to Abby. It was just a copy of one of Lisa's favourite shows, The Powerpuff Girls. ("It was one of my favourites when I was a little girl," Katie had said when she bought the anniversary pack, "And I really want to see the Beatles homage episode again. Besides, it's a pretty clever show, considering it's intended for young children.") Lisa had drawn part of a scene from "The Mane Event, drawing Blossom with the haircut her sisters gave her. She'd added a speech bubble that said one of the later lines. She was pointing to her hair and saying "Bubbles and Buttercup butchered it, and they and Townsville and even the monster all laughed at me."
Abby giggled. "Cool, sis."
Lisa looked at the book her sister was holding. "What are you reading?"
Abby pushed the book behind her. "Something new. Mama said I could read it." she lied.
Lisa shrugged and left their room. Abby returned to the book. It was gripping, really. She didn't really understand what the boys were talking about, but she could understand the danger the girls were facing. And besides, she knew kidnapping meant trouble, so the boys obviously were going to mean trouble.
...Jack's camp woke early, Jack earliest of all, his arms still locked around Katie...
Abby had to come downstairs for lunch before she got to Chapter 10, but she went straight back up, finished the book, then ran to put it back so Katie wouldn't know she'd even read it. Then she went back to her room to think about it. It was hard to believe that the little shy scared girl of fifteen in the book was her mother, and the seventeen-year-old savage boy was her father. She longed to ask her parents more, but she knew that Katie would get mad at her if she knew she'd read the book, and no doubt Jack would find out and tell her off as well.
But she'd found out one piece of information she gloried in. Now she knew that her parents sometimes watched The Simpsons when they were in bed. She even knew that one of Katie's favourite characters outside the family scared her a lot of the time (In fact, Lisa liked to pull her hair into an imitation of dreadlocks and put on too-big shoes just to annoy her sister). But how could she say anything to her parents without letting them know she'd read a forbidden book?
However, Abby was happy to just enjoy the fact that she'd read an adult story. She still didn't get Katie's begging in the clearing scenes, or the bliss she felt (how could someone feel like they were in heaven by someone touching their lips with their own? It didn't make sense to an eight-year-old), but she loved the two boys that saved Katie's life, and even had a little crush on fair-haired blue-eyed civilized leader Mike.
But what was the point of reading a story about your family if you couldn't ask them any more questions that were left unanswered?
Next chapter will bring in some bittersweet memories to the parents, or a little bit of information to Abby. Don't forget to review!