CHAPTER FIVE
The noise from outside was becoming more and more rowdy, and getting more and more out of hand. The mallrats could barely hear themselves think. Usually, this would be Amber's job to deal with the angry tribe members, who still blamed the mallrats for their loved ones not being returned from captivity. These tribes thought that because the mallrats had finally brought down the technos, that it was their obligation to return all the prisoners.
However, Amber was still at the tribal leaders meeting with Jay and Ebony, so it was down to Lex to organise the remaining members of the tribe. After much discussion, and many minutes wasted, it was decided that Lex, Jack, Siva, Dee, Ved and Ellie would go. Trudy was to look after the babies (Brady and Bray Jr) and take care of Cloe, whilst May, who was still lost without Pride, was put in charge of looking after Lottie, Sammy and Mouse with limited help from Gel, who was busy applying her make-up.
Lex and co. went out of the mall, and faced the screaming crowds, who were hurling abuse at the poor mallrats.
Lex began to speak, but his words were drowned out by an eruption in the crowd.
"I SAID, BE QUIET!" Lex ordered.
As if by magic, everyone instantaneously shut up, and veneered towards Lex, as though inclined to listen to what he had to say.
Taking this as a good sign, Lex decided to take a gentler approach,
"I know why you guys are here! You want to see your loved ones again! And for some crazy reason, you think we know where they are – well, we don't!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd went into chaos once more as crowd members stood there in disbelief.
Seeing the reaction to Lex's stance, Ellie pushed past him to talk next. About to protest, Lex felt Siva's hand on his right shoulder, and she told him to give her a chance.
Ellie started, "I DO know what you're feeling!"
The crowd, having heard Lex begin in the same way, instantly began to boo her, but Ellie was a lot stronger than Lex, and continued, "I'm still waiting for my sister to come home."
Hearing Ellie talk so passionately made silence fall on the waiting people.
"She means the world to me, and I miss her like mad! She had always been more to me than just my sister, though. She was my mum, my sister and my best friend all rolled into one. She may have appeared tough on the outside, but it was just an act. I don't know why she was taken prisoner – she posed no threat to anyone, least of all the technos!"
Ellie paused to catch her breath and to collect her thoughts before carrying on,
"I know you came here demanding answers; well, we haven't got any! Yes, we defeated the technos – many of you joined us, and enabled us to do so – but despite continual searches all over the sector, we still haven't found these last groups of prisoners. You're all looking for someone to blame, but trust me; it's not the mallrats you want to blame! We are suffering just as you are, and we are angry just as you are! We feel your pain, and we are doing everything possible, so if anybody here knows anything, no matter how small, or how insignificant you think it is, you must inform us. Cause I want to get my sister back and I know you all wanna get your relatives and loved ones back too!"
Applause came from all directions as Ellie finished her speech. Tears were collecting in her eyes, as she had been forced to dig up the memory of her sister being captured. This was something she had pushed to the back of her mind, as she knew that if she dwelled on it too much, it would be too painful for her.
Jack was stupefied as to what to do. He wanted to be there for Ellie, as he saw how much she was hurting, but he didn't know what he could sensibly say that would somehow improve the situation. He wasn't very good at expressing how he felt when there were lots of people around anyway, and watched miserably as Siva and May put their arms around her and led her back into the mall. He gave a deep sigh, and followed them. Lex took charge of the situation, and ordered the other tribes to leave. He allocated different areas and tribes to each of the remaining mall rats.
As they finished, Ved exclaimed, "Phew, that was close! I thought they were gonna storm the mall, and attack Clo…!"
Catching him talking so fondly about Cloe, Dee remarked, "Ah-ha! So you do still like Cloe then! I thought you were over her? At least that's what you told me a few days after you found out about the baby, and Jack!"
"Well…" Ved mumbled, "even if I do, she's got Jack, now, and their baby. She doesn't need me anymore! I was just a distraction!"
"Are you stupid, or what man!" Lex queried. "Can't you see that Cloe's crazy for you? She loves you so much, and she never shuts up about you! Man, she drives me nuts with all her crazy talk!"
"But then why did she sleep with Jack? If she loves me so much, then why did she cheat on me with – of all people – my best mate?" Ved answered in bewilderment.
"Have you never done something stupid you later regretted? Have you never made any mistakes? You've never cheated on Cloe? Not even in the beginning?"
Adamantly, Ved replied, "Yeah, but Lex, that was in the beginning of the relationship though! Before we became serious! Before we exchanged, 'I love you's! This is different!"
Lex said insistently, "But Cloe forgave you, right? Every time? Well maybe you should forgive her! Feelings like those just don't go away, yeah? Believe me, I should know, having lost two wives, now. I loved them both in different ways, and I still do, somewhere in my heart, but I never got the chance to tell them exactly how I felt about them. See that you don't leave anything unsaid with Cloe, even if you decide not to be together."
Lex ushered Dee inside the mall, and followed her, leaving Ved outside with nothing more than his own thoughts.
Did Cloe still love him; she said she did, and he wanted desperately to believe her. He thought he could overcome her minor indiscretion with Jack, but there was still one thing that lay in their path to happiness – the baby. How could he bear to bring up another man's baby in the knowledge that that baby ought to be his and Cloe's! He knew he would love it, as it was part Cloe, but at the same time, he would hate it, as it was also part Jack! What should he do?
Above, Cloe had been watching through her window. After a good rest, she felt her legs were strong enough to withstand a little light exercise, and in any case, she wanted to make sure that Ved was alright. She saw him standing on the now empty street, tormented by his own thoughts, and she just wanted to reach out to him and have him envelop her in his arms, saying that everything would be fine from now on….but whether or not that would happen was down to Ved now!