Zane
“Unfortunately, the grille is broken, although apparently some of your previous tribe members may be able to get it fixed… But until then its the sewers” I tell her leaning against the wall. I wasn’t actually surprised she wasn’t a fan of going down into the sewers but if she wanted to get in there was no other option.
Zan
I pouted at her response, she was right though it was best to get it over and done with and the chance of possibly drinking tonight was high on my agenda.
“Ok, you’re right, even though I hate it” I turned to face my mirror and reapplied my lipstick before turning back to Danni “I wonder who’s return will be more shocking, yours or mine” I smirk walking out my bedroom planning to follow Danni into hell… I mean the cafe.
DANNI
’You and me both,’ I admit when she tells me she hates the plan, I wasn’t really prepared for all the questions that were going to come from this but the sooner it was over… ’I don’t know, I think there might be a lot of questions, maybe some amateur dramatics, the usual?’ I shrug slightly. Zandra had made herself more presentable, part of me wanted to do the same but at the same time I didn’t have the energy for that.
’Hopefully one of them has an answer about why we are all here,’ I suggest, I doubted it but miracles happened.
’Right, let’s do this.’
Andy
Watching from Rossini’s Tally reunites with Alice. Bugger this, I am hungry.
I stroll past Lex, KC and the unit. I give them a salute. “KC. Lex. Big guy.” I then grab Alice, sorry gurl. Tough tit’s if you don’t want it. Talking of tits, Alice is still packing some bazooka’s! “Missed you big mama!” Before I get a clip around the ear or something, I take a seat in the cafe.
Zan
“Maybe it’s all because Tai-San had a dream” I reply back to Danni with a roll of my eyes thinking about the woman I still loathed. While I didn’t want Lex anymore, it was her scheming and holier-than-thou attitude I hated.
Taking a breath, I walked into the cafe “Hi gang, long time no see” I say before walking over to an empty table so Danni could sit with us and potentially Lottie as well. I had a bit of tightening in my chest being in situation, but I wasn’t going to let it show.
DANNI
’God, if this is all because of TaiSan I might actually hurt someone,’ I comment quietly, ’or that psycho, Trudy.’
Turning from Zandra’s room I notice Andy grabbing Alice, he seems to be staring at her chest and I make a note that he might be slightly sex obsessed. Probably best not to be alone with him if that was how he acted in public…
Zandra confidently strides into the cafe and I follow behind feeling much less confident in my decision. I take a seat at the table she’s chosen, staying quiet and just watching the others.
Alice
It is her… it really is… As soon as she says hi, she vanishes again.
All these years, yet here she is.
I wanna tell Ryan, but he’s heading towards the cafe, and Tally suggests we should do the same.
“Yes, and then you can tell me all about this little one” I say with a smile at the baby she’s holding.
Just as we are about to come in, a guy grabs me, yet before I can smack him on the head he ducks and takes a seat.
The cheekiness and hair tell me enough. “Nice to see you too Andy” I chuckle. Though their older brother has been gone for almost 20 years now, clearly his behavior towards woman runs in the family.
As I take a seat, near Ryan and the others, Danni returns, with a woman I don’t recognize. Yet she seems to know the others, judging by how she enters, and there is a certain air of confidence about her.
Tally
“His name is Leo…” I tell Alice with a smile when she says I will have to tell her all about my son.
I roll my eyes as Andy says his way of hello. “Andy… It’s no wonder you burn your fingers on girls and guys…” I huff while following Alice in.
I look curious at the big guy who came with her and Lex. He looks friendly. Like a big teddy bear, but I am sure he can fight.
Andy and I sit right between Alice and her group and Eciov and her people. I chuckle almost. How suiting. Alice, Lex and the guy with them where Mall Rats before us, Eciov after us…
Danni and Zandra come then in. Zandra radiates of a confidence that girls like her have. You know…the pretty ones. Those women who know they get the attention because they are pretty. Of course I know her not well enough to judge her by now…
But I’ll be careful. I don’t work well with pretty princesses. Or girly girls.
I shoot a look at Eciov. I think she is a bit more like I am in that. “That one might be the Diva…” I whisper quietly to Eciov, Dawn and Will. “It’s not the mall without a good drama…” Eciov whispers back with a grin…
Brought Eciov and her people around into the Cafe with the permission of @Jack, let Eciov answer Tally with permission of @Jack
Lex
I follow KC and Ryan into the cafe, Danni and another woman walk in, I have to do a double take, I go to sit down, completely missing the chair in my dizzying shock and haze, landing on my ass on the floor… I wait for a cheer to go up around me and then the laughing…
“Great way to make an entrance” I curse at myself under my breath…
Standing up I brush my butt down and sit down, I can’t take my eyes from the woman over the cafe… Zandra, wait but if she’s here she wasn’t dead… I feel sick to my stomach as I realise I buried the woman, my wife, the mother of my son… ALIVE… I get up and need some air… WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING…
“I need air” I tell Ryan and leave the cafe to go outside and breathe
As I leave I see Dee and some one come into the cafe…
“SALENE?” I say…
Salene
As we walk into the cafe Will, Dawn and Eciov are waiting there for us, Lex seems to be making an escape for freedom, he stops and looks at me…
“Hi Lex” I say softly “How are you?”
“I’m okay” he says “You look amazing”
“Thanks” I blush
I look around and spot Ryan with Alice and KC… Dee ushers me into the cafe and we take a seat with the Everglades, Will one side Dee the other, protection and security… My eyes occassionally lift and I look at Ryan… he hasn’t made eye contact with me yet
KC
Seeing Zandra walk in my face paled “Oh shit” I say out loud while taking my seat “Ok I’m going to be the one to ask it… How are you alive? You died” I say rather bluntly “I mean, Lex said” I paused trying to work out what to say “Well that you had died, there was a grave and everything?” I mumble towards the end and then look at Danni “Tough we thought you died as well… gods this is confusing” I decide to stop talking.
DANNI
KC comments that Zandra was dead, and I finally work out who she is, she ‘died’ at the same time as Amber… the details are hazy but there was some kind of accident?
KC looks at me and tells me they thought I was dead as well and I can’t help but snort, ’obviously the definition of ‘dead’ is now very different’ I reply sarcastically. Folding my arms I look across at Zandra, ’yay for resurrection?’
Gel:
I can’t help but let out a sigh hearing him say that the grill is broken. I glance at the entrance and shiver. Biting my lip I start to climb down in my high heels. Once down the ladder I quickly tip toe my way to the entrance to the mall.
“Hello?” I call out once I reach the doors and the old market stalls.
Ryan
I went back to giving Cloe a bright smile, seeing her so grown up was weird as I still after all these years would see her and Patsy as young girls. I had always seen them as daughters and loved them as such. I chuckled a bit at what KC said and nodded my head. “Let’s go, I’m starving” I say patting KC’s shoulder before following him to the Cafe, I had to walk by Cloe so I stopped for a moment and we hugged. “Look at you… so grown up”
Cloe laughed a little "Yeah, I guess I am I smiled as we both walked to the cafe. It was nice to sit down after walking for a long time. I looked up at the sound of a voice and I felt almost like fainting staring at what I for a few seconds thought was a ghost. “Z…a Zandra?” I glanced at Lex who had spoken to me and nodded my head lightly in shock. “I…I don’t understand…how?”
I also saw in the corner of also Salene, it must have been her. She looked different but I was sure it was her. It was almost too much seeing everyone and the ones I really thought had died.
CALLAN
People start to make their way to the cafe, which I’m grateful for, I had a feeling this was going to be a ‘fun’ reunion and it would probably be better with food… and maybe alcohol!
I’m about to follow suit when I hear a call from the entrance of the sewers, great another mouth to feed. Walking over I’m greeted by a pretty brunette who really isn’t dressed for the sewers. ’Hello,’ I reply after a moment, ’you here for the mallrats reunion? It’s currently taking place in the cafe,’ I pause, ’there’s quite a few in there so please go ahead and join them.’
Lottie
Out of the new people I only knew of Lex, but we had never been close for this to be a happy reunion of some sort. But the others seemed to know each other, I shift back a bit awkwardly before glancing at Callen and Luc. I nodded my head and would make my way to the cafe as well with the others.
I walk in and see Zandra and what was the name of the other girl? Danni?, I wasn’t fully sure but I would find out I’m sure of it. But I walk to their table and sit down as well. I raise my eyebrow looking at the others reacting to Zandra and Danni. “It seems to be the day of not only reunions but also being back from the dead surprise as well” I commented.
Tally
Rather confused I watch the greetings. Now the names Zandra and Danni rattle some faint memories. Memories of a night where Alice and her sister Ellie gave Andy and I a Mall Rat history lesson.
The girl… Lottie…?! Seems to lighten the atmosphere by saying today isn’t only the day of reunions, but the day of coming back from the dead. She can’t know it, but to Andy and me that isn’t a funny thing to say. “No!” I think firmly to myself “Ned is dead and stays the fuck dead!”
I take another hold of Leo and speak "This makes me actually wonder… Amber was supposed to be dead too… So with Zandra and Danni the Mall Rats had three girls who were believed to be dead and who preffered not to come back to the mall and spare their so called family some grief. Excuse me but that’s a strong sign! I ask myself if either they were all treated so bad… Or are non caring for the hurt their death might have set on others… "
I look accusingly on the old Mall Rats. Then to Zandra and Danni “Forgive me. Don’t want to be rude. I don’t know you or your story or motivation. But the fact that you came here, shows you aren’t careless. So if you were mistreated in any way in this place… I have to know. I am not letting my son stay around people who mistreated others…”
I hold Leo closer and shift closer to Andy, who protectively places an arm around us.
Zan
I looked at Danni “Maybe we need our own tribe, the resurrected” i give her a small smil before whispering “We nees alot of drinks tonight”
Turning, I look at Ryan and KC “How? I wasnt dead when he burried me Ryan, I was unconscious! Why any of you would believe for even a second he would know how to tell if someone was alive or dead is beyond me!” The anger in my voice was clear so I took a deep breath before looking at Tally “I dont give a shit how they felt about me being dead, they trusted an idiot and not a single one of them checked to make sure, thats why I didnt come back” I shrug.
I wasnt going to get all in the details of how Lex treated me back then, really that was all pointless now.
Tally
Whoa! I obviously hit a nerve of Zandra. “Sorry…” I mutter. What should I say else? We weren’t there.
“Look… I get here is a lot… Of… Urm… Tension. But the thing is… Andy and I weren’t around. We were Mall Rats for some short months. We weren’t here during the antidote time, weren’t here when the Chosen first showed up… Just landed here as prisoners… I. I just don’t get why someone would want us back here too. It’d not like we played a big part in the tribe ever. We were kids!”
And right now I feel like a kid again. What the hell are we doing here?
Lex
I stand just outside the cafe, having not yet moved after talking to Salene and Dee… I hear Ryan question Zandra, how can she be alive… I then hear Zandra’s harsh, angry reply… I can’t say I blame her for being hurt and angry… Her words vibrate rpund my head…
(Quoting Zandra)
“How? I wasnt dead when he burried me Ryan, I was unconscious! Why any of you would believe for even a second he would know how to tell if someone was alive or dead is beyond me!..” She pauses “I don’t give a shit how they felt about me being dead, they trusted an idiot and not a single one of them checked to make sure, thats why I didnt come back”
Her words cut deep into my heart, I was sure she was dead, I checked her pulse, there wasn’t one that I could feel… But then again I wasn’t a medically minded person, I should have made Dal check her before I buried her… I move from the cafe and slide down the wall by the grille… My heads in my hands, I buried my unborn child and his mother, I sentenced them to death by my actions she could have been crushed or suffocated… A thought crosses my mind…
“Wait” I say to myself
HOW did she know that it was ME who buried her?
HOW does she know that no one checked on her to confirm what I had said?
If she was unconscious she wouldn’t have known what happened between the explosion and her waking up… I look towards the cafe where she sits with Danni… All I need now if for Taisan to reappear and my life will go to hell… I sit and consider leaving, I look towards the sewer and think of how easy it will be to just get up and walk away, without looking back…
“I don’t need this shit” I sigh pushing my hands into my hair…