Love the new part Ann! And when you get a chance a have a thread of my artwork old and new. Please look when you have time. Again love the new part! Yay Ram and Trudy are together! 
I’d forgotten all about Ram and Trudy!
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Finally able to read it… and I want more
What? How could you forget them? They belong together, right? Or is that just what people keep trying to make me accept? 
Thanks. I’m just editing what’s already been written and reposting it. After years and be done maturing on my part, there is much needed editing and beefing up to certain chapters 
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Chapter 5: Apologies and Acceptances
Lex had been hiding. Not intentionally, he realized, but he had been successfully avoiding Taisan. Every time he saw her he tripped out. He found easy ways to avoid her, excusing himself when he saw her coming and spending most of his time far away from the others, which was characteristic, fortunately. He just needed time to react. No, not to react, but to think about how he needed to react.
“You can’t hide from her forever you know?” Cloe said bringing him a plate of food onto the porch.
He grumbled, taking the plate. “I’m not hiding.”
“What do you call it?” she questioned, giving him a raised brow.
Lex couldn’t answer her, “Okay, so maybe I am hiding, but it’s not because I want to.”
Cloe lowered her brow, smiling, “She loves you Lex. She always knew you were the type to find something in between to pacify your needs and she’s okay with that, because she loves you. You should talk to her, and quit hiding.”
Lex knew Cloe was talking about him being with Siva in Taisan’s absence. He frowned a little at her, uncomfortable with his feelings going mush on him. He managed a half-smirk in the end. “When did you become so wise anyways?”
Cloe shrugged, “I am not a little girl anymore.”
Apparently not, Lex agreed. She had matured in more ways than one in the months she’d been absent of the Mallrats. Gone was the bratty, moody teenager. She was more of a young woman now.
At the window with a good view of Lex, Taisan watched he and Cloe chit chatting away, curious as to what was being said.
“Tai, don’t worry about it. He’ll come around, you’ll see,” Bray tried to reassure Taisan.
She shrugged off Bray’s comforting hand, “Like Amber’s coming around to you?” she snapped then became calm again, “I’m sorry. It’s just, well he’s my husband and I betrayed his trust. I expected that from him, but what’s my excuse?”
“Mega re-programmed you. That’s your excuse. Besides, it’s Lex. I doubt he gave you any bit of loyalty in your absence.”
Taisan knew that to be true, she and Lex always had a push and pull thing. Regardless, she still felt a bit of guilt. “But my feelings for Josh were real, as was Lex’s for Siva. We both shared beds with different people during our marriage, neither of us remaining faithful, and now those people are dead. We can’t just jump back on the bandwagon, not after other hearts were involved. But I loved—still love, Lex. I wouldn’t have married him otherwise or be worrying myself an ulcer if not.” She stared out the window, “I just want him to stop avoiding me.”
“And he will and you’ll stop avoiding him, or letting him avoid you. When you’re both ready, so stop worrying,” Bray gave her shoulder a light squeeze before leaving her alone to watch in silence.
“I’ll try.” Taisan sighed when he was gone. Bray was right, she was avoiding Lex too. Not intentionally, but it was easy to stay away. She didn’t want to make the first move, out of fear, very unlike her. There wasn’t much she feared, but that confrontation gave her a sort of anxiety she wasn’t used to. Time, distance, and circumstances had made she and Lex strangers, how could they ever reconcile?
She turned from the window, drawing in a deep breath. When she exhaled she resolved to fix it at whatever cost.
Gel had found Lex scraping his plate clean and washing it. She hadn’t seen Taisan lurking just outside the kitchen, neither did Lex.
In that very girly, juvenile shrill voice, Gel tapped him, “Lex there you are, I was looking for you.”
“What for, Gel?” Lex tried not to show his distaste through his voice.
“In case you have forgotten you’re my boyfriend, silly.”
Lex sighed, “Gel would you get a grip on reality please? We were never, nor will we ever be a couple.”
Gel crossed her arms and pouted. When Lex continued to ignore her, she left and said, “You’ll be sorry when some other guy snatches me up.”
“Yeah, I doubt that,” he mumbled as she stormed off, nearly barreling into Taisan.
Taisan tried to stifle a laugh as she showed herself to Lex, “Wasn’t that a little harsh?”
Lex turned from the sink to see his wife, “For her? No, way!”
Taisan smiled, same old Lex. “Listen, we’ve both been hiding from one another. I think it’s time we had a talk.”
“I know,” he immediately sank down at a kitchen chair.
Taisan sat across from him, “You weren’t the only one who had someone else.” She’d call it anything but cheating.
“I know, Mega told me you two had a thing. He also told me where to find you, how else do you think we happened upon this island?”
And yet he’d found her and hid from her she shook her head. Taisan didn’t want to stray off of topic, “I think I loved him, Lex. Even after I got my memory back and seen you again. My feelings for him were authentic.”
“And I loved Siva,” he admitted, “but when I saw you again, I got the urge to find you, no matter what.”
“So what do we do about us?” Taisan asked after some silence passed between them. Her eyes were growing glossy from the tears she was withholding.
“We start over; take things slow, because I don’t ever want to lose you again. I may have been unfaithful, but I love you Taisan.” Lex reached across the table and grabbed his wife’s hand.
Taisan squeezed back, “I love you too.”
When no one was watching, Ram would sneak into Ebony’s room and see how she was doing. He felt incredibly guilty, despite his strong dislike of her. Maybe it was the spirit of Siva, an angel to the devil of Java on his shoulders. He wasn’t a kid person, he might even consider the unborn as parasites, but he valued the life inside Ebony, for Slade. The man had given him his life back, it was only fair.
And he would never really kill Ebony after ridiculing her for the death of her sisters, not that he was above being a hypocrite, he was just so angry.
Ebony was as cold-hearted as he had been towards others in the past. He understood why and knew he should cut her some slack, but he hadn’t yet forgiven her for Java. Even if it was self-defense. He could, however, apologize as long as no one was listening. Grabbing her hand, he whispered, “I’m sorry.” Then let it go as quickly as he’d picked it up and took his leave.
Ebony had been awake the whole time Ram was there, but she wanted to hear what he had to say, so she remained eyes shut, body still. She accepted his apology too, but she owed him many. She owed the whole tribe a thousand apologies except maybe Gel, Sammy, and the babies.
Sighing she tried to sit up but her head was pounding. And worse than her head hurting, her stomach and throat were killing her. She was starving and dehydrated. She was glad to see Slade when he came into the room, “Slade!” she exclaimed in a dry whisper.
Slade was more than thrilled to see her awake. He poured her a glass of water, “Welcome back sleeping beauty.”
She drank hastily, “I don’t feel like a beauty, my body aches. How long have I been out?”
“A day and a half and you worried most of us.”
“Yeah, right, everyone was probably praying I would die.”
“Okay, so most of us is like a few of us, but everyone also knows you’re only human and their perspectives too changed when they learned about the baby.”
Ebony grunted, “I am going to kill Jay,” she said then thought about her aching body, “Is It—the baby okay?” she asked, real worry in her voice.
Slade was surprised at the worry written on her face and in her voice. She had once said she hated kids, now she was worried about her own unborn, “Taisan said she gave you some medicine that would feed the baby while you were unable to eat. Does your body hurt?”
“Like hell,” she said.
“Good, that means we’ve got to get you some exercise and food.”
“I don’t know if I can walk,” she started, but it was too late, Slade was at her side, helping her out of the bed and onto her feet.
He looked at Ebony as they walked around the room, “I have to ask,” he couldn’t look at her, “Is it mine?”
Ebony was too weak to pull away from him and knock him unconscious, though she really wanted to. She may be a little selfish, out for her own gain and glory, but she never stepped out while in a relationship. With as much energy as she could muster, she pinched him, “I’m freshly pregnant, you do the math Mister, everybody’s asleep, as long as we’re quiet.”
Slade gave her a sheepish grin. He felt stupid asking her a question like that, but he needed to hear her say it was his child. He knew underneath a hard layer of skin, Ebony wasn’t as cold hearted as she seemed, but after Ruby and the false pregnancy, he liked being reassured.
He helped her back into bed and kissed her forehead, “I’m going to get Taisan, you stay put.”
“Where am I going to go?” Ebony scoffed as he left the room.
The door opened a few moments later and Ruby entered instead of Slade or Taisan, making Ebony grow anxious.
“Oh good you’re awake, and alive,” Ruby started off the conversation.
Ebony rolled her eyes, “We both know you wish I were dead.”
“Well considering you pushed me in front of a moving truck, maybe just a little bit.”
“About that, I am sorry. I was desperate, you wouldn’t let go of Slade, and well you see my current condition.” Ebony shrugged, “I’ve never been very good at sharing.” And she surely hadn’t wanted Slade’s attention divided by four.
“Was that a genuine apology?” Ruby asked.
“As genuine as it’s going to get, sister. Take it or leave it.”
“Well then I guess I can’t suffocate you with your pillow, those had been my intentions at first, so apology accepted,” Ruby smirked. “But I’m not here to seek out an apology or confession now. I just wanted to thank you.”
Ebony lifted a brow,“What for?”
“If you hadn’t of stolen Slade, I might never have given any other man a chance. But I know Jay and I can be happy.”
Ebony didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t one for all this gratitude. It was all new for her, so she said, “I’m glad…though I do have a bone to pick with your new boy-toy.”
Ruby laughed, “Glad the fiery Ebony is still in you otherwise things would just be too boring. I’m also glad the baby is okay,” she said, only with a hint of envy. That could’ve been her, but she and Slade never could’ve worked out, not really.
After Taisan’s diagnosis Ebony was both thrilled and frightened. She was thrilled because she was alive and her child was okay, but she was terrified because after so much denial it was real now, there was a living organism inside of her. She was going to have to learn to be a mother.
“Slade, when I said I hated kids, I didn’t mean it, but I’m not really maternal, so how do you expect me to raise a baby?”
“We should have thought of that months ago,” he smirked.
“This is all your fault,” she pouted and ran a hand over her abdomen.
Slade looked at her with shock, “My fault? You were the one calling all the shots as I remember it.”
She threw a pillow at him, “I hope you are a better father than you are a liar!”
Recovering the pillow from off the floor he returned it to her and gripped her hand. He was just as frightened as she was, though she would never know it. He thought his worries were over with Ruby’s confession that she was never pregnant, but now Ebony was.
“Ebony, we’ll be great parents, no worries,” he said, trying to reassure them both. “You protect what’s yours and that’s a great maternal instinct. And I’m here. We’re a great team.”
To that, there was some truth which eased both their fears a mite. Still, the thought of being parents would give them many restless nights.
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Chapter 6: Fresh Starts
Pride’s sudden death was still an open wound for Salene. Just knowing that he was gone and never coming back made her heart feel irreparable. And in thinking back, she had lost a whole lot in the course of a few short years that she figured her life had to be destined for dark, lonely times. That’s why it bothered her to see couples like Lex and Taisan, and Bray and Amber beating around the bush about their reconciliation. She wanted them to fix things already. Though Lex and Taisan seemed to be working at it, Amber and Bray needed advice or a push and a shove, especially since it seemed Jay was out of the way. She smirked to herself when she saw Amber coming towards her, it would give her a chance to “preach” as she liked to call it.
“What’s on your mind?” Amber joined her on the beach.
“I was just thinking about all we’ve lost and left behind.”
“Pride?” Amber asked as if she could read Sal’s mind.
“Yes. But not just him, but Ryan and our baby too. I have high hopes that Mouse is alive as well, but she isn’t here either.”
“Well we did leave a lot behind. But we also gained a lot. The virus killed our parents, but taught us to be adults and face each new day no matter what. We survived the virus twice and we left our home in fear, but we landed here in paradise. We have room to leave the pain behind Sal; it’s time for a fresh start.”
“Right, where is Bray Jr.?” Salene asked.
“Bonding with his father,” Amber sighed. “We’ve got to effectively co-parent, right?”
“What about you two? You were still madly in love with him before you finally moved on with Jay.”
Amber frowned, looking away. “I don’t know. I don’t think we could ever get back to the way things used to be.”
Salene stood up, her moment had come to give advice and she would leave her fellow tribe mate to think on it, “You never truly know until you try.”
Bray watched Ebony pick at her nails and study Baby Bray from his spot in the sand. The boy was playing with his cousin, Brady; the two were giggling and speaking gibberish.
“You are scared aren’t you?”
Ebony, whose mind was a mile away, looked up at him oddly, “Excuse me?”
“Come on Ebony, I knew you before the world went to hell. I can read you like a book some days. Today I read fear.”
“Stop it Bray, stop studying me or analyzing me, whatever you’re doing. This isn’t the time.”
“I was scared too, you know?” Bray went on ignoring her pleas for him to stop, “Amber’s pregnancy was unexpected. We weren’t prepared to be parents, but we’re pulling it off.”
“You mean Amber is pulling it off and you just showed up, but bravo, good for you, ” Ebony clapped in a sarcastic manner, clearly irritated. “Now you should pull off hooking up with her again so you can read her like a book and leave me alone!”
Bray shook his head, “Same old Ebony,” he sighed as she got up and walked off. She was the same old Ebony, even after receiving a bump on the head. But he knew her, all those layers of masks held a heart beneath it.
The island, or at least this side, had once been a resort of some kind because the huts were built like hotel rooms. The house Bray, Cloe, Ved, and Taisan shared was the main building with several tiki-type huts surrounding them, room numbers on doors, and there was a drained pool off to the far right side behind the main building.
Lottie sat playing with her doll outside Ebony and Slade’s hut. She was telling her doll that maybe the pool would get full and they’d both learn to swim.
Ebony smiled at the child’s ability to occupy herself with just a doll, but quickly turned on the mean, the lingering effects of she and Bray’s conversation still weighing on her, “You’re in the way!”
Lottie jumped up, “I didn’t take anything I swear. Slade told me to stay here until he got back, honest.”
“Whatever,” Ebony sighed sitting next to the child who seemed to tense up, ready to take off even though Slade told her to stay put. “Why do you run from me all the time? I’m not the big bad wolf, you know?”
“The big bad wolf?” Lottie asked with curiosity written on her face.
“Oh wait a minute; you’ve never heard the story of the three little pigs?”
Lottie shook her head, no.
Ebony sighed; the kids of today had never heard many of the fairytales and folktales the adults used to tell.
“If I tell you the story, do you promise not to run when it gets a little scary?”
“I don’t run from you Ebony,” the little girl confessed, “ it’s just sometimes you give me gooserbumps cause’ you get really scary.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” she muttered under her breath and began telling Lottie about the Three Little Pigs.
Amber thought about exactly what Salene had said. She’d never know if the “fire” was still burning unless she gave Bray another chance. She hadn’t expected to go back to Bray, no matter hobher heart swelled for him, but Jay had dumped her, a blow she didn’t see coming.
“There you two are, how’s my baby boy?” she asked the baby, and sat down next to his father. Bray jr. and Brady were enjoying a light snack.
“He’s such a happy child, you’ve done well raising him so far,” Bray said to her.
“Well I wasn’t alone, I had Trudy, and Salene. We all know she’s the mother of the tribe.”
Bray laughed, “Right.” He picked at his shorts absentminded as he watched the kids munch away.
Amber smiled at the silence between them, “We used to have a lot to say to one another.”
“That was before the Technos tore us apart.”
“I thought you left me,” Amber said, honestly, looking over at him. “I didn’t know we were being invaded. Trudy found me and told me the truth. If Ebony hadn’t of banned us from the City we might of had a fighting chance.”
“Maybe, but think about all the people that were taken from the mall. Alice, KC, Taisan, May, and others. There was no way we could have known who would be taken and who wouldn’t. They even had the Guardian.”
Amber sat silently for a moment. “Bray I looked for you. I even made Jay look for you, when I saw deleted on that screen, my heart broke. I still loved you, even after that. I don’t think I could ever stop loving you.”
Her confession came as a shock to Bray. He hadn’t expected the truth so soon. “I still love you too.”
“Can we start over fresh, Bray?” Amber asked getting choked on the tears that were working their way to the surface.
He hesitated, not because he didn’t want to start over, but it all seemed so sudden and he was remembering something, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He had to live in the present. “I thought you’d never ask,” he stood up and walked a few feet away from her. Turning around he walked back to her, his arm outstretched, “Hi, I’m Bray.”
Amber smiled, shaking her head at the absurdity, but she played along. “Hello, I’m Amber, the mother of your son.”
They both laughed, speaking in unison, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Amber stood, “Well, I just feel silly.”
“Don’t,” Bray said rising with her, brushing a thumb against her cheek to catch a fallen tear. He went to kiss her cheek, but she turned her face so that their lips met. It took him only a moment to kiss her back and for a brief moment it felt like the first time their lips had met with fire and passion.
They pulled apart as someone cleared their throat, asking, “In front of the kids, guys? Really?”
Looking at the speaker, they let go of one another, “Cloe, we were…” Amber, started, but found herself cut off.
“Save it, no explanation needed,” the younger woman winked, “But if you two are done playing tonsil hockey, maybe you’d like to join the rest of the tribe for lunch?”
Bray nodded a smirk still on his face. They gathered the kids together and went inside, Bray and Amber hand in hand.
Once Ebony was done telling Lottie the story of the Three Little Pigs, she felt good about herself. She was able to sit down with a child and be nice, not getting annoyed. The only other child she had sat down with like that had been Mouse, and that was when Java had made her crazy by drugging her with Paradise in her dreams.
Lottie giggled, “That story was silly, pigs can’t really build houses.”
“Well haven’t you seen Lex fixing up the huts around here?” Ebony snickered.
The imagery made the child giggle even more, “Yeah, but the story is still silly.”
“It was, wasn’t it? But it had a nice moral to it.”
“Moral?” Lottie questioned.
Ebony forgot for a moment education was pretty much a joke since the virus wiped out the adults. “Yes, moral. It’s like a lesson on standards. You know, what’s right or wrong and all that jazz. So even if the story is a bit ridiculous, maybe you’ll learn something from it.” She could see understanding starting to form behind those eyes of the girl’s as she explained it.
“Thanks, Ebony. I’m going for lunch are you coming?”
“In a minute,” she watched Lottie skip off towards the main house, joining Sammy and Gel as they walked.
She thought to herself, “Who knows, maybe I will make a good mother after all.”
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Chapter 7:Lost and Found
May was bored with the island. There was nothing but sea in front of them, sand all around, and unknown jungle behind them. They spent their days doing mostly nothing, like they had on Trader’s small vessel and unlike many of the others, she had no love story to repair.
“Tell me again why we can’t explore the island?” She looked at Bray, who was sitting outside the main house.
Bray groaned, “May, none of us were supposed to land here, according to maps this place doesn’t exist. We don’t know what is out there. Some other people were with us and disappeared.” Bray knew they disappeared because they’d stolen the boat he and the others arrived on, but he wasn’t getting ready to tell May that and having her think that doesn’t make the island unsafe.
“But there are hotel rooms. This was a resort of some kind; tell me tourists didn’t have trips through the jungle.”
“May, perhaps Bray is right, we shouldn’t explore. Just because this is a resort doesn’t mean there aren’t dangers about,” Darryl, who was also outside, piped in.
“Shut up you wimp!” she snapped at him, I don’t care about you two, but tomorrow I’m exploring.”
“I really wish you would think this through,” Bray said.
May smirked, “Already have.”
Ellie was happy with Jack. She loved the boy to death, but sometimes she wished he was more sure about what he wanted. Since arriving on the island he had become distant in his thoughts, he wasn’t sleeping, and she could barely get a kiss from him.
“Jack what is it?” she asked frustration in her voice. She stretched across their bed propping herself up on her elbows.
“What? huh?” Jack questioned, confused.
Ellie sighed, “What’s on your mind, Jack?”
“No…nothing.” He stammered, unconvincing.
“Are you having technology withdrawals…is it me? You don’t want to be together anymore do you?” she asked panicking.
Jack smiled at her now, “Elle, calm down. No, it’s nothing of the sorts. I have my laptop, it’s just ruined thanks to the brilliant Gel,” he said shaking his head then adding, “and I love you.”
Ellie calmed down, “There’s the Jack I know. Now what else is up there?” she reached out and knocked on his forehead.
“What you don’t love me back?” he asked trying to change the subject.
“I love you; now tell me what that genius brain of yours is working up…”
“Ellie, this island isn’t supposed to exist. So why is there half a resort on it? Something doesn’t add up. Tomorrow, I’m going with May to explore.”
“What?!” Ellie jumped up out of the bed.
“I’m going and that’s final.”
“B-But you said yourself this island isn’t supposed to exist! So why would you go exploring?”
“I said it’s final Ellie.”
“Fine,” she huffed, “but where you go, I go,” she smirked, “and if you die, I die with you.”
“Very Shakespeare,” Jack pulled her onto his lap.
“And you’re my fair Romeo,” she kissed him sweetly.
A part of her was afraid to go exploring, but she was attached to Jack. She couldn’t let the love of her life face the danger alone. Plus perhaps it would reawaken the journalist in her.
“Here we are again…” Ebony rolled her eyes, meeting Jay on deck of the boat.
“What are you doing here Ebony?” He was not amused by the sudden company of his ex.
“What? I can’t come on the boat now, you’ve claimed it for yourself or something?”
Jay chuckled, “You’re right, I’m getting a bit possessive, that’s your department.”
Ebony glared at him, raising a suspecting eyebrow, “Right, so what are you doing here?”
“I-I don’t know. Just looking out at the horizon and setting up something for Ruby and I.”
“It’s weird…”
“What? Ruby and I?”
“Well there’s that too, but no. It’s just weird how we used to date and now we’re dating one another’s ex.”
“Yeah I guess so,” he smiled at the thought. “But what else is on your mind, Ebony?”
“Why does there have to be something else on my mind?”
Jay looked at her amused, “I know you Ebony…”
“Alright, but these things don’t come easily to me. I guess I just wanted to say thank you.”
“For?” Jay was confused but his expression hopeful.
“Giving me my life back.”
“I thought Slade did that.”
“He helped. But I’m talking about you first ever hooking up with me. You gave me back hope for ‘life’. You’ve saved my life more than once, and now you’ve saved the life of my unborn child.”
It wasn’t what Jay expected, his hopeful expression deflating though his smile remained, “Well, you’re welcome.”
Suddenly an argument breaks out, drawing their attention towards the Huts.
They see Gel and an apologetic Sammy.
“You-you…idiot!” Gel screeched.
“I’m sorry, it was an accident.”
Gel screams, “you imbecile!” Then marches off to her hut.
Jay and Ebony laugh. “I wonder when those two will hook up,” Jay chuckles again.
Ebony snorted, “Are you kidding? When that happens, fish will fly.”
“You want to shake on that?”
“No. Anyways, about you setting up something for Ruby…”
Jay’s eyes twinkled, “See I knew there was something else…”
“You know me all too well,” Ebony smirked. “Now about this date with Ruby, how long is it going to take?”
“A lifetime, if I can help it.”
She fake gags, “I meant tonight,”
“Oh that, are you saying you want a double date?”
“Not exactly, just the boat.”
“Why don’t we share it?”
“Fine, but don’t think we’re going to be all buddy buddy…this is not a double date,” she made her way down the ramp.
Jay smiled as she went. She didn’t know it, but everyone else sensed it and knew that she was changing. She was becoming ‘nice’. Jay shuttered at the thought of a ‘sweet’ Ebony. He preferred his Ebony with a little heat to her, that flame is what has always attracted him.
“Alice, I swear, there are people on the other side of the island, I saw a boat. Two boats, actually, but one left quite some time ago.”
“I don’t care if you saw a boat, two boats, or an adult for that matter, we’re not going that way!”
KC grumbled, “We didn’t’ break out of that Techno Prison Camp to still be prisoners on this island. A boat could mean getting off the island, going back to the city, finding the Mallrats. We’re lucky the Technos didn’t try and bring back the holocaust, I say we go to where people are.”
“Shh…” Alice held up her hand.
They were still in dangerous territory. The Technos weren’t far behind them, not to mention the loony Guardian.
“Al…”
She put a hand over the younger boy’s mouth. Motioning with her finger towards ruffling in the foliage to the right of them. That got KC to shut up.
“I think I just got bitten,” Ellie smacked at her neck.
They had been traveling for half and hour, she was sticky with sweat and bugs were beginning to buzz around them.
Jack rolled his eyes, “Elle, a little quiet would be nice, please.”
“Well excuse me!” She snapped back.
“You wanted to—”
May had had enough of their quarreling. She cut Jack off, “Clam it! You’re both giving me a headache!”
“Sorry,” Ellie muttered. Jack put a finger to his lips, pointing to foot prints.
May bent over them, studying the sets and feeling them. “They’re fresh.”
“How would you know?” Ellie almost laughed.
“Pride taught me.”
“Well if there are humans, then we know what we’re looking for now, right?” Ellie questioned.
“Ellie would you shut up please!” May pleaded, she had heard a noise to the left of them, and now her fear was kicking in.
“Ellie?” Alice questioned. No, she couldn’t have just heard her baby sister’s name. Was it possible the Mallrats were on the island?
She peeked her head from her hiding spot, spotting a figure that looked just like her sister. She stood frozen in her tracks, but KC moved.
He burst right through the foilage, a huge smile on his face. “Guys, boy am I glad to see you, Alice has been driving me insane!”
Jack was startled at the boy’s appearance. He could easily be mistaken for a savage, his clothes torn, skin dirty, and hair matted, but even dirty, that hair couldn’t be mistaken.
“KC?” he asked.
“Yeah, and Alice too.”
Ellie stopped glaring at May, “Al-Alice?”
“Yeah it’s me little sis,” Alice finally moved, marching across the space between them and hugging her sister tight as a bear hugs honey.
“I-I thought you were dead,” Ellie cried.
“Oh you know death is too good for me…”
“Certainly sure of that,” Jack smirked.
Alice turned her nose up at him in banter, “I see you couldn’t shake the geek.”
“What can I say; he put a spell on me.”
May rolled her eyes, “I’m all for lost and found reunions, but we’re on a mission here.”
“So are we,” KC said, “We’re trying to get off this island.”
“What? Why?” May questioned. She was just beginning to get excited about exploring.
“Because there are Technos still out for power and chaos in the direction we came from,” Alice pointed.
May snorted, “Well I ain’t getting back on that boat, so they’ll just have to be prepared to give up on that charade.”
“Told ya I seen a boat,” KC smirked at Alice.
“I don’t care who was right or wrong, we’re sitting ducks here.” Alice shouted.
“Let’s get back to the resort then, Bray was right,” May groaned.
“Bray? He’s alive then, I thought he’d been killed…” Alice looked puzzled.
“We did too…look we have so much to fill you in on, as do you and KC have so much to tell us,” Ellie smiled, “and we must warn you, a few of the Mallrats are shacking up with ex-Technos.”
Alice shook her head, “I do detest the power of love.”
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Chapter 8:What Now?
Lex was outraged. Turning to Ram he shouted, “You knew there were Technos here!”
Alice had told the tribe everything about her and KC’s ordeal with The Technos. Now they were deliberating.
“Mega obviously left me in the dark, but that’s not news,” Ram rolled his eyes. “But if you want to point fingers Lexy boy, it was you who lead us here.”
“He does have a good point,” Amber pointed out to Lex.
Lex grew silent, but the room grew louder. Everyone had something to say or a question and they were all talking over one another.
“Alright, one at a time!” Bray broke up the squabble, rubbing at his temples.
“So what do we do? Do we get back on the boat and float to some other island? What?” Gel questioned, fear in her expression.
“Why not?” Cloe asked.
May slumped on the porch, “For one, we can’t all fit on the boat and two, some of us can’t stand to be afloat. And we don’t know which islands are inhabited.”
Bray held up a hand to silence everyone once more, “May’s right, the boat isn’t big enough, and ours was stolen. Besides Ebony is going to be immobile soon. We’re going to have to plan a takeover.”
“Say we do that. What happens when we capture them? Do we keep them in cages and what happens when other Technos come to drop off another load?” Trudy asked; worry written clear in her expression.
Ved looked at Jay, who in turn looked at Ram.
Ram seemed unbothered. “Why don’t we ask Taisan? She was extremely close to Mega.”
“Hey watch it!” Lex warned.
“It’s okay Lex,” she rested a hand on the man’s arm, “He’s right. But Mega wasn’t as ‘in charge’ as he thought he was. There are a group of Technos out there that were doing things their way, helping the virts.”
“Great!” Cloe exclaimed.
Ebony was getting bored with the small talk. “What about planes? You stupid Technos came in on planes, running people’s lives. Couldn’t we just hop on one and find a nice little patch of Utopia?”
Ram snorted, “Sure Ebony, and we could all jump in our magic time machine and change the virus from ever happening.”
“Well Ram, what do you propose?” She snapped back at him.
Slade squeezed her shoulders to calm her. He was remaining silent on the issue, but taking mental notes.
“It’s like Bray said,” Ram shrugged, “We take them over.”
“This is going nowhere,” Amber sighed in frustration.
Slade finally cut into the conversation, “Even if we take them over, even with the help of these ‘anti-Technos’ Taisan has mentioned, we can’t force them to join us, and we can’t keep them in cages. Even more so, there would only be more of them out there.”
There was some more sighing from Bray, “He’s right, but where do we go? And how are we getting there?”
Bray, Taisan, Ved, and Cloe all looked at one another, a silent understanding of something. It was fleeting, but Lex noticed. He doesn’t think He likes how close they’d become. Then again he’d never liked Bray or Ved.
Ram stood, Trudy with him, “We steal their boats.”
“That solves what?” Salene asked.
“We can’t stay here obviously, so we steal their boats and find somewhere else to go,” Ram said firmly.
“If he says Paradise, can I kill him?” Ruby asked.
Ram smirked, “Not paradise, but a place we could stay and not worry about Technos. It’s where the Technos first came from.”
Jay cut in, “Ram are you talking about the place your father had built?”
“Precisely. I told the first batch of Technos, then that consisted of five of us, that the base was the safe haven my father had built, but that self-destructed once we left. This other place, it’s the Utopia Ebony was speaking about.”
“ You lied, so that if your little ‘take over the world’ plan failed, at least you’d always have some place to go. But I thought you said that it was in Hawaii.”
“I said that to cover up it’s true location, I am a mastermind after all.”
“So, where is it?” Darryl asked excitedly.
“Spoilers,” Ram grinned, avoiding the question. The trick is getting there. We surely can’t pack it in like sardines someone would have to stay behind,” Ram stroked his chin.
“Can I just kill him?” Alice snarled making Ram only smirk more.
Lex let out a short snort with an angry, ha at the end. “He’s like a cockroach, Alice. It’ll be a waste of your energy.”
“If we are going to get off this island, it had better be soon, I haven’t planned on having a baby on an unsterilized boat in the middle of the ocean,” a voice cut through all the others.
Everyone turned, laughing and looked at the speaker. It was Ebony.
“I fear this Ebony,” Alice laughed, “What happened to the other one?”
Ebony rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry; she hasn’t gone anywhere.” Her hormones were just out of whack.
“So it’s decided?” Trudy asked.
Taisan stood, giving no direct answer. “We will work harder on a plan in the morning.”
Everybody agreed. Going to their respective huts. No one noticed the stranger lurking about listening to their every word.
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Chapter 9: The Guardian
Jaffa had been following KC and Alice, knowing they were his only chance for survival.
He was having a hard time piecing reality from fantasy. His mind was always playing tricks on him, and with him not being all there mentally, he was reliant on others to sustain his life. Who better than a couple of rats?
All he ever wanted was acceptance. He wanted to fit in and be noticed. Martin had given him that notoriety, the very day they stood up on the school desks chanting, Power and Chaos. But it got his brain all twisted. He couldn’t find love let alone his place in the world. Not until the Technos put him on the same level as the virts. Being around the other slaves had brought him down off the highest pedestal.
Now, after listening to the Mallrats bicker and fight, they set a plan into motion in his head.
The rusted, web-covered cogs began to turn the wheels once again and Jaffa’s brilliance was returning.
“I’ll be a stowaway and these peace addicts will have no choice, but to nurse me back to health.”
Salene tossed and turned all night. She kept having a nightmare about Ryan. Every time she closed her eyes she could see his face. But he wasn’t himself. He had toned up a bit and he bore the red T of the Techno upon his forehead.
She’d run towards him in the dream, but he’d zap her with the laser, laughing and saying: “I could never love a two-timing virt.” Then she’d wake up with a start, face wet with tears. She didn’t understand it. How could she dream something so horrible? She had loved Ryan. Even through their trials, even with Pride sharing her bed, she never forgot Ryan.
“Trudy, I just don’t understand it,” she could be seen telling the other woman, their feet in the cold, wet sand, the waves lapping a short distance ahead.
Trudy took a long, hard look at her daughter splashing in the water trapped in a dug hole. “I fear I’m not much help Sal, not unless you’re feeling guilty that you stopped looking for Ryan and fell in love with Pride.”
“But it’s eerie, you know? Him as a Techno?” These are the sort of dreams she expected Taisan to relay to her and not be having herself. But she was the one with the soul tie to him, not the tribe cuckoo lady. Which gave her hope that hurt places in heart still healing. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say Ryan’s alive.”
“You’re starting to sound like Taisan,” Trudy smiled, “but Sal,” she tried to be reassuring, “If Alice says the Guardian is alive and nabbed by Technos, it is possible any one of his prisoners could be alive and with the Technos themselves.”
Salene nodded, sighing quietly and nodding her head repeatedly. "You’re right. Maybe it is a guilt trip I’m on.”
Trudy leaned over and hugged the woman, “If you have the dream again, we’ll look further into it.”
Salene laughed, “What are you, a shrink?”
Trudy shook her head but smiled unoffended. “Just a friend with a open ear.”
“Thanks Trude.”
The Guardian knew if Trudy saw him, she’d kill him, Tai-San too, but not Salene. Sal was a different story. She would want him alive for questioning.
That is perhaps why he waited until she was alone on the sand to show himself.
Salene was deep in her thoughts after Trudy took Brady in for breakfast with the others. So deep that the thud of the body collapsing at her feet seemed merely an extension of her nightmares forming daydreams.
She took a minute to realize it was real when she reached out and touched him. “Oh my word!” She exclaimed, calling for help.
It was Bray who came running. Wasn’t it always? She willed the thought away. “He just collapsed at my feet, like he fell out the sky, who is it?” she asked as he lifted the dirty man off his face and onto his back.
They both took five steps backwards. “It can’ be…” she whispered in fear.
Bray looked at her, taking her hand, “Oh, but it is.”
“Perhaps there is some higher power who still answers prayers.”
“You prayed for the Guardian to fall out the sky half-dead at your feet?” a woman’s voice broke up the moment.
Salene jumped and Bray let go of her hand like a child caught with it in the cookie jar. Neither Bray, nor Salene had seen Ebony appear or heard her approach.
“I’ll explain later,” Salene found the strength to smile, that hope floating again. “Right now we need to get him some water and clean clothes, and bandages,” she examined his badly damaged left hand.
“She’s gone cuckoo Bray,” Ebony looked at him in disbelief. “The man that took life away from her is lying before her feet, half-dead, and she wants to nurse him back to health?”
Bray didn’t know what to say,” I don’t understand either, but I’m going to do as she asks."
Ebony could not find her voice, but she did manage to say, “I’ll send Slade to help. I think he’s the only person who’d help, regardless of the man’s sick, sadistic past.”
Salene smiled, “Thank you, Ebony.”
The other woman only waved her off, muttering something about crazies.
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Chapter 10: Waiting Out the Storm
What started as a promising drizzle to cool the island’s unhappy inhabitants soon became a terrible storm putting all plans of overtaking or escape to a halt. Sitting on the porch, shaving away the ends of a spear with a pocket knife he’d acquired from Trader, Lex watched his tribe mates scrambling like chickens with their heads cut off. Back and forth they went; carrying loose furniture into empty huts and looking for ways to tie close the shutters of the inhabited dwellings. He often rolled his eyes at them, thinking they were missing the bigger threat. He was incredibly on edge with the Guardian around.
Finally, the movement stopped and they headed towards a structure slightly larger than the others, Lex taking up his spear and following behind them. The Mallrats could only guess the room they’d chosen as a safe haven was at some point in time was a recreation room due to the odd games strewn about, an air hockey table, and various toys.
Lex wasted no time in announcing his distaste. “I’m not comfortable knowing he’s around,” he announced testing the tips of his weapon with his fingertips. They all know the ‘he’ their self-appointed sheriff was referring to: The Guardian.
“Funny,” it was Amber, quick to quip, rolling her eyes at the young man. “We women used to say that about you, Lex.”
Lex glared, opening his mouth to defend himself, but clamped it shut quickly. He knew all too well she was right. He’d made a pass at all the women in the tribe, except for Lottie of course.
“I, for one, have to agree with Lex,” Alice chipped in, “This man is outright loony.”
“But right now he’s helpless and unconscious and I’m going to do everything in my power to sustain his life,” Salene said firmly, with her mind made up.
Ebony scowled at her, “Yeah well just keep him away from me, otherwise all your hard work will go to waste. We all know I’m a little less forgiving than most.” Ebony was of course holding a grudge from when Jaffa had attempted to kill her and humiliated her in front of an audience.
“As many times as you were let back into this tribe, you think you would be,” May muttered loud enough to be overheard.
“Who are you to be acting high and mighty, not that I’m taking Ebony’s side, but I seem to recall you being an all around shady character not too long ago,” Trudy broke in.
“Alright, enough!” Taisan interjected. She was tired of the fuss. “We’d all do right just to let Sal do what she is doing; besides we have other matters to fuss about.”
“Exactly, like how do we get off this island when we’re being flooded around mass bodies of water?” Ellie piped in.
The room grew quiet aside from the children playing. It had been raining non-stop for five days now. They had to bail water out of Trader’s boat twice already.
Shrill screams pierced the growing silence. They were those of Gel. Nobody had even noticed she was missing. It was Lex, spear at the ready that went charging out of the room first.
:penta:
“That ghostly man is awake!” Lex found Gel in a panic.
Jay, hot on Lex’s tail couldn’t take Gel and her hysterics. “Sammy, see if you can calm her down,” he suggested, his eyes pleading with the boy.
Salene pushed past the group into the room where Jaffa was sitting upright in the bed staring straight ahead and chanting some gibberish.
She spoke softly to him, coaxing him to lay back down, “You’re fine. I’ll get you some water.”
Ebony, still befuddled at the woman’s care for the Guardian said, “She has always felt the need be the ‘mother’.”
Salene shooed everyone away, shutting the door in their faces. She was going to help this man in any way she could, her future depended on it. At least she hoped she’d benefit from nursing Jaffa back to good health.
:penta:
During the reunion stage, Amber and Bray had decided to take things slowly, but things were moving at a snail’s pace for Amber, who unlike everyone else didn’t go chasing after Gel’s screams. She hadn’t realized she wasn’t alone.
“You look terrible,” Taisan entered into the kitchenette of the rec room where Amber sat in a stool at the counter.
“Do I? Gosh, I hope it’s not that evident,” Amber panicked.
Tai laughed, “Relax, I was just thinking about your expression.”
Amber sighed, “Oh good, I though maybe my whole heart was displayed on my face.”
“Matters of the heart you say? Are things okay between you and Bray?”
“Oh, things are fine, sure, but…”
“But you wish things were moving at a faster pace?” Taisan finished the sentence for her.
Amber smiled, “Are you a mind reader too, medicine woman?”
Taisan played into the joke, “No, that’s what my crystal ball is for.”
After a small laugh followed by silence, Taisan spoke some more, “I know what you’re going through, it’s hard to get back to that place of ecstasy and joy that was once.”
“Exactly! Am I wrong for loving with my every whim?”
“No, we just have to give it time, though patience is running thin.”
Amber pouted, “I know you’re right, and I know we need to give it time, but I don’t know how much longer my patience will hold. He doesn’t even touch me hardly when we kiss, it’s like I’m diseased.”
“I have faith in you Amber. He’s probably thinking you took things too fast to begin with and he wants to go about things right this time. Just…”
“Give it time, I know, I know.” Amber relented, though her mind was still full of worry. She knew Bray. Something or someone else was on his mind. If she had so easily moved on with Jay, wasn’t it possible he’d have found someone?
Taisan smiled at her, breaking up her thoughts with what she said next. “I have an idea. I think its time for one of our ‘Mallrat’ parties.”
Amber was hesitant to be an enthusiast, but finally gave in to Taisan’s stares, “We may as well, right, to help wait out the storm?” She was starting to gain enthusiasm, “Just make sure there’s no paint or A.I. Zoot’s around.”
They both laughed and set in motion the plans for a party.
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Chapter 11: Party
It had not been an easy feat, but Taisan had managed to get almost everyone in the mood for a party. The rainstorms had stopped, for now, and it just seemed like a party was needed. Gel, on the other hand, was hard to reason with when it came to contributing to the tribe gathering.
“Gel, please,” Jack was begging. They wanted music for the party and she was the only air-head to grab any in the event of running for their lives.
“No, no, no, no, no, and no!” She shouted, “I’m not coming and neither is any of my music, and that’s a shame cause I have darn good taste.”
Alice, who was Jack’s partner in the matter, cracked her knuckles, “Let me handle this.”
Jack smiled at the fear that swept over Gel’s face, “No Al, I got this.” He held off the threat, racking his brain for a compromise, “What if I promise you a dance with Lex?”
“He’s a pig! No!”
Alice laughed, “She’s smarter than we think.”
“I can hear you, ya know?” Gel huffed, slamming the door, which prompted more laughter from the older woman.
Jack was losing his patience, “What do you want from us?” His voice had grown whiny in his irritation.
“To be left alone!”
He grunted, his back sliding down the door and Alice smirked down at him. “You should of let me handle it.”
Jack scowled at her then a light bulb went on in his head. “Shampoo, what if I get you shampoo?!
The door opened a crack, “Well why didn’t you say so. Here!” Gel opened the door, making him catch himself before falling backwards. She handed Alice her cd case.
“Scratch one and you die.”
Alice wasn’t threatened in the least and Jack relished in their victory. Together they headed back to the Rec room. With the music, it was time to get the party started.
:penta:
The last thing May wanted was a party. She was more interested in getting off the island. She was no paradise flower; she was an alley cat, a city crawler. She missed cement and tar land. The closest she got to that on the island was a strip of corroding road that she didn’t dare explore in fear of running into the Technos. She feared them more than The Guardian.
“You want something to drink?” Trader nudged her. He had noticed she was standing by herself off in a corner.
“Unless it’s some real hard stuff, which it’s not, no.” An awkward silence followed. Trader didn’t know how to tell May that what went down between them was something special to him. It wasn’t just some sleazy trade for him when it came to May. He had developed something for her. She was a plague suffocating his mind.
“You uh—want to hit the dance floor?” he swallowed his fear of rejection and asked, hopefully.
May laughed, “You and me? No, I don’t think so.” She walked off leaving him alone.
“Love Jones,” a voice helped him sober from the sting.
“What?” he asked the female voice. Turning to see her face, it was Amber.
“You’re sick with love for her. I can see it in your eyes and demeanor,” Amber smirked.
“Yeah. But some things have gone down between her and me, stuff I don’t think she can overlook, and that I know I’m guilty of.”
“You’ll never know, unless you try…why don’t you just tell her.”
“Like I’ve said, we’ve had this on and off relationship. She wanted me at one point, but now she can’t stand me. And why? Because I’m a sleazy trader. So of course using that four letter word with her is out of the question.”
“I see…” Amber nodded. At least he admitted he was a sleazy trader and that he had some faults.
Amber looked around once more for Bray who had disappeared. A pang of sadness swept over her, but quickly faded. Maybe if he saw her dancing with Trader when he reappeared he’d pay her a bit of attention.
“How about a dance? Since my date has disappeared and May isn’t interested. Let’s show them both what they’re missing out on.”
Trader smiled, “It can’t hurt,” he extended an arm grabbing the one she was offering.
:penta:
Bray sat alone underneath the stars thinking.
He loved Amber, he truly did, but something or rather someone had interfered with their love. Some things he couldn’t overcome.
There was someone else who had stolen his heart while being with the Technos. His heart shouldn’t have been there on his sleeve for her to steal. It should have been drenched in Amber’s name, unaccesible and safe, but mentally he had been in a bad way, and another had began to its repair. It was sad to say, but wonderful too, that he let his heart get taken over by another woman.
What had been innocent flirting between captor and captive, a ploy for freedom, had accidentally flourished into a dangerous relationship. It’s why he was deported. She had requested it in fear of being found out and him getting hurt.
He thought being back around the Mallrats and with Amber again, seeing her, seeing his son, and being far away from Kyra would be enough. That he could play house with Amber and things would be fine. But he found himself conflicted. He windered did he really love his captor or had the acting and aching of loneliness somehow possessed him. He wondered too had his love for Amber become platonic? It’s the reason he requested the mother of his child and himself sleep in separate rooms. Bray just wasn’t sure of anything concerning relationships right now and he’d rather not dig himself a deepee hole.
“You’re missing the party.”
It was who Ebony sat down next to him, making him sigh with a groan. “You are too if you’re out here. Besides I’m not in a partying mood, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
Ebony peered at him in the starlight, “Yeah? Neither am I,” she paused, shutting then opening her mouth again. “Like it or not, I know you Bray. You get especially broody when you’ve got a woman on your mind. Now my guess is it ain’t Amber, otherwise you’d be inside dancing with her instead of Trader. So, who is she?”
Bray tried not to react, hearing Amber was dancing with the likes of Trader, for a moment there was that spark of jealousy in him only Sasha could provoke. But quickly it deflated. How could he be upset when he’d been treating Amber like a sister rather than a lover.
Finally he turned to look at Ebony, “You’re not going to take this and crush Amber’s spirit are you?”
She pretended to be wounded, “Ouch,” she smirked. “Tonight I’m turning over a new leaf with you, no scheming. You mean a lot to me, and I just want to see you happy.”
“What have you done to Ebony?” he looked at her in mock fright.
“She’s hiding behind an enlarged abdomen, swollen feet, and an unexplainable but powerful love for something growing inside of her that she hasn’t even met yet.”
Bray chuckled, “I don’t remember Amber being this different when she was pregnant.”
“Well everybody is different,” she scoffed, annoyed at the comparison. “Besides this transformation began before the side-effects of pregnancy. Just ask the good ol Eagle. But enough about me, who’s this woman?”
She had mot been distracted by Bray trying to get out of the hot seat. He looked back at the low, crashing waves, lightly gripping a handful of sand. “Her name is Kyra. We had a fling. One all too dangerous. Kyra was a Techno and I was her prisoner.”
“Sounds like Jay and I.”
“You and him…whoa.”
“Yeah. Amber managed to steal him away from me like she did you. She got a dose of her own medicine though, well maybe double dose seeing how Trudy had him for five minutes, now Ruby’s got him. Is she going for a triple dose?” Ebony got excited.
He shook his head, disappointed in her giddiness. “I may never see Kyra again, so it doesn’t matter.”
“So you stick it out with someone you don’t love?”
“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t actually know. I mean I do love Amber, but we’ve spent too much time apart. Right now it just feels like she is only the mother of my child and the first woman I let toy with my heart next to you.”
“What does your heart tell you now?” Ebony said after some moments of silence.
“I don’t know. Kyra stole it.”
“Then you have your answer.”
“I do?” he looked at her with a quizzical expression.
“Your heart belongs to her. Or maybe you’ve finally got it back to yourself.” She was quiet again, seeming conflicted. When she spoke again, he was definitely surprised. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you can’t string Amber along any further, it’s not fair to her or your son.”
Speechless, Bray remained silent, thinking it over. Maybe his heart was truly back to him and now a little older, he could be more wise about handing it out. This Ebony beside him was so understanding and so kind. Had he never saw the real her because he never gave her a real chance? Had he been the cause of all her evil, scheming, and self-centered ways? He had to laugh at himself. Yeah, right. Still, he was thankful for this side of her.
Speaking finally, it was his turn to question her. “What really brought you out here?”
“Intuition,” she smirked, “that and the temptation.”
“Temptation?” he questioned.
“Well it’s not really a party with the Mallrats unless something goes wrong,” she smirked.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing, yet,” she smirked, rising and making her way to Slade as everyone filtered out of the boring, little Rec room. They were attracted to the beautiful night sky, one they hadn’t seen since the rains began.
Bray noticed Ebony winked at him as he gave her one last curious look. Amber then threw herself in his lap and made to kiss him when a water balloon hit her.
The culprit had been a very giggly Brady in Trudy’s arms.
Bray laughed as Amber jumped up, “Clever. She’s definitely got her father’s sense of humor,” he declared before he began to chase after Brady who had managed to escape her mother’s arms.
Ebony pitched a water balloon at him. Then suddenly there were water balloons flying everywhere, letting the good times begin. He smiled at Ebony, “I knew you were up to something. Even got the youngsters involved.”
Ebony returned the smile and went back to war with the others. She had found the balloons in the Rec room when they first cleaned it out. Three giant bags, unopened. Most of them were useless, but there were just enough to fill and scheme to have a great time.
A great time most of them hadn’t experienced since the virus hit.
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Just read the whole 
Damn that’s serious emotional disaster stuff! Like it a lot!
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Thank you 
more will be edited and updated soon
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Looking forward
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This is a great story. 
Thank you and also for reminding me to update
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I will look forward to an update. I am enjoying reading the story.
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Chapter 12: The Pirates
Ebony was thinking. She’d been doing it a lot more lately, actually considering other lives than her own. It was a different feel than just scheming for herself all the time.
“You’re going to wear a hole in your brain,” Slade joked sitting down beside her on the bed.
She was lying on her side, head propped up by her elbow, completely lost in thought. She sighed, “I’m not sure of that, but I do have a headache.”
“What are you thinking so hard about?” That curious concern that first attracted her to him taking on his voice as he peered at her.
“It’s not that I’m thinking hard,” she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, a hand draped across her abdomen, “I’m just, I don’t know.” She shrugged, after thought adding, “I’m reflecting.”
She had done a lot of bad things in her life, been the villain or anti-hero in their recent history and kissed a lot of boys to get where she was. Which wasn’t at the top, like she thought she’d always wanted. What she realized now was that she had only ever wanted attention from someone who loved her back.
Slade could sense a really sensitive talk was coming, so he braced himself, praying for the right words to say when the floor was his.
“Love has been a difficult chapter in my life, I’ve fallen in love more times than one, but it never works out. I do admit, some of the ‘love’ was me looking out for number one, and the break-ups or rifts mainly my fault, but was it all me?” She wrinkled her brows in thought. She can’t have been to blame for every unreperable union, right?
She stopped for a breath, “There have only been four people that ever really knew me, one is dead, two broke my heart, and one of whom is in this room, and I’m constantly pushing them away.”
“You’re not pushing me away, Ebony.”
“But aren’t I? Whenever you get too close I shut you out.”
“I won’t let you push me away; I’m here for you, and our child.”
“It won’t be long before you’re fed up with me. I’ll push you away like I’ve done the others,” she paused thinking of Siva. “I’m a difficult person Slade, I have baggage.”
“I’m looking for baggage to go with mine. You’re the most captivating woman I’ve met, and I think— no I know, you and I are good together. I get you Ebony,” he placed a hand on her arm, “and you don’t exactly know everything yet, but you get me. You are my counterpart, we are alike some, but opposite too. We, you and I, need that awkward balance. We’ll rely on one another to get by.”
Ebony looked at him, eyes glazed, feeling insecure as a confession fell from her lips. “I’ve never admitted this to anyone before, but I need you by my side. Without you, I’m lost.”
It was the truth. She was seriously messed up when Slade showed up out the blue. She hasn’t been the same since, and that frightens her. He’s her light on the darkness she battles within herself.
Slade smirked, “Don’t go changing your spots for me.”
“No worries,” she winked, her walls going up again, “so don’t go asking me to marry you.”
“I can’t promise you I won’t try to put a ring on your finger,” he smirked, “but I promise I won’t let you push me away.”
Ebony’s tears had sobered up before Slade had finished, but now a new expression was on her face. Her expression was a mix of shock, fear, and joy.
“What?” Slade panicked, reaching for her hand.
Ebony found a smile and shushed him, placing his hand on her stomach. The life inside of her was stirring, shifting as their hands searched for its touch.
Slade smiled, “I think it’s a sign, we’re good together.”
“I’ll try and remember that during the delivery.”
Slade didn’t say anything, his smile frozen on his face to mask what he kept hidden. The delivery wasn’t something he was looking forward to. He’d never admit it, but he was fearful of that day. Not just because it all seemed unglamorous and scary, but because what if something went wrong? No, he silently berated himself, ashamed of thinking the worst. This child was special.
Bray had decided not to tell Amber about Kyra. It was too hard to break it to her gently. She however didn’t take his distance as a warning sign, more like an attraction or welcome mat. He knew he had to tell her soon, but first things were first, getting everyone off the island.
“Boat!” Sammy shouted. He was perched on the roof of the pool house.
“You’d better not be joking kid!” Ved barked at him.
Bray shielded the sun from his eyes, “That’s no ordinary boat, it’s one of luxury. Alert the others. We may be in for a battle.”
“But they’re not headed our way,” Sammy said puzzled.
“I know, but we have to be cautious,” Bray gave him a serious look that communicated well.
Sammy nodded and climbed down. He made haste in alerting everyone.
Ved looked at Bray, “Technos?”
Bray shook his head, “The Techno is asking me?” He half-laughed, “Don’t think it’s their style, do you?” He didn’t wait for an answer, “It could be a harmless bunch, could be trouble.”
“I’ll make sure the kids and Ebony are secured then,” Ved took off, leaving the older man alone.
The boat wasn’t headed their way indeed, but it was headed to the island. The side KC and Alice confirmed was Techno infested. But a big, flashy boat wasn’t Techno style. They were probably looking to stretch their sea legs and spotted the Techno camp before the resort.
A woman with blue eyes so pale, they looked gray, and fair, tanned skin led her band of pirates into the foliage of this new island.
“Alright Pirates, you know the drill, get the goods and get going,” she shouted.
“Mikhail aren’t you coming?” her younger sister asked.
Mikhail shook her head, giving a one word answer, “Migraine.”
“Khail, again?” There used to be days when you’d fight through anything,” Lefty, a tall muscular pirate questioned her.
Mikhail rolled her eyes, “It’s simple, the sooner you quit your yapping, the quicker I’ll recover.”
The group retreated. Mikhail watching them go, relieved. The last thing she needed was for her tribe to figure out she was pregnant. There was no room for babies in their risky business.
She was their leader, she couldn’t be tied down to a kid and raid Techno Prison camps, not that being a Pirate was promising at all. Khail just wasn’t ready to be a mother again; the first time was too much of a nightmare.
She lay in a chair on deck and closed her eyes thinking about the last time she had become pregnant. She was fourteen and had fallen in love with her tutor. He was eighteen, and stuff far beyond innocence happened. Their precarious love affair ended with her finding out she was pregnant. The entire world abandoned her then, except her nana.
Her grandmother had taken care of her and the child until the virus hit its full peak, wiping out most adult life. When her nana succumbed to the epidemic she ran home to her dying mother, like a fool. It ended in her leaving her sleeping one year old, son in the arms of a social worker. She had never looked back until today, and it hurt all over again.
“State your business,” a voice snapped her out of her memories, “and we won’t hurt you.”
Bray had gotten worried. He didn’t like the though of anyone else joining the island. What if he were wrong and it was the Technos? The evil branch of them? No, he couldn’t take the chance, not when he’d just gotten his son back.
He, Lex, and Jay decided to track the boat and insure they weren’t there to bring mayhem. But when they came across it, it was occupied by a sole person.
‘You wouldn’t hurt me,” Mikhail batted her eyelashes at the boy with the raven black hair.
Lex stood his ground, “I wouldn’t underestimate me.”
Mikhail’s smile faded. He didn’t remember her. It had been quite a few years back, they were just kids, nine or ten, when they last were together.
“My name’s Khail, and let’s just say I’m here on business.”
“What’s your tribe?” Jay questioned.
“We’re the Pirates, and unless you’re Technos, you have nothing to worry about.”
Bray laughed, “Don’t tell me you’re their leader. What are you, like the sugar-plum pirates?”
As much as Mikhail wanted to laugh, she pretended to be miffed. Though her and her tribe were well groomed on account they were out at sea all the time. Occasionally, more now than ever, they stopped on Fleur Isle. She cursed many times over since she had fallen for a man there.
“Don’t you dare mock us!” she stood up.
“What are you going to do about it?” Lex asked.
“Don’t underestimate me Lexy; you’ve felt my wrath before.”
Lex looked a little confused. He’d never seen this girl before in his life, yet she knew him by name.
Bray got down to business, “Until we’re certain you’re not dangerous,” he smirked, “you’re going to have to come with us.”
“Fine, but when my crew finds the boat empty, they’ll come after me,” Mikhail made sure to sound intimidating, “and you will suffer dearly.”
“What do we do with her?” Tai-san questioned. She had called a tribe meeting; infuriated that they had come back with a prisoner.
“We wait to see if her sugar plum pirate crew comes to save her. We see their strengths and weaknesses, and then we see here to go from there,” Jay offered.
“Surely you’re not going to lock her up?” Trudy asked.
Amber answered for them all, “And treat her like an animal when she was brought here on innocent terms? No way!”
“Then she’s not a prisoner?” Sammy asked.
“Absolutely not, but she’s not allowed to leave the resort.”
“Well don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Mikhail entered the kitchen.
Sammy was in love. He noted how the rest of the tribe looked at her as well. The guys with admiration, the women with envy.
Mikhail’s blue-gray eyes were dazzling and a threat. They accented her beautiful face, naturally tanned skin, and short, soft curls. She was also tall, and her outfit showed a great length of slender, perfect legs.
Trudy nudged Ram in the ribs, who instantly recovered. Mikhail laughed and found an empty seat next to a pregnant woman with a fierce stare.
Ebony tensed at the stranger sitting next to her, because Slade may as well have been drooling. “I’m not afraid to say anything to your face,” Ebony glared at her, “and you’d be wise not to press any of my buttons.”
“Hey, no need to get hostile, I didn’t come here willingly,” she glared at Lex, Bray, and Jay, “so…where’s my cell?”
Tai-san spoke, “We’re not going to lock you up…we’re simply going to treat you like a guest.”
“I’m confused…” Mikhail started to say at the sound of commotion outside. She could hear Lefty calling her name. Smirking she said, “I’ll handle this,” she stopped Trader and Jay in their tracks.
Lefty was leading the group. Mikhail was like a little sister to him, he’d do anything to protect her or anyone else of the tribe.
“Stand down crew, let that little girl go,” Mikhail stepped onto the porch.
Lottie ran and hid behind Slade. “This is your crew?” Slade asked.
With the exception of one of the guy’s roguish faces, they weren’t very intimidating and there were only five of them, Mikhail made six.
Mikhail laughed, “Have we proven to be harmful enough Bray?”
He replied, “Of course, not harmful at all. So why do you call yourselves the pirates?”
Lefty snapped, “That’s none of your business!”
“It’s okay Lefty, we have no secrets,” Mikhail turned back to the Mallrats, “the name was more promising than the Robin Hoods. We raid Techno camps releasing what prisoners we can and taking the goods delivering them to where they’re needed.”
Rayne, her younger sister spoke, “The Technos no longer occupy that part of the island. They must have left in the storms.”
“But we got the goods, it’s on the boat, so let’s go,” Domino, a Pirate around Sammy’s age said.
Mikhail spoke up again, “My crew and I thank you for this little misadventure, but we’d best be going, we have our own lives.”
Lex stepped forward, “Wait. It’s getting dark now; you can’t possibly navigate with little sun.”
Tai-san glared at him. She knew her husband, and she knew he’d never offer someone to stay unless he was interested.
“We’ll take our chances; it doesn’t look like we’re welcome here. We’re a bunch of strangers,” Khail said.
“You and Rayne are no strangers, you came from a fine line of good Samaritans,” Lex tried again, his memory coming back to him.
Mikhail stopped, “You remember?”
“How could I forget? Those are some of the most memorable times of my life. You tried to kill me!”
“We all know you had it coming am I right?” Rayne asked. She was only a year younger than Mikhail and Lex, so they were her memories too.
Lex smiled sheepishly, “I haven’t changed a bit either since that summer.”
Mikhail and Rayne laughed. Everyone else waiting to know the truth. “I suppose we could stay the night, but we’re going to get our boat,” Mikhail declared.
When she and her little band of pirates left, everyone questioned Lex.
“They’re my cousins by marriage. One summer I stayed with my uncle and his new family, it was a blast, end of story. Besides, now we don’t have to leave the island, the Technos are gone.”
May spoke, “Great, now that’s what I like to hear.”
“We still need food,something not being naturally produced on this island,” Cloe pointed out. “I’m tired of fish and berries.”
“She’s right, we still need to find the necessary resources to live on,” Amber said, “that’s why it was a good idea for Lex to invite them to stay. They can help us with navigation and such.”
“And maybe they can help us fix the boat…” Trader cleared his throat, “It was…um…damaged in the storms.”
Everyone looked at him upset. Then slowly the crowd dispersed. They were disgusted with all the day’s events and the news about the boat was the icing on the cake.
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Thank you for the new update. I like the pirates and i liked Mikhail’s character, and her name.
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