Yes, I realize it's been a while. There's been quite a bit of..."unexpected difficulties..." I guess you could say. My sisters and I have stumbled on a couple of obstacles along the way to finding our parents, so let's get back to that:
After Alex scared off Hailey and Rikki with her diminuituve golden contraption, my remaining sisters and I slumped onto the rugged branches in relief. I decided to check my inventory...especially the weapons. In my leather pouch, I found a rope, a pocket knife, and a sack filled with small white flowers the size of quarters. I had no idea what they were for, but I knew I would find out soon. After a few short moments of calm, a breathtaking boom shattered the silence, and we all looked to Alex in suprise.
"I didn't do it this time, guys," Alex muttered as she revealed her weapon.
I looked up through the trembling leaves that practically glowed green against the somber sky; a storm was coming.
"She's right. A thunder storm is heading our way," they all looked upward as I spoke, "and we need to act now."
Before I could utter another word, my sisters sprang from the oak tree and I plummeted after them towards the dark earth. Not a second later, we lay in the rich soil and witnessed a bolt of lightning strike our ever-majestic shelter when it ruptured into flames. That's when I noticed a small, vine-covered cavern a little over a hundred feet away.
"Come on!" I yelled over the thunder.
After a stride or two, I looked back to discover Alex and Bailey at my heels, but Kailey still lay at the trunk of the burning oak tree. I swiftly pointed Alex towards the cave, and she grabbed Bailey as I ran back to Kailey.
"Kailey! Kailey! Hurry up!" I screamed on top of the storm. The tree seemed drunk as it swayed back and forth, getting closer to tumbling towards its end. "Kailey! The tree will fall on you if you don't move! Kailey!"
Kailey, a motionless rock, lay still as she stared at the burning tree before her. The tree cracked, louder and louder, and I knew I only had a couple more seconds before she was a goner. Before thinking, I burst forward with all my strength and wrapped my arm around Kailey's waist. I plucked her from the dirt and bolted in the direction I heard my sisters yelling. A staggering crack split the air and I felt the a gust of wind as the oak tree struck the ground nipping at my heels. My lungs burned like the forest behind me as I bound towards Alex and and Bailey: breath, stride, breath, stride, breath, stride, leap, breath, stride, stumble, breath, stride. I finally collapsed inside the cool den just as a blast of thunder released water upon the trees and the bushes and the grass and the rocks and the cliffs and the soil. I lay Kailey down next to me as I told everyone to get some rest. The steady pounding of rain against earth put me to sleep...
...
I woke up to Bailey's screams. Rikki and Hailey appeared at the mouth of the cave, and the look in their eyes said it all: they were ready to fight. Luckily for my sisters and myself, so was I.
I grabbed my satchel and contemplated on the white flowers for a moment. My instict told me to eat one, so, naturally, I did. I placed the delicated petals on my tongue and swallowed. Immediately, strength swept through my body and energy coursed through my blood. My thoughts cleared and my senses sharpened. I looked down at my hands; they seemed to glow. With renewed confidence I assessed my situation. After only a couple moments, I decided my best option was to convince Rikki and Hailey to come back to us. However, I knew they wouldn't come back without a fight.
I strolled to the front of the cave until I was in front of Rikki. I figured she would be the toughest nut to crack; I needed to get her down while I had the strength.
I decided on a more casual approach: "What's up?" I asked as light-heartedly as I could manage.
In response, Rikki threw a punch, and it connected with my jaw.
I opened my mouth as I rubbed my throbbing cheek, "Well, that hurt."
As she clenched her fists to hit me again, I ducked and whipped my leg around, bringing Rikki to the cold granite ground. I leapt out of the cave and into the pulsing rain. Without looking back, I sprinted with incredible strength to a cliff three hundred feet away. I jumped over fallen trees and swerved around boulders through a storm of wind and thunder. When I finally reached the barren clearing, I took in my surroundings: chalky white rock underneath my feet, the closest tree swaying twenty yards away, a suspicious pile of carefully placed stones that I decided to check out later, lightning glowing like a crown above my head, and a steep drop-off only fifteen steps from where I stood.
My train of thought was soon interrupted by Rikki's sharp voice, "Carter."
When it became apparent she wasn't going to say any more, I continued my nonchalant method, "Hey, Rikki! How's life treating you?" Silence; I finally spoke again, "I'm pretty fantastic, thanks."
Rikki threw a punch, but I ducked. I hit her in the gut, and she grunted. I kicked her legs out from under her. She lay still for only a moment and soon jumped back up to her feet. In rage, Rikki swung her fist but, again, missed. This is only made her more frustrated while I tried to talk to her.
"Rikki, come back! I know you're in there; I see you fighting. Please, come back!" I yelled over the thunder.
I pinned Rikki to the ground, but, in anger, she threw me off of her and we went rolling. I tried to slow us down when I noticed the cliff speedily approaching, but Rikki continued wrestling with all her might. Before I could warn her, we reached the cliff. With one hand I grabbed a small shrub and, with the other, Rikki's hand. She rolled off the edge and dangled helplessly, desperately clinging to my arm. Without saying a word, I rolled over onto my stomach and grabbed Rikki's shaking hands. The wind whipped my hair around as the thunder rumbled forcefully above me. I looked Rikki in the eye and spoke.
"Please come back," I whispered, "for Mom, for Dad, for me, for our family. Please, come back." In that moment, my hair glowed chestnut like my mother's, and my eyes became forests like my fathers' while lightning lit up the sky, illuminating both the roaring river five stories beneath Rikki's feet and the fear pulsing plain on her face. "Please, come back."
The cloudiness in Rikki's eyes cleared, and the hatred softened. It was her.
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