Chapter twenty nine
Home Is Where The Heart Is
It was still storming after two days of non-stop wind and rain.JR hated the cave crying, he must either be held or put into the crib or playpen.
Ronny plugged his ears with his fingers,"let him run around already, I can't stand another minute of JR crying."
Kevin was in agreement,"it's been two days, it's so boring and depressing even I want to cry. At least you have your bed JR, uncle Kevin misses his soft mattress."
Amy gave the child a cup of water helping him drink it,"I would like nothing better than to let JR run around, but there's no way to baby proof a cave. Aunt Amy has more common sense than that, it's better that he cries than choking to death."
The four guys went out of the cave running for their cabin, once inside they began talking.
Alex was near tears,"I hope that Tye reached land before the storm hit, the raft wouldn't have stood a chance. If he's dead it's all my fault, it was my idea to leave in the raft, I'm an idiot for even thinking about it."
Sammy slapped his brothers face,"snap out of it Alex it's
nobodies fault,it was Tye's decision. We aren't going to talk about it again, it's the only way he stands a chance."
Jake walked into the sunshine hearing an unfamiliar sound,"do you hear that Matty? Birds are singing, they must have been blown here by the storm,or stopped here knowing the storm was close."
Matty pointed at a pretty blue bird,"I hope the birds stay for a while, I like looking at them"
Cat heard the conversation,"I hope you like picking berries, because those little thieves will eat every single berry. Get to work people, pick fruit until your backs ache and then pick some more."
For the next four days every berry was picked within two miles of camp, as well as every fruit tree and the massive garden of ripe vegetables. Most of the canning jars were filled from fear of a mere twenty birds.
Too many birthdays had been missed, the group decided to take one whole week off celebrating them. The supplies were carried to beach camp, the group took turns watching JR. Jake killed and butchered a fat goat when arriving,it was slow roasted over a spit all day. A fun day was had by all swimming and relaxing.
Alex gently rubbed his girlfriend's belly,"have you had your monthly yet Amy?"
Amy spoke quickly,"yes I started this morning,it was a scare I won't have again, until we're rescued I'm not being intimate with you again Alex."
Alex's guilt was overwhelming, the reason for Tye leaving had never existed.
Sammy kissed his girlfriend,"Lindy try to have a good time, you're at the beach and my manly chest is showing."
Lindy giggled,"I love you Samuel Pratt you sexy muscle bound Romeo."
Sammy added,"being rich doesn't hurt either."
Lindy held out the plastic bottle,"alright money bags rub some sunscreen on my back."
Sammy took the lotion,"if only I wasn't so hen pecked I would complain, and such a beautiful hen you are Lindy."
Chance helped his son build a sand castle,"it doesn't look like much of a castle son, but it is sand at least. JR don't put your hands by your eyes, or your mouth, or your hair. You're really going to need a bath after this, mamma is going to kill me when she sees you."
Ronny and Kevin built a sand castle going into intimate detail.
Alex dumped water over their heads,"you forgot the moat Idiots."
Ronny chased his buddy down the beach,"I might be an idiot but I'm faster than you are Alex."
Kevin laughed until he looked down, the castle was completely destroyed.
Julie watched the off limits guy,"Page we are alone yet again, while Cat, Lindy and Amy are all in relationships.Our only options are Kevin and Ronny, or we could break the rules chasing Kyle."
Page pointed at the two guys having a slap fight,"Kevin and Ronny are as immature as the day is long, like a stray dog they are impossible to train. Steve and Jake don't prefer girls and Tye has gone missing, Kyle is our only option."
Julie looked at Kyle Jennings,"I want to run my fingers through his brown hair and stare into those beautiful brown
eyes."
Page was more interested in Kyle's physical aspects," look at Kyle's muscles and he rarely wears a shirt. Why did we ever agree that Kyle was off limits?"
Chance put a blanket on the beach,Cat put JR on the blanket, she sat next to him.
Cat kissed the boy's chubby cheek,"I wonder what our son is doing? My sister Cora is seven years old,and my brother Scotty is four by now. JR is old enough to play and watch cartoons with them. What a wonderful life they will have growing up together."
Chance held the small hand,"who do you belong to little boy? Does your mother miss you?"
Cat scolded her husband,"stop talking like that Chance, the trees have ears."
Chance returned her paranoia,"what you said was just as bad Cat, think before you speak, or don't reprimand me for it."
Cat kissed her husband,"I'm sorry Chance you're right, I won't speak of it again."
The first annual chicken race had officially begun, Ronny, Kevin, Alex and Sammy stood at the finish line. Amy, Lindy, Julie and page each held onto a chicken at the start line.
The girls let go of the chickens and the guys coaxed their entries.
Ronny called to his chicken,"come Clucky Girl come to daddy!"
Kevin called to his chicken,"get over here right now Henny Poo!"
Alex called to his chicken,"come to me Green Eggs And Ham!"
Sammy called to his chicken,"Super Chicky I'm over here."
The chickens ran around in circles pecking the ground, everyone but the chicken callers laughed. In the end a chicken came to Ronny, but it was Kevin's chicken.Henny Poo crossed the finish line and was declared the winner by Chance. Kevin kissed the chicken's head, winning the grand prize of two fruit
Pies of his choice to eat alone.
Popcorn was made just before bed as a special treat, Kevin shared his with Henny Poo. This time it was the girls who shared their stories.
Page began,"I wasn't always the beauty you see before you, I was a late bloomer. In fifth grade I wore glasses, a training bra and had terrible acne, if that wasn't bad enough I was three inches shorter than anyone else and wore braces. During summer vacation I got contacts, had my braces removed, lost twenty pounds, dyed my hair and began using makeup. I got a prescription for acne cream,grew four inches taller and padded my C cup bra. When I returned to school no one knew who I was,I went by my mother's maiden name Katie Perkins. The faculty knew who I was and allowed my alias feeling pity on me. I dated the most popular boy in school for the next two years, then my mother spilled the beans at a teacher conference. I was Page Palmer again, the least popular kid in school."
Julie began her story,"I dated my high school's football star, he was a quarterback and I was the head cheerleader. I saw him have his arm around a long haired blonde, I kicked his crotch from behind. It wasn't a girl it was his male cousin, when he could talk he broke up with me."
Lizy started,"I was supposed to meet my ninth grade boyfriend at a Halloween party, we had themed costumes,
I was a wench and he was a pirate.I drank too much and kissed a clown with a beard by mistake. My pirate broke up with me, because I puked in his mom's car on the drive home."
Amy began,"when I was ten years old I had a frog,that I kissed every day wishing that he became my prince.My older sister distracted me after I kissed the frog, when I turned around, there was a handsome sixteen year old guy and the frog was gone.I said my prince my prince, the prince said, ridit ridit. I screamed so loud our parents came running, my sister was grounded for three months."
Cat began," when I was four years old, my father told me that his sister had a bun in the oven. The next time we went to a restaurant, my mother asked me what I wanted to eat? I told the waitress that I wanted two babies with my burger and a French fry."
Lindy began,"when Tye and I were five years old, our parents asked us what we wanted to grow up to be? Tye said a rocket scientist, I said an astronaut.My father was shocked that a little girl wanted to be an astronaut, he asked me why? I said because Tye will build my rocket and he's smarter than me,
flying a rocket is the easy part daddy"
The guys all applauded then everyone went to bed, the birthday trip was a success.
Tye addressed the elite members of his club,"number one what information have you obtained?"
Edgar read from a neatly typed piece of paper,"Ricardo Lopez is not your average millionaire, his paper trail is quite extensive. His expert hid his accounts and communications well, but our hacker The Fox cracked every obstacle. The Captain is into many ventures and emails an extreme amount of people, most of his large checks were paid to relatives doing his dirty work.The yacht captain who the Pratt twins hired, is the same yacht captain abducted by pirates during your voyage president Smalls. The pirates were hired thugs,the captain a relative of Ricardo Lopez. There was a most interesting email between your father and Ricardo Mr Smalls, your father paid the captain one million each for you and your sister, to be educated in the camp for out of control teens."
Edgar turned on the sixty inch view screen and turned off the lights,"our satellite had no problems finding the island with the coordinates you gave, this is a live feed."
Edgar handed the club leader a remote control,"you can aim at any location on the island, once you find the desired locations you can split the screens viewing up to four at once, zooming in if desired.Our smart tech can read lips if viewing a face, a computer generated voice will respond."
Tye zoomed in on his sister turning on the volume," I love you Samuel Pratt but I can't be happy until my brother returns, it's been nearly three weeks since Tye went exploring. Why are Plants more important than me to him?"
Tye stood speaking to his most intelligent and wealthy club members,"soon we will lay siege to the island, my father and Ricardo Lopez will wish that I had never been born. My lawyers needed time to have me emancipated, I am nearly my
own legal guardian."
Jake was annoyed that no one was listening,"Alex I'm telling you that something went wrong."
Alex squinted eyeballing his masterpiece," you need glasses
Jacob Clearlan I'm looking at perfection."
Ronny frowned,"he kinda has a point dude."
Kevin tilted his head,"it looks good to me."
Sammy licked his lips,"so it's a little crooked Alex, the important thing is that you baked Amy a birthday cake all by yourself. If it was perfect she wouldn't appreciate or remember it."
Alex stared at his girlfriend's seventeenth birthday cake,"who am I kidding it's as crooked as a cat's tail, but Amy doesn't love me because I'm perfect, this cake is the lamest and most romantic thing I've ever done."
Amy was surprised just before dinner, when Alex's best friends sang her happy birthday,as Alex carried the most uneven cake she had ever seen.
Amy blew out the waded paper,"you all know what I wished for. Thank you so much for making my birthday so special, my seventeenth birthday was one week after arriving here, I'm now an adult."
Kevin whispered to the twin,"idiot you got her age wrong."
Ronny's finger ran across the cake icing erasing the number 17,he gave Alex a thumbs up.
JR clapped his chocolate covered hands, getting more cake on himself than into his mouth. Page took lots of pictures with her almost dead phone.
Tye didn't miss seeing the party, he zoomed in on his sister Lindy.The automated voice said,"Sammy I wish my brother was here to eat cake, Tye's been gone far too long to still be alive. I have money and power, if I ever get off of this island, God help whoever kept me here.The Bible says an eye for an eye, and I'm going to take my pound of flesh."
Tye smiled hearing every word his twin sister said,"hang on Lindy the waiting is nearly over, I'm coming for you very soon and I'm bringing a paid army of mercenaries with me."