The Lost Room

Andonesia

Andy caressed the crucifix gently in one hand as she seated herself on the bed and then, with a small smile, she took hold of Cady's hand so that both their fingers clasped the crucifix between them.

"I should be more worried than you," Andy chattered on as a dim, red glow spread about their hands. "If you die, I could be prosecuted for murder." She grinned and bent over to brush a lock of silvery blonde hair away from the girl's face. And then she sat in silence, watching the minutes tick by on her watch. Why is nothing happening? The red glow had come and gone and still nothing had changed; Cady had neither woken nor stopped breathing. Andy turned away and, releasing Cady's hand, looped the crucifix back around her neck and tucked it under her top. She's dead. The machine's all that keeps her breathing now.

"What does it do?" William stepped cautiously into the room from his vantage point beside the door. Andy glared at him with anger at first but then looked down, sadly.

"It's a gambler's toy," she replied, "and this time I lost." William approached the bed, his eyes filled with curiosity and Andy watched defensively as he examined her friend. He placed to fingers on her wrist and stepped back in shock.

"What?" Andy demanded.

"She has a pulse," William said simply.

Davis:

"I love spending time with you..." he said looking out over the lake. "but i must go... you see I have a lead on another artifact with magic... a set of dice in Chicago and i have to leave on a plan tonight to go get them... you are welcome to come if you would like...?" he said with out looking at her because he knew that her face would just make him want to kiss her aging.

Kat

"Oh," she said simply, staring at the ground.

I just kissed him and now I'm just gonna let him go? her mind screamed at her.

She looked up, smiling. "I want to go with you," she said grinning.

Davis looked at her as if she were nuts. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Kat laughed. "Of course I do!" she said, standing on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. "But before we go, I want to say good-bye to a friend. You'll like her, I promise," she told him, as she led him back down the hill.

When they reached Cady's room, they were surprised to see Andy and William already there.

"Hey Cady. Will, Andy! What are you guys doing here?" she said as she walked over to the bed and layed a hand on the starch white sheets by Cady's foot.

Andy and Will didn't respond. Andy was obviously trying to mask a large grin and William was glancing around the room at anything but them.

Kat quickly introduced Davis to Cady. "So, no news from the doctor, huh?" Kat asked Andy as she plopped down on a chair.

Andy griined widely. "Actually, there is some great news, but not from the doctor..."

Andonesia

I paused dramatically, watching the hope flit across Kat's face as she glanced across at Cady shuffling her chair closer to the bed.

"Tell me!" Kat begged as loudly as she dared - we were in a hospital after all. I paused again and forced my face to solemn sadness.

"Cady is... going to make a full recovery!" I declared.

"Who told you that?" Kat asked, hardly daring to believe it as she stared at the girl's pale, deteriorating complexion and her closed lids, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

"In a way, she did. She's awake." I wasn't entirely sure about the truth of my statement and all inhabitants of the room turned their confused, inquisitive gazes towards me. Including the beautiful girl sat up in the hospital bed. From my angle, the sun snaked through the window and high-lighted her silvery blonde hair, spread like butter across her shoulders. The others - still watching me - did not see her.

"How did you know?" Cady asked. "I only just woke up myself so how could you know before me?"

Kat

She turned towards the voice and nearly fainted.

"Cady; you're okay!" she managed to gasp.

Andy grinned a little mischeviouly in the corner.

William:

"maybe i should go?" he says, "I dont want to intrude or anything"

"bit late for that" says Andy

"yeah, sorry" he turns to leave

**sorry i ent got nuthin else for now. **

Kat

"Wait! We've got to go back to Yesterday's! Davis and I have to tell you something," she said grasping his hand and looking into his face.

William sighed. "Alright," he said.

Soon they were all sitting at the familiar booth and Davis and Kat were telling Andy and William their story. Will and Andy's mouths had dropped open gradually wider through the whole story.

"Wait a minute; you two kissed on that hill thing and now you're together or something and spontaneously going to Chicago?!" Andy spluttered, still gaping.

Davis and Kat looked at each other. "Yeah, pretty much," Kat said, shrugging.

Andy

It was happening. I'd known that friends didn't stick around forever; no person did. Not my mother, not my father... hell, my family were gold-medal winners at not being around. Including me. Me who had left my aunt in the lurch without so much as a formal goodbye or a kiss on the cheek. And now it was my turn. Agian. Kat was leaving.

"Fine, go. See if I care!" I couldn't help the anger that rushed into my voice. I hadn't meant to say that, I'd meant to wish her luck and shake her hand but now I could feel hot sulphur fermenting in my eyes and I turned away, crossing my arms against my chest and beginning to stalk off. I wouldn't let them see me cry. But how could she choose him over me? A boy she'd met, what? About four hours ago? Was that what years of friendship meant to her...

I think she might have called my name but I didn't catch it; I let the wind steal it away and swallow her words but even the wind could not stand to help me and it spat them back out - 'Andy, Andy!' - ringing in my ears as I tried to make my escape with a scrap of dignity. Every iteration of that name was another snare for me to tread in and then: 'Andonesia.' That name spoken much more quietly than the others and from a further distance but I stood still and clutched fist-fulls of my top.

'When will Daddy be home, Aunty Sarah? Will he bring me lots of presents?' The small child looked up at her aunt hopefully with a dreamy, happy smile on her face, dressed in a vibrant yellow summer dress that she refused to take off, even in the heart of winter when the trees outside were iced with frosting and Jack Frost painted pictures on the windows. Her aunt, dressed in blacks and greys let out a sigh and looked upon a picture above the fireplace as she spoke:

'Your father isn't coming back, Andonesia. Grow up! He's dead, he died years ago and it's questions like that which broke your Mother's heart and sent her mad.' The child's smile did not falter though she had heard and the words hurt but she would not end her game. For what was life but a game?

'Will we visit Mother this afternoon? I'd like to pick some flowers for her.' Outside, no flowers grew in their garden that was over-run with weeds and brambles. The child's aunt was no gardener, though the house she kept was always warm and pleasant. You couldn't fault the house.

'Take you to the asylum?" Aunty Sarah scoffed. 'They'd never let you out, crazy child. Oh some might call it denial but we both know where your parents are.'

I blinked the tears away. Daddy will come home soon, I reminded myself. I have no need of friends.

"Just... go. And don't forget to tell your parents and... and, and say goodbye and kiss their cheeks..."

Kat

She ran after her calling, desperate to tak to her, to eplain everything. But Andy just kept on running.

When she finally stopped and Kat was now only about two feet away she whispered, "Just... go, And don't forget to tell your parents and... and, and say goodbye and kiss their cheeks..."

Her voice faltered and all that was to be heard was slight sniffles coming from Andy.

Kat felt like crying too but she went over and hugged Andy and said, "Andy, we wanted to see if you and William wanted to go to Chicago with us. I would never leave you behind. I know you lost most of your family but I didn't but wish I had. My father came home drunk every night and beat me for no reason. My mother had left us when I was only 5. I know what you're going through. Please come with us, Andy."

Kat had expected her to pull away when she hugged her but instead she let Kat hug her. Kat's eyes were brimming with tears now, too.

"We would never go and just leave you behind," she murmured and gave a watery laugh.

"But if I went, what would we do about Cady?" Andy asked.

"Her sister would take care of her. I know she'll be delighted to see her awake," Kat said grinning as tears poyred down her face and it started to rain.

"Please Andy, just go to Chicago with us. I'm not going without you," Kat said determinedly.

Andy thought and finally nodded. She went over and hugged Kat and soon they were skipping back to the restaurant like school girls, soaked to the bone in the chilly rain.

They walked into the nearly empty place and saw the others watching them.

"So, Andy are you coming with us, because we have to leave in about an hour," Davis said staring at the two drenched girls.

Andy laughed and nodded.

"So, William, are you coming too?" he asked turning to William.

**way to put the question to me, by the way, what City did we decide we were in? is it just some randomtown? or is it a bigger City? say, LA, or Frisco?**


William:

"Sure, but there are a couple of things i have to take care of before we leave, I'll meet you in 45 minutes at the airport, ok? "

"Yeah" said Davis

William hails a Taxi and climbing into it, he gives the driver his address, and the Taxi rolls away...

...the Taxi pulls up to his apartment, and he gets out, tips the driver, andwalks up to his apartment. Entering the room, he immmeediatly locks the deadbolt, chain, and the magnetic-locks on his door. These lock were made to withstand forced entry by even the most determined of people.

after he was sure that the apartment was secured, he goes into his bedroom, and pushes the bed against the wall, the kneeling on the floor, he pulls up a keyboard. typing into it, and using both the password as well as finger recognition software, he accesses a vault.

The vault opens to reveal a small collection of items: a wooden case, that he knew contained his harmonica, a small silk bag containing an even smaller cushiod, and a metal case, which contained all manner of objects used for subterfuge, lock picks, flashlight, small explosives, and a couple of small handguns, from Germany, made of a special porcelain that is extremely expensive, and impossible to detect with metal detectors

**by the way, in real life, these DO NOT exist, regardless of what you've heard**

he takes all of these things out, and puts them into a carrying case, an lastly, he takes out a suitcase, and opens it.

Inside this suitcase, is several hundred thousand dollars in cash(untraceable,) as well as almost three hundred in gold coins. He takes a hundred thousand and also puts it into his travel case.

puting everything back, he puts the lid back on the vault, and locks it.
Getting out a few spare changes of clothes, he finishes packiong, then picks up a phone, and calls a freidn i n Chicago...

*there ya go, your turns. enjoy**

*Isn't it weird that I just got back from Chicago and now the characters in the book are going?*

Kat

They waited outside in the chairs, Kat leaning against Davis and holding his hand, Andy bouncing excitedly in the seat across from them and William next to her, quiet and serious as usual and every so often fingering something in his inside coat pocket. Finally, the receptionist announced that they could board the plane to Chicago. Kat felt her eyelids beginning to droop as she walked through the tunnel into the plane. She settled down into a window seat and shut her eyes, listening to the pilot talk about the flight and flight safety. She was half asleep when she felt lips softly pressed to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and Davis smiled sweetly at her.

"Tired?" he whispered, kissing her gently.

She just nodded at him and snuggled closer. "I'll wake up in a bit. I promise that I'll only sleep for 15 minutes at the most. Go ahead and wake me up then," she murmured, closing her eyes.

Kat

She woke up soon, feeling slightly more refreshed. It was slightly darker outside and now Davis was watching a movie on the screen in front of them with headphones.

"What movie is it?" Kat asked him, leaning closer to see if she could recognize it.

Andonesia

Andy felt uncomfortable sitting in her seat on the plane, gazing out the window at the snowy expanse of clouds. She'd only flown once before and that had been a less than pleasant experience and this time... this time she didn't even have a Mother's hand to hold.

Beside her, William hardly moved, completely unaware or uncaring of the plane's movement and just across the aisle, Kat and Davis looked perfectly happy, playing at couples. Couples! They'd only known each other a few days.

Then there was Tim. The others weren't quite sure why he'd insisted on joining them but no one had objected, no one had seen any reason to do so. Andy sighed and looked back to the window, wishing for a bird, another plane or just anything to penetrate the drab surroundings. Slowly it grew later and she straightened in her chair, eyes stretched open as others began to drift to sleep. She would not sleep, not on a plane. Even so, she felt herself slipping and relaxing into the soft, deep fabric of the seat.

"Don't slouch in your seat, sweetie. You'll crumple your dress," The mother chided gently, straightening the black hat upon her head and rolling up the lacy gauze that had slipped down. The child beside her wriggled a little and then obediently sat still.

"I can't wait to see Daddy again," she said happily. "Do you think he'll like my dress?" She took a fistful of black ruffled roses in her hands and smiled approvingly at the dark, decorative outfit. She hated the colour but it was well worth it for the embroidery and besides, Mummy said it was only proper. Beside her, the woman choked back a sob.

"Its a lovely dress," the mother said. "But Andonesia... Andy..."

"Andy, hey Andy..." Andonesia opened her eyes and looked up at William who was gently shaking her shoulder. "Sorry to wake you but we'll be arriving soon and..."

"That's okay," Andy said. "Thank you."

Kat

"I'm not sure," Davis said, watching the screen.

"It looks good, though," Kat said, snuggling closer and grabbing her onw pair of headphones.

"We will be landing in half an hour now so please make your way back to your seat and buckle in," a calm feminine voice said over the speakers a little while later.

William:

On the flight, no one knew, but the reason he said so little, and moved so little was because he was scared to death of flying... it wasnt as bad as looking off a tall building, but nearly.
everyone else looked so comfortable in their lives, but he wasnt, he really was envious of them, so innocent, they seemed(he knew that they were not, but they seemed so)

Andy sat in her seat, gently dozing, Davis and kat were chatting away happily across the aisle, and tim... he didnt really understand Tim.