Young Writers Society

Fin Grimes

I tensed up for a moment, then relaxed, not wanting to let this person know I knew he was there. But it was too late for that. Everyone had froze, and although they were trying not to look right at the moving bush, it was clear they were all distracted by it.

A grunt came from the bush, and a moment later a man slid out from behind it. He was filthy, with torn up clothes and long knotted hair and beard. I heard a couple of the others make noises of distaste at his appearance... and his smell.

I blinked at the sight of him, "What happened to you?"

I'm sorry but i'm a little lost can someone bring me in?

That's great tiger, and I'll bring you in.

Caramella:

The girl next to me, Jae I believe, let out a scream, where as I felt a huge rush of adreniline course through my veins when looking at the haggard man standing there.

I started coughing, the air hurting my lungs as well as his repulsive smell.

"God, taken a shower lately?" I asked, my hands clasped around my neck, trying not to vomit.

He kind of frowned at me. He took in each and every person, examining the details in our faces.

When his eyes landed on Dawn, he looked like he was about to cry and started thanking God.

*Me and ChristsServant did discuss this*

Turning to Jae, I gave her a confused looke. She just shrugged in return, appearing just as confused as I.

Isabella Dawn Eldon

Dawn barely repressed a shudder when the man looked at her. She heard what he was saying, but her mind went in a whirl when she tried to figure it out. His eyes were familiar, but...
The man rushed at her with his arms out-stretched and she took an involuntary step back. A look of hurt and confusion crossed his face and he stopped abruptly a few paces from her, staring into her face with a look of betrayal. Suddenly he laughed; but it was not the laugh of a madman that came from the disheveled creature in front of her. It was a strangely familiar laugh.
The man pivotted and with a speed and agility that seemed to deny his apparent age, he walked a few feet away from the group.
Dawn watched suspiciously as he knelt by the side of the stream. She was well aware that he might have a weapon hidden in the thick plants on the bank, but to her surprise, he scooped up some water and started scrubbing his face.
Dawn glanced over at the others and saw that they were also watching him closely. Maybe they wouldn't be so bad to work with after all.
She turned back to the man and watched him slowly stand up, his back towards them. Then in one motion he yanked at his hair and beard-- and they came off in his hand, revealing clean blond hair. Dawn and a few of the others let out a cry of surprise, but Dawn found that she couldn't breath when he turned toward the group again. She knew that face; that smile.
As he came near, a single word escaped from her lips.
"Daddy?"
And then she ran forward and was caught up in his arms, sobbing for a reason she couldn't figure out. Her father stroked her hair, tears streaming down his face also. The odor was gone; it must have been in his make-up.
"Hey, hey," he said with a little laugh. "If you're so upset that I'm here, I can go."
Dawn laughed too, and then dissolved into tears again. "Mamasita thought you were dead." she said between sobs.
At this, a look very close to anguish passed over her father's face. "I know." He said. "I'm so sorry Dawn, I would have contacted you if I could, but it wasn't safe."
"Safe for us, you mean," Dawn said with a short, humorless laugh. "You wouldn't have cared if the danger was only for yourself."
Her father gave no answer except to hold her tighter, and with his free hand wipe the tears from his face.
After a few seconds Dawn remembered that the other teens were still looking on with confusion. He father had already seen all of them, and she was sure he had also figured out what kind of people they were. He was like that.
Dawn turned toward to group and her father followed her gaze. Then keeping one arm tight around her shoulders, he walked over to them, looking them over with his calm blue eyes, bluer even than Dawn's.
"Everybody," Dawn said, "Meet Peter Eldon, my father."

~Jaelynn Marie Merilander "Jae"

I screamed, rather loudly, which directed everyones attention to me, then the male figure behind me who smelled awkwardly of old fish and tacos. Giving Caramella a shrug, my face threatened to turn rosey red like it usually does when I do something like that. I managed to keep myself normal, but I couldn't help but watch the man carefully.

Dawn rushed up to him which was followed by a series of loving acts passed back and forth. "Everybody," she spoke in a relieved tone "Meet Peter Eldon, my father" she finished. Everyones face, including mine went from confused to speechless. The only thing I could think of was Man, I wish someone loved me like that! for a split second, my emotions revealed themselves, and my face hung in sadness, that was quickly broken up wit the smile I had become so used to that I paint on my ace to ignore the pain inside.

Fin Grimes

At first I was confused who this man was, but when Dawn whispered, “Daddy?” and they started hugging I caught on.

I watched as the girl hugged her father for a moment, and found it hard to look away. Yet something inside me was screaming to shut my eyes and forget about the scene.

Eventually I looked at my feet, and impulsively started thinking of my own father. I couldn’t remember the last time he gave me a hug. Not that I could remember ever wanting one from him. I’m glad I’m away from him and Mom, I thought. But at the same time, the sight of Dawn and her father made me crave what was between them… love. It made me jealous… it made me angry at her. She probably had no idea how lucky she was.

I looked up again as Dawn uttered the words, “Everyone, meet Peter Eldon, my father.”

I looked this Peter man up and down. He was now very professional, smart, and handsome looking.

She looks so happy, I thought, looking at Dawn, who was looking at her father, beaming. I couldn’t say anything, so I just stared back at my feet, not wanting to convey my bitter feelings.

Elodi:

Something really seemed to be bothering Fin, and my guess was that it was Dawn's dad.

He was really beating himself up about it.

I reached out my hand and touched his shoulder comfortingly.

When he looked at me, a gave hima small smile.

Caramella:

"Nice to meet you Peter. I hope you don't mind, but we're on a mission and we have to keep moving. So...some on guys, let's keep going."

Dawn Eldon

Dawn's father nodded, but he stopped Caramella as she tried to walk past him.
"I understand both the need to keep moving and the mission you're on." He said. "I'm on the same misson, and I think I can help you." He glanced over at Dawn, and then scanned the rest of the group, as if including them in his next statement. "There are things you need to know, but here is not the best place to talk. You have already put yourselves in danger by staying here as long as you have. If you don't have any other plans, I have a camp set up in a safe place where we can talk."
Dawn noticed the group glance at each other, as if asking their opinion with their eyes. A few of them looked at her, but she didn't say anything. She didn't feel like it should be up to her, because she would want to go with her father simply because he was her father.
Dawn laid her head against Peter Eldon's shoulder while the others made up their minds. Something was bothering her, something that she felt she should have noticed or remembered. It was like when you are looking for something and all you can remember is having seen it somewhere before. She reached up and touched the hand that her dad had placed on her shoulder. The metal bracelet that Dr. Jacobs had given her seemed heavy when she lifted her hand like that, but--
That was it! The thing that had been bothering her! Her father had said that he was on the same mission as they were. So where was his bracelet? It didn't make sense that Dr. Jacobs would send him down here without any communication.
Dawn bit her lip. She would have to ask him about it later, if they were able to find time alone. But for right now-- she looked up at the faces of her companions. It seemed they had made a descision of some sort.

*Note: this will probably decide whether or not Peter Eldon will stay in the story.*

Sorry ChristsServent, but this SB wasn't meant to have an adult in it. It was meant to have us there on our own, figuring this out.

*I know. That's why I gave y'all that choice. *

(WAIT. Can I still add a character? )

I think it may be dead...

Dawn Eldon

Dawn followed silently behind her father as he led them through the woods. The others had agreed to go with him for a little while, though she could tell they didn't trust him as much as she did. Which made perfect sense.
They had been walking for almost a half-hour now, and Dawn's bare-feet were sore. Once or twice she noticed her father looking at her with concern, but he didn't say anything.
The woods seemed to get more and more beautiful as they went further in. The leaves seemed greener (if that were possible), the trunks seemed to be a richer brown, even the small patches of sky that she caught glimpses of through the leaves seemed bluer. Standing under the trees, she realized that the green light they had seen came from the trees themselves. They were glowing!
"Here we are," her father said.
Dawn followed his gaze and saw— more trees.
Peter Eldon walked the direction he had been facing and pressed on the bark of a tree. A section of the trunk swung inward like a door. Dawn and a few of the others gasped in surprise.
Dawn's father stepped into tree and beckoned before turning around. Dawn followed first with the others behind her.
Descending from the 'door' in the tree was a flight of steps. They followed them for a while in complete darkness, and then Dawn saw green light coming from the bottom of the stairs. Wait— they were still going down. How could there be a light under the ground? She almost laughed at herself. She had no idea how it could happen, but there was light enough under the earth for trees to grow.
When the reached the bottom of the stairs, they were in a large room. There was a large table with ten chairs in the center and a fireplace in the corner. The light was coming from potted plants set at various places around the room.
"I'm sorry I don't have any food to offer you, but I suppose you wouldn't want to take the time to eat it anyway. I can see that most of you want to get going, so I will try to talk quickly." Her father said.
"You're not coming with us?" Dawn asked.
He shook his head without looking at her. "It would be best if you did this without my help."
Dawn almost asked why, but she bit her tongue. She could guess. It was for the same reason that he wouldn't contact her and Mamasita to tell them he was alright. For some reason, his presence would put them in more danger than they were in.
Her father gestured to the table. "Please have a seat. I don't intend to take up much of your time, but it will be enough to make it uncomfortable to stand."
After they had settled in the chairs around the table, Peter Eldon began.
"First, don't drink from any streams or rivers unless they have fish in them. If there are no fish the water will burn your skin. Second, don't drink from any wells you find along the way. Those are reserved for—" He stopped abruptly and drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. You can drink from any wells you find. Most of them should be safe. I'm surprised that Jacobs didn't give you food and water, though. As for food, I don't know what is safe for you to eat. That plant near the fireplace— the one with triangular leaves— will kill poison, so eat that if you eat the wrong thing."
Dawn's father talked about the medicinal properties of different plants for longer than Dawn cared to listen. She tried to keep her mind on what he was saying, but it kept wandering to his lack of a bracelet. Botany had never been a strong point of hers.
JJ, on the other hand, seemed to be memorizing each of the different plants he was pointing out. Dawn forced herself to pay attention.
"I suggest you travel inland, though beyond that I can't help you much by way of direction. You'll find houses like this anywhere there's trees. Most of them," he said with a note of sadness in his voice, "are empty."
Her father was silent for a while, and she got the impression that he was debating with himself whether or not to tell them something.
Finally he sighed and stood up. "I know you're anxious to get going, so I won't take up anymore if your time."
He led them back up to the woods without saying anything else. Dawn turned and gave him a hug.
"Goodbye," her father said as he returned the hug. He was talking to all of them, not just to Dawn. "I'll pray for your success."

JJ

I let all the knowledge of the various plants soak into my skin. Most had properties I had never even imagined before. There was an assortment of things, from leaves that changed color to roots that, when boiled, move on their own. If I ever got out of here, I would take some home to show dad. He would be so proud.

I stood up and ran my hands along the grass below me, gaining some odd looks from those around me.

"It is harder, and it weights more. That means the water that fuels the plants has to be toxic. I wouldn't drink from any water source near here." The others gave me looks that made me fell extrememly stupid. I bit my lip.

"You know, thats how it is on the surface youk now, but I don't know about here maybe it's in reverse or..." I trailed off, trying not to feel bad from the looks they were giving me.

Dawn Eldon

Dawn shook her head. "I'm sorry, JJ. I don't have a clue what you just said." She shrugged and felt the grass also. "It feels the same to me, but— I don't know very much about plants." She stood up again. "But I'll take your word for it."