Renee’s Comments (group member since Jul 16, 2012)

Renee’s comments from the Never ending story! group.

She smiled in a foxy way. "We can start over- if you can keep up." She turned and strode away, leaving Daniel standing with his mouth open. What just happened? He asked himself.

He blasts past me and runs out the doors, backpack in tow. What now? I wonder. I hate these games. I sigh, stand up, and follow. "Well?" I demand when I find him leaning against the walls just outside the cafeteria. "I..." he starts.

I wake to a warm feeling and suddenly remember where I am. The Ricardo Clown Shop. Wrapped in Alex's arms. Alex is not yet awake, but one of the computer screens is flashing with missed video. I turn off the speakers and read the lips of the messengers.
"Time is running out for your friend, Mr. Aikynd. Hand over what we want or we will have to take her away from you- one limb at a time." I gulp. The screen flickers back to the circuit-looking desktop.
I realize what I have to do. I start to write on a random blank note pad.
You know I love you. And I will always love you. But right now I know that I need to help my friend. Don't worry about me, by the time you find this note, I will have been gone for hours. I have taken a lot of your gear, so technology will be my friend. Please message me if you need to know exactly where my exploits are taking me. If you trust me, don't freak out. I will come back.
I scratch that out. I don't really know.
I write again: I will bust my butt to come back- and be there for you. Please, stay where you are. If you're in the safe room, I know that you will be where I can find you.
Love, Ruby.
So I leave, the clown shop empty except for the man behind the desk. He nods at me and turns back to whatever he's reading. I set out of the shop and start to run.

So I run. That's all I can ever seem to do. I think about why they would want me. Why, why, why? And then it hits me.
Once, when I was only ten years old, my father, a genius in science, had taken me to work. I had gotten lost and seen a few scientific things- ideas and inventions- that could have hurt a lot of people. Or killed them. And those men who had seen me and started after me, shooting me, and throwing really heavy things wanted me to forget what I saw. I managed to hide in my father's office, the next building over, before the huge, burly guys caught me. I had never been so scared in my life. And I had reason to. The men had met my father as I hid in his office and tried to get around him, but dad's security guys outmuscled the men, so I was safe. But as they took the men away, for what reason I'm not sure, to jail, one of them swore vengance on me. And he must have gotten away. Watched me. Figured out what I cared about. I never had wanted to return to that piece of my mind that had the violent, evil things in it. So I never told anyone.
Alex has caught up to me by now. I realize that I am sitting on the curb a few shops down from the Ricardo clown shop, bawling.
Alex holds me, shushing and comforting me. I realize what must happen.
"Get away." I say softly.
"What?" Alex sounds horrified.
"Get away! If they find out that I'm close to you, they're going to take you away and beat you and do all those horrible things that we saw happened to Lauren. Oh, God. If she dies, I will never forgive myself!"
"Shh," says Alex.
"Wait." I wipe my eyes with my hand, the thought that my makeup must be running terribly crossing my mind. "How did they know? How did they know you knew what they wanted? Are you one of them?" I cry harder.
Alex doesn't seem to know what to say.

I tense. No way on earth was I suspecting that. But then I give and kiss him back. After a few minutes, I break away for my second or third breath of air. "We still have to find Lauren." Alex smiles coyly. "I know," he replies. And comes back toward my mouth. "Alex," I reason, "Why are we here? Did you drag me in here just to kiss me?"
"Technically, you weren't supposed to find that. But yes, kissing you is definitely a plus."
"No. Why did you bring me in here? We have a person to save!" Exasperation was starting to fill me.
"Okay. I guess making out will have to wait."
And then we got down to buisness. He logged in to two of the computers and directed me toward one.
"Let's get going." we research, google earth, and several other sites that I've never heard of.
And we find who's holding Lauren.
Suddenly, I ask Alex, "What's Manollow Industries?"
"We got her."

The cabbie pulls to a screeching halt in front of a building with a giant sign announcing the Ricardo Clown Shop as Alex jerks his arm from around me. We walk inside the shop after paying the man. Alex suddenly surges ahead of me to the counter and adresses the man. "Hello, sir. I'd like to become a professional clown."
The man raises an eyebrow slightly. "Yes? Are you intrested in birthday parties or circuses?"
"Circuses. Getting up close with kids isn't my strong point."
"Yes. I believe we can fit you in for a tutor. What room number?"
"Room six. Definitely six."
"Very well then." The man winks at Alex. "Good luck."
"What was that about?" I, having watched the whole thing, am thoroughly confused.
Alex looks mischevous. "You'll see."
Alex leads me to a hallway and a door marked 6. We walk inside and shut the door.
"Alexander Richard Ennis," Alex says professionally. A blue light washes over us. The light disappears as I blink, then the room changes. The door seals and the walls turn themselves inside out. Boring ivory walls flip to reveal lights, dials, and computers.
"What is this place?" I wonder aloud.
"A room full of secrets," Alex tells me.

soon, we arrive at the airport. we make our way to the ticket counter, wading through throngs of people.
"name?" intones the lady sitting behind the counter.
"ruby," i say boldly.
"ruby who?" she says in robot tones, lifting one eyebrow.
"we're picking up tickets for the prime minister," alex jumps in.

"get up." alex's voice lacked all tenderness and warmth.
"whaa?" was all i could muster. it was light out, so at least we were able to sleep the night.
"there's a potential threat here. we need to go. now."
"aren't we safe here?"
alex shooke his head. i grabbed our stuff while alex worked at his remote.
we slipped down the ladder of the treehouse and went to a car. alex popped the hood and started to hotwire the car. a moment later, the car was ready to go, so we climed inside and set off.

several hours later we were driving in a discreet blue Camaro through the back roads of arkansas. we were silent, thinking and praying for lauren. all of a sudden, a beeping went off in alex's bag. "motion sensor. they found the cave." alex took an ipad from his bag and zipped through his apps. a real-time view of the cave filled the screen. a huge man stood in the entravce, looking around the cave. he saw the camera, pulled out a gun. there was an explosion, and the screen went black.

And then sighed. What if it didn't work? Ru had crossed the Hooves before. Let's just say it didn't really work out. But Ru had to be strong. For Crissy.

But this wasn't the time to think about that. "Okay. I'll go, but I won't like it. You were in Romania the last..."
"Oh yeah. Sorry to take you back there."

"I wish. Where do two outlaws go? I guess... no, that wouldn't work. Maybe... no. that's not it either. Yes. Grab your stuff, Ru. We're going to..."
Don't say Romania, thought Ruby.
"Romania! I've got a friend with a safe house there, that should hide us for a while."

"None of that excuse crap, Ruby. Just tell me."
She sighed. "Fine. Are you ready for this?"
Alex looked determined. "Yes."
"They found her."

She could always hide in his strong boy-ness. But still, he desperately needed some clothing. Ruby threw him a shirt and shorts that she had brought for him.

Daniel turned away, face covered with a flaming red. Instead of going to the bathroom, he headed for the lunch line, wondering that classic question: what was the mystery of this mystery lunch? But his bigger predicament showed through. His secret would not be safe for long.

When the class was over, it was lunchtime for Blue Peak High School. They all filed into the cafeteria, separated. Daniel looked distraught, alone in the doorway.

But that didn't mean that she noticed. Melissa sat in her seat, her own little world consuming her as usual. I watched her.

Alexander, but Ruby calls him Alex. I search in the pitch blackness. Where is it, where is it... there! I flip the switch and...

Daniel might work for someone desperate, but not for Ro. She'd find something better for herself and her group. They'd certainly worked to deserve it.

In the fear-baffled haze of her mind, Ruby heard a crunch behind her and screamed, not even bothering to glance back. Where could it be?