the airplane

[instar]

Bella, Andi, and Robin all get on the plane. Bella and Robin have toothbrush caps in their pockets containing flies. Nothing in particular happens when they go through security. They fly for an hour, and then Bella, rather than risk crunch time due to turbulence or a line for the bathroom a little later on, gets up to take Trouble into privacy for demorphing and remorphing.

She takes the toothbrush cap out of her pocket and sets it on the tiny little counter, and then flattens herself against a wall to give him room.

Comments

[instar]

"Okay," says Bella. "Time to go crashing heedlessly through the woods like we just saw our dad die."

[hold_infinity]

"I found you a park ranger," says Robin. "This way."

[instar]

That way.

Bella manages to cry.

[pandion]

Andi settles for gripping her sister's hand tightly.

[hold_infinity]

Robin does an excellent impression of Completely Horrified.

[pandion]

They find a park ranger. They babble at the park ranger. The twins keep hugging each other.

The park ranger escorts them to the nearest outpost of civilization and goes out with some other park rangers to look for Charlie while the girls are plied with little bottles of apple juice by a nice receptionist of some kind.

Andi gives the nice receptionist of some kind Renée's phone number.

[hold_infinity]

Robin drinks the apple juice and doesn't say much.

[pandion]

Andi goes to the bathroom to let Charlie demorph and remorph after it's been a while. She passes the toothbrush cap to Bella when the receptionist isn't looking so she doesn't wind up looking like she's been drinking gallons of coffee if they wind up staying here for a while.

[alicornucopia]

It does, in fact, take a while for one of the park rangers to come back.

He tries not to be too pessimistic in front of the girls, but they've apparently found the scene and it apparently wasn't good. They're going to keep looking - he doesn't say it, but presumably it's to see if they can find the rest of the body.

[hold_infinity]

Robin pushes for more detail once or twice, but then looks at the girls and goes quiet again.

[alicornucopia]

The park ranger awkwardly pats Bella on the shoulder, but doesn't try it on the other girls when she shrugs him off and scrunches in towards herself.

[instar]

The twins tell the rangers and receptionists how they got to the park (in Charlie's cop car, which other cops may wish to claim) and where Charlie lived and that apart from their mother there are no significant relatives about. The receptionist lady gives the girls a ride home and asks them if they will be okay by themselves.

They will, Bella says, be as okay by themselves as they can be.

[aeskhyne]

A couple of pigeons are waiting for them at home.

[sundayfish]

After Bella has checked all the curtains and given him the all-clear, Charlie demorphs. He doesn't really have any tight-fitting clothes, but he goes and gets a bathrobe.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble demorphs too. He does not have a bathrobe, but his morphing outfit - a tight T-shirt and bike shorts - is intact.

[palmofyourhand]

Likewise Ethan.

[sundayfish]

"So - thanks," says Charlie awkwardly. "Suppose nobody knows how much food there is in the house and won't miss a few slices of leftover pizza."

[instar]

"I'll go warm some up."

[palmofyourhand]

Ethan sits on the couch and hugs Robin.

[hold_infinity]

Robin thinks this is an excellent plan!

[aeskhyne]

Trouble heads for the couch to join them, and...

...pauses.

"Do you guys hear that?"

[pandion]

"...Wait, you hear something? I kind of - I thought it was my imagination."

[instar]

"I don't hear anything - what is it?"

[aeskhyne]

"Thought-speak," says Trouble. "Really faint. Incredibly faint. I can barely even hear it. If there are words, I'm sure not getting them. Just - feelings, kind of? Like 'help me, help me'. And something else I can't figure out."

[pandion]

"...The ocean?" says Andi vaguely.