Chapter 17

“Should we go in?” Kaylin asked. Elmi was a bit suspicious still for she wanted to make sure they were safe and better off here then resting on a park bench for the night. “They may be kind of ticked off that we sneaked away from their parents in the night,” Elmi stated.

“Good point,” Annabel nodded. “Grey did say that he had talked to his children about us. What were their names? Kone the boy and ah, whatever the girl’s name was.”

“Wait what did you say?” asked Kaylin. Annabel looked at her oddly. “I said I didn’t know what the girl’s name was.”

“No, before that!” Kaylin said.

“Uh, Kaylin?” Annabel asked. “I said… er, that Grey had talked to his children.”

“How?” asked Kaylin.

“What do you mean?”

“How did he talk to his children?”

“With a phone, I guess.”

This is where Kaylin’s knowing smirk came in. “But they ‘don’t have a phone or mail.’ That’s why we could never contact Bear.”

The other three girl’s eyes lit up. “So, that means he was lying!” Della shouted. They all came to a realization, though they did not know why they were so happy about a lie.

“Yeah, lying about one of two things,” Kaylin said and rolled her eyes. “Either about him contacting his family, or him having no way to contact outside of his island. If it’s that, then he could have called Bear all the while.” “Awww,” Della said. “At least we’re on our way now.”

Annabel grabbed onto the door handle. “But, the other way, he never talked to Kone and… that’s it, Samantha. So, they never knew that we came, or that we escaped from their parents.”

“True,” Elmi agreed. “But we should not take chances like that. Anyway, there was the smoke alarm and that’s technically an electronic too right?”

“Yes,” Annabel seemed reluctant to pull her arm off the handle. It seemed really nice in there. “Okay fine.” She pulled away, but before she could step down off the stair, the door flung open and hit her on the side of her head.

“Oh, I’m so sorry dear,” said the grey-haired man who had emerged from the doorway. He helped her up to her feet (for she had fallen to the ground and down the step) and patted her on the back. In a horrible flicker, Annabel thought the man looked like Grey, but she took a second look and realized he was too tall and plump to be Grey.

“I-I’m okay,” Annabel stuttered and stabled herself. She then noticed that the door was propped open by a rock that was jammed between it and the ground. Everyone inside the restaurant was looking at her in disbelief. She quickly put her hand to her head and felt a rip in her skin where the door had hit her.

The tall lady behind the counter rushed out to help Annabel. The lady’s nameplate read Samantha and the cubs all stifled a gasp. “Are you okay?” Samantha asked worriedly. “Oh, it’s bleeding, I’ll have to take you inside.” She kicked the rock and lead Annabel through the staring rows of tables with Elmi, Kaylin, and Della following silently. The conversation in the room only resumed after the four children were brought to the back kitchen.

Samantha had light brown hair and a messy, black apron on. She sat Annabel down and yelled out onto the kitchen. “Kone! There is a hurt little girl over here! Could we get a warm cloth? (She tapped on a passing chef’s shoulder) Could you please get this poor gal a bit of salt water or hydrogen peroxide?”

It was a big bustle in the kitchen, with rusted, dirty ovens and tables blocking paths. The sink was overflowing with bubbles and dishes with clean pots hanging from the ceiling. Chefs and servers were speed walking in and out the kitchen door, holding as many plates both empty and full as they could carry. Finally, a man about the same height and hair color as Samantha walked up holding a warm cloth and a lemon. When he spotted the four cubs, his eyes flickered with recognition. “I-It’s you!”