Chapter Eight: The Rescue and the Price

 

Cloudy couldn’t believe her ears. “Dana’s gone? How? When? Why?”

Frank shook his head. “That’s what I don’t know,” he replied. “I woke up this morning and saw that she was gone, so I assumed she was in the kitchen or laundry room. I checked both places, but didn’t see her. I checked the entire house, but still didn’t find her. Then I saw that the front door’s lock had been forced, and I panicked, I guess. I ran outside to look for her when you guys drove up.” His face reddened in anger. “Somebody apparently broke into the house either last night or this morning and now Dana’s missing! Perhaps she was kidnapped!”

“By whom?” Lea wondered.

Cloudy’s face was set. She spoke only two words: “Nathaniel Osen.”

Valerie gasped. “Y-You’re right!” she exclaimed. “This must be part of his revenge! I’ll bet he kidnapped her to make her tell him where Vastre Hall’s treasure was hidden!”

“A plausible theory, Valerie,” Jacob said. “But if she was abducted by Nathaniel, he could do something awful to her. We must find her and fast!”

Frank moaned and covered his eyes with one hand. “I just pray he doesn’t hurt Dana or her child!”

“Never!” Cloudy declared fearlessly. “I’ll hunt him down and make that scoundrel pay for his wicked deeds!”

“But you’re a child!” Jacob protested. “How can you withstand a strong man like my brother?”

Cloudy’s eyes twinkled as she remarked, “Never underestimate a child, Jacob. They’ll surprise you every time.”

Jacob looked as though he were about to argue, but was distracted by Meta Knight stepping outside. The knight stopped short upon seeing the little group clustered together and talking in quiet, turgent voices, and he darted over to them.

“What is the matter?” Meta Knight asked.

“Oh, Meta Knight! Meta Knight!” Lea wailed. “It’s awful! Miss Dana is missing!”

Meta Knight started at that. “She’s missing?”

“Yeah,” Frank nodded. “I’m assuming she was kidnapped.”

Meta Knight groaned. “Let me guess. . .Nathaniel?”

“Cloudy thought that too,” Valerie said. “But Meta Knight, if Miss Dana was kidnapped, we need to help her pronto! She could be hurt or killed by that crazy delinquent!”

“Ah, you are right.” Meta Knight sighed and turned to Cloudy. “Cloudy, I want you to come with me. You can sniff out Dana.”

“But I need to get my parents’ permission first,” Cloudy said.

At that juncture, Cloudy’s siblings and friends came outside and saw the group talking. They all asked what was wrong and Meta Knight told them Cloudy’s theory. They were horrified by his news.

“Ugh!” Sniper yelled. “Why can’t that freak just leave us alone?!”

“He wants his treasure,” Arrow said.

“Well, he’s not getting it,” Pancake said firmly. “If there is any treasure here, it rightfully belongs to Dana and her family.”

“He’s a thief!” Sharkell howled.

“He’s a lawbreaker!” Star shouted.

“He’s a ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!” Sniper yelled.

Everybody fell silent and sated at Sniper, wondering if he was mentally stable. “What?” Sniper asked, noticing their strange looks. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Where did you even learn that word?” Star asked.

“I heard it on the radio yesterday night,” Sniper said “And I just thought it would be a funny word to say.”

“Explain why Nathaniel’s a freakinsnottin—farkmenmoppin—uh, how do you say the word again?” Miriam wondered.

“Ferkensnopper-doodlehopper,” Sniper said.

“Yeah. Why would you call Nathaniel—that?” Miriam asked.

Sniper drew himself up proudly and said, “Just as the word is nonsensical, so his ideas are. He crashed a plane, thinking to kill us, but ended up only killing others and not us! Real bright. Then he tried to shoot us with a gun in hopes of us telling him where the treasure was, but we don’t even know where it is. He just assumed we knew. I call that rather stupid.”

Cloudy beamed at her brother. “Sniper, my bro, you sure are right. And since we are tons smarter than Nathaniel, we can outsmart him and get Dana back!”

Sniper grinned and looked up to the sky. Then his smile faded. “But we’d better hurry and bring her back before dark, because Dana is the director for the Nativity play, and if she can’t direct it, then there can’t be a play.”

Eloise clapped her hand over her mouth. “Agh! Oh, Sniper, you’re right!: She folded her hands behind her back and nervously drummed her foot on the ground, then glanced up at Meta Knight. “Sir Meta Knight, should we go look for her now?”

“We’ll have to arrange a search party,” Meta Knight said. “I want a few of you children to come with us to keep lookout in case we have to go inside a building or something to rescue Dana. Go get Springtime’s and Showerstorm’s permission first, though.”

Cloudy, Miriam and Eloise vanished inside and were gone for some time. When they emerged from the house, Cloudy looked slightly upset. “Daddy let us go, but Mommy put up a fuss about this whole ordeal,” she said. “She said that I’m too young to go and that it’s too dangerous and that haven’t I been through a lot already?”

“She doesn’t understand you very much, then,” Eloise said pointedly. “She knows you’re capable of doing anything you set your mind to. She’s just too afraid to let you live it out at this point lest something happen.”

“Well, you can’t always be governed by fear,” Lea pointed out.

“It’s not fear,” Meta Knight said quietly. “It’s love. Springtime is motivated by her love for Cloudy. That’s why she’s so reluctant to let Cloudy go with us.”

“Okay, anyway,” Miriam’s voice cut in, “Showerstorm said that Star, Cloudy, the Palmers, Zach, Arrow, and I can go with you and help you track down Miss Dana.”

“That is good.” Meta Knight looked sternly down at the kids and said, “But I want you all to promise me something.”

“What’s that?” Arrow asked.

He knelt down and looked each child in the eye. “if something is really too dangerous for you to handle, I want you to let me take care of it. Understood?”

Cloudy knew she would never promise him that. If he got hurt trying to take care of a hazardous situation, it would be her fault because she hadn’t tried to help—because Meta Knight had made her promise not to.

She refused to make such a promise.

“We promise,” all of the children except Cloudy chorused together.

Meta Knight nodded and stood up. “Then let us go.”

“Wait!” Lea said. She tugged at he father’s jacket sleeve. “Daddy, can Valerie and I go with Meta Knight?”

Jacob was torn. He wanted to rescue Dana, but at the same time didn’t want to put his children in danger. He looked questioningly at Meta Knight, but the knight lightly shook his head. “We can’t have too many people in this group if we want to stay as quiet as possible,” he explained.

Jacob nodded. “Got it.”

Lea and Valerie looked disappointed, but Meta Knight said, “This is not going to be a pleasure trip, girls. This is going to be a dangerous hunt for Dana. I need you to stay behind and help Springtime, Showerstorm, Frank, and the other children. Can you do that?”

Lea and Valerie nodded and saluted smartly. “Yes, Sir Meta Knight!”

Meta Knight for some reason was beginning to feel troubled. He had been called “Sir Meta Knight” twice. The way the children addressed him almost sounded as if thy considered him someone important and worthy—like a knight. But he didn’t feel worthy of that title.

“Meta Knight, come on!” Star said. “We need to hurry!”

“Wait just a second,” Cloudy said. She ran inside the house and in a moment was back, her sword strapped around her waist. Seeing the puzzled looks her friends were giving her, she explained, “I might need to defend myself.”

“Oh,” Eloise replied, and Zach nodded.

“Jacob,” Meta Knight said, “does your brother like to hang out at a certain location or did when he was a child?”

Jacob thought a moment, then snapped his fingers. “As a matter of fact, there was a place he loved to hang out as a boy. It’s an old out-of-the-way cave near my house, about two miles away. He showed me it once. I can take you there.”

“Then let us go,” Meta Knight said urgently. “There is no time to waste!”

 

* * * * *

 

Jacob left a green field and turned onto a small road, walking cautiously along the ruts and bumps that lined the cracked, crooked asphalt. Since there were no sidewalks, they all had to stay as close to the grass as possible in order to avoid the danger of passing cars. Of course, there wasn’t an fear of that, as the road seemed deserted.

As they walked, Miriam asked Jacob about the cave. “Is it dry or is it moist like most caves?” she asked.

“Actually quite dry,” Jacob mused. “I recall being able to sit on the rocky floor and being surprised at how dry it actually was. The only time it was moist was when it rained.”

“Cool. Then what was the cave itself like?” Miriam wondered. “Did it have beautiful gemstones embedded into the walls?”

Jacob chuckled. “No, it was just an ordinary limestone cave.”

At that point, Arrow looked upward at the bright blue sky, which was covering over with massive, dark clouds. “Is it going to snow again?” he asked suddenly.

Eloise too glanced up. “I guess so.”

While Miriam and Jacob were talking, Cloudy couldn’t help but steal a glance at Meta Knight, who was walking a little ways behind her. He seemed unusually tense and wary, as though he were expecting someone to jump out at him. Cloudy lagged behind until she was right next to him, then asked, “Meta Knight, are you all right? You don’t look too well.”

Meta Knight sighed. “I’m okay Cloudy. I’m just concerned for Dana and her baby. She’s only about six months along. If anything happened to her or her child, I’d—I’d—I’d just die!”

Cloudy took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m worried about her too,” she answered, “but we have to have faith in God.”

Meta Knight remained silent, not knowing how to answer her. Suddenly, a strange noise shattered the ominous silence. The sound of a distant roar reached their ears; it sounded like a speeding car.

“Do you hear that?” Meta Knight asked Cloudy.

“Yeah,” Cloudy said, her head cocked as she listened closely to the distant roar and rumble of the engine. “Sounds like a truck, a big truck.”

“Yeah, it definitely sounds like. . .” Nika paused in the middle of her sentence as two glaring headlights pierced the gathering darkness in front of them. A red truck was zooming toward them at full speed, and her eyes went wide in horror.

Eloise screamed. “That’s guy’s speeding!” she cried. “He’s not going to stop!”

“He needs to slow!” Zach shouted.

Meta Knight’s voice was sharp, though laced with fear. “Get out of the road and onto the grass now!” he commanded.

Everyone obeyed instantaneously as the car swerved by them right over the spot where they had been standing. Then it vanished into the darkness.

Eloise, who had tipped and fallen onto the frozen grass in her haste to get out of the road, stood up slowly. “Was that guy crazy?” she asked.

“No, he was just a wacko,” Arrow replied.

Then two headlights again spilt the darkness and the same red truck began to speed back down the road. But instead of going straight ahead, it swerved off to the right and began barreling right for them again!

Nika gasped and put her hand to her face. “What is he doing?!”

“Oh, no!” Miriam shrieked.

“Move!” Jacob ordered, They all obeyed and leaped off to the left as the truck had to swerve right to avoid slamming into a large tree. Then the truck turned around. . .

. . .And came toward them again!

“We need to get out of here!” Cloudy yelled. “This guy has lost his marbles!”

Meta Knight’s eyes widened. “Look out, Eloise!” he cried.

Eloise whirled and saw the truck driving straight for her. Too shaken to move, she remained where she was.

“Move, Eloise! Move!” Nika screamed.

Meta Knight knew Eloise wouldn’t be able to move out of the way of the truck in time, so he reacted quickly and jumped in front of the young girl, pushing her aside and quickly stepping back as the truck swerved by him, missing him by an inch. A sharp edge of one of the rearview mirrors sliced right through his cloak and deep into his right arm. He winced in pain, but was determined not to let a little wound stop him from protecting his friends. He darted over to Eloise and helped her up. Eloise’s blue eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open as she stared up at him.

“Did I hurt you, Eloise?” Meta Knight asked anxiously.

Eloise said no. “But you did startle me when you shoved me,” she said.

“I am sorry,” Meta Knight replied.

Miriam suddenly let out a horrified shriek. “Meta Knight and Eloise, watch out! That guy is coming back again!”

Meta Knight looked up and saw the truck heading for them again! Frightened, he gasped and grabbed Eloise’s arm, jerking her with him into the bushes as the car swerved over the spot they had been standing, its brakes squealing. Jacob hurriedly drew a pistol from his jacket pocket and fired three shots into the air, and Nika let out a short shriek.

“Don’t be scared, Nika,” Jacob assured her. “I was only shooting to scare him away.”

“Did anyone get a look at the driver?” Miriam asked. No one had.

Cloudy waited until the truck was gone, then cleared her throat. “Meta Knight. Eloise. You two can come to now,” she called. “The crazy dude is gone.”

Meta Knight and Nika’s twin sister appeared from behind the snow-covered bushes. “Are you all okay?” Meta Knight asked.

“Yes,” Arrow answered.

“But we really need to find Dana!” Cloudy insisted. “For all we know, she could be dead or severely injured right now!”

“Yeah, you’re right, Clo—” Nika cut off in the middle of her sentence and stared at Meta Knight’s arm. Blood was staining the cloak and trickling down his arm. “Uh, M-Meta Knight. . .”

Miriam too looked alarmed. “What’s wrong with your arm?”

Meta Knight quickly covered over the wound with his other hand. “I am okay. Do not fret about me.” He drew away his hand and saw that his glove was stained. red. With an involuntary shudder, he looked away.

Nika walked over to him and examined the cut. “It’s pretty bad,” she said softly. Unwinding her scarf from around her neck, she tied the temporary bandage around the wound. “There. That should do it.”

Meta Knight couldn’t help but smile at Nika’s care and compassion. “Thank you, Nika,” he said.

Nika smiled back. “I’m happy to be of service to you.”

“Come on!” Star shouted. “Hurry up, you slowpokes! We need to find Dana and fast!”

“Don’t be so impatient,” Nika scolded her friend. “We’re coming.” She took Meta Knight’s hand and gently tugged him along with her toward the others.

 

* * * * *

 

At long last, the group reached the limestone cave about which Jacob had told them. Its sandy, rocky wall was rough to the touch and the shadowy entrance was intimidating. It was not something you would want to walk into by yourself in the night.

“Hey, look!” Nika whispered. She pointed toward the side of the cave. There, sitting nestled under a tiny ledge, it’s hood covered with a light layer of ice, was the same red truck that had tired to run them over!

“Maybe that crazy guy is here!” Star whispered fearfully.

“Maybe,” Cloudy said tonelessly.

They stood across the road from the cave for a minute or two, peering cautiously at its pitch-black interior. There was no sound or movement within.

“What are we waiting for?” Nika whispered at last. “We’re not getting anywhere standing here! Let’s go!” And that those words, she broke away from the group and tiptoed lightly toward the cave.

“No, Nika!” Eloise hissed. “Wait!”

But Nika didn’t listen. She slipped through the entrance and was gone.

“Great!” Star moaned. “We’re in trouble now! Nika will get caught and then we’ll get caught!”

“We need to go in after her!” Jacob said firmly.

“I’ll wait outside and guard the entrance,” Meta Knight offered.

At that, Cloudy looked worried. “Be careful, Meta Knight,” she pleaded.

Meta Knight smiled. “I will, little one.”

So the group. minus Meta Knight, quietly entered the cave and looked about. But it was dark, so they couldn’t see a thing.

“Nika?” Eloise ventured. “Are you in here?”

Nothing.

“How can she find her way in here? It’s like being in the inside of a crow!” Star asked.

“Let’s go farther in,” suggested Jacob.

So on they went, farther and farther into the recesses of the cave. It was deeper than it looked, though. There were several passageways and chambers that they walked down. Jacob was amazed, commenting, “I don’t remember seeing all these passages when I visited here years ago. Nathaniel must have created these in the last few years.”

On and on they went. Several times they bumped into or tripped over something i the dark, resulting in deep cuts or bruises. But finally, they reached the last chamber.

“Nika?” Arrow whispered.

There was no reply.

“Nika?” Star asked, raising her voice a little.

“Star,” came a faint voice from the darkness.

Star’s ears jumped and her mouth dropped open in surprise. “M-Miss. . .Dana?”

“Star.”

“Miss Dana!” Star cried out.

“Shhhhhhhh!” everyone hissed.

“Sorry, sorry,” Star said more quietly. She walked around gingerly, fearful she would slam into something. At long last, she found a flashlight on the floor and switched it on, then swept it about the room.

“Get that light out of my face,” Eloise complained. “And stop pointing the flashlight toward the chamber entrance! That crazy guy might see it!”

“Sorry.” Star shone the light on Dana and saw that she was chained to the wall. Her hair was mussed and her dress was slightly torn.

“Miss Dana, who in the realm of Dreamland did this to you?” Cloudy demanded, her eyes flaming with anger.

Dana shivered. “That horrible Nathaniel Osen kidnapped me last night and brought me here, then left early this morning. He threatened me, hoping to make me tell him where the treasure is. But I didn’t tell him anything because I have no clue what he’s even talking about.”

A sudden idea jumped into Cloudy’s mind. “Did Nathaniel bring you here in a red truck?” she asked suddenly.

Dana looked astonished. “Why, yes,” she answered in surprise. “But how did you know that?”

“Natural deduction,” Cloudy muttered.

“Huh?” Dana looked confused and a bit startled.

“Nothing,” sighed Cloudy.

Eloise ran over to Dana and tried to free her from the chain that held her captive, but saw that it was padlocked. “Great,” Eloise sighed. “We need a key.”

“Hey, I found one!” Zach said, pointing to a brass key hanging on a nail in the cave wall high above Dana’s head. “But I can’t reach it!”

“I’ll get it,” Jacob said. He reached up and took hold of the key, then handed it to Eloise, who freed Dana. Dana stood up unsteadily, supported by Eloise.

“We need to get you out of here!” Eloise said frantically. “Nathaniel could come in here at any moment!”

“Yes, we must,” Dana agreed. “The problem is, how are we supposed to get home with no transportation?”

“We could always walk,” Arrow replied with a shrug.

Just then, Star’s flashlight flickered, became dim, and then went out. Star vigorously shook it and slapped it with her paw, but to no avail.

“Ugh,” Miriam groaned. “Now we’re stuck in the dark without a light.”

“And we still need to find Nika,” Cloudy reminded them. “We can’t go home without her.”

Eloise clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, right!” she exclaimed. “I forgot about Nika!” Instantly her face creased into a worried expression. “What strategy should we plan to find her?”

“You won’t have to look far,” came a cold voice from behind Eloise. Suddenly terrified, they all froze. Could that be. . .?

“Nathaniel,” Cloudy said grimly, confirming everyone’s worst fear.

“That’s right, puppy.”

A flashlight clicked on and Nathaniel beamed the circle of light on each of them in turn. To her horror, Eloise saw that Nathaniel’s arm was encircled around Nika’s neck!

“Nika!” Eloise wailed. “Oh, no!”

Cloudy was puzzled. “I thought Meta Knight was guarding the entrance,” she said. “So how did you get in, Nathaniel?”

Nathaniel chuckled. “I have my ways.”

“What, a secret entrance?” Zach piped up.

Nathaniel smirked at the brave eight-year-old. “For a little boy, you sure are smart.”

“What in the world is going on in here?” Meta Knight demanded as he marched into the chamber, but halted when he saw Nathaniel. Nathaniel shot him the death glare, his eyes narrowing into slits like a snake’s. “Well, if it isn’t the Amazing Blueberry!” he dramatically declared.

Meta Knight inwardly groaned, tired of being called a blueberry, but kept his outward composure. “My name is Meta Knight, and. . .” His eyes widened when he saw Nika in Nathaniel’s grasp. “Why are you holding Nika?!”

Nathaniel chuckled sardonically. “This little girl was snooping around, so I had to take care of her. Of course, I hadn’t gotten around to it yet because had to handle these—” He pointed his finger at Cloudy and the others. “—creatures who were trying to free Dana. Especially that little black-and-white puppy.”

“Cloudy?” Meta Knight exclaimed.

“That’s right,” Nathaniel said.

Eloise clenched her fists, trying to suppress her rising anger. “Why, you freaky hooligan!” she yelled. “How dare you kidnap Dana and mess with my sister! You let both of them this very minute!”

Nathaniel threw back his head and laughed, “Not ntil Dana tells me where the treasure is!”

“I told you that I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dana exclaimed. “Why do you keep bugging me about it?”

“Because I don’t believe that you don’t know where it is!” Nathaniel snapped. “When I was young, your mother told me that she had hidden a treasure for you around Vastre Hall. I attempted to marry you at one point to see if I could persuade you to give me the treasure, but you refused, so I decided to get my revenge by stealing it!”

Cloudy couldn’t believe her ears. Dana had actually been proposed to once by Nathaniel?!

“And,” Nathaniel continued, speaking directly to Dana, “if you don’t tell me where the treasure is, this is what will happen to both you and this snoopy little girl!” He grabbed Dana and pushed her onto the floor hard, causing her to strike her head on the wall as she went down, then grabbed a loaded pistol from his jacket pocket and pointed it at her neck. Eloise shrieked and Meta Knight Knight tensed.

“No!” Nika screamed. “Don’t you dare shoot her! She’s pregnant!”

“You snooze, you lose!” was Nathaniel’s heartless reply. “Now, Dana, tell me where the treasure is! I’ll give you one last chance!”

“I told you I don’t know,” Dana replied in a frightened tone. She was shaking.

“All right, then.” Nathaniel put his finger to the trigger. . .

“Ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!” Cloudy screamed at the top of her lungs.

The whole chamber became very silent at her outburst. Cloudy didn’t know what to say as everyone stared at her, especially Nathaniel, who just looked extremely confused.

“Why did you say that?” Arrow said at last.

Cloudy didn’t know why she had said it. She had just wanted to distract Nathaniel and that was the first thing that had come to her mind.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play, puny little puppy,” Nathaniel said darkly, “but if I were you, I’d shut up.”

Cloudy grinned. “Oh, but I’m not playing a game,” she answered. “I’m just saying. . .ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!”

“What does that even mean?” Nathaniel complained.

“It means ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!” Eloise chimed.

Nathaniel was starting to get irritated. “Enough of this nonsense!” he yelled. “Since you are all being uncooperative, I’ll get rid of you all!” And with those horrifying words, he pulled the trigger and shot Dana in the neck. Dana let out a terrible, high-pitched shriek and fell unconscious.

“NO!” Eloise cried. “How could you?!“

Meta Knight stared in horror at Dana, bleeding and unconscious, and he shivered and shut his eyes tightly, unable to stand looking at her. He was angry and upset with Nathaniel and scared for Dana.

Nika, at seeing Dana shot, boiled with anger. Her rage spilled over and she wrenched loose from Nathaniel’s hold and grabbed for his gun, but Nathaniel tripped her and she fell facefirst onto the rough cave floor. Eloise quickly helped her sister up and tried to punch the gun out of his hand, but Nathaniel grabbed her arm and twisted it, causing her to cry out in pain.

“No, leave her alone!” Meta Knight shouted angrily, kicking Nathaniel in the back and sending him pitching forward onto a glass table and shattering it to pieces. Eloise rolled away from Nathaniel and shielded Nika from the shards of broken glass.

Cloudy snatched up Nathaniel’s pistol in her mouth, which had fallen onto the floor, and drew back her head and tossed it to Jacob. Jacob caught it neatly and reloaded it.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel had managed to pin Meta Knight to the ground and drew out a knife from his belt. Clloudy’s eyes widened and Styar screamed as he prepared to plunge the knife downward.

CRACK!

A shot rang out and Nathaniel dropped to the floor, the knife falling from his hand. Meta Knight rolled over and stood up slowly, trembling all over. “W-Who did that?” he asked shakily.

“I did,” Jacob spoke up, his voice strained. “I didn’t have a choice.”

Cloudy gaped at Jacob. “You shot your own brother?!”

“Like I said, I didn’t have a choice.” Jacob’s face was weary and pale, making him look several years older than he actually was. He unloaded both pistols and set them on the floor, then walked over to Nathaniel and felt his pulse. When he straightened up, his eyes were sorrowful.

“Is he alive?” Cloudy asked, afraid of the answer she might receive.

Jacob shook his head.

Cloudy’s mouth dropped open in shock. Star was speechless. “He’s dead?” Star whispered.

Jacob nodded.

Star hung her head. “I-I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.

“I’m just sorry he didn’t repent,” Cloudy said miserably. “He had time, and he didn’t repent. And now it’s too late.”

No one else said anything. They all looked sad and solemn as they gazed at the lifeless corpse of Nathaniel. Then Jacob went over to Dana and gently lifted her in his arms. “We need to get her to the hospital, and fast,” he said. “Follow me.”

The group followed Jacob back the way they had come. After a few minutes of getting lost, they finally emerged from the cave and outside into the frigid winter air. Beautiful, thick snowflakes were falling from the sky and layering everything with a soft carpet of white. Jacob walked over to Nathaniel’s red truck and loaded Dana in the passenger seat, then checked the ignition. The keys were in it. Relieved, he told everyone to load up. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

The kids obediently began to jump into the bed, but Cloudy didn’t get in yet. Her eyes were riveted on Meta Knight, who stood alone by the side of the deserted, snow-covered road, shaking all over. Cloudy’s heart went out to him. She approached him slowly, her feet making no sound on the hard-packed snow. As she got closer, she heard him sobbing quietly. Her high-toned ears drooped. She knew what was upsetting him.

“Meta Knight.” Her voice was quiet and full of compassion.

Meta Knight looked over at her and she saw that his eyes were gray.

“Are you upset about what just happened?” Cloudy asked him, taking a step back.

Meta Knight nodded and looked away, drawing his cape across his face. Cloudy didn’t even try to make him feel better. She merely placed a comforting paw on his hand and he wept harder, Turning, he picked her up and hugged her tightly. She returned the affection tenderly.

“I wish it didn’t have to turn out like this,” Meta Knight said, his voice breaking.

Cloudy, suddenly afraid for reasons she couldn’t understand, replied, “Me, too.”

They stayed like that for a while. Jacob, who had been watching them from inside the cab, pulled out his phone and took a picture of them, then sent it to Springtime along with a text: “Your daughter is more mature than she seems. She was so brave today and I couldn’t be prouder of her.” He then sent another text explaining what happened and that he was taking Dana to the hospital. He also added that he was dropping the children back at Vastre Hall.

Springtime sent a text back, and as Jacob read it, he couldn’t help but smile broadly.

Outside the truck. Cloudy was saying to Meta Knight, “Let’s get in the truck. We need to go home.”

Meta Knight nodded and both went over to the truck, them jumped inside and shut the door. Jacob started the engine and put it in reverse, then backed out, turned, and drove down the road.

 

* * * * *

 

After Jacob had dropped Dana off at the hospital and drove back to Vastre Hall, Springtime came running out to meet them as they were getting out of the truck. “Cloudy and Star!” she cried out joyfully. She hugged them tightly. “Oh, I’m so proud of you girls for being so brave!”

Cloudy blinked tiredly. “Thanks,” she said shortly, “but I don’t feel brave.”

“You are,” Springtime said without hesitation or doubt. “I’m very proud of you. I’m proud of all of you.”

“Yeah!” Eloise shouted.

Showerstorm came outside just then ad embraced his daughters. “I heard that Nathaniel was dead,” he said. “Is it true?”

Eloise started. “How’d you know that?”

“I told them via text,” Jacob said, getting out and coming around the front of the truck to stand by Springtime. “Your mother told me, Cloudy, that she was very proud of you and that you were a kind, compassionate, godly young woman.”

“She said that?!” Cloudy was surprised and pleased.

“I did,” Springtime confirmed. “And I meant it with all my heart.”

Cloudy didn’t know what to say. She just scuffed her foot in the snow.

“Cloudy!” Sniper shouted, rushing outside with his brothers, Lea, and Valerie. They ran over to the group standing by the truck and exchanged hugs, greetings, and chats.

“We were so worried the whole time you were gone!” Valerie said. “I was praying double-time for you all!”

“I was worried too!” Lea chimed in. “I thought you would be hurt or killed trying to rescue Miss Dana!”

“But she wasn’t!” Pancake cheered. “She’s a hero!”

“Cloudy is indeed a hero,” Meta Knight said softly.

Cloudy was feeling oddly angry. “Will you stop saying I’m a hero?!” she blurted out. Everyone was startled. “I am not a hero and I don’t want to be! I was only doing my duty! Quit commemorating me for being something I’m not!” With those harsh words, she stomped into the house and slammed the door.

There was silence for a while. Meta Knight covered his eyes with one hand and let out a shaky breath. Springtime’s sorrowful eyes fell upon him, then traveled to the bloody scarf wrapped loosely around his arm. Instantly, the pity in her eyes changed to alarm. “Meta Knight, what happened to your arm?” she asked.

Meta Knight didn’t answer, but dropped his eyes to the ground, feeling very uncomfortable. It was Eloise who answered. “Nathaniel was about to hit me with his truck and Meta Knight saved me. But he got cut pretty bad by one of the rearview mirrors.”

“That really looks nasty,” Springtime said. “We need to clean that before it gets infected.”

Showerstorm spoke. “I have a question. Can someone explain to me how exactly Nathaniel got killed? Because Jacob didn’t say.”

Eloise winced at the memory. “Uh, um, he, uh, shot his own brother.”

Showerstorm became very quiet. Meta Knight just sat in the passenger-side seat of the truck, his hands folded in front of him. Springtime’s eyes were big and full of horror. “You killed your brother?!” she gasped. “You didn’t tell me that!”

“I had no choice, Springtime. It was a life or death situation,” Jacob said wearily, leaning against the truck door. “I’ve already notified the police and explained the entire incident. They’ll go pick up Nathaniel’s body tonight.”

Springtime nodded understandingly. Then she turned to the other children and said., “Go inside and clean up. You want to look your best for the play tonight, don’t you?”

The other children trailed inside, but Star stayed behind. “Mommy, what’s wrong with Cloudy? Why did she pop off like that?”

Springtime shook her head and bit her lip. “I don’t know. . .But I’ll go inside and talk to her right now. You do as you’re told, okay? ‘ll take care of your sister.”

Star nodded and vanished inside. Springtime turned to Jacob. “Will you be so kind as to clean Meta Knight’s wound for him? I need to talk to Cloudy.”

“Sure thing, ma’am.” Jacob politely nodded.

 

* * * * *

“Cloudy?” Springtime asked, entering her younger daughter’s bedroom. Cloudy was sitting on the bed, glaring broodingly at the wall. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Cloudy turned to look at the mother. “Why are you in here? I’m trying to think.”

Springtime sighed and sat down beside Cloudy. “Cloudy, I need to have a talk with you. You’re not acting like yourself. You’re getting angry at us for calling you a hero. You’re not as happy or fun-loving anymore as you used to be. You just haven’t really been the same since the plane crash.”

Cloudy said nothing. Her face was hard as stone.

“And I know why,” Springtime said, placing a paw on her daughter’s back. “I think you’re suffering trauma and possibly a bit of PTSD.”

“PTSD?” Cloudy repeated, staring bleakly at the wall.

“Post-traumatic stress disorder,” Springtime said. “Meta Knight has it too. You don’t have it as badly as he does of course, but you still have it. Tell me,” she went on, “have you had any nightmares of flashbacks of that day when we crashed?”

Cloudy nodded. “Yeah, I have.”

“Do you ever get anxious about it?” he mother questioned.

“Sort of.”

“Then I believe you have a very mild case of PTSD,” Springtime said.

“So what?” Cloudy muttered.

Springtime took a deep breath. feeling shame overwhelm her. “It’s all my fault!” she said, her voice sounded rushed and breathless. “It’s my fault you’re suffering with this, my child. I shouldn’t have taken you on this trip. I should have listened to you when you said not to get on the plane. I should have never let you go on these dangerous rescue missions.” Tears filled her eyes. “Forgive me, dear. It’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not,” Cloudy argued. “It’s not your fault, Mommy. It’s nobody’s fault. It just happened. Don’t apologize.”

Springtime shook her head. “No, it is my fault. It is.”

“It is not,” Cloudy said, gently placing her paw on her mother’s. “Mommy, don’t blame yourself, and don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”

Springtime wrapped her daughter in a tight hug and wiped her eyes. “I love you, my dear.”

“I love you too, Mommy,” Cloudy said softly.