A Night Of Surprises

Chapter Six: Black Out

Gracelynn gets back to camp and reaches for our backpacks. She is concocting a mixture when Easton reaches for a gun, lead bullets, and two water bottles.
"Easton?" Gracelynn says trying to keep Easton calm.
"What?!?!" He says with fatigue in his voice.
"I have a plan, trust me." Gracelynn says this, trying to muster all of her courage.
Gracelynn gets in her white 'The North Face' backpack and pulls out a 'Ice Mountain' water bottle, one bundle of Granny Smith Apple, and three containers of sleeping gas, and Hydrochloric sulfate, otherwise known as salt water. I grab the bundle and dump the apples into the mixture."
"And this mixture will...?" Easton asks, making the 'go on' gesture towards Gracelynn.
"This has will then build up and cause everyone to take a really long nap. In three to four hours, you will be asleep and when you wake, you won't remember a thing." Gracelynn says, as she pulls out a cylinder of clear liquid.
"What happens if we get sprayed with the fluid?" Easton says, quizzically.
"Your skin will burn and leave bloody blisters." Gracelynn says, as Easton stars to doubt the plan.
"There's an antidote though." Gracelynn says, summing the whole issue up.
" If you or I get sprayed, you can rub this on the wound and in one day it will dissipate."
"So, your saying this will save Brighton." Easton asks, trying to keep up with the new details.
"Yes and it will give us a least a five hour head start... But"
"But what?!?!" Easton says, thinking of some faults in the plan.
" I can't think of a diversion to use." Gracelynn says, glumly.
Easton looks up at Gracelynn with a wild grin on his face. "I might have an idea."

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December Eighteen, Two AM, Missing for twelve days,....
"I didn't realize that Calvin was dating Mandy Stopes." Gracelynn says, lost in Easton and her's conversation. "Well they started last Monday." Easton says, stunned I didn't know.
Easton coughs and then speaks again."Ah, Yeah, Ummmm,Gracelynn, would you like to ahhhhhhh, like, ummmmmmmm, Gracelynn would you like to go on a,....., ummmmmmm." Easton keeps stuttering and looking away from Gracelynn.
'This wasn't planned.' "Easton what is it, I won't tell anyone?"
"I wondered if you, me, ah, go on a, ahhhhhh, d, d, d....,"
"Easton, are you asking me on a date?" Gracelynn says, clear faced.
Easton and the others notice what Gracelynn is wearing, a white rose print evening gown with white flats. Cobee, Steven, and Everest stand by the opposite wall, egging Easton in.
"Yes?"
"Easton, I'd love to go on a date with you." Gracelynn says as Easton kisses her for a few small moments.
"Well, thanks for the finale, we thought we would never see it." James snickers. That snaps us back to the present component. Both, Easton and Gracelynn, turn on their heels to face the enemy.
Somebody in the back of our little mob whispers, loudly, "Is James sure it's her?" And a few let a slow whistle out.
Gracelynn put on a white snow print dress with grey flats. Easton turns to face Gracelynn and whispers in her ear,"You look absolutely stunning."
"You aren't bad on the eyes either."
Easton wore his grey 'Under Armor' shirt and grey shorts with light green splashes on them.
His blond hair has a little dust in it and besides the small scratch on his cheek, Easton looked the same as always.
"Hey, don't you two care that James is about to kill Brighton."
Gracelynn sends the code to Easton and he responds,'No not yet, one minute.' Gracelynn obeys him.
"Guys, we actually have two star-crossed lovers, Gracelynn an..." Cobee starts, but James cuts him off cold. Cobee obeys, somberly.
"Cobee, let's see if pretty and smart, Gracelynn can figure out our plan." James courteously bows to her and the rest of the conspiracy bows as well. Gracelynn thinks for a few minutes then speaks, in small sentences.
"Katniss and Peeta,... Me and Easton,... Star-Crossed lovers." Gracelynn says, looking from Easton, to James, and back again.
"Very good." James then turns to Gracelynn and whispers," I killed your parents." Gracelynn stands there stunned at the surprise.
Easton turns to her and kisses her cheek. Then, everything becomes a chaotic mess. Steven and Arizona leads me to a couch with five legs instead of four, and throws her onto it. They both sit on either side of Gracelynn on two boulders. Jay and Cobee get Brighton up and throw him on the couch, stirring more dust up off the couch as they star in terror as their friend and Bo is beaten up.
As the fight went on, Brighton stands up to find some strength in him and Arizona hit him with his sword butt and Brighton's forehead starts to bleed. He falls in a big heap onto Gracelynn's lap and Jay, Arizona, and Cobee bellow as Gracelynn wraps his head with her jacket.
They stop when the fight gets more intense. James' first move is Easton's right leg. He cuts a deep wound on Easton's right leg and the blood runs thick and thin. Gracelynn then steps in.
"Hey I have a idea. You let us pass and no one has to die, okay?"
"Don't listen to her James." His friends cry.
"Hush!Hush!" James hisses. "Now, Gracelynn, why shall I save you and your friends lives?"
Gracelynn tries very hard to stay collected. "Because,...,because,...,what even are the chances we will all survive."
"One in a zillion!" Jayven yells.
"Exactly my point."
"Yes. You can go now." James concludes, with a flick of his wrist. A burst of complaints are barked out through the crowd. Gracelynn and Easton make their way out of the crowd to wake up Brighton. When they tell Brighton, he jumps off and runs as fast as Roadrunner when he runs away from Whily Coyote down the dark tunnel.
Gracelynn and Easton race to catch Brighton. Once they have totally lost sign of him Easton texts Brighton and he tells him that he's about half a mile away. It takes one hour to reach Brighton. Once they catch up to them, they all head east through the mine.They find a large alcove and Gracelynn steps in.
"Be careful, Gracelynn. I don't want you to fall through the floor."
"Easton, I'll..." Gracelynn starts but as she starts the floor collapsed, sending her to the dusty pavement below. Dust raises everywhere.
"Gracelynn, where are you?" The dust clears and all both boys see is a body lying motionless."Gracelynn!" Easton yells, but nothing happens.
"Brighton, help me down here."
Brighton and Easton climb down slowly through the alcove and run over to the limp body on the floor.
"Easton, she opened her up again."
"Yeah, we better rest here tonight." Easton says looking at his crushes' semi-limp body that is slowly moving a little bit.
"Yeah, for the best." Brighton says.
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December 19,2016,
6:15 A.M.
Gracelynn wakes up and is very nauseous. Both boys are asleep. Her right leg is throbbing and her phone is by her feet. Gracelynn reaches for it and gasps for ease of pain. Easton's eyes flash open and calls,"Brighton!" which wakes him up.
Brighton notices what has happened and grabs Gracelynn's phone for her.
"What happened?Why are we here?"
Gracelynn asks, shivering.
"You mean you don't remember last night at ALL." Brighton says looking at Easton.
"No. What happened?"
"You and Easton saved me from dying." Brighton says, happily.
"You kissed me."Easton smirks.
"Oh, well we have been busy."Gracelynn says, laughing lightly.
"Can you do us a favor?" Easton asks, sneakily.
"What is it?"
"Will you change our bandages?" Easton asks, smoothly.
"Sure." Gracelynn responds, happy to be of service. Gracelynn finds her jacket and pulls out a mini first aid kit. She decides to stitch Easton first. Gracelynn pulls out the small scissors, thread, gauze, iodine, and a needle.
Gracelynn first snips the pant leg away and examines the wound.
"Well it's not deep but not shallow either."Gracelynn says, looking from the wound to her boyfriend. She pours a little bit of iodine into the wound and it begins to bubble. Then, once the infection bubbles out, the hard part will begin.
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Gracelynn has experience sewing before but not on a living person who can feel pain. She goes as gently as she possibly can but between Easton's whimpers and squirms, it's hard to keep the needle steady and your patient calm.
"Easton, I really don't want to hurt you but your wound needs to be sewn or you will be in bigger trouble than you already are." That settles him down a little. Gracelynn then gets into Brighton's backpack and pulls out a peice of leather from a old chewed canteen strap.
"Brighton put this in his mouth." He does as he is told.
"Now Easton when you feel the needle bite down as hard as you can."
Through the cries of pain and squirming, Gracelynn managed to finish in ten minutes. She sewed the wound twice so it wouldn't pop out. When she is finished, Easton spits the leather out and Gracelynn giggles softly.
"What's next?" Brighton asks.
"Oh, I'll need two five inch boards, medical tape, and a little twinge to make a splint." Gracelynn instructs. Brighton grabs the boards and the twinge, while she gets the medical tape.
Once we have the supplies, they both splint Easton's leg. Once that job is done, Brighton rests.
Easton looks at Gracelynn and asks,"How's your head?" Gracelynn totally forgot about her injury. Easton looks at it and grabs the scissors.
He hacks at the towel for a while and then asks,"Do you want the bad news or the really bad news?"
"Really bad news."
"The towel swelled around the sore and I have to remove it."
"Okay, let's get it over with." The cut was about two inches deep. Once the towel is out of the wound a smooth trickle of blood starts to fall down Gracelynn's forehead. Easton takes his index finger and wipes the blood from my forehead. He scoots in to kiss her but she stops him.
"Not now,later." She says wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head gently on his chest.Easton runs his fingers through Gracelynn's long blonde hair as she starts to drift off to sleep. Then,Easton asks,"What did James mean by 'I killed your parents.'?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes."
"Okay, then I'll tell you. I have never told anyone this before."
Easton looks intently into her eyes.
"You must promise not to tell ANYONE what I'm about to tell you."
"I give you my honor but you don't..."
"I know but I want to."
"Okay then let's hear it then." Easton says, seriously. He grads a flannel blanket and wraps both of them in it. Gracelynn turns to face him. She takes a deep breath and begins her horrid story. Time travels before her eyes and Gracelynn is fifteen again, sitting at her cousins table eating breakfast.