The Tribe (fanfic)

Chapter 14

I hadn't realised I had fallen asleep until Zandra was shaking me awake. "Morning sleeping beauty." She giggled. I widened my eyes, trying to get rid of the blurry vision in front of me. "You're taking up half the staircase."

I glanced down, and she was right, My legs were sprawled out, and the hot choclate must have been kicked over, beause it's contents was streaming down the stairs. "I'll get something to clean that up." I said, getting to my feet.

I walked back over to the kitchen, Tai-San was no longer cleaning her spirit, and ridding the negativity in the cafe. She was an odd person, and a little self centered, but, she saved Cloe.

I took a paper towel from inside the kitchen, and walked back over to the stairs to clean up my mess. My neck was cramping a little but I wasn't really surprised, with the way I slept last night. Once the mess was clean, I returned to the cafe and put the paper towel in the bin.

Most people were up and eating breakfast already, and I was about to grab myself a bowl when Cloe walked in. "Look what I found." Cloe said, holding Brady in her arms.

"What?" Amber asked. Cloe held out a note to Amber which she took and skimmed over ."It's addressed to Brady." She said.

"She can hardly read though, can she." Patsy said.

Amber rolled her eyes and started to read the note. "Dear Brady, I'm sorry to have to do this to you, I don't think I'm a bad person, just a bad mother, I'm sorry, love Trudy." Amber looked up from the note and surveyed the room for emotions.

"So she's gone?" Patsy asked, "She just left?"

"She can't be gone." I said, surprised that I cared so much. "She wouldn't leave Brady. . .or me."

"Read the note for yourself." Amber held it out to me, and I took. Hoping that in some way, Amber was wrong. But I new she was right.

Lex came trotting in with his usual manner. He took the plastic bag almost empty with cereal and poured it into his bowl. "Trudy's gone." Zandra said, walking over to Lex.

"Good." Lex gave us one of his smirks, as he proceded to eat his cereal.

"But left the baby." Amber added.

Lex looked up this time, and looked around until his eyes landed on Cloe and Brady. "Ah, for god-sake ." Lex sighed. "She left the brat? Unbelievable."

"If any of you see Dal let him know, I've got it covered." Jack entered the cafe, with an annoyed look on his face.

"What do you mean if we see Dal?" Amber asked, "he wasn't on guard duty, we thought Dal was with you."

"No." Jack said a matter of factly.

Amber sighed, "Oh, no."

"What?" Bray asked.

"They've gone together." Amber answered.

"What do you mean, together? Dal wouldn't leave. . .would he?" Jack furrowed his eyebrows.

Amber practically jumped from her chair, but no one followed. "We have to go after them, they couldn't have gone far." Amber said, but as she surveyed the area she saw that no one was interested in hunting them down. "Come on!"

"Why? It was there choice to leave, they must follow their own path." Tai-San said.

"Natalia?" Amber turned to me, with hopeful, pleading eyes. "She's your sister."

I sighed, "she chose to leave, Amber." I said, with a heavy heart. "I hate to admit it, and I really do mean that I hate to admit it, but Tai-San's right."

Amber looked down at the ground, and expression of defeat written all over her face. "I guess that's that then."

Trudy never thanked me for anything I ever did for her, for helping her with the baby. She didn't pay much attention to me, her own sister. Even though she left Brady with us she is my niece, and she deserved to be looked after, even if it wasn't by her own mother.

I took Brady from Cloe's grasp and cradled her in my own arms. I don't understand how Trudy could just leave her, but she was pretty messed up. I walked Brady back to Trudy's room, it felt empty but it was sorta nice not having so much negativity around. Oh god, I was starting to sound like
Tai-San.

I picked up Brady's cot and put her in it, taking her across the mall to my room. "Natalia." I turned around and saw Salene almost running after me. "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted my to take Brady off your hands."

I smiled at her gratefully and looked down at the squirming girl. "Thanks Salene, but I think it's best if I do it." I said. I turned my gaze back to Salene who looked a little hurt, "I'm not saying this because you wouldn't be a good mother, I think you'd be a great mother, but she's blood and I feel it's my duty as her aunt to help her."

Salene shook her head and gave me a sheepish smile. "No, I understand." She said.

"But you can come help out whenever you like. God knows I'll need it." I told her.

"Thanks." Salene turned and walked away.

~~~~

It was Brady who woke me up the next morning, and it was Salene who came to get her. I didn't argue though, I didn't really have the energy to pull myself up from bed, until Amber came in.

"If you're going to lecture me, I'm not in the mood." I snapped, but as soon as the words left my lips I regretted saying it. "Sorry."

"Not a morning person?" Amber chuckled, taking a seat the end of my bed.

"You could say that."

"I need your help." Amber said. "I need you to cover my cleaning duties today."

I sighed heavily and dramatically. "There better be a good reason for this." I said.

"I need to help Bray with collecting food, he's been struggling lately and I feel like I would be better use out there than in here." Amber explained.

"Why not send me with Bray?" I asked her.

"Well I didn't think you'd be up to it." Amber said catiously.

"What's that suppose to mean!?" I pushed my duvet to the end of the bed.

"You know, with the attack."

"Oh, so you think I'm weak, is that it!?" I scoffed.

"Natalia, I just though —"

"Save it! I know exactly what you thought, that's all you ever think about people!" I slipped on a jacket and pushed my feet in some shoes before storming off out of my room.

How dare she assume I was weak, I could handle myself, I wasn't a child! As I climbed up the stairs a wave of nausea hit me. I clasped onto the railing, to keep myself from falling back. It came and went in a second, but it felt longer than that.

"Nat, you okay?" Ryan asked as he came down the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I gave him a sheepish smile. "Just got up to fast." Well at least, I hope that's what it was.