Somehow They're Alive (part 18)

Okay, I think that you guys will like this part. I worked really hard on it. You've all probably been wondering what happens to Tammy. You've probably

been wondering how they get the antidote too. Well today you get your answers. There's nothing more for me to say other than please enjoy and leave your comments. :)

Created by: Topaz
  1. ***Jaslina's Point of View*** The only thing worse than having a dying friend is when you're able to help them, but actually getting the resources they need seems nearly impossible. Then, on top of that, the amount of time they're still alive for is getting shorter and shorter while you're trying to save them. There is no better definition for the phrase "seemingly impossible" then what I've just stated. After Francine gave us directions to this lady's house and let us use her phone we went outside to wait for Jay and Landon. Twenty minutes later the five of us are on our way to go meet the medicine woman. Being able to say the five of us is one thing to be happy about; Jay spent an hour alone with Landon and is still completely intact. That must mean Landon's trustworthy to an extent. With Sapphire wrapping him around her pinkie it's hard to know exactly how trustworthy he really is. Forty-three minutes and fifty-two seconds of anxious driving is what it takes to reach the woman's isolated little cabin. Little describes it perfectly. Really, her house is cuter than I'd expected. The siding is painted sky blue and the shutters are crí¨me colored. To brighten it up even more are the window boxes, painted to match the shutters, which are overflowing with flowers of every size and color. Beside that dirt path leading to the porch are flowers of orange, red, yellow, and violet. The only negative thing about her humble home is the Rottweiler chained up and sleeping next to the porch steps. "Great, this just keeps getting better and better," I mumble to myself.
  2. The gigantic animal wakes up startled at the sound of our car as if he isn't used to getting visitors this deep in the woods. At the sight of him none of us comes close to stepping out of the vehicle. All the dog is doing right now is staring at us and we want it to stay that way. It seems like we're going to be sitting here forever when someone steps out onto the porch. Francine didn't tell us a whole lot about her friend; not even her name. But what she did tell us is true. She's elderly, Asian, and her house is tiny and in the middle of the woods. The Rottweiler is starting to growl. "Inu, no attacking," says the woman. I wish I knew her name. None of us are brave enough to get out of the car still. Nobody has even made the first move to roll down the window and say something to her. It seems that she feels likewise. For a long while all the elderly lady does is study us as good as she can with the glare of the windshield blocking us off. She examines us so closely that it's as if she's trying to get a glimpse into our souls. All the while the woman is crouched down petting and baby-talking to her beast. For some reason it's starting to seem more like a Pomeranian than a Rottweiler. Right when I'm about to get out and say something to her the lady approaches our vehicle. "What are you youths doing here? It isn't too often that I find people at my doorstep." I clear my throat and begin to explain. "Ma'am, we're sorry to bother you, but we need your help. We have a friend who is very sick and we need certain ingredients to make her an antidote. We've looked everywhere trying to find the right ingredients, but they aren't anywhere. Finally we ran into a woman who directed us here. Her name is Francine. Are you friends with her?"
  3. The woman chuckles. "Ah, yes, it'd be just like Fran to direct a group of complete strangers to my house. Give me a list of what you need and I will see if I can help. My name is Michiko by the way." "It's nice to meet you, Michiko. Thanks for your help." "Do not thank me right now. I am not yet sure if I can assist you. However, that does not mean that I will not do my best." Michiko pauses and then continues. "Is there a list of ingredients that I could see?" Ryan hops out of the car at her question. "Right here, ma'am." She grabs the piece of lined paper with a snarled hand and calmly unfolds it. Her brow raises in concern as her eyes fly over the list. "Rambutan, Durian, Lychee, Buddha's Hand, dragon fruit ... I must say, this is an odd combination... what type of illness does your friend have?" The others are now standing next to us and are staring at Ryan. Probably because he can explain the situation the best, considering the poison is his mom's recipe and that he knows the antidote. Even under the stares he doesn't crack. Really, I'm not sure if I would either. Confessing that your friend was poisoned and that you're trying to heal her to a complete stranger would be a nerve wracking thing. Especially in our case; if Tammy dies or is admitted to a hospital it could put so much in jeopardy and it would also be heartbreaking at that. "Ryan, we can't keep quiet about this. If we want Mrs. Michiko's help we have to tell her. It's our only option," says Jay. "I know confessing this is dangerous, Ryan, but if we don't get some help Tammy will die," I plead starting to sob. Michiko's mouth hangs open when I say that, telling us how badly she wants an explanation.
  4. He sighs trying to hold back a tear. "Very well." To Michiko, he says, "Ma'am, we have a friend named Tammy. She was a part of our group, but then she got mad and left us. We have an enemy over here, Mrs. Michiko...it's hard to explain but there is a person who wants to harm us. While Tammy was away...our enemy...she slipped some poison into her food. It's very deadly and only I know the recipe for the antidote. If we don't get it into her soon she's going to die. " By the look in her eyes there is not a doubt that she believes us. There isn't any doubt, but there is definitely some confusion. "The situation you're in is very dangerous. What I don't understand is how you're the only one who knows the antidote." When Ryan doesn't reply I respond for him. "His twin sister, Sapphire is the one who poisoned Tammy and is the one who's after us. His mom came up with the recipe for the poison and passed it to them. That's how Ryan knows how to save Tammy." Landon argues, "He could've explained it himself, Jaslina"”" Michiko interrupts. "Jaslina? Did you just call her Jaslina?" I immediately understand that she's either seen my documentary or read some of the magazines. Directly after we got back to the United States last year our story went international. "Yes, I'm Jaslina Rowe! This is Ryan Caroga! Have you heard our story?" "Yes! Yes I have! Were you the girl that was kidnapped last summer and sold to the hidden plantation? You know, in that middle eastern country?" "That's me! Our friend Tammy was on that plantation too! Ryan"”" "Ryan is the brave young lad that betrayed his family to help you all escape from your pursuers! This is wonderful! I can't believe you are the adolescents at my doorstep!" Just then a bout of reality hits her. "What are you doing here in Ireland? What is the criminal Sapphire Caroga doing here in Ireland? What is going on with you people now?"
  5. "I promise that we'll explain everything in depth as we gather our antidote ingredients," I say. "We won't leave out a single detail." "Good. If I'm helping you with this you had better not leave anything out." She gestures for us to follow her. However, we don't get as far as the porch before she stops us. "If Miss Tammy is not here then I want someone to drive and go get her. I have a small infirmary built for the visitors I get every now and again. If she is in the condition that you claim, then I bet she would rather be here in comfort than in some motel room." I can't stop an awkward frown from surfacing on my face. "We haven't exactly been staying in a motel room..." Ryan says, "Jay, you're a good driver. Go get Tammy and Rayla. The rest of us will stay here to make the antidote. Knowing how short on time we are, it could take all of us to make it." "Do you want us to pack up our stuff?" he asks. "I don't care what you do. Just get Tammy and get Rayla and get back." Jay salutes. "I'm on the job!" He jumps into the car and drives off. I wasn't even sure that she heard what I said, but Michiko ends up asking me, "Now what do you mean you have not been living in a motel room?"
  6. *** Jay runs through the brush as fast as he can toward the campsite. The whole way there he's praying that Tammy's still alive and that Rayla's coping okay. This is strange considering that he's never prayed before in his life. Finally he comes to the clearing. He's spent so much time at the campsite that the path to it is tatooed into his brain. "Rayla, we found someone who can get Tammy the antidote!" She comes dashing out of the tent. Her body language shows a mixture of frusturation, sadness, and relief. The relief is due only to what Jay has just told her. He got there with the news just in time, too. Tammy has worsened in the hours that they've been gone looking for the ingredients. "You've found the ingredients? Well go get them! We-Where's everybody else?" asks Rayla. "I'll explain everything on the way there." "On the way where? I don't have time for games! Tammy has gotten worse." Jay's face drops in sadness. "She has?" "Yes. A lot worse." "Then there's no time to waste. Come on. We need to get Tammy to the car." Rayla listens without argument. Anything to keep Jay's respect and save Tammy. Ten minutes later Rayla is in the back seat cradling Tammy's head in her lap as Jay speads down the highway. Just then it hits her. "Jay, wait! We forgot our stuff!" "Our stuff isn't important. All that's important is getting Tammy to Michiko's house." "Who?" "Michiko. She's a medicine woman we met. She has access to everything we need." "Really? That's wonderful!" "It truly is. Things might just work out." Rayla glances down at Tammy's face feeling unsure. Her dear friend looks half-dead. "I hope so, Jay. I hope so."
  7. ***Jaslina's Point of View***The four of us stand huddled in a corner together as Michiko dashes from one side of the pantry to the other. On the outside her house seems so small that it shocks me to realize how large it is on the inside. Maximizing space must be one of her many talents. Michiko jabbers on about how surprised she is about our presence in her kitchen while she throws strange looking fruits into her basket that sits on the center island. This fruit must be rare because I've certainly never seen anything like it. Well, I've never studied Asian cultures like Lily has either. The dragon fruit and the Rambutan and such probably sound familiar to Lily. Suddenly I feel very thankful that she isn't here with us. At least she didn't have to get dragged into all this. "Alright," says Michiko pushing a wisp of white hair from her eyes. "I've found almost everything we need." "Almost everything?" asks Landon nervously. "Yes, but don't worry. What I don't have here in the pantry I grow in my greenhouse." Our eyes follow her index finger out the window above the sink. Sure enough we see a large, glass, building nestled between a grove of trees. There are many bright colors within the greenhouse, but they're all a blur due to the condensation coating the inside of the glass. Lifting the hem of her long, brown, skirt she walks briskly toward the back door. She motions for us to go with her. "Follow me. Would somebody grab my basket, too, please?" Feeling numb I pick up the basket and carry it at my hip as I run to catch up. It's like I'm carrying a load of bricks, but I scarcely notice. All that matters is getting the recipe made by the time Jay returns. Ryan said it'll be hard, yet it can be done.
  8. "What's left on the list, Mrs. Michiko?" Audrey asks while we file inside. "Only three things and they're all in here. Hopefully my Inu has not gotten inside here recently or they might not be." "Her Inu?" asks Landon confused. "Inu is dog in Japanese." Landon's attention turns to Michiko at Audrey's response to his question. "You're Japanese?" "Yes, but only half. I am also one quarter Chinese and one quarter Indonesian." Wow. It's no wonder Francine couldn't remember which country she's from. "So you grew up in Japan?" I ask now curious. She grabs three large and hard brown fruits and tosses them in with the rest of the ingredients. "Yes. I lived in a fishing village with my parents and younger sister. My father was a fisherman and my mother was an herbalist. Everything I know I learned from her." "If you lived in Japan how'd you end up here?" asks Audrey. "When I was a young woman I left my village and got a job as a waitress in Tokyo. A young redheaded man came into the restaurant one evening when business was slow; later I found out that he was spending a year in Japan to study the language and culture. Anyway, something distracted him while he was eating and he spilled his beverage. I went over to help him mop it up, and we got into a rousing conversation. We must have been talking for about an hour. I remember after that he ate dinner at the restaurant every single night for two weeks. Eventually we started going on dates. Soon we became nearly inseparable. So inseparable, in fact, that a year later when he had to leave Japan I married him and came with him to Ireland." "Awww, that's such a sweet story," Audrey and I say in unison. "You're telling us that you left your home on a spur-of-the-moment decision?" asks Ryan. She gives a light chuckle. "That is correct. I could not even speak English when I first got her. Although, I learned over time as you can see." Michiko adds more items to the tightly woven basket while Audrey and Landon ask her more questions about her life. At the moment I can't tell if they're honestly interested or if they just want to distract themselves from the situation at hand. I guess it could be both at this point.
  9. All of us can feel the worry and the strain in the air. Once in the kitchen we set our minds and bodies to work concocting the antidote. For two hours we slave away relentlessly. Some things we have to smash, others we have to grate, and many we have to squeeze the juice or extract out of. Getting three cups of extract out of tree roots is truly exhausting! Every now and again my eyes stray toward the screen door. Unfortunately the driveway is still very much empty. The potion will be complete once it's boiled for five minutes. There are two minutes left on the timer right now. "Jay, hurry up! Where are you?" I say pacing the floor. "Jaslina, walking around nervously isn't going to help anything. Why don't you just sit down and try to stay calm," says Ryan sweetly. His jittery gait betrays his words. "Sure, Ryan, sitting will keep me completely calm just like it has Landon!" At my words we all glance at him. Landon is laying on the sun bleached sofa in fetal position muttering to himself. I can't hear everything, but I can pick out phrases like, "They'll get here. Tammy's not dead. She's still alive. They'll get here." "On second thought keep pacing," Ryan replies. "Hey, you guys have your way of coping with the situation and I have mine." That's all Landon says before he goes back to his muttering. After another suffocating twenty minutes passes Michiko runs into the living room. "Jay just pulled into the driveway. There is a girl with long brown hair sitting in the back seat. It looks like she's holding someone. Is she the Rayla girl you mentioned earlier?" None of us respond because we're too busy running past her and out to the car. Jay is already out of the driver's seat and is helping Rayla with Tammy. Both of them have tears in their eyes. "We have to get Tammy inside quick! I think she's close to dead!" shouts Rayla.
  10. That's when Landon immediately jumps from crying worry to action. He grabs Tammy from the vehicle and runs inside faster than I've ever seen him move. Before we can catch up with him he's in the living room setting her on the couch. "Be careful with her, Landon!" commands Jay. "Look at her, man! Do you think we have time to be careful?!" To Ryan he says, "Get the antidote out here stat! If we don't get this down her now she's doomed! Hurry! Run!" He's back before Landon's even finished giving the command. I glance at Tammy. She's so pale now that she looked tan a few hours ago. At the next thing I notice my heart drops. Her chest isn't rising and falling in the least. She isn't moving at all. You can tell just by his eyes that Landon sees this too as he's pouring the thick liquid down her throat. He doesn't stop pouring it into her until half of the container is gone. Then he sits it on the floor next to him and lays Tammy's head on the nearest pillow. We stand in silence. Tammy still isn't moving at all. Then, right when we're about to declare her dead, she sits up and starts to cough. Not a soft cough, either. She coughs so hard that I think her chest is going to cave in. Now I'm more concerned than I was before. However, once she's done coughing, Tammy does something that makes my worry go away. With her legs rattling she stands and walks across the room toward Landon. "Tammy, you're walking!" exclaims Landon. She slaps him. "You're darn right I'm walking. Never make me drink that again! It tastes like crap." We all laugh with relief and engulf her in a hug. After we release her she goes and lies back down on the couch. Before falling asleep she says something else. "I don't care about where the heck we are right now. Tell me when I wake up. I'm tired." At that we all leave the room knowing that Tammy will live to see another day. Apparently she isn't completely asleep yet because she calls for Landon. I can't resist peeking around the corner into the living room. "Yes, Tammy?" he asks bending down. She blushes, and it's not from the effects of the antidote. "Don't tell anyone I'm saying this, but thank you for saving my life. I'm eternally grateful."She gives him a kiss on the cheek before letting go and falling into a deep peaceful sleep.

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