Chapter 30: A Foreign Feeling

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CHAPTER 30

A FOREIGN FEELING

"Figures" mumbled G "like if I'd ever have any luck on anything that's even related to a home" she thought angrily, she began to walk away but paused when Grandpa spoke up

"Since your tent flew away, you will sleep with Arnold for the rest of the trip"

"What? No Way! Are you Insane?"

"No, Insane would be me if I let you spend the night without a tent" he laughed

"Yeah, you can't sleep without a tent" spoke Suzie "as warm the day is around here, it gets pretty cold at night"

"The cold? Lady I'm used to the cold!" spat G

"Used to it or not" said Grandpa while winking at his wife in the deep woods "you will share a tent with Arnold, don't want you to be eaten by a wolf at night, I kinda like you"

G rolled her eyes, "Wolves, I'm not scared of no wolves"

"Eh uh did I say wolves I meant oversized rats"

"Rats?... oversized rats?" flinched G "I..Um... since you insist sir but maybe I could..."

Knowing that he won the small battle Grandpa cut her short and began to pull down Arnold's tent from the Packard "why don't you guys choose a spot and set up your tent"

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Arnold brought in his backpack from the Packard and into the - soon to be spacious but small tent that he would be calling home for the next few days, he felt a little awkward about the situation but what could he do? She needed a place to stay

G seemed to be taking the whole "sharing a tent" thing cooly now and silently helped Arnold set it up, after that they went their separate ways

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A few days passed... Miles and Stella made it safely to camp the day after, accepting the arrangement that Grandpa made...

Games, Exploring, and just having plain fun was practiced by everyone, even G "which would take extreme convincing for her to participate, she tried to stay far but Arnold and Grandpa wouldn't hear any of it", football, fishing, hiking and so much more, was the new Thanksgiving tradition that the Sunset Arms Family adapted to once Stella and Miles made it back home, and yes even Grandma's Wacky Ideas were part of the tradition too

But

The nights in camp left Arnold sleepless, G would just not stop having these horrible nightmares, she would toss, turn, kick, sweat and slur words that he could not comprehend usually Arnold would panic and not knowing what to do he woke her up,

Which would always lead to her running off, leaving Arnold with no time to catch up, she would then act as if nothing ever happened in the mornings

And that's what Arnold was doing right now, running as fast as he could, he made a quick halt when he spotted a thin figure standing in front of the river

The Football-headed boy silently waked closer examining how she stood there emotionless... and staring at the dark water that flowed down the river

Arnold felt some sort of De Ja Vu in the pit of his stomach, but shook it off because his natural desire to help her rose quicker... He slowly stepped forward expecting her to run for it, but he was wrong, she didn't run nor turn around to face him

She only stood there, staring blankly ahead

"Again another year?..." she spoke bitterly, "do you come once again offering me a sorry... for the Pain... the Agony?" she paused, letting an evil chuckle escape "let me tell you something... It is unnecessary for you to take the trouble, rest at ease.. For those feeling's are non-existent within me" she began to tighten her fist now staring coldly ahead

Arnold was at loss for words, and confusion clouded his mind, he then snapped out of it when he heard the bush behind G making ruffling sounds

"Sorry" whispered the bush that seemed to have a deep, old and manly voice

"I've seen you watching me and I want you to leave me alone" said the angry girl still looking away

"I can't, I didn't mean to leave you that way, you need to know the truth about what really happened"

Arnold could see that G tried to control her anger now, not only was her fist clenched, her breathing was rapid and her eyes were shut tightly... and through gritted teeth she said, "I already know the whole truth"

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And so began G's silent Flashback

Eleven year old Helga G. Pataki poked her head out into the living room obviously eavesdropping at her older sister and Dr. Bliss

"She's made such enormous progress" smiled Dr. Bliss

"Oh... That's just Great" smiled Olga while rubbing her belly that looked as if it were about to explode "I can't stand to see my Baby Sister like that"

"I know", sighed the Doctor "you and Jack have been so supportive, Helga's a strong Girl, I'm sure that she'll be fully recovered in no time"

"Yeah right" thought Helga "only in front of you people would he act all nice, what a two-faced jerk, and even if he tries his act on Olga, I've never seen her that miserable with a guy"

"Oh that's great news Dr. Bliss" clapped the young pregnant woman "Do... do you think that now would be the right time to hand her the letters that her little friends sent?, I kept them all in a drawer over at Jack's office... I'm sure that it will cheer her up even more!"

Dr. Bliss gave it and long thought "no Olga, not yet"

"Oh... Ok" she replied softly

The two women got up and began to walk out the door

"Could it be?" Thought Helga "Phoebe? Arnold? They're not mad at me? Did they write?... Oh Arnold" sighted the love-struck girl

Wasting no time whatsoever, Helga ran over to Jack's in-home office, she opened the first drawer and there it was... a stack off letters addressed to Helga G. Pataki, the top one being from Arnold

But she didn't get a chance to grab them because loud footsteps were heard; Helga panicked and hid behind a giant houseplant

She could see Jack looking around, closing the door and locking it, he then grabbed a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number

"Melinda" he said sweetly, the woman began talking... But Helga couldn't hear

"Just One more month Mel" he sighed, "One more month and we will own the whole Big Bob's Beepers Empire"; he then walked over to his chair and sat down

"No Mel it's not like that.. Olga means nothing; she IS the plan... Without marrying her I would have never have had gotten Bob to sign it over to me"

"What? No she's not pregnant"

"Me? Enjoying myself? No just imagine living with her little brat of a sister, she acts as if she suspects something"

"Paranoid? No"

"I know... but it was my Idea"

"NO! Stop taking credit, I'm the one who sent those fake IRS Audit Letters, I'm the one who seduced Olga"

"But I'm the one who messed with his brain about going to jail, when he had perfectly good records"

"I'll make it! I promise! no no Little Jake will see his father this Sunday"

"I already bought the Tickets, ain't that enough?"

Jack lifted his arm up and looked at his wrist watch "Oh Shit Melinda, I'm Late for a Meeting"

"I love you too"

He ran off not even noticing the opened drawer

"IRS? Audit Letters?" Helga began to think, she began to think way back "Bob left because... he thought that he was going to Jail? He signed the business over to that dweeb, and instead of confronting his problems he ran away from them?" Helga didn't notice it but her face was covered in tears.

she didn't waste any time and ran off to the living room, catching Olga kissing Jack goodbye and shutting the door

"Olga" said Helga breathlessly

Olga let out a big gasp and ran over to Helga "Baby Sister why are you crying"

"It... It was Jack" Stuttered the Eleven year old

"Jack?" asked Olga "Did he hurt you? What happened?"

"Jack" coughed Helga "He married you only for your Money"

"Helga..." Began to say Olga but Helga cut her off

"The only reason that he married you was to take over Big Bob's Beepers, he wrote a fake letter to Bob and scared him away"

"No" shook Olga shockingly "That's not true, quit making up stuff, Jack... Jack would never do that.. He loves me"

"But It's true" screamed Helga whom was beginning to get annoyed by Olga's denial, she knew that Olga was unhappy, she knew that Olga was hurt because Miriam, and Bob abandoned them, even if she didn't witness it first hand, but come on... How dumb can she be?

"No" screeched Olga "he loves me, we're having a baby, He would never do that to me!"

"He has a lover, her name is Melinda"

Olga began to shake violently and grabbed onto a lamp "No.. NO! stop making up stories'

"He even has a kid named Jake"

And that's when Helga could see that something clicked into Olga, and she knew exactly what it was, Jake was the name of Jacks father... he even suggested to name the baby Jake if he were to be a boy, but Helga wouldn't know that

"NO!" yelled Olga "You LIAR!"

Helga still spoke up "He even bought tickets to see him this Sunday, I think that it's gonna be his Birthday"

"NOOOOOO" Screamed Olga "Get out! Get out!"

"Olga stop being in denial!" Screamed back Helga, how idiotic could Olga be?

"GET OUT," yelled an emotional red-faced Olga while yanking up a lamp

Helga walked over to the door "So that's how it is?"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

All of a sudden a knock was heard, Helga opened it wide letting Dr. Bliss in, whom seemed to unnotice what was going on because she quickly walked over to the middle of the room and picked up something from the couch "I'm sorry but I forgot..." the young lady forgot what she was about to say due to a mascara-teary covered Olga whom held a lamp threatenly "what's going on here?"

"Dr. Bliss, its Jack..." Helga began but was stopped by Olga's Scream "GET OUT! GET OUT! I NEVER EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN" She then thew the lamp hitting Helga in the leg

Dr. Bliss Gasped looking both ways, Helga standing outside the front door holding onto her leg, while Olga began to cry loudly on the floor

Dr. Bliss ran over to Olga's aid

"The baby, Olga your water broke" were the last words that Helga heard as she ran out of that apartment, and beginning her new life as a stray

End of Flashback

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Unaware of her thoughts the dark figure stepped out of the bush and was about to touch her shoulder but stopped once she began to talk again

"Because when you left... Emptiness is what you left behind"

G turned around making her way back to the tent

And a silent Arnold who eyed the figure followed looking back at the dark shadow that was left behind

When stepping inside he found her lying there sweating, and staring coldly at the tents wall

"You don't even deserve to be called a man Bob; I will never forgive you! Never!...I'll never forget how you took everything that mattered to you then" her thoughts were cut short by a daring move by Arnold, he pulled her up close and hugged her tightly making G gain this foreign feeling called comfort

"Everything is going to be ok" Whispered Arnold "Everything is going to be ok"

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