The Melaswen Paradox (Read 319,745 times)

[Kpatch]

Hope we will get to hear Doug sing.

[fluffysmom]

Jun 25, 2021 7:44:26 GMT -5 heroicmuse said:

Luna sounded brainwashed or mesmerized or something. I wonder if it's more than just what Vivian said.

I was thinking the same thing heroicmuse.

[André DiMera]

Monday - 6/28

CAMPGROUND
The next morning, everyone was getting ready for the day. Allie and Ricky were filling up their water bottles.
ALLIE: How’d you sleep?
RICKY: Not bad, actually. You?
Allie shrugged.
ALLIE: I had some trouble getting to sleep. Once I got there, I slept okay, I guess.
RICKY: You didn’t have trouble sleeping because of that story I told last night, did you?
Allie bit her lip.
ALLIE: I can’t say it wasn’t on my mind, but I always have trouble sleeping the first night I’m in an unfamiliar place.
Ricky touched Allie’s hand.
RICKY: I’m sorry that it scared you.
ALLIE: It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.
RICKY: Would it help if I told you that it’s fake? ‘Cause it totally is, no matter what my Mom thinks. It’s a spooky story that started off being told to the children of goat and sheep farmers. “Be careful with your livestock or el chupacabra will come and suck their blood”.
Allie giggled slightly.
ALLIE: Okay, that does help. I wasn’t that scared, but it’s good to know, just the same.
Allie and Ricky hugged, then rejoined the group. Alanis, Maddox, Chase and Joey were serving breakfast. Once everyone else was seated, Claire stood up.
CLAIRE: Good morning, everyone! From what the weather report says, it should be a beautiful day out today! Which is fantastic, because we’ve got a lot of stuff planned. Starting with the return, by popular demand, of the scavenger hunt!
Ciara “whoop”ed.
TRIX: Bonzer!
SYDNEY: This is gonna be great!
CLAIRE: After breakfast, Chase and I are gonna go into the woods and hide the items in this backpack. The list of items will be handed out to you all shortly. During the hunt, please stay in a group. We want to have as much fun as we can, but we also want to be safe.
Claire and Chase had finished breakfast early, and went off to hide the objects. By the time they returned, everyone else had finished eating and had cleaned up. The sheets explaining what the hidden objects are was handed out.
CLAIRE: All right, everyone! Let the hunt begin!
Everyone got into groups and walked into the forest, each group going in a different direction once they’d entered.
KADY: I’ve never done anything like this before. Sure, we had those “I Spy” books when I was a wain, but I’ve never been on an actual scavenger hunt.
CLAIRE: It’s so much fun! You’re gonna have a great time.
KADY: I am so far. Don’t suppose I could get a cheeky wee hint, then?
CLAIRE: Nice try, but no. My lips are sealed.
KADY: Oh, alright then.
Kady looked around and something caught her eye. She ran over to a tree and started climbing.
CLAIRE: Find something?
KADY: I think so.
She came down a moment later with a bean bag in her hand.
KADY: That’s one down.
CLAIRE: Nice.
Meanwhile, Ciara, Chase and Trix were walking together, and had so far found a baseball, which they were tossing to each other as they walked.
CHASE: You know, throwing this ball around brings back memories of when we played against each other in little league.
CIARA: Memories of when I creamed you, you mean.
CHASE: As if! I gave as good as I got.
CIARA: Yeah, you tell yourself that.
Both chuckled. Suddenly, Ciara, who had been a few paces ahead of the other two, stopped walking.
TRIX: You okay, love?
They walked over to her and Chase put a hand on her shoulder.
CHASE: Hey, what’s going on?
Ciara gestured in front of them. They were a few inches away from a small cliff.
CIARA: This is where it happened.

[heroicmuse]

Oh no! I hope Chase and Trix can help Ciara get through coming face-to-face with the traumatic experience.

Nice try, Kady, but no. I was sort of hoping she'd stuck in that tree.

I'm glad Ricky comforted Allie.

Great chapter André DiMera.

[tghca]

Ricky comforting Allie is sweet to say the least. I wonder if this means they are going to take the next steps towards becoming boyfriend/girlfriend well an official couple? Such young love

Ciara coming face to face with her past and not running from it shows great growth.

Kady seems to be into the camping trip too.

Great episode André DiMera

[Kpatch]

I'm glad Ricky confessed about the story.

[fluffysmom]

I'm glad Ricky talked to Allie about the story.

[André DiMera]

Tuesday - 6/29

CAMPGROUND
CIARA: Last year, this is where…
Trix gently rubbed Ciara’s shoulder.
TRIX: Breathe, love.
Ciara closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
TRIX: You’re safe here. Nothing’s gonna harm you.
She let out her breath, turned around and opened her eyes.
CIARA: I know. Sorry.
CHASE: No need to be. Come on, let’s keep walking.
Ciara nodded, and the three started walking again. Trix put an arm around her shoulder. Elsewhere in the forest, Allie was walking with Ricky, Manny and Sydney. Sydney picked a bow and arrow up that had been hidden in a bush.
SYDNEY: That’s one more thing off the list!
She put them in her backpack.
MANNY: Awesome! Nice job, kid!
ALLIE: Syd’s the best at this. Last year, she would have won, if Ciara hadn’t been given a backpack with half the stuff in it at the end.
RICKY: What?
SYDNEY: Yeah, it was really weird. She tripped, blacked out, then when she came to, she found a backpack with half of the stuff we were looking for, brought it back to the camp, and won. I’m still not sure who gave her the backpack.
ALLIE: None of us are. But, let’s hope something like that doesn’t happen again. When she showed up at the end of the hunt she...she was in bad shape.
MANNY: It sounds crazy that she blacked out for a while.
SYDNEY: I wonder if Johnny was the one who gave her the bag.
ALLIE: I doubt it.
RICKY: If Johnny’d found half the stuff you guys were looking for, he’d probably keep it for himself.
SYDNEY: Good point.
RICKY: Anyway, we’re doing pretty good. Between the four of us, I bet we’ve got almost half the stuff on the list.
ALLIE: Probably.
Johnny and Meadow West were walking together. Joey, Alanis and Maddox were a short distance behind them. Johnny looked back, sighed and rolled his eyes.
JOHNNY: Could they be any more obvious?
WEST: What?
JOHNNY: Have you not noticed we’ve got a tail?
Johnny tilted his head to indicate the others. West shrugged.
WEST: They want to keep an eye on us.
JOHNNY: They want to keep an eye on me. They don’t trust me.
WEST: Why’s that?
JOHNNY: They think I’m just like my father, as if that’s a bad thing.
WEST: I don’t really know much about your father, aside from the few minutes I met him at the party last Christmas, and I honestly don’t remember much about that night. If we’re gonna be a thing, I’ll have to meet him properly sometime.
JOHNNY: Wait, did you just-
WEST: So what if I did? I mean, that kiss at the Last Blast wasn’t just a good night kiss. At least, not for me.
JOHNNY: Me either.
WEST: And, you know, we’ve been hanging out a lot since then. I don’t know about you, but I’ve felt something.
JOHNNY: So have I. So, are we, like, official?
WEST: I think we are.
Johnny grinned and took West by the hand.
JOHNNY: Fantastic!
JOEY: So, you’re really planning to move out here?
MADDOX: Totally, man! I’m gonna have to start doing clinic hours when the new semester starts, and I already got approved to do them at Salem University Hospital.
ALANIS: Awesome!
JOEY: That’s so great, dude! You’re gonna be an awesome psych!
MADDOX: It’s just clinic duty for now, but it’s a step in the right direction.
ALANIS: Joey’s right, you’re gonna be great.
MADDOX: Thanks. It’ll be good to spend more time in Salem.
JOEY: It’ll be great having you!
Eventually, everyone made their way back to the campsite and opened their respective backpacks to reveal what they had found.
CLAIRE: Okay, welcome back, everyone! I see you’ve all found a good amount of items. We had twenty-five to start out with, and you’ve found all of them! With a respectable three items, we have Ciara, Trix and Chase! Next up we have a tie, with two groups having four items: Joey, Alanis and Maddox, as well as Kady and myself! With a total of five items, Johnny and Meadow! And the winner of the scavenger hunt, with a total of nine items: Allie, Sydney, Ricky and Manny!
Everyone clapped for each other as their names were announced.
CLAIRE: You’ve all done really well! And between the four of our winners, you guys get first choice of a song during campfire tonight!
SYDNEY: Yay!
RICKY: Sounds awesome!
CHASE: All right! Congratulations, everyone! Now, who’s ready for lunch?
Everyone agreed, and they all got set to getting lunch ready.

[heroicmuse]

I'm glad nothing bad happened at the hunt this time and that Ciara was able to get past her memories of falling last year. I wonder if we will ever find out who gave her that backpack.

Johnny needs to chill. I hope being official with West will soften him somewhat and that they will be good for each other.

I'm glad Maddox will be spending more time in Salem and working at the hospital.

Wow! Syndeny really is good at the scavenger hunt.

Great chapter André DiMera.

[tghca]

West she balances Johnny out. I mean Johnny is both a Brady and a DiMera. But Johnny shows his DiMera side more but with West in his life, you could start to see him distance himself away from the DiMera side and more towards his Brady side. It helps that West and Johnny are official now.

West actually wants to meet EJ properly this time. I'm surprised.

I have my theories as to who gave Ciara that bag. But Ciara reliving the memories of course is understandable.

Maddox is working at the hospital but isn't Joey also working there too? I wonder if Alanis, Ciara, Claire, or Chase have careers of their own right now?

Great episode André DiMera

[Kpatch]

The treasure hunt is fun.

I'm not surprised Ciara had a reaction when returning to the site of last year's tragedy.

[mae00]

The camping trip sounds like it's going extremely well. I'm glad nothing bad happened on the scavenger hunt and everyone was there to support Ciara through the flashbacks.

Ohhh that Vivian. She's got something sinister planned. I'm afraid Luna will be caught in the dead middle of this crossfire.

[André DiMera]

Wednesday - 6/30

CAMPGROUND
One of the items from the scavenger hunt had been a frisbee. After lunch, the group went into a nearby clearing and split up into two teams, each with seven players.
TRIX: Don’t think I’m gonna go easy on you just ‘cause I love you.
Ciara snorted.
CIARA: You wish!
Allie caught the frisbee and tossed it to Claire.
MANNY: Nice one, chica!
The frisbee was quickly going from person to person. Ricky passed to Alanis who passed to Meadow West. She tossed the frisbee in Chase’s direction, but Johnny intercepted.
JOHNNY: Ha! Gotcha!
JOEY: Johnny, I’m open!
Johnny tossed it in Joey’s direction, but he threw a bit too hard and it went right past him and hit Allie, who hadn’t been expecting it to come in her direction, in the face.
CLAIRE: Time out!
Manny, Claire, Ricky, Alanis, Johnny and Sydney ran over to Allie.
ALANIS: You okay, Al?
ALLIE: I think so. Ow!
JOHNNY: Allie, I’m so sorry! It was totally an accident!
ALLIE: It’s fine. I...
Allie rubbed her cheek, which had been hit by the frisbee. It felt warm and wet. She moved her hand and found there was blood on it. She gulped, covered her cheek with her hand, and shut her eyes tight.
RICKY: Guys, let’s give her some space, okay?
Manny, Johnny, Sydney, Claire and Ricky backed up a few paces. Alanis took Allie’s free hand.
ALANIS: It’s gonna be okay. Just breathe, okay? You and me, we’re just gonna take a few breaths together, okay?
Together Alanis and Allie took a few deep breaths.
ALANIS: There we go. You’re doing good. Is it okay if I take a look at your cheek?
Slowly, Allie nodded. She moved her hand.
ALANIS: All right. It doesn’t look too deep. Let’s get you cleaned up, alright?
ALLIE (quietly): Okay.
RICKY: I know where the first aid kit is, I’ll grab it for you.
ALANIS: Thanks. Come on.
Alanis led Allie back to the campsite while Ricky went to grab the first aid kit.
JOHNNY: It really was an accident, I swear!
JOEY: We know, dude. It’s okay. No one’s blaming you.
WEST: Yeah, it could have happened to anybody.
CHASE: Let’s all take a water break, okay?
Everyone else nodded. They had set up a cooler nearby, and everyone took a cup and filled it with water. Meanwhile, back at the campsite, Ricky handed the first aid kit to Alanis.
RICKY: Here we go.
ALANIS: Thanks.
Ricky nodded, and put a hand on Allie’s shoulder.
RICKY: I’ll be right back, okay? I just gotta take care of something real quick.
Allie nodded. He squeezed her shoulder, then walked over to another part of the forest. Alanis got to work helping Allie clean herself up.
ALLIE (quietly): Sorry for freaking out.
ALANIS: You don’t have anything to be sorry for. We’ve talked before about how you don’t do well around blood. You can open your eyes now, by the way, I’ve cleaned that all up.
Cautiously, Allie opened her eyes.
ALANIS: The cut wasn’t too deep, thankfully. Looks like it scratched you. I’m just gonna put this gauze pad on your face in case it bleeds more, okay?
Allie nodded and Alanis put a gauze pad on Allie’s cheek.
ALANIS: There we go. I’ll want to check that later tonight and in the morning, but it should be okay. If it starts to hurt more, let me know.
ALLIE: Sounds good. Thanks for helping me.
ALANIS: No problem. You ready to go back?
ALLIE: Would it be okay if we just sat here for a couple minutes?
ALANIS: Sure.
Alanis sat down on the log next to Allie. Ricky walked back over, carrying a couple of purple flowers.
RICKY: Hey, how’re you feeling?
ALLIE: A little shaken still, but I’m okay.
RICKY: I found these for you.
He handed the flowers to Allie.
ALLIE: Irises?
RICKY: I know purple’s your favorite color, and I saw some nearby yesterday when we all went on that nature walk.
ALLIE: They’re beautiful! Thank you!
RICKY: You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re okay.
ALLIE: I will be. I’m just gonna need a couple minutes.
RICKY: Sounds good. Meet you back over there?
ALLIE: Yeah.
Allie kissed Ricky on the cheek, and he kissed her back on the cheek that wasn’t bandaged. Then, Ricky got up and walked back to join the group.
ALANIS: He seems really nice.
ALLIE: He is. Ricky’s the best.
ALANIS: I’m glad for you.
ALLIE: Thanks again for helping me.
ALANIS: You’re welcome. Like I told you, anything you need.
ALLIE: I appreciate it.
After a few minutes, Allie was feeling better and she and Alanis rejoined the group. The game had finished by that time, and the team that Allie, Ciara, Joey, Johnny, Claire, Manny and Kady had been on had one. Now, they were having some ice cream bars. Johnny casually walked over.
JOHNNY: Hey. Sorry about that back there.
ALLIE: I know. It’s fine.
JOHNNY: You okay?
ALLIE: I will be. Didn’t know you cared.
JOHNNY: Well, I’m your half-brother, so...anyway. Don’t let it get around.
Johnny walked back over to West. Manny had joined Allie at the picnic table.
ALLIE: That was almost sweet.
MANNY: Yeah. Who’d have thought?
The rest of the afternoon was spent on another nature walk and, by the time they got back to the campsite, everyone was hungry for dinner. After eating, the campfire had been set up, and they were all roasting marshmallows for s’mores, as they had the night before.
CLAIRE: All right, welcome to our second campfire. As Allie, Sydney, Ricky and Manny won the scavenger hunt, they get first song choice. What’d you guys come up with?
SYDNEY: The four of us talked and came up with something a bit old-school.
RICKY: It’s called “Down in the Valley”. It’s a song our Mom used to sing to me and Manny when we were little.
Claire pulled out her phone and looked up the lyrics.
CLAIRE: Oh yeah! I know this one!
She showed Alanis the lyrics.
ALANIS: Nice choice!
Both began strumming.
ALANIS: Like last night, if you know the words, sing along.
CLICK HERE to listen along. Claire and Alanis sang, and Manny and Ricky joined in early on. A few others who knew the song also joined in.
CLAIRE: Any other requests?
CIARA: I’ve got one. I know you guys did it last year, but I really want to hear “Stand By Me” again.
CLAIRE: Sounds good.
Claire and Alanis launched into a cover of Stand By Me, and everyone joined in. The group did a few more songs, then spent some time talking, enjoying each other’s company. But all too soon, it was time to go to bed.
CHASE: We’ve all got a big day tomorrow.
KADY: What’s tomorrow?
CLAIRE: It’s our Independence Day. Every year, the Brady and Horton families have a huge barbecue. So, tomorrow we’ll have to pack up, get back to Salem and rest for a while before the big party.

[heroicmuse]

I'm glad Allie wasn't hurt too badly and that Alanis helped her through the panic attack. I'm also glad that Johnny has somewhat of a conscience and doesn't want to hurt his twin sister.

Love the music. Sad that the camping trip is already coming to an end, but looking forward to the July 4th barbecue.

Great chapter André DiMera.

[tghca]

Johnny was concerned that he hurt Allie. I mean I get it...Johnny didn't mean to hurt his sister. He said that Allie is his half sister well she is not just that. She is his twin. I mean they are twins aren't they? So naturally he was worried. Twins have that kind of connection with each other always.

The annual 4th of July Horton Brady BBQ...this is basically Kady's first especially since she came from Ireland and she can see how it's done. I wonder if they have it at the Brady Pub or they have it at the Horton House or at Bo & Hope's house?

Great episode André DiMera