Chapter 8

I sat once again waiting in the forest near a certain someone's cave. There was the nagging doubt that this time she would have upped sticks and moved. But I think even now she wanted to be found.

It was a lovely night clear and calm, the stars blazed in the sky like jewels. I sat and enjoyed the sky listening to the sounds of the forest. I hoped the plan Frankie and I had cooked up would work, there was a good chance if I could just convince Jamie to trust me.

I had missed her in the morning, half expecting her to be there requesting pancakes. I even put the cartoon channel on briefly, she had barely been gone a day and I was already missing her. I guess it just goes to show how much I was smitten with this quirky, pancake crazy, cartoon obsessed, friendly, loving, scorpion girl.

I heard the tell-tale rustle in the bushes of her announcing her presence, I looked over and saw a sad face peeking out of the bushes.

"I missed you Jamie," I said.

She stopped there for a moment then shot out of the bushes like she'd been fired out of a cannon wrapping her arms around me in a surprise sudden rib crushing hug. I stroked her hair and held her for quite a long time. Eventually she broke the hug.

"They attacked me, and then a gang came to try and lock me away. Like I knew they would," she said sadly. "The world doesn't want me there."

"You'd be surprised," I said, "I know you've got it in your head that they were coming to hurt you but it's not true."

"You don't see it because you are the only good person in the world," she said sadly, "I'm a horrible monster. Everyone else is against me just you love me."

She hugged me again, crying silently. "What if I could convince you that what I said is true that not just me wants you out there in the world that not just me loves you. What then would you come back with me?"

"How?" she asked face still buried in my chest.

"Well I'd need to bring someone else here, someone you used to know, they are waiting down by the lake. We can go visit them together and I promise they mean you no harm. It will show you that the world does want you and that you are not a monster," She looked at me suspiciously. "Please Jamie for me?"

She looked away then nodded slowly.

"Here," I said opening a bag I had brought with me, "this will help."

I handed her Pinky Bear, she grabbed it and clutched it to her stroking the bedraggled fur against her face. I put my arm around her and eased her up. She cuddled against me like a scared child but she came along without resisting. I pulled out the torch so I could see where I was going and made my way slowly towards the lake leading Jamie along gently.

We reached the edge of the forest and the trees thinned out we could see the shore of the lake. I could make out two figures sat on the rock near the shore. Jamie stiffened and stopped.

"It's alright Jamie I promise you they mean you no harm, I'm going to be right here with you," I said gently massaging her palm to calm her.

She nodded hesitantly and then allowed me to lead her closer to the shore.

One of the two people saw us coming and made their way towards us he resolved into a tall middle aged man with greying blond hair and dark blue eyes.

Jamie froze in place staring at him like she had seen a ghost then she squeaked, "Daddy?"

"Yes Jamie sweet heart it's me. It's so good to see you I've missed you so," he said coming closer.

Jamie began backing away looking confused shaking her head, "But but but you can't be ... I killed Daddy!"

"No sweetheart you didn't, it's true I got a pretty nasty shot from that stinger of yours but it just paralysed me for a while. By the time it wore off you were long gone. I searched for over a month, but there was no sign of you and we had no idea where you had run to. I tried to get the police involved but your mother told them I was hallucinating from drinking due to your death. She took your disappearance hard went a bit mad, she made us move threaten to take Frankie away if I didn't do it. I'm so sorry I didn't recognise you straight away, it's haunted me all these years," he began sobbing uncontrollably.

"I thought I killed you," said Jamie also sobbing.

The two of them edged closer together slowly as if scared the other would run off or something and eventually fell into each others arms.

"Oh my sweet Jamie I thought I never see you again," sobbed Jamie's father.

"Daddy, I missed you I was so lonely," sobbed Jamie.

At this point Frankie came a bit closer and Jamie spotted her and got a nervous look on her face, she didn't let go of her father though.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"It's your sister Francesca," said her Dad.

Jamie broke the hug finally and went a bit closer to her sister examining her, "Frankie?" she said questioningly.

"Yeah it's me Jamie, I see you got my message, I'm so glad," Frankie said pointing at Pinky Bear.

Jamie lifted up Pinky Bear and reluctantly offered him to Frankie maybe thinking she wanted him back. "No that's alright sis you keep him, he's your bear I gave him to you."

"You look different," said Jamie.

"You too," grinned Frankie.

"I missed you too Frankie," Jamie said in a quiet voice.

"I missed you too Sis. It was no fun growing up without you," Frankie said with tears in her eyes.

Both sobbing they embraced and their father came and hugged the two of them, I felt like I was intruding. But then Jamie broke the hug and came over and grabbed my hand leading me back to her family with a big grin on her face.

"This is Thomas, he found me in the forest, we're special friends," she said grinning.

Frankie smirked at that and Jamie's father raised an eyebrow, the fact that me and Jamie were quite close hadn't really come up in the conversation.

Her father grinned at me, "Given that he's reunited us with you I'd say he's a fine young man in my book."

Frankie chucked at that but Jamie beamed and took my arm in hers.

Jamie's Father took her other hand and looked up at her, "Come back to the village with us Jamie, we have so much catching up to do. I'd love it if you came back with us to the house. You could stay a while, there is a spare room you could stay in."

Jamie turned and looked at me, "Is that OK with you?"

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be," I said to her.

She smiled and said, "well I mean you'd be all alone then."

"He could stay too the guest room has a double bed," said her father looking away.

"Yay!" cried Jamie and leapt into my arms nearly knocking me to the ground.

With that we made our way back to civilisation and to Jamie's fathers house stopping off en-route at the hotel to grab our things. The house was a three story fairly spacious place with a fairly rustic feel to it. The spare room was a nice sized room with a comfy looking double bed in the middle. Jamie's Father, who insisted I call him Richard, made the four of us tea while we sat at their old wooden dining table and talked. The full story of what had happened for their side came out over mugs of tea.