Adventures With Dani

Dia duit! Fáilte chuig mo bhlag! After Deirdre and Lilly left, all of the girls in the room swarmed me, begging for answers.

"Well, talk about family drama!" Julie tittered, followed by snickers from Stephanie.

"Oh dear, I sure hope those two get back home safe!" Caroline whispered.

"THIS is what we get for letting Europeans in our Time Traveling Base." Molly groaned, followed by a harsh glare from Emily.

"Reckon I should ride Jackson around the Base and look for them?" Nicki asked with genuine concern.

I'll admit, I normally like a lot of attention, but after what happened it was just too much. Dani seemed to realize my hyperventilation, because she pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to go play outside, to get my mind off of "things."

The first thing we played on was the slide. I slid down first, with Addy in my lap.

Then Dani slid down, with me at the edge waiting for her.

Next, we decided to venture into the woods. In order to get into the woods, however, we had to climb over the rock wall surrounding the Midcoast MTTB. The snow had surprisingly melted since my arrival, so we didn't get too wet.

In order to get over the fence, we had to put our feet in exactly the right places. 

I had gotten a head start since I slid down the slide first, and was a bit ahead of Dani...

...but she caught up eventually.

It seemed to take forever to get my leg up and over the rock, but I did after a bit of struggling and some help from Dani.

Addy climbed the wall with us, too!

After we climbed the rock wall, we hopped onto a log and crossed a sea of lava.

This was much too dangerous for the dolls, so we left them behind.

The log was pretty thin and unstable, so I had to hold my arms out for balance.

The log was also a little slippery from the previous snow, and Dani and I weren't exactly wearing shoes with the best treads...

I almost slipped off multiple times!

I felt bad for Dani, because she kept having to wait for me to move while I regained my balance!

After we crossed the log, Dani and I found a tree perfect for climbing.

Addy climbed it, too!

Although I tried to act brave so Dani wouldn't see how frightened I actually was, I kept a hand on the tree at all times. There was NO way I was going to let myself fall.

Most of the time I kept my feet firmly planted on a branch.

But as I became more confident, I allowed them to swing freely through the air.

I climbed much higher than I ever thought I'd be able to!

Just look at how close I am to the top of the tree!

Once I didn't dare to climb any higher, I clung to the tree tightly and waited for Dani to catch up.

Although the start of the visit was a big rocky, I had a ton of fun visiting Dani and MOST of her friends. I can't wait until I get to see her again, as long as a certain someone isn't there with her. Thanks for the great adventures, Dani!

~ Saoirse

Arriving at the Midcoast MTTB

Dia duit! This weekend, Caroline, Julie, and I went to visit Dani and her friends at the Midcoast MTTB.

Unfortunately, time machines aren't always reliable and instead of dropping us off inside the Base, we were dropped off at a hidden emergency time machine outside.

And, of course, just when we thought winter was over, it started snowing.

And, OF COURSE, Julie complained all the way to the front steps.

"In California it never snowed. In California I never needed a coat."

"Why do we have to come here anyways? I don't need new friends. I have all the friends I need IN CALIFORNIA."

"Do you realize that I'm wearing sandals right now?"

"I spent an hour straightening my hair this morning. There goes all that hard work."

 I was extremely close to locking her outside by the time we opened the door.

At first, nobody noticed us.

They were all too busy doing their own little things in Dani, Molly, Emily, and Nicki's room.

Lilly was the first to notice us. "Hey Saoirse! Nice to see you again!"

Dani looked up at the sound of my name.

"Saoirse!" Dani yelled, throwing her arms up in the air.

She gave me a hug. We haven't seen each other since our combined birthday party!

I then turned to introduce her to Caroline and Julie. Caroline told Dani that she was pleased to meet her and dropped into an easy curtsy. Julie on the other hand rolled her eyes and gave Dani a rather sarcastic smile.

After we put our stuff down and hung our coats up, Dani exclaimed that she had someone new to introduce as well.

Standing next to Lilly was an older looking girl with red hair and freckles. She looked vaguely familiar, but I didn't think anything of it.

"Saoirse, this is Deirdre." I stepped closer to shake her hand when everything suddenly clicked into place.

Flashbacks from 3 years ago bombarded me so suddenly that I almost took a step back.

My thoughts were jumbled and muffled, but one repeating pattern of distressed words seemed to stick out the most. No, no, no. Cén fáth go bhfuil sí anseo? Cén fáth go bhfuil sí anseo tar éis gach rud a rinne sí?

She's much older looking now, but her eyes are still the same. They still echo the same horrified, disgusted look that they did in Ireland. And her fingers still hide under her sleeves the moment I enter her large bubble of personal space. 

I stared at her barely visible white knuckles and my stomach twisted into knots.

Ní féidir léi a bheith fós as a meabhair ag dom.

For a while, the small room was ghostly silent. But, all at once, it began to click for others as well. 

Behind me, repeated and muffled "Oh dear"s came from Caroline.

Julie, on the other hand, began to giggle and loudly exclaimed, "Well this is awkward."

Dani was the only one who remained clueless. She kept turning from one face to the next, obviously lost. 

Without saying a word, Deirdre turned and ran out of the room.

The virtually silent pitter-patter of her feet mirrored the mystified speechlessness of the room.

I stared after her vacantly, the enormity of the situation not yet sinking in.

"Deirdre, wait!" bounced through the room so loudly and suddenly that I jumped. 

Lilly started running after Deirdre, simultaneously breaking the trance.

"Saoirse, what happened?" Dani whispered, causing me to turn.

What did happen? Even I wasn't exactly sure. I also wasn't sure how much I could, or SHOULD, tell Dani. There was one thing that she deserved to know, though.

"Deirdre Dani..." I started, before my desert-like throat forced me to swallow and try again. "Deirdre is my cousin."

~ Saoirse