Title: Road Trip - Chapter 2
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com
Here's chapter 2 in my cheesy school assignment. Not a whole lot
to say except:
Go check out First Love: A Sailor Moon Story Archive at
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Spa/4410/ It's coming along slowly, but
we are receiving more fanfics that we're sure you'll love!
Short AN's today, huh?
"Our God, you bless everyone
whose sins you forgive
and wipe away.
You bless them by saying,
'You told me your sins,
without trying to hide them,
and now I forgive you.'"
Psalm 32:1-2
'That girl is so lazy! She slept the whole way here, while I was
stuck doing all the driving! Well, I should have expected it when I
agreed to this whole fiasco, anyway, I guess.'
Ami gently nudged the small sleeping form curled up in the
passenger seat.
"Hey, Serena, wake up! We're here! I found a hotel, and we need
to go bring our bags up, so would you get up already?"
"Just five more minutes, Mom, then I promise I'll get up…" Serena
whispered, swatting the air with a tired arm.
Ami sighed. "Fine, stay here!" She quickly found a small sticky
note and scribbled the room number. Setting it on the dash board and
leaving a small key next to it, she got out of the car and headed
toward the lobby of the large hotel called 'The Excalibur.'
"Hmm… there's an arcade in the lower level, Serena will love
that, and then the Casino is on the ground floor… aren't there any
museums around here? Maybe a scientific exhibit or something? I wonder
if there are any nearby libraries…" Ami thought out loud.
"Libraries?!" asked a deep, but feminine voice. Ami turned to see
a tall woman with very short blonde hair. "Girl, you're in Sin City
hear! Loosen up a little."
"Oh… well… I…"
"Haruka, who are you talking to?" asked a shorter woman coming to
stand by the stranger. She had long, wavy, sea green hair flowing to
the top of her shoulders.
'Wow, I never saw anyone with a stranger hair color than me…'
thought Ami. 'Still it looks natural, and she seems nice.'
"Hey Michiru, this girl here was talking about going to a
library!"
"I didn't even know there were libraries in Vegas…" said Michiru,
staring into space thoughtfully.
"Well, all large cities have public libraries."
"Girl, have you ever been to Las Vegas before?" asked Haruka, not
believing this girl would actually WANT to go read books!
"Um… not exactly… though I have read about it occasionally. I
find it very interesting that such a large city can be found successful
in an oasis in the middle of the Mojave Desert! The chances of having
the success that has fallen upon this city, in comparison to similar
earlier attempts, are blah blah blah…"
Haruka and Michiru gaped at the young lady. Finally, once her
head had started pounding hard enough, the blonde clapped a hand over
Ami's mouth. "Uh… sorry I asked… listen, why don't you come loosen up a
bit? We were just about to go hit the slots. You seem like you could
use a little company."
When Haruka's hand finally moved, Ami said rather shyly, "Well, I
can't. I'm not old enough to gamble, actually. Thanks for your offer
though…"
"What? Are you serious? Gee, you could easily pass for 23."
Ami blushed. "Heh heh, well, not exactly…"
"Well, no problem, you could still hang with us a little if ya
want. You seem nice enough," said Michiru with a friendly smile.
Ami smiled back gratefully. "I'd love to!"
HONK! HONK!
"Aaaaaahhh!!!" Serena screamed and launched up full speed,
banging her head roughly on the roof of the car. When her heart and
calmed, she finally managed to look around. "What the…" She sat in a
dark, empty car, in the middle of a large crowded parking garage.
"Um… Ami? Where'd ya go?"
"Seven! Come on, baby, give me some luck! Mama needs a new car!"
Ami blew on the dice and tossed them out into the Craps table.
"SEVEN!" yelled the dealer, raking the dice in with his long
cane. "We have a high bidder on the table, ladies and gentleman!"
"Yeah Ames! You go girl!" Michiru and Haruka cheered from behind
her.
"Alright, I'm going for the big one. I wanna hear the sweet sound
of plastic coins! Cha-ching!"
Ami pulled her hand back…
"AMI?!"
"Huh?" the dice dropped from her hand. "Serena?"
"SNAKE EYES!" The crowd groaned and Ami watched as a large stack
of black and green chips slid away from her.
"Bummer," comforted Haruka. "Well, Ames, you just lost 1500
smackeroos. That must sting."
"Ami, what on Earth are you doing?" asked Serena, forcing herself
through the dispersing crowd.
"I'm sorry miss, no minors near the betting areas," warned the
dealer.
"What?! But she was just playing!"
The dealer looked at her strangely, and then over at Ami. "Miss,
how old are…"
"We're gonna go now!" said Haruka grabbing Ami and Michiru by the
wrists and pulling them away, Serena on their heels. Eventually, they
reached a small café in the lobby. Serena turned her friend around and
began screeching at her in Japanese.
"Ami-chan, what were you thinking?!"
"Gomen nasai, Usa-chan, I don't know, it just happened and I…"
"Hai, and without waiting for ME?! What kind of friend are you?!"
Ami blinked at her. "Huh?"
"Um, hello, we're still here, and uh, we can't understand a word
you're saying," said Michiru, waving a cautious hand in front of them.
"Yeah, we want to hear the juicy stuff, ya know!" said Haruka.
Serena turned to their guests. "Who are you?"
Ami cleared her throat. "Serena, this is Haruka and Michiru. I
met them a little while ago."
"Hey girl!" said Haruka, grabbing her hand.
"Hi there," added Michiru.
'Wow, her hair's as strange as Ami's,' Serena thought.
"Serena, it's very late. I think I'm going to go up to the room
now," said Ami.
"What? You're tired? I am so hyped!"
"That's because you took a four hour nap while I was driving!"
"Fine, fine, go do whatever you want! So… is there anything that
I can do around here?"
"There's an arcade downstairs…"
Serena's bright features lit up. Without saying a word, she
immediately ran off toward the elevator.
"Strange girl," said Haruka.
"Don't I know it," Ami replied. "Well, good night, it was very
nice meeting you."
"Yeah, it was fun throwing worthless cash away for dull pastimes.
We should do it again sometime!"
Ami laughed and retreated off to her room.
"Ami, why did we have to leave so soon? I liked Las Vegas! Did
you see the cute stuffed bunny I won?"
"Several times Serena."
"Oh, well, you have to admit, it was pretty cute. So, since you
wouldn't let us stay there any longer, where are we going now?"
"Well, we have to go east through Utah*, and then on to the Grand
Canyon!"
"Ooh, fun, we get to see a big hole in the ground," mumbled
Serena sarcastically. "You chose that over Sailor V Nintendo games?
What's wrong with you?"
"Are we in Utah yet?"
"Serena, we've been in Utah for the past three hours! Remember,
you cheered when we crossed the border line?"
"Oh yeah…"
There was a few moments of silence. In her normal, soft voice,
Ami said, "This large flat area is a plateau. Those are relatively
horizontal rocks that have been lifted up by Earth's powerful forces.
They are different from plains because they rise up sharply from the
land around them. The Colorado Plateau is very dry and so very few
rivers have developed on its surface, thus giving its desert landscape.
The Grand Canyon was formed by one of its few…"
"Are we in Utah yet?" Serena interrupted.
"Huh? Serena, I just told you, we've been in Utah the last few
hours!"
"But… I thought you just said we were in Colorado…"
"Plateau, Serena. The Colorado Plateau!"
"Oh, well… hey, why are you telling me this anyway?!"
"I am only trying to make small talk."
"Hello, how are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"THAT, my dear friend, is small talk!"
"Are we out of Colorado yet?"
"Utah. And yes, we're now in Arizona."
"Oh… what's in Arizona?"
"The Grand Canyon."
"Oh yeah, the hole…"
Ami rolled her eyes. "According to my calculation, we should be
coming upon the Grand Canyon very soon now."
"That's nice Ami."
"You know Serena, you might actually like this, it is a very
interesting land form. And besides, if all else fails, maybe there will
be another cute guy!"
Serena's face brightened at that remark.
"Come on, Serena! I want to get to the information center before
the next tour begins!" shouted Ami over her shoulder.
"Ami, wait up! I'm trying to get this film loaded!" Serena
fiddled with the camera, balancing film, lenses, holders, and
containers rather unsuccessfully. "Oh fine!" she screamed, tossing the
useless film over her shoulder.
"Hey! Watch it, Meatball Head!" yelled a deep voice from behind.
"Huh?" Serena turned to see a tall man with dark hair and
sunglasses standing behind her. "What did you call me?!"
"It's not my fault those two balls on your head look like
meatballs! And it's obvious that it fits too, seeing that you must be a
complete idiot! Can't even load film right!"
"Ugh! Why you…"
He laughed and tossed the film back to her before brushing past
on his way up the dry trail.
"The nerve of that man! I can't believe he would actually call me
Meatball Head! Why that inconsiderate, conceited jerk!"
"Serena, who are you talking to?" asked a soft voice.
Serena sighed. "No one Ami. Come on, let's go."
"Alright. The registration area is just up the pathway. And you
won't believe our tour guide! He is very cute, Serena, even I have to
admit. I'm sure you won't be able to keep your eyes off of him!"
"Oh, really Ami? Great!"
"Oh, there he is!"
The blonde stopped dead in her tracks. "That's HIM?!"
"Yup, isn't he cute?"
"He most certainly is NOT! How can you think that jerk is cute?"
"Huh? Do you know him?"
"Oh, nice to see you again, Meatball Head. No, I take that back.
I was hoping I could escape through the rest of my life without anymore
attacks from flying film canisters!"
Serena growled at him, her eyes becoming small slits and her
teeth grating together.
The man continued, rounding up a group of people swarming around
them. "Hello ladies and gentleman… and Meatball Head," he added under
his breath, making Serena's blood boil. "If you would gather around, we
can start the tour. My name is Darien and I will be your guide this
afternoon."
"Do we really want YOU to be in charge of our lives?" asked
Serena mockingly. He simply shot her a crooked smile and continued
talking.
'This is going to be a long day,' thought Ami. 'How do I get
stuck in these situations? All I wanted was to have a nice relaxing
stroll through a hole in the ground!'
"The Grand Canyon ranges from 6 to 29 kilometers wide and is 1.6
kilometers deep. It's taken the Colorado River from 10 to 15 years to
carve the Grand Canyon through rill erosion…"
"Actually, my analysis proves that the Grand Canyon was formed by
gully erosion," said Ami.
"Yeah, Darien, maybe you should do your research before spouting
false information!" teased Serena.
"Ooh, information, didn't know you were capable of such a big
word, Meatball Head!"
Serena stuck her tongue out at him.
"As I was saying… The Grand Canyon was carved by rill erosion
which later developed into gully erosion, where the stream became
broader and deeper as large amounts of soil were removed." He looked
over at Serena, who had the courtesy to blush before crossing her arms
in front of her and turning her head away.
Darien shook his head. "The Grand Canyon…"
"OW!" The small crowd turned to see Serena hopping up and down on
one foot. Suddenly, she began to scream. "SNAKE! SNAKE! AAAAAHHH!!!"
Darien ran over to her and saw a rattle snake coiled up a few
feet away. "Alright, alright, calm down!"
His pleas were useless as she fainted into his arms.
~ 5 minutes later ~
Darien wrapped the last bandage around Serena's ankle. "There.
All better." He smiled up at her kindly. She tilted her head to the
side, still drowsy from passing out. Luckily, she'd woken up soon after
to see Darien fixing the wound. "You're pretty lucky it wasn't a
poisonous snake, ya know."
She grinned happily back at him. "Thanks. Actually… you're not
half bad when you're being nice. I guess…"
Darien simply laughed and helped her to her feet, supporting her
walk back up to the information center.
"Ah, Ami, do we have to go?"
"Serena, half an hour ago you were complaining nonstop! What
could possibly have changed you mind? You were bit by a snake for
goodness sakes!"
Serena sighed dreamily and leaned back against the door of the
car. "It's just that Darien is so dreamy when he smiles…"
Ami shook her head. "Get in the car!"
Grumbling, the blonde girl waved to Darien who was busy talking
to a group of kids. He waved back with a smile and she disappeared into
the car.
"So… where to?"
"East through New Mexico and the Rockies, and on to the Lone Star
State!"
"The what?"
Ami sighed. "Texas."
"Oh… why didn't you say so in the first place?"
The silence was unbearable, especially for Serena. 'But there's
nothing to talk about around here! No animals, plants… and I don't know
any nearby radio stations!'
"Hey, Ami?"
"Yes?"
"What are those mountains?"
"Those are the southern Rocky Mountains. They are upwarped
mountains."
"Ya mean like in Star Trek?"
Ami laughed. "Not quite. Upwarped mountains are formed when
Earth's crust is pushed up by forces. When the sedimentary rocks on top
are eroded away, they reveal the lower layers of igneous and
metamorphic rock underneath. Overtime, these rocks are also eroded into
sharp peaks, giving the mountains their jagged appearance. Other
examples of upwarped mountains are the Black Hills in South Dakota and
the Adirondak located in New York State. Also…"
"Okay, okay, I get the point! Sorry I asked! Geez, silence is
better than listening to a human textbook!"
Ami pouted slightly, but said nothing more after that.
Next time: Will they get across the Rockies without Ami spilling more
useless information? Will Serena survive her boring philosophies? What
will happen in Texas? Who will they meet on the road next time? What
more interesting obstacles will they encounter? Only time will tell…
· I know that if you go east from Las Vegas, you would be in Arizona,
not Utah, but it worked for my story and I needed another state.
The end, for now…
Luv and God bless!
<3 Alicia
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