Chapter 15: A time that will be remembered

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Shelly and Mitch continued their trek through the cave-tunnel, slowly, and hardly able to catch up with the herd. Aladar and Neera both wanted to help carry them, but Shelly kept on saying no. She made it adamant that she wanted to walk with her cousin the rest of the way to the nesting grounds.

Even though Shelly had put aside her differences with Mitch, she was unclear if Ken was going to be any different. Shelly knew her little brother. He was the type of kid to hold a grudge sometimes, but he was the forgiving type as well.

What mattered right now was what was going to happen when the trip was over and done. Would Mitch tell somebody about the T.W.C or something, going back on his word? Shelly knew that her cousin, like her brother, could hold a grudge. But he was starting to turn his behaviour around. All Shelly and her brother had to do was be more open with him.

A few hours later the herd had finally made to the entrance to the nesting grounds, the light outside indicating that it was daybreak. The herd, joyful and happy about finally making to their home, rushed out of the cave-tunnel and into the nesting grounds. Neera and Aladar hung back a bit so that all the herd members made it out of the cave. The youngsters and young bloods of the herd stuck together in groups while the adults scattered about, looking for places in the green valley do build their nests.

Shelly and Mitch were the last ones to make it out of the cave. Aladar and Neera hung back with them just as far as the lake until they went off to find their other friends.

Ken and Sophie were down by the lake, sunning themselves on the shore. The time buggy and time rover were parked a little ways beside them. When they both approached, Shelly called out to them.

"Hey, guys, we're back."

Ken and Sophie turned around and got to their feet, dusting themselves off from the sand on their clothes.

But Sophie, for some reason, was not smiling. She marched up right to Shelly, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, boy," Said Shelly.

"Have you any idea how worried we've been?" Said Sophie in a deadly whisper. "You went off without telling me where you were going."

Ken came up and also glared. Not at his sister, but at Mitch. He crossed his arms and frowned at his cousin.

"And you running off like that back at the lake," Said Ken. "what were you thinking, huh?"

Mitch didn't say anything. He turned his head away, not meeting Ken or Sophie's gaze. Shelly decided to speak up.

"Look," Shelly explained. "I went after Mitch because I was worried about him, okay? I went with Aladar to find the herd and to bring him back. After all, Sophie, he is my cousin and he's family. You taught me that ever since he came on this journey."

Sophie's expression softened as she nodded. Ken still remained unconvinced.

"I very much doubt that your heroics changed his mind about telling somebody about the T.W.C, Shelly." He said. "What's going to stop him from do it?"

Shelly turned to him. "His word, Ken. That's what matters."

Ken snorted derisively. "Yeah right, sis, his word is nothing unless he erases the pictures in his camera-phone. But he won't do that."

"Yes he will," Shelly said. "Sophie, do you still have it?"

"Right here," Sophie said as she dug into her pocket, took out the camera-phone, and gave it to Shelly.

Shelly took it and then thrust it into Mitch's hands. Mitch looked at his camera-phone and then back at Shelly and Sophie in surprise.

"This is your chance, Mitch," Shelly said to him. "This is your chance to do something right."

"What do you mean?" Mitch said uncertainly.

"This is your chance to show us that you've changed for the better." Shelly said. "If you erase the pictures on your camera-phone, then you've earned our respect back and our loyalty, Mitch. But if you don't, then you are no family of ours, and that you would rather see my brother and me get in trouble. But the choice is yours."

Mitch looked at Sophie, then Shelly, and even Ken. He then looked down at his camera-phone and sighed, frowning.

After a minute of stalling, Ken, having had enough and convinced that his cousin wasn't going to change, stormed away to the time vehicles.

"Well, I guess that proves it!" Ken called back to the others in a rant. "He doesn't care about our family or us. I don't know why we or our family should have anything to do with that little lowlife!"

They watched as Ken got into the time buggy, closed the dome cover, and turn away.

Mitch didn't know what to say. He felt hurt just like his ankle. Only he didn't know which one felt the worse.

Sophie wanted to go after Ken, to make him understand, but Shelly held her back.

"He's my little brother, Sophie," Shelly said, taking her hand off her shoulder. "Let me talk to him. Besides, you have to place the tracking homing device on Aladar. Once you're done with that, and I've had my talk with Ken, we can all go back to the Dino Institute."

"Okay, Shelly," Sophie said with a small smile as she nodded. "I just hope you can talk some sense into him." She turned to Mitch. "Do you want to come with me?"

Mitch nodded and gave her a weak smile. "Sure."

(*)

As Sophie and Mitch went off to find Aladar, Shelly busied herself by trying to get Ken to make up with their cousin. Ken had opened the dome to listen but did not feel like talking about Mitch. Shelly knew she had to try harder.

"Shelly, he doesn't care about what happens to our family," Ken said to her, adjusting himself on the seat. "What if he tells somebody or shows somebody the pictures in his camera-phone, huh? What's going to happen then?"

"I don't really know," Said Shelly with a short gesture. "All I kno..."

"You don't get it, do you?" Ken snapped, cutting her off. "Well, sis, I'll tell you what will happen. The government will find out, that's what. I can't just forgive and trust the guy again after everything he was about to do."

Shelly rolled her eyes. "Mitch isn't my favourite person in the world either, Ken. But at least he's turning himself around. I told him that me and you could help him gain more friends. Proper friends."

Ken sighed and rubbed his eyes. It took a long moment for him to finally say something.

"Fine," Ken said. "You're right. I know you're right."

Shelly smiled and gave her brother hug. "Thanks, little brother."

Ken shrugged her off of him. "Don't get all mushy, sis," He said. "I'll give him a chance to redeem himself, but if he so much as tries to betray our family, I'll brain him."

Shelly chuckled. "You tell him, Ken."

(*)

After the tracking homing device was placed on Aladar, Sophie and Mitch returned to the time rover and buggy. Shelly and Ken were waiting for them.

"Is it done, Sophie?" Ken said.

Sophie gave him the thumbs up sign as she and Mitch climbed aboard the time rover. "Yep, Ken, it's done. Now we can go home."

Ken then turned to Mitch, his face set. "And did you erase the pictures in your camera-phone?"

Mitch glared back at him, dug into his pocket, and tossed his camera-phone to him. Ken caught it, opened it up, and checked the gallery where the photos would be. To his surprise there were none in the gallery. Not one.

"Happy now?" Mitch said as he turned away and sat down in his seat. Ken didn't know what to say. He put the phone away in the buggy's map pocket and sat back down. Shelly gave him a knowing nudge with her elbow, activated the buggy's engine, and positioned themselves behind the rover. Sophie in turn activated the rover's time jump return button. The rover's time engines came to life with a electrical hum as the portal back to the Dino institute came into view. The dinosaurs around the lake all stopped what they were doing and stared at the spectacular sight. Some of them ran away while others gathered a little closer. Sophie then drove the rover forward into the portal, the buggy following right behind it. Both time vehicles disappeared into the swirling vortex until there was nothing there. The portal then closed and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the dinosaurs and the nesting grounds behind.

Dr. Grant Seeker was relieved when the time rover had returned through the time tunnel, along with the time buggy. Both vehicles came to a stop at the drop station he got out of the time control booth. Sophie climbed out, followed by Shelly and Ken from the buggy. Dr. Seeker could see just by looking at them that the threesome had been on quite the adventure. Or should he say 'foursome'. There seemed to be an extra person getting out of the rover with them. Well, it didn't matter to Seeker. The more the merrier, right?

"Hey, Dr. Seeker," Sophie waved as she and the others approached. "We're back. And we completed our mission. The Iguanodon has been tagged."

Seeker clasped his hands in pure delight.

"Well done, everyone." Seeker congratulated. "You did good, and it only took you a few minutes to get back. Two hours, to be exact."

"We were only gone for that long?" Mitch enquired, scratching his head.

"That's how time travel works, cus'," Shelly told him. "Everything in this time period slows down."

"Wow," Was all Mitch could say.

Later

For the rest of the day the group talked in the private meeting room of the institute, discussing about the adventures they all had had in the age of the dinosaurs.

Dr. Seeker was most intrigued about the lemurs and how they had existed in the dinosaur's world. Sophie filled in some of the gaps about the nesting ground and the herd's journey across the desert and how Kron had almost killed the herd during the last leg of their journey.

Mitch kept quite during the whole conversation as he helped himself to some sandwiches on the table. His ankle had been wrapped in a bandage a while ago, and thanks to Sophie, he was able to walk properly without drawing suspicion from Dr. Marsh.

Seeker was glade that they had all made it out of their adventure alive. He left the meeting room, leaving the four friends to get some much needed rest.

By the time the afternoon had come and gone, it was around that time Mrs Blake came to pick up her children. Sophie had already procured a ride home, so she was good. As the kids got into the car, Mitch decided that maybe he should take the backseat with Ken and let Shelly have the front seat beside her mother. As the car pulled out of the driveway and onto the road, Mitch and Ken watched as the Institute disappeared from view behind a hill.

"Thanks for what you did, Mitch," Ken said under his breath, so that his mother could not hear him.

"I know," Sighed Mitch. "I just wish I could have gotten a good photo of those dinosaurs and had kept it." He then turned to Ken. "Do you think Shelly and you can really help me gain friends? Proper friends, I mean."

Ken smiled a little. "Of course, Mitch. Just as long as you can keep the secret of the T.W.C to yourself."

"Don't worry," Said Mitch. "I doubt anyone will believe me anyway. Your secret's safe with me, cus."

Smiling, Ken leaned back against his seat, closed his eyes, and imagined the world they had all just left behind.

Sophie, meanwhile, walked away from the Dino Institute to wait for her ride home. She turned back to look at the building and smiled. She also thought about the world she and her friends had left behind. One thing was for curtain-the journey for them was not over yet. She could only hope that in some small way the time of the dinosaurs would be remembered.

The End

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(Note) None of the Disney Dinosaur themed characters belong to me, only the OC human characters do.

Sophie Luna Wolfheart(C) belongs to saphiradragonhert