By Eve-Jennife
---------------------------------------------Ayla scanned the ground, found the clover patch, and,
pulling some out, she put them in the small basket she had with her. Suddenly, she heard Jondalar's
voice,with a peculiar strain to it, and then a scuffle. She went over. "Jondalar?", she called. "Are you all
right? You didn't go tree climbing, did you?" When there was no reply, she sped up her pace. "Jondalar?!",
she called. "Jondalar, where are you?" When she reached the clearing from which she had heard the
commotion, she saw Jondalar lying on the grass, blood seeping from his lips...being beaten by a man of the
Clan! "Stop it!", she cried, unconsiously making the gestures of the formal language at the same time.
"Leave him alone!" The man looked up, and Ayla felt the blood drain from her face as she screamed. "Broud
", she said, her voice full of anger, and more than a little fear. "What are you doing here?", she
signed. "What do you want from me, or Jondalar, or the rest of the Zelondonii?"
Broud looked uncomfortable for a moment. Looking down at his hands, he began, in the formal
language."The son of this man's mate cursed this man with death when this man's son became leader.
Since you are also cursed with death, this man may speak freely to you.And", he added with a malevolent
look in his eyes," now, this man can once again bend you to my will, and make you my servant again."
"No, Broud", Ayla said defiantly. "I'm not living with the Caln anymore. I have a life now-a REAL life- and
I'm not going to let you spoil that for me."
"You insolent female!!", Broud didn't even need to bother making the gestures, his infuriated glare
conveyed his thoughts. He sprang up to start beating her, but Jondalar's cold, angry voice stopped him in
his tracks. "Don't you dare lay a hand on Ayla",he said slowly. Broud spun around, and gaped in
amazement- he had never seen a man that towered over 6 feet tall. However, when he tried to beat up
Jondalar, all he got was several exremely painful bruises across his chest and arms.
"Jondalar, are you allright?", Ayla asked; she knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself, but
the bruises on his face reminded Ayla of the beatings she had endured as a little girl.
"Yes, Ayla I'm fine. Are you?", Jondalar answered. When she nodded, he went over to her and put his arms
around her. "Let's get you back to the Cave", he said. However, when the couple started walking away,
Broud, angry that she was going to get away-again- he hurtled himself at the tall, blonde man. He caught
Jondalar around the middle, and the three people tumbled down a steep hill. When they finally came to a
stop, Ayla looked around, but she didn'trecognize this part of the forest.
"Where are we, Jondalar?", she asked.
"I don't know, Ayla", he answered. For as long as he could remember, everyone had always told him to
stay from this part of the forest; the adults had always told him that there was a curse on the place.
Suddenly, Jondalar heard Ayla's breath catch in her throat. "What's wrong, Ayla?", asked. "Ayla? Ayla!"
"Jondalar! What is that?" Jondalar turned to see what was holding his mate captivated, adn gasped. The
better part of the the clearing they were sitting in was ocupied by a green and yellow swirling vortex!
Gathering up their courage, Ayla and Jondalar , against all better judgement, stepped into the vortex...and
Broud followed! No way would he let her get away from him again! He felt an overwhelming dizziness
overcome him. When he came to, Broud found himself sitting in knee deep snow. Ayla and Jondalar were
sitting a litte ways away. They heard a gasp, and all turned to look. A girl, wearing a red... something...
standing a few feet away, an angry look in her eyes. "What are you doing on my property?", the girl called
in an unfamiliar langage. "Who are you?"
Ayla clutched Jondalar's arm as she watched the tall girl, with anger etched on her face, take long, quick
strides towards them. She felt Jondalar put his arm around her protectively. The girl looked at them, her
eyes opening wide when she saw Broud. When she saw that Jondalar's face was covered wth cuts,
bruises, and was slightly swollen, she knelt down besides them in the snow and carefully felt Jondalar's
injuries. "Come with me", she said, standing up and motioning for them to follow her. Ayla and Jondalar
glanced at each other, then,deciding it was either folloing the strange girl or staying out in the snow, they
got up and followed her. Broud, when he saw that he was losing his chance to destroy Ayla, jumped out
and followed them.
---------------------------------------------
The girl watched the three people,especially the short Neanderthal. She didn't know what it was about
him, but he gave her the creeps. She'd have to keep an eye on him. When they got inside, she pulled a
set of gray sweats and a pair of white socks from her dresser drawer, then handed them to the blonde
woman, then went down the hall, got an almost identical set of clothes from the pile her brother hadn't
taken with him, and handed them to the blonde man. Then, she lead him to the bathroom, and left him to
change. She wondered about them; why were they wearing such odd clothing? Who were they? What
were they doing in her backyard-without coats or scarves or anything, except their strange clothing?
Taking one look at the Neanderthal, she set her jaw. "Get out of my room", she said in a cold voice. When
he just looked at her quizically, she got angry. "Out!", she screamed, pointing her arm at the door. Broud
stood up and left the room, but only because he was still confused about where he was and who this
strange woman was. As soon as Broud left the room, the girl followed him, pushed him out the front door,
locked it, and headed back to her room. When she was alone with the tall blonde woman, the girl turned to
her, and was glad to see that her clothes fit the woman. She sat down cross-legged on the bed and
stared at the woman for a few minutes. Finally, she sighed. "Who are you?", she asked. "Where are you
from?" When she saw the confused look on the woman's face, she decided to try in spanish, and then in
russian.
Ayla smiled when she heard the girl speaking in a language much like Mamutoi. "I am Ayla of the
Zelondonii", she said. Seeing that the girl didn't understand her, she decided to introduce herself the way
she had begun learning to talk. She leaned forward, tapped her chest and said, "Ayla." The girl's eyes
opened wider.Her name meant 'oak tree' in Hebrew! Ayla watched the girl's eyes open in recognition. Then,
the girl leaned forward, the way Ayla had, tapped her own chest, and said "Eve-Jennifer". Ayla nodded,
then repeated Eve-Jennifer's name. Suddenly, they heard a terrified scream coming from downstairs.
Eve-Jennifer's head shot up. "Dannie!", she screamed, terror filling her heart at the fear in her little sister's
voice.
Jondalar looked around him,wondering where he was. He could tell it was some kind of room, but he didn't
know what all the strange objects in the room were. He saw the sky through a hole in the wall, and walked
over to the hole, but when he tried to poke his head out, he discovered that the hole was covered with
some kind of clear, rather smooth, substance! He looked out, and saw a field full of snow, and a strange,
peach-colored, box-shaped structure standing in the field. He looked down at the strange objects the girl
had shoved at him. He could tell that they were clothes, but they were gray! He had never seen clothes
that color, and such a strange texture! It was obvious that they weren't made of leather, but then, what
could they be made of? He qickly striped and put on the clothes, then turned his attention to the other
pieces of clothing the girl had shoved at him. These were made of something other than leather, also, but
it wasn't the exact same cloth as the trousers and tunic. They looked like the camp shoes Ayla wore in
the evening. He put them on, and looked around him, again trying to figure out where he was, when
suddenly, he heard a scream coming from down the hall!
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Eve-Jennifer jumped up and ran down the hall. Throwing open the door to her two-year-old sister Dannie's
room, she went to the little girl's crib, scooped her up, and cuddled her close. "Oh, Dannie, it's alright", she
said. "What's wrong?"
"Evie,look!", Dannie said, pointing at her window. Eve-Jennifer looked across the room, and screamed when
she saw the ugly Neanderthal trying to pry open Dannie's window. Putting Dannie down, she ran out into
the hall, got a baseball bat out of the closet, and ran back into the room. She opened the window, but
when the Neanderthal tried to climb in, she hit him over the head with the wodden bat, and watched him
fall the 5 or so feet down to the ground. She closed the door, picked up her sister, who was still crying
hysterically, and headed back to her room, with Ayla following behind.'I wish Jon still lived here, instead of
with Julia', she thought.
Jondalar spun around at the scream, and ran out the bathroom door, which hadn't been completely closed,
and headed in the direction of the scream. He rounded the corner, and almost bumped into the dark-haired
girl holding a little girl in her arms. The little one looked at the tall blonde man screamed. The bigger one's
eyes opened wide and she tore down the hall;Ayla and Jondalar followed her. When they got in the
bedroom, the dark-haired girl sat down on the bed, cuddling the sniffling little girl in her arms; Ayla and
Jondalar sat down in two beanbag chairs stting in the corner, and looked at the girl. They sat like that for
about 5 minutes. Finally the girl leaned forward, tapped her chest, and said, in a strong, clear
voice:"Eve-Jennifer", then she tapped the lttle girl's chest and said "Dannie".
Jondalar understood immideatly. Turning to Ayla he said, "I think she's trying to tell us their names"; Ayla
nodded in agreement. Jondalar then leaned forward and tapped his chest. "My name is Jondalar of the
Zelondonii, son of Marthona, former leader of the Ninth Cave of the Zelondonii, brother of Joharran, current
leader of the Ninth Cave of the Zelondonii, born to the hearth of Dalanar, leader and master flint-knapper
of the Lanzadonii", he said, being sure to list all his ties. Eve-Jennifer looked at him quizically.
Understanding that she didn't know what he had said, he tapped his chest again and just said "Jondalar".
Eve-Jennifer nodded; she had understood that Jondalar was his name, but none of the other words.
Then, Ayla tapped her chest. "I am Ayla of the Mamutoi, daughter of the Lion Camp, daughter of the
Mammoth Hearth, chosen by the Cave Lion, protected by the Cave Bear, daughter of Iza, most respected
medicine woman of the Clan of the Brun, sister of Uba, most respected medicine woman of the Clan of
Broud, and mother of Durc, son of the hearth of Creb, holiest of all Mog-urs of the Clan of the Cave Bear",
she said, alo making sure to list all her ties and affiliations. When she saw the confused look in
Eve-Jennifer's eyes, she tapped her chest and said "Ayla". The girl nodded again.
"You have the same name as Jon", Dannie said, looking with big, dark eyes at Jondalar. Then, turning to
her big sister, she said:"Evie, when is Jon coming home? I miss him."
"Jon is coming over tomorrow, Dannie", Eve-Jennifer said patiently.
"Julia isn't coming with him, is she?" was Dannie's next question.
"Yes, she's coming, too", Eve-Jennifer replied in a tight voice. Dannie pouted, then crossed her arms in
front of her chest.
"Where are we?", asked Ayla in Mamutoi.
"You're in Chicago", answered Eve-Jennifer.
"Chicago? Where's that?", Jondalar asked.
"It's one of the most famous cities in the world. It's located in the American Midwest." Eve-Jennifer stood
up, got a small map of the world from her backpack, and pointed to Chicago. "See?", she said. "This is
where you are. In one of the biggest cities in the world. On the coast of Lake Michigan, which is one of
the 5 great lakes."
Jondalar nodded, though he still had no idea where they were.
"Are you Mamutoi born?", Ayla asked. "You must be, since you speak a language that is obviously a dialect
of Mamutoi. Either that, or you have Mamutoi born kin. You say we're in Chicago, so you must be a
Chicagodonii."
"There's no such thing as a Chicagodonii. And, I'm not mamutoi, I'm Ukrainian-Russian."
Suddenly, two voices came from downstairs. "Yeva, Dannie, mui doma!"
Eve-Jennifer glanced at her watch, then called out," Razdevaitis, mui u mena v comnoty."
Ayla looked up as two boys who looked almost exactly alikeran into the bedroom and plopped down next to
Eve-Jennifer and Dannie. The little girl reached up her chubby little hands and smiled. "Derek, David!", she
said.
Ayla's eyes flew open. Dannie had called one of the boys Durc! How could this boy have the same name as
her son? She looked at Jondalar, and saw that his eyes were also wide open. Suddenly, the boys noticed
Ayla and Jondalar. "EJ, who are these guys? Where are they from, what are they doing in your room, why
is she wearing your clothes, and why is he wearing Jon's clothes?"
"I have no clue, David. The woman says her name is Ayla and that she's Mamutoi, and the guy says his
name is Jondalar and that he's Zelondonii, whatever the hell that means", replied Eve-Jennifer.
"What's a Mamutoi, and what's a Zelondonii?", asked David.
"Hey, Dave, remember those stories we read in the Ica Age mythology books? The ones about a woman
named Ayla who traveled with a man named Jondalar? Didn't the stories say that she was adopted by a
group of people who hunted mammoths, and that the man was from a group of people that lived some
where around France or England, and called themselves Zelondonii?"
"Derek, don't tell me you actually believe these crazies? I mean, if we kow those stories, they might know
those stories. I mean, come on...!"
"David, Derek, chill. I talked to them for a while. They speak Russian, but it's suh as a strange dialect, like
nothing I've ever heard. I don't even think that the people who live on the Chinese border speak such a
strange language", said Eve-Jennifer.
Derek shot a glance at the too people, who were still sitting quietly in the beanbag chairs.Walking forward,
he stopped in front of them, his face impacive, ut showing his fear of the unknown, and anger at people
who had come into his property without permission. "I'm Derek, and the guy who looks like me is my twin
brother, David", he said.
Ayla looked at the tall man, with fear in her eyes. "Durc?", she asked tentatively.
"No", the 12-year-old boy said. "De-rek", he said slowly.
"Derek", Ayla said, nodding. "I am Ayla of the Mamutoi", she said, deciding that she should introduce
herself, but not feeling the need to list every affiliation.
"Ayla", Derek said.
"I am Jondalar of the Zelondonii", Jondalar added.
"Jondalar", Derek said, nodding to the tall blonde man.
Seeing that his brother wasn't being attacked by the strange people, David stepped forward also. "I'm
David, this one's twin", he said.
"David", said Ayla. "I am Ayla of the Mamutoi, and this is Jondalar of the Zelondonii", she added.
"I know", replied David. "So', he said, sitting down on his big sister's bed. "Why are you guys here, and how
did you get here?"
They group of people sat for about a half hour, listening to Ayla and Jondalar's story. By the time they had
finished, it was almost dinner time.
"So...", said Derek hesitantly. "Where should we hide them for the night?"
The sat thinking for a fw minutes.
"How about the playroom in the basement? The folks never go down there", suggested Eve-Jennifer.
"Yeah, ok", said David. Turning to Ayla and Jondalar, he said,"Can you guys stay quiet for a night? We'll
bring you guys food and stuff."
Ayla and Jondalar nodded; what choice did they have?
Eve-Jennifer put the last plate down on the table, then sat down on the couch next to David. The three
of them always watched the Simpsons before dinner. "What'd I miss", she asked.
"Nelson just kicked Bart's butt", Derek answered with a smirk. "What's for dinner, EJ? I hope it's something
Caitlynn doesn't like."
"We're having lasagna, garlic bread, salad...she hates Italian food, you know", Eve-Jennifer replied with a
satisfied smile.
"Perfect", David replied. At that moment, they heard the key click in the doorknob, and knew who it was,
but didn't bother acknowledging the person.
"Hi, kids", their father said.
"Hi, Dad", they answered in unison.
Then, a woman came in. "Hi,guys!", she exclaimed.
Turning around, Eve-Jennifer focused her big brown eyes on the tall woman. "Caitlynn, you know we're
never gonna be nice to you, so why do you even bother", she asked, a look of anger in her eyes.
Mr. Breckson noticed the same hatred and venom in his daughter's voice as usual. "So, why don't we go
eat dinner now?", he suggested, and the kids got up off the couch and headed to the table.
Mrs. Breckson looked at the food set on the table. It was food that the children knew she hated, but she
wanted them to like her-especially Eve-Jennifer-so she decided not to say anything. "Honey, this looks
delicious!", she exclaimed.
"Don't try to suck up", Eve-Jennifer said.
"You've tried it before, and if it didn't work then, it's not gonna work now", Derek said.
David gave a short, hard laugh. "That's for sure", he said, with his signiture smirk on his face, and then
exchanged high fives withhis twin.
There was a long silence while the "family" ate, then mrs. Breckson decided to try to make friends with the
children again. "So, boys, how was hockey practice today?"
Derek and David exchanged glanced. "Fine", Derek answered. "Can you pass the salad, please?"
"Sure, son. here you go", Mr. Breckson said, handing the bowl to his son.
"Thanks, Dad."
There was another strained silence, then Mrs. Breckson spoke up again. "So, girls, what did you do today?"
A look of fear passed on Eve-Jennifer's face, but she quickly composed herself. "None of your damn
business, Caitlynn", she said coldly.
"Eve! How dare you speak to your mother that way!", Mr. Breckson exclaimed, his voice filled with shock.
"She's not my mother, Dad! And, in case you didn't notice, Caitlynn isn't David's mother, and that
automatically eliminates the possibility of her being Derek's mother, since they're identical twins, and she's
so not Dannie's mother, so that makes her in no way related to me! My mother is a woman who ran off
with her co-worker, and left her five children behind. My mother is a woman who is somewhere in Vegas,
or possibly L.A. This Britney Spears look-alike is not my mother. Why should Jon, and Derek, and David,
and Dannie and I have to pretend that she is? Jonathan hates her too, you know!", Eve-Jennifer shouted.
"That is enough!", Mr. Breckson erupted, leaping up. "Eve-Jennifer, I can understand why you might not
like the idea of a stepmother, but Caitlynn has been more of a mother to Dannie than Kira ever gave
herself the chance to be."
"When was Caitlynn ever a mother to Dannie? When she's at work all day, when Derek, or David, or Jon, or
Julia, or I watch her? She's not a mother to Dannie, and I'm gonna make sure that Dannie knows about, if
not remembers, her real mother. My I be excused? Thank you", she said, without waiting for her father's
permission, picked up her little sister, and left the room. Looking uncomfortably at their father and
stepmother, David and Derek got up and ran after their big sister.
Broud trudged through the deep snow in the Breckson yard. "How dare that female be so insolent to me?",
he gestured angrily. "Does she not know that a women is less than a man? Less important? As soon as I
see that insolent female again, I will need to exercise my rights. Someone needs to show her the proper
way for a female to act!" He continued walking around the large house, but didn't truly notice it until he
stapped on an icy piece of snow, and clutched at the brick wall for support. However, when he saw that
the house wasn't made of rock! It wasn't even a cave! What was this made of? 'It's something like rock',
Broud thought critically. 'But it's not rock;it's a lot rougher than rock. Also, this seems to be arranged a lot
more...purposefully. Strange. Also, what were those clothes made of? That was definetly not leather. This
must be a dwelling of the Others; I doubt that a real man would allow his mate or her daughter to act so
insolently. I will make Ayla and her mate pay yet. He will be sorry he ever chose her!' However, he was
startled out of his angry thoughts by a sound he had only heard from two other people-Durc and Ayla. It
was the sound of laughter! He looked around the wall and saw two boys who looked exactly alike walk
through the snow. Broud hadn't noticed the shoveled path, and to him, it looked as though the snow was
parting in front of them. 'Are they Mog-urs?', he thought suddenly. He turned back to watch the boys as
they walked up two steps to the front door. "Derek, man, do you have the keys?", one of them called out.
Broud's jaw slackened. Durc! One of the boys had called the other one Durc! How could that be? He
watched as the other boy dug in what looked like a very strange parka, then took something shiny out and
threw it to the other boy. "Here you go, David", he called. "Thanks", the first one said, then, somehow,
made an entrance into the strange dwelling suddenly appear! Broud's mind realed. What magic did these
Mog-urs of the Others possess?
Eve-Jennifer stifled a yawn as she picked up the platter of food, and headed down the staircase into the
basement.When she got to the playroom, she flicked on the light. "SH!", she said. "It's only me!"
Ayla sat up, taking a shaky breath. "How did you make the light so bright", she asked.
"The light? Oh! I put a fresh lightbulb in there yesterday", Eve-Jennifer said, tucking her reddish-brown hair
behind her ears. "Here, I brought you guys some food. I don't know if you've ever had turkey, bacon, or
lettuce, but that's the only kind of sandwich I know how to make", she said, putting the platter down on
the couch the were lying on.
Jondalar picked up a sandwich, bit in, and smiled. "Eve-Jennifer, this is wonderful! Ayla you should try
some!"
Ayla also picked up a sandwich and tried it. "This ptarmigan!", she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. She
loved ptarmigan! She took another bite, savoring the delicious flavor. 'This girl would have the respect of
many Clan's at the Clan Gathering', she thought. 'She is a wonderful cook'. She finished the sandwich, and
picked up one of the glasses of water the tall girl had brought for them, and took a sip. When she and
Jondalar had finished eating, she once again turned to Eve-Jennifer. "Eve-Jennifer, if it is not improper to
ask, why was so much yelling coming from above earlier?", she asked.
Eve-Jennifer looked down before answering, and Ayla thought she saw tears glistening in the corners of
her eyes. "Two years ago, about 2 months after Dannie was born, my mother left me, my father, my
brothers, and my sister behind. About 6 months later, Dad met Caitlynn, and 7 months ago, they got
married. We were yelling because Caitlynn was acting like she was my mother, but she's not, and I don't
want her to think she was."
"What is a 'father'?", Jondalar asked.
"Um...I guess you would call him my mother's mate", the tall girl said. They sat like that for a while, then
the teenage girl stood up again. "Well, I have to get back to bed. Listen, I'll bring you more food tomorrow
night, and either David, Derek, or I will bring you some food at some point during the day. Just, please,
stay quiet, alright?" When the two visitor's nodded, she turned and left the playroom.
Eve-Jennifer stood back and looked at the dining room table. 'Perfect', she thought. She glanced at the
clock on the mantle, then yelled, "Derek, David,Dad, Caitlynn, come on! They'll be here any minute!"
Seconds later, Derek and David came pounding down the stairs, wearing brand new black jeans; the boys
like to dress alike, but, at the moment, Derek wore a dark-gray T-Shirt, and David wore a dark-blue
T-Shirt, and you could tell they cared about the visitor because their shirts were tucked into their pants.
Derek set his little sister down on the floor, then took his place in the front window, looking for Jon and
Julia's car. Caitlynn and Mr. Breckson came downstairs at hat moment, and Eve-Jennifer rolled her eyes at
the sight of her step-mother wearing a dark-blue knee-length skirt, in a vaint attempt to look motherly.
"THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING! HEY, EVE-JENNIFER, THEY'RE COMING!",David exclaimed when he saw
Jon's car pull up on front of the mansion. The four children raced out the front door, just as the tall young
man got out of the car.
Eve-Jennifer threw herself into his arms. "Oh, Jon, we've missed you so much!", she exclaimed, burying her
face in his shirt.
"Hey, little sister! How've you been?", Jon asked in his heavily accented Russian voice as David, followed
by Derek who was carrying Dannie, rushed him also.
Eve-Jennifer turned her attention to the young woman getting out of the car carrying a baby. "Hi, Julia",
she said, walking over to her. Bending down, she tickled the baby under the chin. "Hi, Kira!", she said in a
baby's voice. "Come on, guys. Let's get inside", she said, and led her brother, and his wife into the house.
Eve-Jennifer lay in bed thinking about the events of the evening. They had eaten Chinese food for dinner,
and had home-made Russian cake, extremely creamy, nutty, and calorie-filled, for desert. After that they
had talked about what was going on in thir lives, though Eve-Jennifer and the twins had neglected tell
anyone about Ayla and Jondalar, and they had completely forgotten about Broud;Dannie, also, seemed to
sense that her brothers and sister didn't want to talk about the fasinating man and woman that were
hidden in the basement. They had also watched TV, and talked about how to take care of a baby.
Eve-Jennifer, Derek, and David told Jon and Julia about the best types of diapers and baby food and stuff
like that, and the stories and songs that worked for Dannie. They had left only a few hours ago, and now,
she had to go and bring some food to Ayla and Jondalar. She stood up, crept down the stairs, into the
kitchen, turned left-overs into food, and crept down to the basement. "Hi, guys, it's me", she whispered,
flicking the lights on.
Ayla blinked, then sat up. "Hello, Eve-Jennifer", she said in Mamutoi. "How have you been?"
"I'm alright. I hope you guys haven't gotten to hungry. Derek said he and David brought you guys some
food earlier today. Oh, and, call me Eve;everybody else does."
"Allright, Eve", Jondalar replied. "You are right, the two born together did bring us food earlier."
Eve-Jennifer cocked her head to the side. "Two born together? Oh! You mean the twins? Derek and David?
You're right, they are two born together", she said as Ayla and Jondalar reached for the food and started
to eat. "Listen, I was just wondering...how did you guys get here?", she asked.
Ayla paused long enough to swallow. "Well, see...we were in this forest close to the Ninth Cave of the
Zelondonii, picking berries for the evening meal. Jondalar had wandered off a little, and suddenly I heard
the sounds of a fight. I went to see what was happening, and I found Broud beating Jondalar. Then, Broud
saw me, and he tried to beat me, but Jondalar and I ran from him. Then we fell down a small hill, and into
some kind of swirling, green and yellow...thing, and Broud followed us. The next thing we knew, we were
here", she said.
Eve-Jennifer thought for a moment, then her face lit up with recognition."Hold on a minute, I'll be right
back", she said, jumping up. She quietly walked up to the second floor, and then into Derek and David's
room. "Hey, guys, get up", she said, shaking David's shoulder.
"Huh? What? What's the matter?", he asked, sitting up.
"Guys, come on. I think I've figured out how Ayla and Jondalar got here", she whispered excitedly. Derek
and David looked at each other, then got up and quietly followed Eve-Jennifer down to the basement.
When they got there, they sat down next to Ayla and Jondalar and Eve-Jennifer began. "Ok, this is what I
think. Remember when we found that freaky vortex in the forest bordering the backyard?"When her
brothers nodded, she continued. "Well, I think that's how they got here; through the vortex. Ayla said they
got here through some kind of swirling, green and yellow thing, and isn't that how the vortex in the forest
looks?! I think if they went through the vortex in the backyard, they'd get home!"
"Yeah! I think that'll work, Eve! I think that'll work!", David exclaimed, and Derek, Ayla, and Jondalar
nodded.
"Come on, guys", Eve-Jennifer said. "Let's go try." She got up, pulled on the sneakers that stood in the
doorway, and the twins followed her. Ayla and Jondalar also followed. They crept out the back door,
intothe forest, and over to the vortex. They didn't notice the Neanderthal following them through the
shadows. Ayla and Jondalar gave each of the kids hugs, then stepped through the vortex. When the kids
disappeared into the house, Broud went over, and stepped into the vortex.
---------------------------------------------
Ayla opened her eyes,looked around,and smiled. "Jondalar", she said. "It worked! Look, there's the Ninth
Cave!"
Jondalar opened his eyes and broke into a wide smile. "You're right, Ayla! We're home!
THE END