Jane

Chapter Three

  I slept like s**t the night before. It made me wish I had slept during the whole entire plane ride there. I yawn as I try to force myself to wake up. My eyes slugged back downward. I flop back down on my pillow. My back ached on me from sleeping on the flat bed last night.

"Jane? Jane is that you I hear groaning?" I hear Clayton call out cheerfully. He was sure to rub it in my face that I did not sleep well the night before.

"I am up! I am up! I will be right out. I was groaning because I was looking for my outfit I had planned for the day" I lie as I scrummage around for my outfit.

"Are you sure about that?" he jokes playfully as he sticks his head in my tent causing me to jump.

"Get out of here! We are not married yet!" I yell at him and kick my right leg up at him.

"Now now...that is not lady like to yell at your loving fiancé" he teases me.

"Get OUT!" I demand as I act like I am going to throw my shoe at his head.

"Fine. Fine" he chuckles as he leaves me be finally.

I find my outfit beside my pillow. I must have laid on it last night. I scramble to get dressed in a small tent. I add some deodorant on. I was sure sweating all night made me smell something awful. Then on goes my tank top. I quickly tie my long curly brown hair into pig tails not caring how I looked right now.

"We have breakfast" calls out Clayton.

"Coming!" I chirp back at him.

I crawl out of my little hidey hole. I manage to get dirt on my hands. I stand up after Clayton helps me up. I brush off dirt onto my shorts I had on. I did not know what Clayton and my father had planned for the day. My plans were to explore. Maybe find those gorillas. I wanted to see them closer. They were so amazing.

"Here you are dear" father says as he hands me a bowl of brand flakes.

"Thanks" I sigh.

"Now you stay here. We are going into town. Then your father has a meeting in town today. Can you stay out of trouble?" Clayton demands to know.

"Can I stay out of trouble today?" I mock him back. He raises an eyebrow at me. "YES, I can stay out of trouble" I mutter as I stuff my face full of Frosted Flakes.

"Great. See that you do. What are your plans for the day? So we know where you might be if we need to find you?" he asks me.

"About here. I plan on drawing the nature landscapes'. I want a shower" I sigh.

"We can shower in town later on tonight" says Clayton. I nod.

"Good"

"See you soon. We will be back in a few hours" he tells me. He kisses my cheek just as I had stuffed another bite of Frosted Flakes into my choppers.

"Be safe Jane dear" father remarks as the jeep pulls up from town to pick them up.

"Will do dad" I mutter. I roll my eyes. Men.

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I watch them pull away. Clayton looks back my way as if he thinks I cannot possibly handle being alone for one second. He waves good-bye at me. And blows me a kiss to. I act like I catch it. I sigh feeling so much better being on my own. I was free.

At least for a few hours. I polish off the last of my breakfast. Then I head over to gather up my sketch book and drawing pencils. I glance around me. Such a beautiful breathtaking place to be. I get out my phone to try to take a photo of my view and place it on my **. Nothing. No signal. I groan. So much for that.

I tried my snapchat. It came in for a moment.

"Here I am! In the middle of it all. The heart of the rain forest. It is a beauty! Hi aunt Bea! I am alive!" I joke as I show off the area on my phone. For a moment I was able to hit send!

"Yes!" I giggle happily.

I suddenly hear a crash in my area. I glance over where the noise had come from. A small baby gorilla was in the area. He was going through my father's things. He had my father's favorite pocket watch in his little hand. He looked at it curiously.

"Hey now. You can't have that! That is ours" I demand to the little gorilla. He glance over at me cooing some little noises. Not paying any mind to me being there.

"Put that down little fella!" I demand once again. More sternly. He makes a noise of protest at me. He leaps on the other side of camp.

"HEY!" I call back.

I still had my phone. My art pad and pencils in hand. I chased after the little gorilla as he took off with my father's watch that I had gotten for him for his last birthday.

I paid a lot of money for that thing! No silly monkey was going to lose it! I was not sure how long I had been wandering in the woods for. I kept my eyes on the prize. On the little gorilla. I nearly tripped over myself a few times as I ran. I never ran so fast before. Not since high school track days. I huffed and puffed as I chased the little thief down.

"Get back here! Give me that back will you!" I yelp as I keep up with the gorilla who was swinging above me in the trees.

Suddenly I notice it. Gorillas! They were all over the place. My heart races faster. I stop in the midst of my run. Hank had been right. They had a nest. Right here. I look around me just as the most curious looks stared right back at me.

What should I do next? Did I dare move? Did I dare make a run for it? My heart began to pound fast. I hear them make a noise like I never heard before. The little gorilla hid over by a big one now. A very very large one. I notice the large one was just like the one I rescued the other day.

Was that his mother? Maybe. I look over at the mother. She had a little mark on her ear from when she was captured. A little blue marking. It was her. Oh boy. She was sure going to hate me being around here! I move backward a little.

"Hey now....no hard feelings. You can keep the watch. I am sure I can get him another. He will never notice it is gone anyway" I laugh nervously.

I go to back away. I feel something leap behind me. Causing me to jump up. I hear a harsh snorting sound. The gorillas "Eee Epp epp" noises all about me with a rush of excitement. I feel something tugging at my hair with a curiousness. I gasp turning around to see what was touching me. There was the mother. She tugged on my curly hair curiously.

"Hello there" I ramble on.

Her face was now right in my own.

She studied me.

"Hair?" I question her softly.

She snorts out air from her nostrils' at me. A bit of spit hits my face. I was so going to need that shower later on. Clayton owed me for this. Big time. After the day I was having...

She gets closer. Right in my face. Our faces were inches apart from one another. I knew very well she could crush me. Kill me. I knew it. She knew it. Her move was next. I only hoped she recalled what I had done for her yesterday. Please let her remember!

I close my eyes not able to move another inch.

She moves back. She leaps back into the tree with her baby.

Oh thank heavens.

She did know me!

She had to!

Gorillas were so highly intelligent! She was for sure!

I feel a smile cross my face. I had to get out of here. Fast.

I turn around to go to leave.

"You keep the watch. Okay? No hard feelings. It has been nice talking to you all. Now I better get going or they will miss me" I laugh nervously as I back away from the crowd.

Those stares. I never felt more nervous. This was worse than being on American Idol. Had to be.

Trust me.

I go to turn around.

To rush my ass out of here.

Right before me another gorilla leaps before me. He or she was much bigger than the momma gorilla. He had a nasty scar above his eye. He snorts with anger in my face. He was not pleased I was in his area.

"No worry pops. I am leaving. Right now!" I mutter with a new found fear in me. I run for it. He chases me down. I hear his fists pounding on the ground behind me.

Wow.

Holy hell.

Gorillas are fast!

Look out Nascar!

I run for my life now. I did not care what I dropped along the way. Suddenly the gorilla leaps in front of me. Stopping me right in my tracks. He was pissed at me. I was in the wrong neighborhood now. The momma gorilla leaps beside him. She grunts at the other one. I was stuck in the middle of whatever was going on here. I try to get away the other angered gorilla stops me in my tracks.

I hear it.

A loud call ring out of nowhere. Almost human like.

But who would be out here other than us?

Someone grabs me by my waist line. Lifting me up off the ground. Away from the gorilla fight. I sigh feeling a bit of relief. I look up to thank my savior here.

I gasp.

A man had me in his arms. Swinging from tree to tree like a gorilla. Or an ape of some kind. But he was a man. I swear he is. He had long hair cascading down over his face. He glances over at me. His piercing green eyes lock with my own.

"Oh my. I am losing it! That is it! I died didn't I? The gorilla got me back there? That is it" I laugh as I shake my head. Oh Jane wake up! Wake up will you?

I close my eyes again. Then open them.

I was still with this mystery man. I make the mistake of looking down where we were above the trees.

"Oh s**t!" I mutter as I feel myself grow weak and dizzy.

Next thing I know...it was lights out for me.

I pass out.

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