Chapter 1 - The Winter Reverie

Emilia and Tanya
The atmosphere surrounding Emelia and Tanya gradually quiets as the realization sets in that, thankfully, no one appears to be injured. Soon after, the wailing sirens draw near, bringing with them a sense of order. Police and medical personnel traverse the area, checking on the well-being of everyone present. A police officer, accompanied by a first responder, approaches Emelia and Tanya. With genuine concern, the officer inquires, "How are you two doing? Are you hurt? We're going to start clearing people away from this area shortly so we can investigate and make sure that this doesn't happen again. Do you need any help getting home? "

Robbie takes the flier, unsure what else to do. "You look like you could use some rest," she tells the man. "How about you come home to my parents' farm with me. You can tell them about this." She holds up the flier. "And my mom can make her famous chicken soup for you. You'll feel better in a heartbeat."

Tanya is comforted by the situation being taken charge of by the authorities, after that crazy, shocking, anarchic event.

"No sir... I... think I'm good. I can get home alright... Just... scary, is all. Good that no-one got hurt... did they?"
He looks at the woods where Robbie ran into. She is out of vision.
"But our friend Robbie ran into those woods, would you mind coming with me to check on her, please?" she asks the officer.

Robbie makes note of the information the man is giving her. "Thanks, Skog," she says uncertainly. How could she convince him to come home with her? Maybe she can't. But if he's going to be at this meeting, perhaps she can talk to him then, when he's less drunk. "I'm Robbie, by the way. It's actually Roberta, but everyone calls me Robbie." She rubs her arm awkwardly, unsure what else to say. "I think that was really cool, at the train tracks." Actually, she found it really scary, but if she told him that, he'd probably take her for a kid who's not serious about this revolution, whatever that's supposed to be. "What was in those train cars?"

Emilia nods along with Tanya. 'Yeah she...there was someone here talking to us before everything happened. I think she ran after him. I'm not sure.' She wasn't still struggling to piece events together.

The police officer, intrigued by the description of the man provided by Tanya and Emelia, swiftly urges them to lead the way towards the woods where Robbie is located.

Skog, lying against the tree, opens his eyes and addresses Robbie, "Roberta... Did you say famous chicken soup? That does sound nice. We deserve a nice meal after all that. Let's go! On the way, I can tell you about the poison in those train cars that's being used to poison and change our Earth!"

Struggling to regain his balance, Skog slowly rises, his movements unsteady. As he and Robbie prepare to leave, the sound of approaching footsteps prompts Skog to freeze in uncertainty. To their surprise, the police officer, accompanied by Tanya and Emelia, emerges from the woods.

How does everyone react?

Robbie blinks in surprise at her approaching friends, and even moreso when she sees that they have a police officer with them. "Hey Tanya and Emilia," she says. To Skog, she explains, "Those are my friends, remember?" Then, to her friends again, she says, "I was just taking him home to the farm so he can cure himself out a bit."

"Robbie! Oh, good. You're safe. I got scared when I saw you running to the woods, and I asked this kind policeman to accompany us to check if you were OK," she explains.

She looks at Skog a little puzzled.

The police officer swiftly connects the dots and decides to put Skog under arrest. Despite his disheveled appearance, Skog offers no resistance, recognizing the consequences of his actions. His bleary eyes convey a sense of resignation mixed with regret, but there's also a flicker of understanding, a silent acknowledgment of the budding friendship with Robbie, whom he doesn't want to put in jeopardy. The officer takes charge, hauling Skog away from the scene. As Skog disappears into the distance, the woods once again envelop the three kids in solitude, leaving behind a mixture of confusion and unanswered questions.

This gives you all a moment to discuss things with each other. When ready, let me know what the next steps are for your crew.

"They shouldn't have arrested him," Robbie says, even if she is aware that he was definitely involved in whatever strange thing was being done at the train. "I don't think he's a bad guy. I feel bad for him." She looked down at the multiple flyers in her hand that he gave her. "I wonder what they actually did at the train. You stayed there longer than me. Did you see anything?"

"I saw a woman talking into a bag, I think she had a radio in there. I heard the name Astrid... But the woman warned me to run away... That's when I dragged you guys. This was really scary... I mean ... We could have got hurt! It was like... A terrorist attack, Robbie!"
She says, still shaken by what was probably the most traumatic accident of her life. Now it is sinking in, she feels really agitated, the adrenaline running wild in her system.

I'm sorry Robie I..I mean we ..were worried where you had run to, if youd got into trouble. He said hed help look for you. She hesitantly puts a hand on the taller girls shoulder to try and comfort her. She can't help but feel slightly responsible for Robbie being upset.

She looks ove rto Tanya as she speaks. 'Someone warned you? She might be the one reaponsible. Not..that guy?' She looks to Robbie again slightly confused, not even sure why she seemed upset about him.

Tanya considers Emilia's question. "It's almost like... the guy was attracting everybody's attention so this Astrid woman with the radio could go unnoticed. i think they were working together? And I am pretty sure the woman... gave the signal for the attack!" she says, realizing near what danger she found herself just minutes before.

Then turning to Robbie, "I didn't ask the policeman to come with us so he could... arrest anybody. Just because... I was scared, that's all."

Emilia's hand on Robbie's shoulder felt nice and cheered her up a bit. "I'm just worried about Skog," she said. "I'm sure he was involved in what happened in some way, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. Do you think they'll let us visit him at the station? They're probably going to keep him there, right? Maybe we could go tomorrow when he's not as drunk anymore."