Welcome to Gaia! ::

nodding in ok. he spots a nearby stand selling hats and gloves going over carefully he takes a broad rimed hat and a parit of leather gloves an puts a twenty down. the cashier takeing it, with out looking up asked if he wanted the change. "Nah keep it." nodding his head. deposits it in his coin box. and turns to serve another. putting the hat on along with the gloves he walked out in the opean without, being noticed and got a leather jacket. walking back to the others, he smiled.

Riley smiled at Michael as she knelt down to him. "A few hours. But good news. We've got a ride to the abandoned house." The excitement was over whelming for her. They were going to get out of there and she would see her brother once again. Something she thought would never happen.

The swimming body twitched closer to him. He lay silently, not moving. A single waver would alert it to his presence. Closer now... closer...
Quick as a striking snake, he darted out and grabbed the fish. Perfect.
He ripped into its body, the blood carried away downstream..

Simon awoke to see bars of light playing over his hand. That's funny, he thought in a daze. They must have cleaned the pool... I don't remember the water ever being so cle-
Simon's eyes shot open and he sat up. I'm underwater! It's morning! What- where did the rest go?!
Simon swam out from his cave under the rock, dislodging several recently cleaned fish skeletons. He poked his head up on the surface cautiously.
Nothing... no guards anywhere... Simon carefully levered more of himself out of the water. But why? Does that mean the rest have been captured?
A twinge of pain in his right leg reminded him of his wound. Oh, right... he thought, sinking down again. I'd better see that in the day... Simon's eyes went wide.
His right leg was no longer broken. This would have been more comforting if it were still attached.
Underneath the rock, caught by the current, was what remained of his right leg below the calf. It was quickly decaying and would soon be no more than a bone. And at the end of his leg was- was...
Simon looked closer to make sure he'd seen correctly. Yes, there it was. A miniature copy of the leg he'd lost. Even as he watched, it swelled in size, getting closer to the size of the original. He could tell that within an hour or so it would look no different from the one he'd been born with.
...light, he finished weakly, staring at his new appendage. What exactly was going on here? He'd heard of starfish growing new arms, but humans?
Then again, I'm not exactly human anymore, he reminded himself grimly. They could have done more to me than just give me animal DNA. I have no idea what happened in that operation.
Simon got onto the bank of the river. Well, whatever's happened, I have to find the others, he thought. New leg or not.
***
The first task at hand was to find a way of staying moist. After rummaging in a nearby shed, Simon found several water bottles and a bag. Perfect, he thought. He glanced around. Now if only I had some idea of which way the others went...
Just then, the shed door banged open. s**t! Simon thought. He quickly dove behind a stack of equipment and crawled under it.
"I'm telling you, they just disappeared!" a man yelled. He sounded exasperated, as if he'd been asked the same question too many times.
"Million-dollar experiments don't just 'disappear'," another man said curtly. A box shifted. He seemed to be inspecting the shed. "Not if you want to keep your job, that is."
The other man snorted. "You want my job? You can have it. Being pulled outta bed at o'dark-thirty and chasing escapees is no job for me."
"Regardless, we have to find out where they are," the second man said dryly. He seemed to have given up his search. "How could they have eluded all of us so easily?..."
"Last time I saw them was at the river. Here, I'll show ya."
The sounds of the two men retreated until the door clicked softly shut.
Simon slowly crawled out from under the equipment. He thought he knew a way - something only he could see.
Quietly, he crossed to the corner of the room and knelt. When he rapped the floorboards, they rang hollow. Simon grinned. With a bit of ingenuity, he used a crowbar to pry up the trapdoor. A spot of white fluttered down, freed from the door - a feather. One that had stuck up just enough for a boy on the floor to see it.
***
Simon paced along the dark tunnel. He hadn't thought to bring a flashlight along and was really regretting it. "For all I know, there's a big sign saying 'Exit this way' and I missed it," he muttered.
At last, light glinted at the end of the tunnel. Simon sped up gladly when he saw it. He burst out into the fresh air with a sigh of relief.
"It's about time!" he laughed. Then he looked around and his shoulders drooped. "What now?" he murmured, for there was no sign to show which way the others had gone.
For a moment Simon was devastated to think that he'd lost his friends. He had nowhere to go and no one to help him. But he put his fears aside and stood tall.
"Well," he told himself, "the important step has been accomplished. You're out of the facility. Now you need to get some help and get home."
With that thought in mind, Simon turned towards the sound of the highway.
***
"Feels like I've been walking forever," Simon said. He stopped walking and squinted up at the sky. "What time is it?"
Only silence answered his question. Simon shrugged and took another bottle of water out of his bag. He gulped it down in one swig. The water would keep him hydrated from the inside, letting him last for days out of water instead of hours.
Simon's ears perked up suddenly as they caught an unusual sound. "Music?" the boy wondered as he put the empty bottle back in the bag. He walked towards the music.
He could see a large field bordering a town as he approached. And there...
A flash of wing, the glint of a fang, a scattering of fur...
Simon nearly broke down then and there. "You're here!" he said, running towards the others.

((Whew! Sorry for the long post. Lot of things had to happen. Yes, salamanders really can regrow limbs, though obviously not that quickly. Thanks for bearing with me!))

"Nice leg, what happend you decide to shrink it or something?" with a laugh, he lingerd by the woods. His clothing would keep him warm, and disguised as well.

"Well, I called him an hour ago. But our home is a" A giant horned honked loudly. Riley quickly turned around as it skidded to a stop. The man jumped out of the car.

"Riley?" He asked. Tears began to stream down her face as she ran towards her brother.

"Oh, Jackie, Jackie, Jackie!" She cried. Jack pulled away.

"What did mom tell you about call me Jackie?" He asked. Riley smiled.

"To do every time I can." Jack wiped her tears and smiled. Riley turned around. "Everyone this is Jack. Jack this is everyone." Jack gave a wave and turned back to his sister but she answered for him. "I know we have to go. Ok, everyone climb into the" Riley looked back at the huge automobile. "Bus? Jack, you stole a bus?"

"What? You told me there were a lot of people." Jack shrugged. Riley smiled.

"And that's why I have a genius for a brother." She walked over to Michael. "Can you walk ok?"

Michael Spoke to her."yeah.. i can walk fine... Its just that im still drowsy because of it." he said. Michael started to get onto the bus when he noticed a guard from the lab he didn't look like he was hunting for them or dressed like a guard but Michael was sure if he found them then they would be as good as done.
"Come on hurry up..." he said glancing at the others and near the festival where the guard was.

Luaghing elenwyd says, "Nah he was propley on his way to the festival any ways when you called, that or they moved closer, or even got a cell and switched his number to that of your homes."