• [Kert]

    I can almost see the future now—a radiant, gold future. With these we can finally do what we all strained so hard to do!
    “Hurry up, come on!” I beckon them forward, not taking my eyes off the light shining ahead—unless that wasn’t a light, just my imagination going haywire from all the excitement.
    Jen and Roger groaned loud and long. “Your not the one that has to carry all these back to the top!” they both said.
    I chuckled at that. “I was the one that made them, you’re the ones that are going to carry them”
    “Hmph. I could’ve made them myself” Jen pouts.
    “What happened to Trek?” I asked bleakly.
    “Probably up there with the girls” Roger replied, huffing.
    “Ah...” I said to myself, not really caring at all. I didn’t even know why I bothered asking.
    “Well look at this” Jen said slyly as he came next to me and studied my face. “The cool and calm has released from you. Now you look like a little kid!”
    I ignored him. It didn’t bother me at all—the things he was saying.
    “Beaming like a fool” Jen tried to get me angry but it didn’t work. He sighed “You’re acting all strange, Kert. Kind of creepy, more like it” he was staring where I was giddily looking at. “The best way to describe your expression is someone who’ve seen an angel”
    “What I see is better than any angel” I said as we reached the exit. “Way better”
    Everything was clear and dim. I laughed, so the light I was so eagerly striding to ended up being a hallucination. I looked up at the moon; it was at its fullest and shining brightly in the night sky. There was a crunch underneath my foot—a piece of the cottage wall. So it did this much damage to the upper area. I thought it wouldn’t reach this far, that the room I made down there was big enough for the explosion.
    “Where are the others?” Roger asked as he put the stuff down. “I don’t see them at all”
    I nodded, everything was easy to see now, but where are they? They couldn’t have gone down the hole because that was the only way in and out of the underground room, and they weren’t there. There was a distant muffling sound. I saw four figures huddled against a tree, one was grabbing hold of another who was struggling madly. Jen put the stuff down before we ran over to them.
    “What’s going on?” I ask as we reached them. Trek had a firm grip on both of Mika’s wrist. She was cursing and thrashing her legs around.
    “Control your girlfriend, Jen!” Trek growled. “After the bomb, I found Netti and Phili. Then Mika, here, was trying to go to the village for help!”
    “I had to!” Mika hissed. “There was an explosion, it could’ve killed us! You guys are nuts, I know you wer—“
    “No, you didn’t” Jen interrupted. The way his voice sounded made everyone look at him. “Don’t try to convince yourself a lie, again”
    She stopped struggling, drooped, and fainted right into Trek’s arms. He was getting all jittery. “Oh man, is she okay?”
    “Relax, she’s fine” Jen picked her up. “The better question is what do we do now?”
    “Yeah” Roger said. “The cottage is gone, there’s no food or blankets…”
    “And we’re ready to leave” I added.
    “Leave where?” Trek asked.
    “You know where”
    “To go rescue your friend” Phili said, not stuttering.
    “Uh…yeah” Roger drops his head a bit, embarrassed. “Finally….”
    I exchanged glances; from cocky Jen to fainted Mika, confused Netti to a more stupidly confused Trek, solemn Phili to love struck Roger. I sighed; well we’re obviously not ready to go now. “The day after tomorrow” I announced.
    They gave me unsure glances.
    “That’s when we leave. For now, let’s just find a place to stay”

    “Why here?” Netti brushes a leaf away. “Of all places, why here?”
    “It isn’t as bad as you think it is” I replied.
    “But we’re up on a tree! A very huge, tall tree!”
    “But we’re safe here” I laugh as I lay down on a bark. The branches curve down then up, it was just like a hammock. “If you’re so scared to sleep by yourself, go over there with monkey boy” I shoo her away. The others where scattered around the tree. Phili slept with Mika in a branch more close to the ground. Roger, Jen, and Trek were way up higher to the top.
    “Are you crazy? I can’t climb any higher than this!”
    I grin slightly; she didn’t refuse my offer, so I guess she does have some sort of feelings for him. Unless she’s just an idiot and didn’t understand what I said. “Off you go”
    She grumbles but doesn’t leave, walking closer to me instead. “I’m taking this spot”
    I blink twice—is she not sane? “You are not going to sleep here tonight” I said coldly.
    “But I’m already here!” she whines.
    “So?” I was starting to get annoyed by her presence.
    “So…there’s no more of these branches forming together…”
    I sighed, that is true. And she can’t go with Phili and Mika because it’s already full. I cringe at the thought of me having to sleep with her, Jen, Roger, or Trek. “I still vote with you sleeping with monkey boy…”
    She gapes, blushing a bit.
    Wow. It seems now she understood. I broke off a thin branch that was close by and threw it at Trek—it hit his head. He gets up, rubs his eyes, and looks around. That doofus. I had to pick off another branch and throw it at him, again, this time he dodged it and looked down at me. He was about fifteen thick branches high. I did the simplest gesture, I pointed to him then down. He yawned and stretched before coming.
    “Waddya want?” he was swaying a little, eyes droopy.
    “I can’t sleep” I replied. “Take this girl back up with you so I can finally be at peace” I pointed to Netti—she flinched.
    He yawned again then did a crooked grin and a sloppy salute. “Aye…aye…sir. I’ll take her away with—“ he collapsed right next to me, snoring quietly.
    I got up and brushed my arm. What an idiot. I sighed then glanced at Netti. “I agree to your idea of sleeping here”
    “But—“
    “No, no, it’s alright, I approve. Now will you excuse me…” I jumped up the branches and into Treks wood hammock, not wanting to be down there again.

    In the morning.
    Everyone was gathering around the same place, looking at the same thing. Trek was sleeping, still, and so was Netti. I can’t believe she actually slept next to him. It wasn’t some warm embrace that they were in; it was just their backs touching.
    “So…?” Roger asked me.
    “Just wake them up. Scream, shout, stomp, cut the whole tree down, it doesn’t matter what” I replied.
    Mika, Jen, and Roger nodded, took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of their lungs. They woke up at same time, first looking at the others then at each other. I bet they were getting real confused right now. I tapped Phili’s shoulder, telling her that we’re going down. She nodded then looked at Roger. I sighed, everyone here is love struck. Am I the only sane person around?
    “Let’s go” I jumped down the branches.
    When everyone was on ground level, I lead the way back to the cottage—well what’s left of it anyway. We didn’t bring the stuff with us because it was a bit heavy so I hid it instead. Once we reached the place, I went and grabbed the things out from its hiding place. They were in a brown bag.
    “What are…” Trek trailed off as he heard clanking sounds and saw how big the bag was.
    “Now, to finally show these beauties off!” I beamed as I opened the bag up. They glowed under the morning sun—magnificent.

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