Holding On
Chapter II
When my eyes blink open the next morning, I'm delighted to see the bright sunshine pouring in from my window. Better weather means that I can go outside today; an alternative that sounds much better than being cooped up in the house like I have been for the past few days, because of the rain. The sudden excitement courses through my veins, giving me a surge of energy and instantly waking me up. I hop out of bed and dress hastily, taking the stairs two at a time and rushing down into the kitchen.
I eat a quick breakfast before pulling on my shoes, not bothering with a jacket despite the fact that it's probably still pretty chilly outside, and in no time at all I'm going out the front door and stepping into the bright light. The rain is nice, but it makes me miss the sun, so I'm glad that it's gone for now. I decide that I should take the opportunity to do some hiking today, like I do often in either the countryside surrounding our town or around the mountains that sit closely behind the outskirts to the north.
Knowing that there will probably be more sun out in the fields, I head out of town in that direction, enjoying being able to stretch my legs without having to constantly splash through puddles. I end up following a little dirt path that begins just outside of town, off to the side of the main road. It leads away from the town and to the east, winding through the hilly fields that are covered in thick, green grass and dotted by the occasional tree or small lake.
It's quiet out here, just the sound of my boots padding along the path with each step that I take, and the birds singing all around me; it's a peaceful place. I'm startled when I hear another set of footsteps approaching though, and when I turn around to investigate I'm even more shocked when I see that they belong to Cloud. He smiles slightly when I catch his eyes, and jogs up the rest of the path between us to stand in front of me.
"Hi," I greet him, finding myself returning his smile unconsciously.
"Mind if I join you?" he asks politely, his eyes bright with expectance.
I give him a nod in agreement, and both of us resume walking down the little path, the light breeze blowing our hair around our faces. Like yesterday, he doesn't choose to start a conversation while we're walking together, but I think he probably just isn't a talkative kind of person. Maybe I should be a little worried that he keeps showing up wherever I am, because it is kind of odd, but for some reason I just feel happy to see him today, and I'm grateful for his company.
A few minutes go by before I decide to speak up; not because I feel the need to fill the silence with idle talk, but because there's been something on my mind since he approached me yesterday, and I want to get an answer from him.
"Why did you suddenly decide to talk to me?" I ask him, hoping that my direct question doesn't sound harsh despite my soft tone.
Cloud looks over at me curiously, one of his blond eyebrows rising up. "What do you mean?"
"I thought you didn't like me," I state simply.
"Why would you think that?" he asks, looking almost hurt by my accusation.
I pause for a moment, trying to pull my thoughts together before I answer. "You've always lived next door, but when we were little you never even said a word to me." I begin, trying my best to explain. "Why do you suddenly want to spend time with me now?"
He glances away from me then, shoving his hands in his pockets and averting his eyes to the ground as we continue walking. He chews on his lower lip for a long moment, seeming to be trying to figure out how to answer me, and I wait patiently for his response.
"When we were little, you always played with that big group of kids in town," he starts slowly. "I did want to play with you, but the older boys in the group wouldn't let me, so I left you alone."
Cloud doesn't look back up at me after he finishes, and when I see the dejected look in his eyes I feel bad for bringing it up. I had no idea that was going on; I always just assumed that he didn't want to join us, not that he wasn't allowed. Cloud's father disappeared when he was fairly young, though I don't know the reason behind it, but the fact that he has a single mother has made the other townspeople treat him differently, and I suppose it could explain why the other kids outcasted him too.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," I say quietly.
He looks back at me then, and a small grin replaces the solemn look on his face. "It's alright," he assures me.
Relieved that he's not taking it too hard, I smile back at him. We fall into silence again as we keep walking, but before long I remember that he never answered the other half of my question.
"So what changed?" I ask him, but when a perplexed expression appears on his face I try to explain better. "I mean why are you suddenly talking to me now?" I clarify.
His reaction surprises me, because he almost seems amused; there's even a smirk pulling up one corner of his mouth.
"They're not in town anymore," he elaborates, looking almost triumphant about it.
It takes me a moment to understand that he must mean the older boys that kept him from playing with the rest of us, and I realize that they are all absent from town now, because they left to join ShinRa's army the last time they came to recruit. Now that I've started thinking about it, I'm pretty sure that Cloud isn't all that much younger than the rest of them, even if he is quite a bit shorter than most of the other boys, so I wonder if he'll be leaving soon too.
"How old are you?" I ask him suddenly.
He seems a bit confused by my question, but he answers me anyway. "Seventeen," he replies.
I nod my head, deciding not to ask him if he'll be joining ShinRa too, for fear that it might be a sore spot for him if he's not going to get to. Not many of the boys that grow up in this little town stay here for long; whether they go off to join the army or just move away to the city. Cloud's mother doesn't have anyone else here for her though, so I'd be willing to bet that he'd stay here to make her happy, even if he really wants to go somewhere else.
"Would you mind following me somewhere?" Cloud asks unexpectedly, causing me to look over at him. "There's this place on the side of one of the mountains; I think you'd like it," he explains.
It sounds like a good idea to me, so I nod my head in agreement. Another smile appears on his lips in response, though it's subtle like it always is, and I when he veers off the path to take a shortcut through the tall grass I follow after him. He watches me closely out of the corner of his eye for awhile, seeming to be trying to determine if I'm okay with going somewhere that doesn't involve an easy path, but when I don't complain he doesn't ask me about it.
We travel for what seems like a long time; trumping through the grass, stepping over a few small streams, and ultimately circling around the town and closer to the mountains. I'm used to hiking quite a lot, so my legs don't ever get very tired, but I am relieved when Cloud finally comes to a stand still. I had been watching my feet for the majority of the time that we were walking, to make sure I didn't loose my footing, and as I look up the sight of this place takes my breath away.
We've ended up on the slope of a mountain that overlooks the town; a straight drop in front of us and to my left, and a sheer cliff face to my right. The ground at the top here is level, and it's covered in bright green grass and hundreds of differently colored wild flowers that are getting ready to bloom. I noticed a few trees around our path on the way up here, but the one at the top of the slope is enormous, and it shades a lot of the grassy area.
"This is amazing," I say, my voice a whisper that is almost lost in the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves on the tree above us.
Cloud nods in agreement. "I've been coming here for years," he says.
I continue staring out at the view in awe for several minutes, taking in how tiny the houses in the town look from way up here and how beautiful the landscape is, before my attention is drawn back to Cloud. His movement catches my eye, and as I watch him he plops down on the ground in the middle of a patch of grass; lying back with his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. It looks inviting, so I decide to copy him; settling down next to him and stretching myself out.
We're only partially shaded by the tree where we're laying, so the sun warms my skin as I lie here, and before long my eyes begin to drift closed. It's satisfying just to be here and have his company, and I don't even mind the silence between us. It strikes me as odd that someone like Cloud who grew up without any friends and with a missing father is so content, but I'm quickly finding out that he is a very easy person to be with, and someone that I could see becoming a good friend.
To be continued…
(A/N) You guys know this stands for "author's note", right? Just checking. XD
Thank you so much for the reviews everybody! :D I was afraid that this wouldn't get a very good response, because it's a little different, but I'm glad you guys liked it. Your responses make me happy. :3 Leave some more reviews for me, won't you? It makes me that much more excited to update for you. ;)
-punkiemonkie
