Chapter 4: The Strangers

"Ro. Ro wake up!"

I woke up quickly. "What? What is it?" I said with urgency. I saw Tika standing in front of me, with Sagi and Azul beside her. I stood up and looked at them. They had an evil grin in their eye.

Suddenly, before I could do anything, Tika tapped me. "Tag! Your it!" And they were off running through the forest.

"So that's how it's going to be," I said to myself. "You'll be sorry!" Then I took off. Azul was probably flying and Sagi was probably climbing a tree. That left Tika.

I came to a fork in the path. I looked at the two paths in front of me. I didn't see anything unusually down the first path, or the second. I looked down the first path again and saw that a little branch had just been torn down. Tika had been here.

I ran down the first path, determined to catch up with her. She had been through here. I just knew it.

When I got to the clearing, I was caught off guard. They were all just standing there. This had to be some kind of trick. They wouldn't make it this easy, not after what they just pulled.

I quietly snuck up behind them. My target was Azul. It was to get back at him at what he said last night. Almost there…

"Gotcha!" I yelled. "Your it!" I grinned because I felt like I just had a victory, but Azul didn't even seem to mind. To tell you the truth, I don't think he noticed me at all.

"What are you all…" I let my sentence trail off. Something big was coming towards in the water. What was it?

I walked up to them.

Azul said, "I've never seen a floating island before."

Was that what it was? A floating island? I studied it. I guess it sort of looked like an island. I turned and looked at Tika. She looked worried. Is this what she was fretting about last night? How could she have known about the floating island before all of us?

"It's getting closer," Sagi said. Indeed it was. What would happen when it got here?

Mustering up all the courage I could I spoke. I knew Sagi and Azul wouldn't like what I had to say either. "I think we should just ignore until it gets here. I mean, maybe it'll go away. Azul, you're it."

Tika gave me a smile of gratitude and we all ran into the forest.

Eventually, Azul got Sagi, but that was the end of the game. Right then, someone and someone else walked onto the island in a mini floating island. The one was singing something, but I couldn't make out the words. My friends, however, started to sing their own song.

It has no trunk,

It has no tail.

It's not a fish,

It's not a whale.

It has no feathers,

I can see.

I joined in.

I have to say,

It looks like me.

My friends took over again.

It must be bad,

It can't be good.

Let's run and hide,

I think we should!

Just close your eyes,

It goes away.

I jumped in again.

This doesn't happen

Everyday!

Why couldn't they see this was special? This could be our biggest adventure ever! However, when I looked behind at my friends they looked worried, especially Tika. Well, they can't hide from everything, I decided. I'm going to go see what they want here.

I set off determined to not let my friends get in my way. The one was looking at something. I wondered what it was.

Suddenly, the one in the back bumped the one in the front down our favorite ride. It was a fun slide that took you down to the crocodiles, but they weren't expecting it, so I'm sure it wasn't too fun.

I raced to the other entrance. I knew that Riki, Taj, Kiki and Fang didn't like visitors. It took them awhile to get used to me.

Suddenly, I heard Riki say, "That's all you got?" Oh, no. The stranger was trying to fight them. I had to get there quick.

Then I heard Taj say, "We've got you now."

I quickly grabbed the vine down and swung down to the platform above the place the strangers were standing.

"Riki," I said. I was just in time. I hated to think what might have happened if I hadn't gotten there in time. "Taj, Kiki. That's enough."

"Oh, come on Ro, just a little," Kiki tried to persuade me.

Something wasn't right. Where was…

"Fang," I said, seeing him trying to get to the one on the left, "Don't even think about it."

"Just a little bit?" asked Fang. The two strangers turned around to see him, looking surprised.

I heard one of them ask the other something. I couldn't hear it very well though.

I laughed, "No, not even a little piece." I shook my head. "Now swim along." They always listened to me. You just had to gain their trust. "Thank you," I called out as they swam away.

"Yeah, yeah," said Riki.

I sighed. He was impossible sometimes.

"Sorry about that," I said, turning to the strangers. "We're not used to visitors. Who are you?"

The one on the left looked at me in amazement. "Who are you?"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "Come on. We need to get you out of there. Riki can sometimes change his mind. I quickly hopped off the overhang and swam over to where they were. As I got out of the water, I noticed the one on the left staring at me. I felt my cheeks heat up again. What was going on with me? Why was I acting so weird?

"Uh, so if your careful, you can climb back up to the main forest from where you came. You just have to hold onto this vine. I pulled a vine out from under the brush. Our hands met and I pulled mine away. Stop acting like a fool, Ro, I told myself. But I couldn't help it.

"Right," the left one said, his cheeks turning red. He started to climb up with his friend right behind them. When they were up, I climbed up. When I got to the top, I saw the one who was on the left before was waiting for me. Act normal, I told myself. I grabbed his hand and acted completely normal, or, at least I think I did. If this stranger was going to make me act like this all the time, this was going to be a long day…