Chapter Four

"Gray," I kenlt down and gently shook him. He moaned and swatted the air, as if trying to get rid of me. "Gray." I pushed the bill of his cap up. It was the middle of the night. I had heard something in the woods. A cold sweat had broken out on my brow. "Gray," I whispered. Another crunch through the leaves, "Gray!" I pulled his cap from his head. His shaggy carrot hair fell over his eyes, making me blush by how cute he was. "Gray, wake up." His eyes opened slowly. He furrowed his brow and sat up on his elbow, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Claire... what?" He yawned widely. Another crunch made me tense up. I lowered his hat to the ground and looked over my shoulder. It felt like someone was staring at me, but I think I was run to the point of paranoia.

"Someone is in the woods." Gray's eyes lingered on me a moment longer before he looked over his shoulder, his red hair flopping gently. "I heard them, I swear." That's when I saw a silouette. "Gray, look!" He pressed his index finger to my lips softly. I blushed, but he squinted harder into the dark.

"You're right," He whispered. Slowly he stood. I came to my feet as well, holding Gray's hat in a death clutch. "Let me see my hat," He looked down at me since he was much taller. I handed it up to him. Either he didn't like the idea of me holding it or he was going to kill the silouette with the hat. He reached into his hat and pushed up some of the loose fabric by the bill. He withdrew a thing of matches. Without thinking, he put it on my head. I had to push the bill to the side since it was much to large for my head. Gray leaned down and used his boot to light the match, then held it before his face. It lightly illuminated his fair skin, red hair, and blue eyes. He was absolutely breath taking. "Stay here," He told me and began inching towards the silouette.

"Gray," I skipped forward, grabbing his arm, "I'm going with you." I was already thought of pathetic because of my fear of water, I wasn't going to stand idly by while he lurked forward into the dark woods because of a figure looming nearby. He looked sternly at me, shaking his head.

"No," He replied, his voice getting louder. "It's too dangerous for two of us."

"What if there is multiple of them?" I asked, my voice strained.

"Claire," Gray sighed heavily. Everytime he spoke my name he seemed to be sighing it. I shrank back, lowering my eyes. He shook his head and held the flicking flame between us, "I don't want you to get hurt. You almost died earlier." It's hard to believe I almost lost my life a couple hours ago. "You'll just get in the way." This stung me. I looked up at him, feeling absolutely pathetic.

"You're just kids," Came a scratchy voice. Gray turned around, stepping infront of me, holding a protective arm out and holding the match out. I grabbed onto Gray's arm and peaked around Gray. There was a man with a straw hat on. He was wearing overalls that were covered in dirt and a flannel shirt. (Goddess, I am getting so sick of these flannel shirts. Everyone wears them in the woods.) His red undershirt had tears on it and signs of sweating. "Whaddya doin' in the woods like this?" He grouched, not at all concerned for our safety. That's when he threw something to the ground. It was a shovel. "This isn't the ideal place to be takin' your girlfriend."

"We're not on a date," Gray said flatly, brushing some of his red hair from his dazzling orbs of eyes. "We were in a rafting accident earlier. We're trying to find our friends." Gray explained. The man threw his head back and laughed.

"I'm surprised you've survived this long in this ol' forest! It's quite the dangerous one! Were you 'n yer friends campin' out here?" Gray nodded, getting another guffaw from the man, "Kids! They're damn idiots nowadays! Why do ya think no one else is in the campin' grounds? This place is dangerous! Wolves, snakes, poison ivy. There are attackin' fish in those rapids over here." He shook his head, then eyed Gray darkly from under the shadow of his straw hat. "There's a lot of dirty buisness goin' on out 'ere in this here forest. Did you not know why it was called 'UnderDirt Forest'?" Another shake of the head, "My, my... this forest is crawlin' with grave diggers and mafia camps." My eyes widened when he said this. He slowly bent down and picked up his shovel, "But I wouldn't be worryin' 'bout all of that. You kids have fun." He snickered quietly, tightening his grip on his shovel. "Jus' be careful where you go." In the blink of his eye, he had struck Gray with the shovel. Nailing him in the head, Gray dropped the match. It fell into the vegatation, catching some grass on fire. He faught for a moment to stay conscious, but he crumbled to the ground, a bruise already darkening on his left temple.

"GRAY!" I screamed, leaning over to grab him. His hat fell off of my head and lightly patted onto the ground beside his falling and rising chest. There was a searing pain in my scalp as the man grabbed my long blond hair and pulled me back. I cried as I slammed into his thick chest. "LET GO OF ME, YOU CREEP!" I screamed, elbowing him in the gut. He growled and knee'd me in the tailbone. Pain flared up in my spine. "I SAID LET GO!" I shoved him away from me. I almost tripped into the cackling fire. Quickly I began stomping it out with my boots. I heard the battle call of the man. He rammed me in my side, knocking me onto the ground beside Gray. "Gray," I cried, shaking his arm, "Gray!"

"You're pretty little boyfriend cain't hear ya," The man leaned down and pulled me to my feet. I tried to pull away but he only brought me in closer. I struggled against him, growling and grounding my teeth as I did so. "You know... you're a cute one." The red alert sirons went off in my mind. I slapped him across the face harshly.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed. I looked over my shoulder desperately to see an unconscious Gray still, "GRAY!" I cried. The man took hold of my wrists. "Hey!" I hissed, batting my arms around to get away from him. "HELP!" I wailed.

"HEY SHUT UP!" He smacked me, but I'm sure I screamed so loud I bothered the entire world.

...

Kai shot up, his eyes wide. Mary's eyes flew open, but she remained lying in the dirt. Kai looked all around the area, a sweat on his face. He tugged on his banadana and leapt to his feet.

"Did you hear that, Mary?" Kai asked, his brown eyes showing concern, "That sounded like Ann! Or... maybe it was Claire..." Kai pulled Mary to her feet, "What are we doing, just lying around, while our friends might be in grave danger, Mary?"

"There's only so much we can do, Kai," Mary replied, adjusting her broken glasses, "We don't know anything about this forest. We can't navigate it at night. We don't even know whats lurking around in it."

Kai sighed and shook his head vigoursly, "That's what the forest wants you to think, Mary!" Kai cried, "One of our friends could be dying or even dead out there. We're gonna have to try and navigate through the forest." He turned towards the dark trees, a breeze whistling through the foliage. He took Mary's good hand, surprising her, "Just stick close to me, alright? And every so often, let's call for someone." Mary nodded. Kai cupped his free hand around his mouth, "GRAY!"

...

"GRAY!" The man looked over his shoulder, a limp Claire in one arm. In the other hand, he was dragging his shovel and Gray's unconscious body. The man spit on the ground and grumbled beneath his breath.

"They mus' be lookin' for them now," The man mumbled lowly. Claire's head lolled into the nook of the man's dirty arm. "I better hurry." He tightened his grip on Gray's collar, his red hair flopping a bit against his head. His hat was lost in the forest now. "Damn, this kid is heavy."

"Bart, I thought we might find you here," Three men stepped from the dark, surprising the man now recongized as Bart. Bart threw Claire's body down beside Gray's and stepped forward. "No need to be so formal," The man laughed heartily, "Now, what do you have to repay us?"

"These teenagers," Bart gestured to the blond and red head bodies clumped together. The three men glanced at each other, then eyed the obviously nervous Bart. The lead man snapped his fingers. The two men rounded to the unconscious bodies. The two men exchanged glances. One of their hands reached down and brushed Gray's bangs from his face.

"There's a bruise," One of them said, darkly. "They won't do. Especially for what we had in mind this time." They stood, brushing their slacks off before returning to the side of their boss.

"Well, you weren't able to supply us with young heirs to the Kings mafia, so now it's time to either pay up or die, Bart." The boss said, crossing his arms over his arms. Bart began shaking in his overalls. He pulled his straw hat from his head, revealing his bald head.

"P... please," Bart mumbled, "The bruise'll clear up."

At that moment, Gray's eyes popped open. That's when he heard voices and he began trying to recall what was happening. He then realized Claire's head was pressed against his chest. His eyes widened. He heard the mumbling of the men and that's when he recalled mafias and grave diggers. Gray layed perfectly still, one arm moving slightly to pull Claire's body in closer to his. I gotta get us out of here. Gray's heart was hammering like crazy in his chest as his arm looped around Claire's waist. Claire's eyes slowly slid open, Gray's eyes pleaded her to be silent.

...

What the hell was going on? Gray's eyes told me to be silent, so I remained how I positioned with my head against his chest. I could feel his pounding heart. Either he was nervous to have me this close to me or he was scared out of his mind because of the murmering people around us. That stupid grave digger. He did this to us. I just wanted to be away from all of this. Telling crappy ghost stories around the fire with marshmallows. No mafias messed with us at the camp grounds.

I pressed my face deeper into Gray's chest. His hand flatened against my back as the men continued talking to each other. I was practically shaking. I began then trying to calm myself and found it easier to make out what the men were saying to each other.

"... Bart, we've been waitin' for weeks like patient men," One of them was clucking, "We simply cannot wait any longer."

"I brought you heirs, though!" Bart choked out, his voice cracking. My eyebrows cocked up at this. Heirs? Gray and I were brought to become heirs of something, "So the ginger kid gots a bruise on his temple, so what? The last heirs to your mafia had bullet holes in them." My eyes widened and I looked directly at Gray. He was looking back at me in the same kind of horror. Heirs to a mafia? They pick those kinds of things up from the middle of the forest? No postings in the newspaper or interviews. Just a shovel to the head?

"Come with us," Someone said.

"What about the kids?" Bart asked, nervously.

"Jus' leave 'em."

...

"Cliff, I'm scared," It'd been hours but neither Cliff or Ann were able to fall asleep. They didn't know what time it was but they figured they had been sitting there for hours. "I hope the sun rises soon," She looked at the dying fire. The embers emitted a soft glow. "I hope Gray is alright... I'm just hopin' for a lot, aren't I?" Cliff only nodded, sighing lightly. "Cliff, I think we should go out looking for them. We've been seperated for nearly twenty hours. Someone might be seriously injured." Ann clutched her head, shaking it back and forth, "Oh, I'm so stupid." Tears began falling down Ann's cheeks as she choked on her sobs, "Everyone must hate me!"

Cliff wasn't sure what to do. Ann never cried, she was always strong, always had an idea. Just watching her break down like that, snapped something inside of Cliff. He scooted closer to her, and pressed his hand firmly into her back. She fell into Cliff's chest, still crying. He rubbed her back gently. "It isn't your fault," Cliff told her, "You had no idea any of this was going to happen."

"I... I just want... Gray!" Ann wailed into his chest. Her heart was aching for her big brother. Her mind began wondering back to all the great memories they had when they were little.

"I'm sure he's fine," Cliff replied softly, "He's got Claire there to help him," This only made Ann wail harder and press her face deeper into his chest.

"Claire might be hurt!" She choked, "My best friend!"

"Ann," Cliff pushed her back to sit her up, "We have to go searching for everyone then. We can't just... sit here and cry. Alright?" Cliff came to his feet, knowing he had to become the leader of the two, since Ann was currently having a meltdown. He held his hand down to Ann, who was sniffling, tears brimming her eyes. "Come on, Ann." She smiled softly and latched onto Cliff's hand.

...

"Claire, are you alright?" Gray and I had slipped away after the gang and that stupid man left. We were sitting at the base of a large oak tree. I sat next to Gray, stiff as can be. I nodded slowly, staring into the night. We were sitting in a forest that was infiltrated with gangs and mafia camps. I was afraid one of was just going to jump out from behind a tree and shoot us. "Are you sure?" He pressed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump slightly.

"I'm fine," I reassured him. "R... really," I looked over at him. Gray was unconvinced, "I just hope no one else has run into mafia gangs. He made them sound like they were everywhere."

"Who did?"

"That guy who hit you with a shovel. They called him Bart I think," I sighed, "Are you okay? You're the one who got hit by a shovel," Without thinking I brought my hand up and brushed his red hair to the side. There was a deep purple and blue bruise forming on his temple. "That looks terrible, does it hurt?" My finger brushed over it and he cringed at the touch of it. "Sorry," I brought my hand down to rest in my lap, staring at him in the dark. The moon was setting, which meant that hopefully the sun would be rising soon. We'd been shrouded in darkness for too long, "I'm sorry we lost your hat," Gray's eyes flickered lights. He gently touched the top of his head.

"I hadn't even noticed until you said something," He replied. Gray meerly shrugged though to my surprise, "It doesn't matter. We've had too many close calls with our lives. Drowning or becoming heirs to a mafia." A dry chuckle passed between us. I looked up into the sky. The midnight blue of the sky was fading into a light pink and orange, the twinkling stars fading away.

"It's almost morning," I said, a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead, "Thank goddess. Maybe we'll find the others. I really hope they're alright." Gray nodded. So much had just happened in the past three or four hours, but we had to push that behind us. We had limited time to find the others before we got shot, mauled by wolves, eaten whole by snakes, tripped into the river and drowned, or starved to death. "I'm mainly worried about Mary," I whispered, but instantly regretted it. The way Gray's eyes lit up when I mentioned her name.

"Me too," Gray said with a certain kind of sincerity in his voice. I dropped my eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze. "She's not much of the outside one. I'm sure she's fine, though." He surprised me by chuckling, "I bet she's the one calming Kai down right now." I nodded slowly, my insides aching. "But most of all," Gray's voice softened as he said this, "I miss my baby sister," I looked up at him. His face was plaqued in worry, "I just hope Cliff is keeping her warm and making her laugh. He was never one much for jokes... and sometimes he's hopelessly frightened... but something inside of me is twitching, telling me he put on the captains pants. I hope he's holding Ann's chin up." Gray's head was leaned back against the tree trunk, gazing up at the ever changing colors of the sky. For a moment, he looked peaceful for the first time since we washed up from the river. His looked had a look of true look of pleasure on his face, as if he was putting all of his trust into Cliff to look after his baby sister until they reunited.

"You're a wonderful big brother," I told him. "I never had any siblings, so I never got to enjoy brotherly or sisterly love. You two are lucky."

"Having a sister isn't all a peice of cake," Gray replied, now looking at me with those dazzling eyes. "Sometimes she's bossy or whiny or girly." He chuckled, "One time when we were younger, Ann took all of my legos and used them as cell phones for her Barbies." Gray's gaze glazed over, "She used to put make up on my action figures. She always got in trouble from me... then... mom got onto her for using her make up..." His head dropped at the mention of his mother.

"How young were you when you lost your mom?" I asked, leaning back against the tree trunk with him.

"I was seven. Ann was five," Gray whispered. I hugged my knees to my chest. "I don't think Ann even remembers her. My mother's soft voice. Her blue eyes that could melt any heart, no matter how cold. Oh, Claire..." He shook his head, "I miss her so much and more than anything I want to see Ann right now. I can't lose her," Shock numbed me when tears formed in the corners of his eyes "I just can't. I told mom that I was going to protect her." He punched the root of the tree next to him, "And now it's dark out. I just want the damn sun to rise so I can find her."

I lowered my head. A song was now swirling through my mind. I always was a singer when I was younger and I was wondering if I should sing. Sing for my sake, sing for Gray's raw nerves. I rested my chin on my knees, pondering the situation. I took a deep breath and sat up now, staring up at the fading twinkling stars,

"Wish for a blanket. Wish for some light

Wish for a hand to hold tight

And when you run out of wishes to make

Wish for some light."

I paused for a moment. Gray was in awe at my beautiful singing voice, vibrato and all. He began looking over his shoulder to peak around the tree, but I pressed my hand firmly on his shoulder, making him meet my soft gaze,

"Don't look back

You'll only see our tracks

Disappear into the dark of light

But somewhere above

There's a sun strong enough

Just say

We've had our fill of the dark

Please send some us some light."

My hand began retreating back to my body, but Gray grabbed it suddenly, tears running down his cheeks. He didn't look pathetic. If anything, he looked more manly to me because of this. He laced his fingers through mine, surprising me. Blush gathered on my cheeks as I stared back into Gray's watery blue eyes.

"Thank you," He whispered, his voice slightly cracking.

"You're welcome."