Chapter Ten…

Oh man. Mia was cooking up a storm!

Reyson had finally agreed to stay with the group, as well as accepting Ike's sincere (?) apology. Mia took it upon herself to cook a subtle dinner for the camp.

Ilyana grinned. It smelled so good! She followed her nose to the source.

Whoa.

Whoa.

Whoa.

Chicken (How'd they get that?), pot roast, beef soup, chicken soup, slabs of pork slathered in "Mia's sauce" and so much more. It covered the portable tables, sending up delicious aromas. Heheh… Ilyana rubbed her hands together in anticipation of the feast.

Better yet, she didn't have to take care of Soren anymore. He was finally able to stand, walk around, and hold things without shaking uncontrollably. She didn't think his magical stability was trustworthy however. In other words, he was in no condition to fight.

If you looked at him from a stranger's point of view—only for a second—you would see a regular, quiet teenager.

However, if you looked at him a bit longer, like fifteen minutes (stalker), he would suddenly break down and hold his head in pain.

Ilyana saw this too often.

When that happened, he would bend down on his knees, clutch his head and shake uncontrollably, repeating over and over "I'm fine" through gritted teeth. Right. He was always saying he was perfectly fine. He still would even if two dozen horses stampeded him.

:--::--::--::--::--:

Ilyana stood up and scanned the crowd for Soren. It had become a habit to search for him every meal time ever since he mended up. There he was, in the corner, acting like he wasn't wanted.

Ding ding ding! Mia rang the dinner bell. It reverberated throughout the camp.

Ilyana's stomach growled in anticipation of the upcoming feast.

"TIME TO EAT!" Mia called, even though no one needed the urging. The ground shook with everyone running. Ilyana heard Soren mutter "Idiots" and walked towards the temporary food bar.

"Hi, Soren. How are you feeling?" Mia asked him.

"Fine, I suppose. Well enough."

"That's good. Here's your plate." She forced a smile and handed him a wooden plate.

"…Thanks…"

:--::--::--::--::--:

Ilyana sat down on a tree stump and lifted a spoonful of food to her mouth. Soren walked up to her and plopped onto the ground next to the stump.

"Hey Soren!"

"Don't start that 'say ahh' thing with me again."

"I won't." They ate in silence watching the others eat and talk. It seemed so happy—over there. Where they were was silent and peaceful.

"At least it's quiet over here. It's terribly loud over there." Ilyana rolled her eyes.

"Aw rewwy?" She spoke as well as she could around the pork. Soren looked at her.

"Ah…pardon?" Taking her time, she chewed and finally swallowed.

"Naw, really?"

"That was a totally unnecessary comment."

"So was that." Soren paused.

"…I suppose." They continued useless conversation similar to this for a while before deciding they had enough. (Or at least according to Mia who told Ilyana to stay away from the food.)

:--::--::--::--::--:

"Ilyana?" Soren and Ilyana were staring at the stars with Ilyana sprawled out on the grass. Soren was sitting against a tree with a notebook and pencil. She couldn't see what he was doing, but she didn't ask.

"Yeah?"

"Do you…have you…uh…" She sat up and looked at him.

"Have I what?"

"Do you like…sketches, maybe?" She blinked.

"Yeah. I don't see anything wrong with that. Why?"

"Nothing. Just wondering." Ilyana quirked an eyebrow. It wasn't like him to say, 'just wondering'—he acted like he knew everything.

"Alright. Can I see what you're doing, then?" Soren moved away and shook his head.

"No, it's a…surprise." Ilyana giggled—he was acting like a little child.

"Oh, come on! I won't laugh." She sat up and inched over towards Soren. He moved away.

"No, I don't really want to…ah…" He stood up and reached into his small pack that carried his necessities. "If I give you this…" Ilyana rolled her eyes.

"I won't be bribed by food. Please? Please?"

"Nope. See you around!" He ran back towards the camping grounds. Ilyana stood up and brushed herself off.

"I never knew he was such a kid. I guess I better get back, too…"

:--::--::--::--::--:

Ilyana stretched her arms and yawned mightily.

"What a day. Now, let's see…" She stuck her hand under the bed and waved it around. "Where's that bag? Oh, there it is…" She dragged out a small pack with—what a surprise!—food. Ilyana pulled out a piece of beef jerky and started to munch on it. After a few bites, she discovered she didn't have an appetite.

Oh. My. Goddess.

Ilyana sighed. How queer. Usually she was fine with eating food—however much there was. She slipped it back into the pack and shoved it back under the bed. Standing up, she saw something was on her pillow. A piece of folded paper.

To: Ilyana

The "from" part was scratched out. However, she could barely make out the letters.

From: S…or…e…n

Soren.

:--:

Oh geez. DON'T KILL ME. I have projects galore. Seriously.

Soren: RIGHT.

Ilyana: SURE.

Yes! It's true! 3

Soren: -glare-