"Ace are you sure we should be here, he seems pretty determined not to be found." The young, boyish voice alerted me to the fact that I was no longer alone. Standing up from where I had been napping on the poorly constructed wooden floor I edge my head out of a gap I used as a window.
"Exactly he must be hiding something. This might be an opportunity to add to our pirate found." A familiar sounding voice answered.
That was what I heard as I woke up from my nap, two kids scamming to take something I don't have.
Seeing the black haired boy I saved from a beating lurking below me I felt a moment of irritation before I just sighed in a resigned fashion. I turn my sight on the blonde, both looked rather scrappy but at least the black haired boy apparently named Ace looked clean.
I moved till I was completely in view. "You can look all you want but I don't have anything for you to steal."
The two kids jumped and looked up at the window I was looking out of. Just like the last time I saw him Ace was holding a pipe the blonde was also and I wondered if there was a club of pipe wielding kids they were apart of.
"Then why were you running away?" Ace asked.
"I thought you were trying to turn me in for the reward." I said and it was true, well mostly. When I found out that I had a bounty on me after feeling terrified at the thought the marines had found me I immediately thought that was why the boy I helped was trying to capture me.
Although I may have helped him, he made it clear that we were even. I only look a few years older, he probably thinks he can take me.
Blondie looked Ace. "What reward?" He asked turning back to me.
"You don't know?" I ask surprise. "There a reward for whoever turns in the person who murdered the people in the alleyway." I said with false calmness my expression carefully controlled.
Ace's posture stiffened. "Murder! You actually killed them?!" The yell echoed around us and I could feel myself tense with an unfamiliar emotion.
"It wasn't my intention. But how was I supposed to know how hard to hit them?" I've seen my father kill people by bludgeoning but I've never done so, or I hadn't. No, I like going for the jugular.
"Ace what's he talking about?" I heard Blondie ask and I shake off my morbid thoughts.
"A couple of months ago he helped me. But I helped him so we're even." Ace answered with evident reluctance.
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Wasn't important." Ace stated crossing his arms sullenly. I wanted this over.
"Look can you leave now? Clearly there's nothing for you here. Unless you plan on coming up and having tea?" I said joking, but to my horror they did indeed start climbing up.
"Wait I was joking! I didn't really mean it!" They both ignore me continued on there way. I scrambled to push some of my things away but it was no use it was just too much for such a short time.
"Oh god." I heard a low voice behind me. I sighed defeated they have winessnes my greatest weakness.
"Why is there so much trash here?" Blondie asked baffled with a look of incredulity. I could feel my chest puffing up in furry, feeling indignant.
"Trash!" I exclaim. "My stuff is not trash." I said with certainty. Bringing my hand to thump my chest for emphasis. If only I haven't said that right as the pile I managed to push in the corner crash to the ground. My shoulders slumped in defeat.
Ace and Blondie looked at each other.
"I may have a small problem." I reluctantly admitted.
"Small? That's a pile of wood shavings." Blondie said pointing towards a spot in the corner that indeed housed the wood shavings from craving my makeshift window.
"..."
"What do you care? Why are you even here?" I snapped in a moment of annoyance, fed up with this situation.
"Well…" Ace trailed off while I looked at him with impatience and Blondie perplexed confusion like he also had no idea why they were there and wanted an answer as well. A moment later Ace crossed his arms and widened his stance appearing ready for a fight.
"We need a base. So we're taking yours." He said with confidence. Blondie's mouth dropped and if possible looked even more bewildered.
"Ace-"
"Oh is that all. Ok you can have it." I said grabbing my bag and jumping out the window.
The idea of fighting these kids made my stomach queasy with unease. Finding out I really killed those people was proof that I was dangerous. I don't know how to not hurt someone. Better I leave, it's not that great of a loss anyway.
Half of my tree house was an atrocity to look at. Nails not all the way hammered down instead bent into the wood, uneven boards of different colors and gaps in the floor I more than once fell into. It got better as I learned and gained experience. The roof only had three leaks.
"Wait! You just giving it to us?!"
"Why not? Didn't you say you wanted it?" I asked while still walking away knowing he nor anyone else would actually want my poor excuse for a treehouse. What he really wanted with me I didn't have a clue.
"Wait! I don't want this pile of junk!" Ace exclaimed.
I paused and looked over my shoulder.
"Then what do you want from me?" I asked with genuine curiosity. Why was he so determined?
"Nothing!"
"Good then I'm leaving." With that last comment I was gone, disappearing into the large trees.
I was relieved when I didn't hear them following after me.
Over the next few days I avoided the trash heap and stayed rather deep in the forest. I spent my time looking for a place to stay. This time I was hoping to find a big enough cave to live in. It was proving harder than I thought and I was back to sleeping in the oversized trees.
It was fortunate I was small and young enough to not be too uncomfortable. The days were still warm enough but soon it would be getting colder so I needed to find shelter soon.
When I couldn't find what I needed from the ground I found the tallest tree and climbed to the top. There were a few close calls that got my heart pounding but I managed pretty well overall I thought.
The first time I did this didn't yield any results but I kept climbing the taller trees and surveying the environment. It was not only great exercise and agility training but it also helped my internal compass by remembering landmarks.
Days past and I developed a routine. Wake up with the sunrise and hunt for breakfast after cooking and eating I would wander in a leisurely manner with no real destination in mind. I would often get completely lost until I could see from higher ground to get my bearings.
If I saw any promising places I would investigate, in a memorable moment a cave I was checking out housed a very large tiger. I unknowingly walked right in and came face to teeth and only just barely escape with all of my limbs attached. That incident used the rest of the medical supplies I had stolen. Taking care of multiple lacerations that were surprisingly not from the animal itself but instead from me recklessly running through the forest and falling down a hill after a misstep.
It was that lucky instance that allowed me to escape, the tiger unwilling to venture down the sharp decline. Or who knows maybe it just deem me not worth the trouble. I am after all much smaller and would make a rather pathetic meal.
Clearly after that I was much more cautious.
Even after everything that happened and has yet to happen I could feel myself unwind a little more each day until I felt better than I ever had. Ten years I spent with that monster. Every second with him felt like an eternity in hell, every moment like I was falling deeper.
It was worth it. To have the rest of my life to feel like this. I felt a bit more at peace with myself after that revelation. So I didn't get frustrated even as weeks past with no permanent home. It was so much better than the life I had that it was impossible to be unhappy.
It was with a bit of disappointment mixed with relief when I found the perfect place for me.
I had spied an opening in the side of a cliff. It wasn't too big but I was sure I could fit in it. The gap was pretty high, you couldn't see it from the ground the cliff itself was higher than I could see over no matter how high I managed to be. It was nice I wouldn't have to worry about any large creatures living inside.
Even with my abundance of climbing experience I still had issues with scaling up a sheer cliff wall with little to no hand holds. My fingers and arms were killing me after I finally pulled myself up into the dark crevice laying on my back with my feet dangling off the edge, trying to catch my breath.
When I didn't feel like I was dying from lack of oxygen I maneuvered my feet underneath me and could just barely fit, my hair touching the top of the entrance. Once I got a good look around I was amazed at what I saw.
Instead of a good sized cave I was hoping for, instead it was a walkway leading towards what looked like sunlight. It was far away but there was clearly light ahead. With an unexpected excitement for adventure I set out.
Quite the opposite to the damp or stale air you would expect in a cave it actually had a nice breeze and smelled like the comforting, fresh, clean air I've become used too since I've arrived here all those months ago.
By the time I had walked for about five minutes I could now see the end and decided to run the rest of the way uncommonly eager to discover just what I worked so hard to reach.
I stopped at the edge and could feel the sunshine warming my face. I had to blink a few times to get used to the sudden light but soon I was able to get a good look and I could feel my jaw slack in stunned astonishment.
The first thing to catch my attention was the lake with water so clear I could see the bottom from where I was standing looking down. Then the color green, green grass coating the ground spreading out from the entire circumference of the lake.
Cliffs walls surrounded the entire mile wide clearing so the only opening was above, where the sunlight glinted off the water. There were few trees but the ones there were the biggest I've ever seen, reaching level with the cliff tops.
I could already imagine laying in the grass in the shade of the trees. I knew this was the place I wanted to be.
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Sorry, most of my chapters will probably be rather short. I will hopefully post more often to make up for that. Thanks so much for reading.