I was waiting in the squirrel farm again, sitting patiently on one of the sturdy green benches by the sidewalk. The sun had completely left the sky, but it wasn't dark. Like, the only things that you see when you look up are fluffy white clouds. Or like one GINORMOUS fluffy white cloud engulfing the whole earth. No rain, no sun, just... white.
Kasanoda is supposed to come pick me up. I'd been walking around the park earlier anyway, so I could just meander over here whenever I wanted. He was going to take me to some rock-climbing place I think.
His limo pulled around the corner and slowed to a stop next to me. I smiled warmly as he jumped out of the car and held the door for me, a wide smile on his face too. "Ready to go?" he asked cheerfully. He wore short khaki's and a black tee, his tomato red hair pulled back into a ponytail.
I stood and hopped over to him, excitement taking over. "Totally!" I said, slipping into the back seat. He plopped down beside me, shut the door, and the limo sped off once again.
"I've never been rock climbing before," I said, running a hand through my own ponytail nervously.
"Well I've been to this place before, and it's a pretty good one," he answered, buckling his seat belt. Oh. Yeah. I should probably do that too, I thought sheepishly, reaching back to grab mine.
Within the next ten minutes we reached the place. Now, I was expecting some sort of indoor rock wall with the multicoloured handholds that made it obvious where you were supposed to go, maybe a bunch of padding at the bottom to land on if you fall... But no. This was a full-on, jagged, rough MOUNTAIN.
I gaped up in shock at the sight as Kasanoda pulled me out of the limo. I'm supposed to climb this thing?
"It looks daunting," he said, smiling eagerly at me, "but once you start you don't feel so scared anymore. And at the top there's a small trail that leads back down instead of having to climb."
At least I don't have to climb back down, I thought, feeling a little sick at just going up. It's so high.
This was all that would process in my brain as we went through the safety training with some of the staff, before getting strapped into our straddles and ropes and whatnot. The stuff that would slow us if we fell. Which better not happen. Kasanoda seemed completely unaware of my uneasiness, and I could practically feel the adrenaline and excitement that he was exuding as he clicked the harness shut over his shoulders. "Come on, you got this!" he said, securing my harness when he saw I wasn't moving. Just staring up at the high, highhhhhh mountain I was about to overcome. Or die falling off of.
"Yeah..." I muttered. Just take a deeeep breath. Breathe in. Breath out. You can't back out now. Look at how happy Kasanoda is. And sure enough, he's practically jumping to get started with the other people already halfway up the jagged face of the sure, mini-mountain, but it's still pretty high up there.
"Alright, let's go!" And suddenly he's climbed about eight feet above me in five seconds.
"Ok... I'm coming..." I reluctantly looked around for a handhold, hopping up to reach one just a little too far above my head. Ok... now what?
About an HOUR AND A HALF LATER... and with much encouragement from Kasanoda who had to slow down for me to catch up... I FINALLY make it to the top of that goshdarn bane of the earth. Granted, I'm sweaty and exhausted and plop face down in the ground when I do because my knees give out. But I make it.
Kasanoda is barely sweating. "Hey, you alright there?" I heard him ask as he lifted me up gently. I heard him laughing though. Whatever.
"Yeah," I groaned as I hoisted myself up into a sitting position and actually got a good look around. On top of the mountain was a nice, shaded, miniature forest that I could see traveled all the way down the side of the mountain, taking a few turns here and there to make it quite the hike. Ugh.
He gave me some water after I had hauled myself into the shade of the trees. The sun still wasn't out, but now it felt like we were on the sun. I handed him back his water bottle and leaned against the bark of one of the tall trees, and Kasanoda slid down next to me, his smile still on his only slightly sweaty face.
"So," he began as I caught my breath in short pants. "You went to my house, found out a little bit about me, things like that. How about you tell me a little bit about your life, that isn't already obvious from what we've spoken about?"
I was a little out of breath still, so I used my panting as an excuse to think for a second. Well I mean... what's there to know? "Ahm..." Man this is weird. Our backs are both against the same tree, so I couldn't see his face. But I could feel the tension in his body, as if he'd asked the wrong question. It was kinda awkward and sudden. "I mean... I've been raised by my foster parents since the age of five. I can't really remember my real parents, just some glimpses. But my foster parents are awesome, and I totally want them instead of parents who left me..." I watched two other climbers pull themselves over the edge and walk to the shade as well, drinking their water. "I live maybe half an hour from here, in a house much, much smaller than yours." I said this with a bit of a giggle, and heard him laugh too. By now my breathing had slowed. "They're names are Artie and Giselle, but I call them uncle and aunt. They're... an older couple." This might be just a little bit of an understatement. Artie is nearly 70 and Giselle is 72. "But they're as spry as ever."
"Well you seem happy with them." I didn't notice until then that I had been smiling and that Kasanoda had been watching me, his face holding a solemn frown. "What do you know of your real parents? If it's ok to ask."
This will be the first time I've ever told anyone besides my aunt and uncle. It's a little scary, sharing so much personal information. Even if it weren't personal, just something that I've never told anyone before...
"All I remember is a woman with dark, dark brown hair and a very beautiful smile..." She came to mind immediately. Fuzzy, but there. "And green eyes, and pale skin, and she was short I think. And my dad... I don't remember him so much. But I remember that he was much taller, and had blue eyes, and a square jaw, and a scar... And a tattoo. The same one as my mom. On their left arms, a dragon that curled around their shoulders and then snaked down to their wrists, and-"
"What?" I turned in surprise at his interruption. He was turned on one knee to face me completely now, purply eyes wide in shock staring into mine. What's he so freaked out about? "They had dragon tattoos?"
I could only nod, shock having taken over my body. "Um... yeah?"
He broke our gaze, but he still looked like he was in total shock. "What's so special about that?" I asked him.
He stared into the trees. I noticed the other climbers with their water, the trees and their birds chirping loudly and happily, everything seeming totally normal... until Kasanoda's suddenly steeled face came into the picture.
"...Nothing," he muttered, deep in thought.