"I'm going to update quickly!" she said. "I have like half of the next chapter prewritten!" Oh, how wrong she was.
Sorry I am a failure at updating in a timely fashion. I've had a lot going on lately. I won't make any promises about when next chapter will be up, but I'll do it ASAP. Enjoy :)
The boy looked at Mitch with fear in his eyes and ran. "Connor! Wait!" Mitch tried to chase his brother into the forest but tripped on a vine. "Connor!" He called helplessly as the figure disappeared into the shadows. "I thought you were dead..."
"Mitchell Hughes, what are you doing?" A firm voice asked through the trees.
Mitch bolted upwards. "Ashley? What are you doing here?"
She laughed. "Did you really think we'd let you go off on an adventure alone?"
"Go home." Mitch urged. "This is my risk and mine only."
She looked at him, amused. "I can take care of myself, thank you." She offered him a hand. "Need help?"
Mitch grudgingly took her gloved hand and stood up. "Why are you in your assassin outfit?"
"In case I need to kill some stuff." She shrugged. "Like whatever knocked you over."
Mitch gasped. "Connor! Let go of me, I need to find him!" He started tugging her in the direction his brother ran.
"Wait, who's Connor? What happened?"
"My brother. I saw him but he ran when he saw me and I need to follow him!" Mitch urged.
"Not to be insensitive, but didn't your whole family die in lava?" She asked.
"I thought so."
She frowned. "Are you seeing ghosts? You've been out in the wilderness too long, haven't you?"
"No, he really was there-"
"Why don't we go back to the others and get you a cold drink? You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She suddenly changed her tone to a motherly voice.
"Others?" Mitch said quickly.
"Yes. Jerome, Jordan, Ryan... The others. I'm not dumb enough to come here alone."
"Why did you bring others?" Mitch moaned as she dragged him back to wherever she came from.
"To save you from death." Ashley replied. "They should be around here somewhere... Guys? I found him!"
"Thank goodness." A figure emerged from the trees. "She woke me up at midnight for this."
"Hi, Ryan." Mitch said miserably.
"Well, can we go back?" Ryan asked. "We got what we needed."
"Soon. Where are Jordan and Jerome?" Ashley questioned.
"Jordan's worshipping a tree, and Jerome is frantically searching somewhere... I'm not sure where."
"Go find them!" She said urgently.
"I'll help."Mitch piped up, seeing his opportunity to follow his lead.
"You can't be going off on your own! You're seeing ghosts." Ashley scolded. "You can stay here with me while we wait for the others instead."
"What's his deal?" Ryan asked.
"He seems panicked about seeing some dead family member in the woods. Probably going insane from shock of his burning village or something along those lines."
"He really was there!" Mitch insisted. "If you let me go I can show you-"
"See what I mean?" Ashley raised her eyebrows. "Find the others so we can leave here and get him some treatment quickly. He needs it."
"I'm not a mindless child, you can talk directly to me." Mitch thought to himself. He watched as Ryan trudged back into the depths of the forest and called out for either of the two.
"You always get yourself into so much trouble..." She sighed and rested against a tree. Mitch reluctantly did the same, though he refused to let his guard down in case Connor came back. Part of him wanted to sneak away while Ashley was napping, but he knew that would only anger her more. He had already caused her enough trouble today. Why create more? He mulled over ways to find his brother as he slipped into darkness.
Mitch's eyes snapped open as he heard someone sit next to him. He had done it. He had slept. What if Connor had walked right by?
"Hey buddy." A voice whispered into his ear.
"Jerome, I was napping." Mitch muttered.
"You needed it after that all-nighter you pulled last night." Jerome said.
"Shut up."
"It's my job to taunt you so you feel guilty and don't do it again. Sorry." He shrugged.
"That's rude." Mitch chuckled halfheartedly.
"It works."
"Kind of."
Jerome sighed and moved next to Mitch. "Now what?"
"I don't know." He admitted. "We wait for everyone to get back, they yell at me for being instinctive, and we pretend it didn't happen. The end."
"What about the reason you came here?" Jerome asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Saving your village, helping people... If you're going to risk your life, make it worth it. Did you do that?"
Mitch sighed. "No. But there is one other thing I wanted to do..." He looked at Jerome and saw he was actually paying attention. "This may sound crazy, but I thought I saw my brother when I was at the village."
"Connor?"
"Yeah." Mitch hoped Jerome didn't think he was a lunatic. "He ran away when I called to him, but I wanted to follow his path. Ashley wouldn't let me."
"She's asleep." Jerome smirked and looked at her. "She hasn't stirred one bit through us talking."
"Jerome-"
"Make this trip worth something." Jerome urged. "Besides, if it leads to a dead end we can just come back. Right?"
Mitch looked back and forth between the two. "Fine." He pulled the bacca up by his wrist and sprinted off towards where Connor was.
::::::::::::
"Mitch, we might want to turn back actually. It's nearly noon-"
Mitch stopped in the middle of the trees, his jaw dropped open in shock. He looked up at the towering fortress and tried to even comprehend what he was seeing. Standing before him proudly was a massive network of tree houses, all somehow connected to a main one by swinging wooden bridges. Vines and ladders hung off the sides of the homes and allowed access to an assortment of buildings. Structures that resembled bedrooms, some sort of religious room, a kitchen, a living room, and even a hanging garden stood before his eyes. Mitch could barely find the words to speak.
"What is it?" Jerome asked in awe.
"I... I don't know." Mitch stuttered. Cautiously, he approached a vine and looked back at the bacca. "Should we go in?"
"Baccas live in forests, Mitch." Jerome warned. "Now I've never seen a treehouse network, but I'd be careful."
"What if Connor is up there?" Mitch asked. "I can't just leave him here. I'll go insane!"
"You're halfway there." Jerome muttered.
"Don't you see? I have to find him. What if it wasn't just me seeing things and he really is alive?"
"Mitch, the possibility of someone escaping a burning building while surrounded by the enemy is very slim. Besides, why would he stay hidden? Why would he run?" Jerome reasoned.
"But-"
"You two! Why did you run away from us when we were about to leave-"
"Oh my god." A deep awe-filled voice cut through the angry higher-pitched one. "Is that a mass-production network of treehouses?"
"Ashley, we're sorry-" Jerome started as he turned toward the group, but Jordan pushed past him.
"Look at the unique architecture! The structure of this is fantastic. And the vines as ladders, what a great touch! Jerry's tree looks like a dollhouse compared to this. Who built it?" He turned to Mitch. Mitch shrugged. "It's amazing."
"Is he always like this?" Jerome muttered to Ryan.
"Seriously, why did you two run away?" Ashley said. "We would have gone with you if you had-"
"Connor?" Mitch gasped as he stared into the home. Maybe he had been imagining things, but he could've sworn he saw his brother stick his head out the window.
"Why does everyone keep interrupting me?" Ashley whimpered.
Mitch climbed up the vines and stepped foot onto the wooden path. A foul smell hit his nose and he cringed, his mind too distracted to place what it was. "Connor? Where are you? I just want to talk!" He peered around and corners and entered a doorway before being met with a blade to the throat. He glanced upwards into his captor's eyes and frowned. "Dad?"
"Mitchell?" He backed away, his sword still drawn. "I... I- I thought you were- what are you doing here?" He demanded harshly.
"You burned in a fire years ago." Mitch said. "I'm the one who should be in shock."
His father shook his head. "No, it didn't actually- never mind. You need to leave."
"Leave?" Mitch asked painfully. "But I just got here."
"It's not safe. The baccas could still be close by, you'll attract attention."
"They'd see your treehouse anyways!" He protested. "Dad, I want to know what happened to you. It's been years since I've seen anyone, and after mourning for so long I've finally found you- I can't just go home again! Tell me how you survived that night. You must've fought off a hundred baccas with your bare hands. Mom and Connor would've been proud, I know it."
"What is all that noise, dear- BajanCanadian." A woman said in awe as the pungent smell got stronger. Mitch recognized it to be cooked beef and felt slightly sick, yet somehow in this familiar setting it wasn't quite as bad. "I see our boy has found our little abode."
"Mom, you're alive!" Mitch said in relief. He reached out and hugged her firmly just to make sure it was real. "Does that mean Connor-"
"Safe and well." His father assured. "He should be back from his hunting trip soon."
"But... How?" Mitch stuttered. "You all burned, or at least got surrounded by baccas if you escaped."
"We grabbed our weapons and retreated into these woods. They got distracted by something else and got off our trail long enough so that we could find a place far enough to settle." His mom said.
"Why not come back? The town needed you." Mitch asked.
"You were doing a fine job, weren't you?" His father replied. "You don't even need us."
"I was seventeen." Mitch protested. "Barely an adult. Did you really think I could just be thrown into the position of protecting a village? I nearly died!"
"You aren't dead now." He shrugged. "You've obviously proved your worth. The village is doing fine now, isn't it?"
"Actually, the baccas burned it down." Mitch informed.
"What?"
"I don't know when. It was in flames when I got there."
"What do you mean by when you got there? Shouldn't you have already been there?" His mom asked.
"I haven't exactly been the leader like you think." Mitch admitted.
"But it's your fate! You were destined, it's in your name!" His father scolded.
"But-"
"Mitch, are you okay?" Jerome asked in the distance, reaching the top of the vines and beginning to search for his friend.
Mitch's father gasped. "Get me my sword! I'll kill this bacca!"
Mitch out his arms out protectively. "No, no! He's my friend, it's alright."
His eyes narrowed into slits. "You're friends with a bacca? Who are you?"
Jerome entered the room and lit up when he saw Mitch. "Wait. Who's this?"
"Jerome, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, meet Jerome." Mitch said cautiously.
Jerome stuck his paw out. "Nice to meet you."
They looked at each other in disgust before his mom gently took it and shook it. "Pleasure."
"This has been nice, Mitch, but I think-"
"Jerome, is he dead or no?" A voice called up the vines.
"Nope, he's good!" Jerome called back. "Sorry, just some more of Mitch's friends that want to make sure he was okay up here."
"More friends." Mitch's mother looked at him. "You never used to have friends."
"Hey, this place is sweet!" Ashley said as she reached the top of the bridge. "You must be the ghosts Mitch keeps talking about. I'm Ashley."
"You have a girlfriend?" Mitch's mom asked.
"A friend that's a girl, yes." Ashley assured before Mitch could answer. "Is that a problem?"
"We were just seeing if our boy had dated anyone in our absence." Mitch's father explained.
"The only person who fits that description is me!" Jerome said.
"Can we go home yet?" Ryan asked from outside. "Oh cool, you found your dead parents."
"This architecture is so contemporary." Jordan enthused.
Mitch sighed loudly. He never expected this disaster to be the first time he saw his parents again. Then again, he never expected to see his parents again. "This is Jordan and Ryan. They're also friends."
"Where did you find these logs?"
Mitch's father pulled Mitch slightly aside. "This has been nice, but I think you should go now."
"What?" Mitch asked in disbelief. "I know they're a bit weird, but once you get to know them-"
"Mitchell." He looked his son in the eyes.
"I just got here." Mitch pouted. "I didn't get to talk to you about anything."
"What is going on?" A new voice said. Mitch turned toward the back door and was hit with a wave of nostalgia.
Connor was standing there, but it wasn't the child Mitch remembered. It seemed Mitch hadn't gotten a good look at him when he spotted him. Connor was twelve but certainly appeared much older. In fact, he looked just like a fourteen-year-old Mitch when he was training. Memories of waking up early and spending days hunting flooded Mitch's mind as he looks as his brother. He remembered the pressure of being perfect and studious and athletic and all at once, looked into Connor's eyes. "Connor." He muttered.
"Mitch? It was you, calling my name." He smiled slightly but made no move to embrace his brother.
"This can't be happening." Mitch told himself under his breath. He tried to control his breathing as he glanced at his family.
"What can't?" Ashley asked.
"Calm yourself, son." His father told him.
Mitch took one last look at his brother, at a younger him, and fled the room.
Hopefully the longer chapter made up for the lateness. Let me know in the reviews what you think Mitch will do/ where he is going!
~Scarlett