Kate let the mud push up between her toes, as she closed in on her prey. It seeped over her toes and across her feet. She lunged and clasped it in her mud soaked hands.

"What the hell are you doing Kate?" Trent slowly approached her, weary of her endless tricks. "I am not washing those clothes for you again!" Kate slowly turned her hands clasp in front of her, her shoulder length dirty blond hair hid most of her face, but her light blue eyes shone clear.

"Ooooh Trreeeeennnnt," She smiled menacingly. "I have something for you…" He tried to back away, his heart pounding. "No please, Kate please don't!' His freckled face paled. Her hands peeled open and a giant frog launched from between them. Trent shrieked and flopped backwards into the mud, the frog landed square on his chest. Its throat bubbled out as it croaked, then it hopped away. Kate fell backwards laughing, as Trent lay gasping in the mud. "Please" he begged "No more!"

Kate erupted into another fit of laughter, joined by tears. "Okay, okay, a truce."

Trent sighed and let his head drop into the mud with instant regret. "Why can't you grow up?"

Kate sneered. "Well we can't both be scared babies." Trent sat up. His hair stuck out at odd angles. "All I'm saying is that you can't be immature forever. You have to grow up sometime, and it might as well be now. It's been 6 years and there's no-one to care about whether or not you are strong or tough o-or whatever you're trying to be, just-"

Kate roared. "You think I'm an act? A show? You think I fake who I am for you? Look around, I am the only laughter, the only happiness for miles, and you're trying to tell me I should cower in that tree house with you and hope to survive? Just where do you get off? Should I become weak so that you are the strong one? Is that it? Why are you trying to change me? Can't you accept me as I am? No, I think you are the one that needs to grow up, because out here, there is no need to be serious. Maybe cautious, but you are way past that line."

She turned and stomped into the forest. Regret was far from her, but well on its way. She forced him from her mind as she carried herself farther and farther away from him. "What an ass! Who the hell does he think he is anyways? How can he even think that?"

She tore through the woods, her anger seemed to leave tracks in the soil behind her, thought her feet did not. She could feel it coursing through her veins. He had no right to say any of that.

Trent slowly crawled to his feet, his mouth was numb and he shook slightly as he watched Kate disappeared into the forest. With her steps left all sound, and all but the wind seemed to die. He trudged off in the opposite direction, his heart shattered again, and was becoming harder to put back together. He quickly stripped down, and dove into the icy waters of the creek, the mud left a brown stain in the crystal water that trailed down in long tendrils.

Trent shivered as he snuck back into the house stark naked. He draped his clothes over the rail outside then tiptoed into his room, and dug out some fresh clothes.

"You stayed out longer than I-"Kate shrieked as he whirled around, blushing furiously. "What's wrong with you? Get some clothes on!" Trent stood frozen. Kate swallowed hard, then turned and raced into the kitchen. Her mind was fried. "She quickly lit up a fire and dumped her skinned squirrels onto the thin rocky plate above it. This was a new occurrence in the 6 years of living together. She slumped down against the wall of the tree house, holding her head in her hands.

"How on earth can he be a year older than me? He doesn't act 17…" She squeezed her eyes shut against him. The thought of seeing him again made her heart drop. "How awkward…"

"And embarrassing…" Trent mumbled as he walked through the kitchen with his head down. Kate sighed and shook her head. She couldn't believe she had run from her horrible life at home into an endless mess with Trent. She had never in her younger life saw a banishment coming, but the day her father died…her life had changed forever. The town quickly threw her out, removing the name Bland from her identity, and as a 10 year old tomboy, cast into a world of loneliness, to cross half a desert and into an unknown forest, only to meet up with a boy, neither with an once of trust to spare, and yet a need to be with someone, and not alone. She could remember the long months of walking, and passing out for days in the dessert heat, begging for death but clinging to life…she was beginning to wish she had died…

The squirrels above her began to pop and sizzle. She jumped to her feet and rescued them just in time.

They ate quickly then went straight outside, staring up at the full moon. They sat in complete silence, watching the fireflies dance in the summer heat against the trees like stars twinkling in the sky. Trent yawned and stretched. "I-I'm sorry about everything I said earlier…" "I know." Kate said bluntly. "G' night." She jumped to her feet and disappeared into the house, flopping onto her bed. "Idiot…" She whispered as she drifted off.

Trent stared up into the sky, tears forming in his eyes. "What should I do?" He quickly wiped at his eyes and went into the house. He paused at Kate's doorway seeing she was already asleep, and then went to bed himself tossing, and turning all night.