"Omg Josh," Sophie groaned for the hundredth time, "what the hell do you eat?"
"What do you mean, what do I eat?!" Josh replied, in his exactly-how-can-you-be-this-stupid voice.
"I meant what sort of food that makes you so. Damn. Heavy!"
With a little groan Sophie folded her wings and plummeted to the ground, dumping Josh unceremoniously onto the floor as she collapsed next to him, massaging her arms.
"Perfect landing darling," Josh muttered sarcastically, spitting the mud out from his mouth.
"I heard that!"
"Oh, that's good news then. At least you're not deaf!"
"Sometimes you totally confuse me, Josh."
"It's not exactly hard."
Sophie chose to ignore this comment and moved around the clearing they'd landed in. It looked no different from the rest of the forest and soon she was back where she started, standing next to Josh.
"So what do we do now?" Josh asked, expectantly looking at her.
"How the bloody hell should I know?" Sophie exploded, glaring up at him. "It was me who did the driving last, me who saved your ass from those freaks back there-"
"Oh don't start!" Josh snapped back, his pride a little dented at having a girl rescue him.
"Don't start? Don't start-"
"Shut up!" Josh yelled, pushing both of his hands down hard on Sophie's shoulders, forcing her down quickly down onto the ground and walking away.
"What?" Sophie cried, sounding a bit scared, "where are you going?"
"To get firewood," he said, his left hand motioning to the sky, "it's getting dark."
"Oh. Ok then."
"I won't be long, promise," he called back, the laughter in his voice echoing over the distance. Sophie didn't bother replying.
A while later Josh found the clearing again after several, "crap, crap, I'm lost! Shit help me!"'s. He stumbled in and clumsily dropped the wood right next to Sophie, making her cast him a scathing look. She had cleared the immediate area of brambles and nettles and made a nice big space for the fire. Around it there were two middle-sized logs.
"For sitting on," she said to his unspoken question.
"Right, that's all nice but I've just thought of something."
"Oh wow! Well, there's a first time for everything Josh!" Sophie cried sarcastically.
"No, I'm being serious!" he replied, looking wounded.
"So was I," Sophie growled back.
"Why are you in such a bad mood now?" Josh asked, sighing.
"Just set get the sodding fire going Josh, I'm cold."
"That's the thing-"
"What thing?" Sophie cried back, exasperated.
"How the hell are we going to light it?"
"Oh, good question there. I have no idea," she replied, looking a little stumped.
"That's just great news, then. Thanks a lot for you help, Soph."
"Don't call me Soph, only my friends call me Soph."
"Well right now I'm the only friend you've got in the world so get used to it!"
"Here comes the drama queen gene again," she muttered.
"Drama queen gene? What are you on about?"
"I don't know."
"For Gods sake!"
"Calm down, Josh."
"Oh sorry, Princess."
"Princess?"
"Oh I don't know where that came from, leave me alone."
"You sound like a spoilt kid," Sophie said matter of factly, standing up and stretching her shoulders behind her.
"And that's really helpful in our present situation."
"Well there is an easy way out of it," she said suddenly, her face lighting up.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Josh sneered at her.
"I fly off and go get some matches. The roads not far off from here and at every corner of so there tends to be a little convenience store."
"I'm surprised," Josh said finally.
"Why?"
"That such a blonde person can actually make sense sometimes."
Sophie muttered something unintelligible and unprintable under her breath before spreading her wings and preparing to take off.
"Wait! Don't you need some money?"
"Maybe," Sophie replied, laughing. She quickly grabbed the wallet out of his hand before leaping high into the air.
"OI!" Josh yelped, bending over and covering his head with his arms at the sudden wind howling around him.
"Oops, sorry honey!" Sophie giggled down at him, before swooping towards him, ruffling his hair and disappearing into the sky. Josh sighed, remembering too late to ask her to get some food as well.
She's quite sensible really, she should remember, he thought tiredly to himself. He sat down quickly, leaned against a tree and silently closed his eyes. Just for a second...
Sophie had been gone a couple of hours by the time she finally flew back to the clearing. Josh had slid down from leaning on the trunk and was now lying flat on the ground. Sophie sighed and carefully set her bags down, trying to make as little noise as possible as she walked over to him.
She knelt down and moved him into a more comfortable position, dragging him a little nearer to the unmade fire, as it had got pretty cold. He still didn't wake.
She walked over to the pile of wood and begun piling it into a 3D triangle with screwed up newspaper in the middle. Finally all the wood had gone and she leaned back and scrutinised her work. She reached inside one of the plastic bags and pulled out one of the boxes of matches before lighting four different ones and pushing them deep into the paper. Quickly it caught and soon steady warm flames licked around the dry logs.
Sophie smiled tiredly, then pulling an old worn jumper from her bag she slipped it on and pulled the long sleeves down far on her arms. Two large cuts had been made in the back to allow her wings to fold outside the jumper. She shivered as the cold pressed onto her back while her front boiled. She watched the fire for a moment before turning back to her shopping bags and pulling out various pots, food and bottles of water. Somehow she managed to balance a pot directly over the middle of the fire, poured two bottles of water into it and some flavoured noodles.
They took about ten minutes to cook properly and soon she pulled out another pan and tipped half the mixture into it, placed the pot hovering over the flames again, pulled out a fork and slowly begun to eat. As soon as she had finished she swilled out her pan and placed it back into one of the bags. She walked back over to Josh, who was still slumbering peacefully on the floor. She grabbed his arms and hoisted him up, dragging him closer to the fire and nearer her. She didn't feel safe, sitting all alone in the big dark, howling wood. Yet with his presence next to her, awake or not, she felt a lot stronger, warmer.
After checking he was comfortable, she turned her attention back to the flames, watching their hypnotic dance play out.
Josh slowly woke up, blearily opening his eyes he saw Sophie sitting a little away from him, on a log. He was lying on the ground and groaned as he twisted to sit up, feeling the aches of his muscles.
Sophie jumped, her face pale in the glow from the burning embers.
"Josh," she said, as though dredging the name up from deep down inside her.
"That's me," he muttered, running his hands through his short, black hair.
"There's food for you," she said suddenly, her arm reaching out and pointing at the grey pot.
"Thanks, I'm starving." He yawned, carefully catching the pots handle and lifting it free from its place above the fire.
"This," he said hurriedly gulping, "is gorgeous!"
"It's only Pot Noodle," Sophie said laughing, feeling normal again. "You're only saying that because you haven't eaten for a while."
"That's probably true," Josh replied, nodding slightly.
They sat in silence for a while, Josh greedily scoffing his dinner while Sophie went back to staring at the fire.
"How long have I been asleep?" Josh asked. Sophie seemed frozen for a second, before forcibly pulling herself back into reality.
"Sorry," she said, blushing, "lost in my thoughts I guess."
"Oh," Josh answered, surveying her intently.
"What?" Sophie asked, a little surprised at the intensity of his gaze.
"Must have been some thoughts."
"Oh. Oh, yeah. I guess so." She muttered, sheepishly.
"Are you alright?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you! No need to sound so surprised."
"Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure!" Sophie snapped back, irritated. She didn't like people fussing over her, especially people she didn't know that well.
"Ok," Josh replied defensively, backing off. He picked at his food for a second before jumping up and throwing the rest of it into the trees. He then walked over to the bags, poking round for a second.
"I couldn't find any sleeping bags at any of the local shops," Sophie said, causing Josh to jump round and stare at her in surprise.
"What?" she asked, sounding a little apprehensive.
"Didn't hear you there, that's all," he said, visibly relaxing.
"Oh, well ok then. So, instead I got this," she leaned past Josh and pulled a velvety and massive towel from one of the bags. She blushed at his confused and incredulous expression, ducking her head a little as she hastily explained.
"It's the nearest thing I could find to a cover! I thought we'd need something to keep us warm incase the fire went out. I was going to get two but…" she petered out, looking embarrassed.
"But what?" Josh prompted curiously.
"I didn't want to spend all your money on towels," she muttered, avoiding his gaze.
To her surprise he laughed and flung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his side.
"Whatever you think we need, you get. We've got plenty of money and the schools not far off at all. Don't worry chic, you're sensible enough and I know you wouldn't spend the money on things we don't need."
"But," Sophie said, twisting round to face him. "But you shouldn't be spending it on me at all! It's your money, not mine! I'm just latching onto you and stealing it!"
"Don't be ridiculous! Stealing it? I want you to have some of it! Anyway, I was the one who brought you along so it's my fault you're here in this mess, so I'll be the one to help sort it out."
"But you saved me! If you hadn't picked me up who knows what would have happened to me or to my family." Her voice was typically sincere and her smoky grey eyes troubled as Josh looked down into them.
"Well, it sounds to me like we both helped get where we are anyway. But," he begun, interrupting her, "you have paid me back by saving my life."
Saving your life?" Sophie asked incredulously, blushing all the same. "Hardly."
"Not literally but I don't think I would have had much of a life if I'd had to go with them."
"You would have escaped by yourself," she said, dismissiving that thought.
"No, I would not," he replied firmly, grabbing both of Sophies shoulders and staring into her eyes. "You know I wouldn't've."
Sophie squirmed a little and eventually pulled away, grudgingly accepting the fact Josh wasn't going to take anymore of her worries about money. At the same time they both moved towards the fire, carrying the rest of the bags near to where they were going to sleep. They pushed the two logs away from the edge of the fire, brushed away most of the twigs and decided who was going to sleep where.
"We're going to have to snuggle up," Josh said, eyeing the towel. It would fit both of them under but it was going to be a squeeze. Sophie disappeared around the other side of the fire and a little while later came back into view, wearing some thick pink jogging bottoms in place of her jeans.
"They're much more comfortable," she explained in response to Josh's raised eyebrows. "And much warmer."
She dumped her rucksack next to the plastic bags and quickly moved down next to where Josh was sitting. He pulled off his jumper, then his top and stretched, flexing his muscles. Sophie rolled her eyes, muttered something that sounded distinctly like "show-off," and grabbed the towel. He grinned arrogantly and asked her sweetly, "do you have anything that would fit me for the night?"
Sophie eyed him in surprise and laughed, "anything that would fit you?"
"Yep."
"But…but I'm a girl!"
"Yes, well done," Josh replied sarcastically.
"And you're a boy!"
"Yes and?"
"My clothes won't fit you!"
"Yes, I realise most of your clothes won't but most girls have something big and comfortable to wear for when they're upset or something."
"How do you know?" Sophie asked suspiciously.
"I know a lot of girls," he said, grinning suggestively.
"Oh shut up," Sophie sighed, not altogether angrily. She leaned over him, her warm body pressing lightly on his, and grabbed her bag, idly pushing her hand all the way to the bottom. Eventually she pulled out a thick black jumper and handed it to him, before leaning back onto the ground, her arm under her head. Josh slipped the top on then regarded her, a curious expression on his face.
"What?" Sophie asked tiredly, feeling his gaze hot on her face.
"I was just wondering where you got this from," Josh muttered, slipping down next to her and wrapping the towel a little around him, careful not to pull it off Sophie.
"Oh, it's my dads."
"Your dads?"
"Yes," she whispered back, closing her eyes as the tears formed in them. "I just wanted something to remember him by."