Joey watched his brother walk off in silence, not knowing what to say to bring him back. Coraline and Wybie came up behind Joey, curious. Coraline said, "What's his problem?" Joey said, "Don't worry about him. He's...not very social. He doesn't know how to interact with others very well. That's just how he is." Wybie said, "He doesn't seem to like us much." Joey said, "No. It isn't that. According to him, all humans are jerk-asses until proven otherwise." Wybie said, "That's not cool." Joey shrugged, saying, "That's just the way he is. He's very gruff." Wybie decided to break the exchange, and said, "Anyway. We should be getting that wood, right? It's a bit out of the way but I know where there is a huge supply of it. It's relatively easy to get to. Follow me." Joey followed the awkward boy, the blue-haired girl trotting behind them. Joey took note of how dead the surrounding trees looked. The sight was melancholy, the age of the land evident. In the distance, The Pink Palace loomed. The storm overhead from earlier still released a gentle drizzle of rain, casting a dismal fog over the landscape. The fog seemed almost sentient, moving among itself. However, Joey knew that this was merely an optical illusion. The trio continued to venture deeper into the woods, making sure to be wary of the various creatures that could appear. They must have hiked for what seemed like miles, because the Pink Palace, or any civilization for that matter, was entirely out of sight. After a while, they came upon their destination. Wybie stated, "Well, this is the spot." Joey looked around. The young boy thought to himself, "What do these two do in their spare time?" They had come upon a rather sizable campsite. There was a large clearing of dirt and gravel that looked as if it had been made with great care and effort. In the center of the gravel clearing was a large fire pit, which had a metal grate over where the flame would be lit, most likely for cooking food. A ways off there was a hand-made tent of tarp, rope, and several side overhangs to sit in the shade. Wybie showed him the inside of the contraption, pulling apart the flaps of the entrance. It was impressive, Joey had to admit. On the tent floor was what looked like a solid slab of concrete, covered with a thin metal sheet, and there was more than enough room for two.
Coraline tugged Joey's shoulder, gesturing at the camp-site with a wave of her hand, "And this is what happens when your best friend is a psycho-nerd whom knows way too much for someone his age." Wybie said in return, "It took a lot of effort to make this place. It didn't take much money, but the blisters I got on my hands more than prove my point." Joey said, "So, when do you two come out here? Do you camp here often?" Wybie said, "Well, we usually work on this place during the summer months. Jonesy has been a big-no, scratch that..., my only help. It has taken us over a year to develop it this much. We are lucky no animals have destroyed it. We tried to use concrete, but we didn't have enough mixture for the whole thing. So, we made the bed space concrete and for the rest we mixed mud, dirt, and gravel." Joey nodded and said, "I am impressed by your creativity." Wybie shook his head, "Nah. It was nothing." Coraline put in, "Our next project is to build a small fence with a gate. It will surround the site. We haven't been able to find any decent wood for fence posts though." " Wybie said, "Speaking of which, there's our objective." Joey looked over, and sure enough, there was a sizable pile of logs. Beside the pile, an axe sat beside a sharpening bench. Joey asked with surprise, "You two cut all of these? Aren't you a bit young to be working with an axe?" Coraline laughed out loud. "Don't be ridiculous. It isn't hard." Joey said, "Alright. How do we get some of this wood back to the house?" Coraline said, "Well, before Wybie grew a brain, he used to carry the wood up here." She struck an overly-dramatic pose, hands clasped by her head. "He was so dreamy, being tough and muscular." Either Wybie did not hear, was too embarrassed, or was lost in his thoughts, because he ignored the statement entirely. She hung her head, her moment spoiled. Wybie brought out a wagon from a slightly dilapidated, hand-made shed that was in the corner of the campsite. He said smiling smugly, "Well, Jonesy, my brain works harder than my muscles." Joey couldn't help but laugh hard at his statement. Coraline gave him a death glare in return.
After a lengthy effort of the trio loading the wood, launching immature insults at one another, they were finished gathering it. Wybie showed Joey the directions home, which were indicated by a deep carving of the letter "W" in the wood of various trees. Joey was impressed with this, and sure enough, after following the marked trees, they emerged onto a trail which led almost directly back to the house. Coraline and Wybie had clearly spent a lot of time in the woods around here, and it showed by how easily they were able to get around. Joey was pulling the wagon ahead of the other two, and began to think he had rather enjoyed his time with the duo. They proved to be decent company despite the rather rough introduction. Not to mention showing him the large cache of wood him and his brother could use. William had really missed out. The Pink Palace came into view, the fog having lifted. The storm had ended a while ago, although it was still a dull overcast above. Wybie said to Joey as they emerged from the woods beside the large apartment building, "So, what exactly is your brother like?" Joey said, "He's complex. I do not know where to begin." Coraline said, "I don't want to sound rude but he seems...cold." Joey said, "Yeah. He scares me a lot of the time, I admit." Wybie said, "His eyes are kind of chilling as well. A lifeless grey." Joey said, "Yeah I know. He's so damn hard to read. I never know what he is thinking." Coraline laughed and said, "How to get away with murder?" Joey did not like that comment. But, he decided to play it off. "Hey, take it easy. He's not that bad." Wybie said, "I'd like to get to know him more. You yourself seem decent, Joey." Coraline nodded in agreement. They had gotten down the foot of the hill path, making their way around the house. William was nowhere to be found. They made their way to the front porch, and Wybie said, "Well, here's your wood." Joey said, "Would you like to come in for a moment? William won't care." Immediately, Joey could visibly see Coraline and Wybie clearly did not feel comfortable with that suggestion. Coraline spoke first, "Nah, we have some things to do ourselves. I have to walk this jerk-wad home. I need to be back before dinner or mom will murder me." Wybie laughed and said, "Yeah, her mother is scary when she's mad." Coraline replied, "Not as scary as your grandmother." Joey couldn't help but join in the chuckling from that. Wybie said to Joey, "Hey, you can borrow the wagon for a while if you need it. It was my grandfather's so please be careful with it." Joey nodded and said, "Alright. I'll make sure of it." Coraline said, "School has been cancelled for the next two days because the boiler in the school went out. That's why Wybie and I were here so early today, otherwise, we'd still be in school. And since today is Wednesday, that basically means a 5 day vacation. Want to hang out again tomorrow?" Joey said, "I'll ask my bro when I see him." Coraline and Wybie both nodded, seemingly happy from the answer. The two teens waved Joey a final farewell before walking away from the porch, vanishing from sight. Joey turned, opening the door and walking in.
Evening had begun to settle, and the house had slowly grown dark. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen, and followed the scent. William was making some sort of stew with the ingredients they had gotten from the store. Joey walked over and said, "Where did you get the pots and pans from?" William merely grunted, making it clear that he was too busy to speak. Joey sat in the kitchen and waited patiently for the food to be completed. The smell tortured his senses. He was just beginning to realize how hungry he really was. The younger sibling removed his jacket and felt the heat from the kitchen stove wash over him. It was soothing, making his eyelids feel heavy. William was silent, the only sound coming from him were the slight clangs of metal. A bowl was set in front of Joey suddenly, and a spoon was placed in the young boy's hand. The stew looked strange, but after tasting it, Joey was hooked. William was very talented, yet bizarre when it came to cooking. He could make the strangest-looking dishes while making them taste great. William sat in his chair opposite Joey, and proceeded to enjoy his meal. William spoke softly, yet in that aloof, cold manner of his, "I got the dishes from a box on the porch. There was no note on who left it, so I took a guess and thought that it was a gift from the land-lady." Joey nodded in response. William continued, "We are going to the grocery store tomorrow to get more food rations and a larger supply cache. We will get enough to last until my job starts." Joey said, "Alright." The two sat in silence for several minutes, thoroughly enjoying their meal. It was pleasant, to say the least. Joey took a breath and said, "I had fun with Coraline and Wybie." William merely kept eating. Joey continued, "They seem to know almost everything about the terrain around here. They even have a big campsite that has a lot of wood we can use!" William softly spoke, "It is no surprise. They are socially isolated here. I have not seen the neighbors yet." Joey said, "Apparently, school is cancelled due to the boiler being out. They get a five day vacation virtually." William said, "Education is important. However, the way school does it...well...it is inefficient to say the least." Joey nodded and said, "They want to hang out tomorrow. Can I go with them?" William rose one eyebrow. Joey realized his mistake and said, "May I go with them?" William merely grunted in response and nodded. Joey smiled and said, "Thanks!" William finished his food and told his younger brother, "Rinse off your plate and silverware." Joey did as asked. William went to the sitting room, and Joey retrieved a handful of wood, hauling it into the sitting room. When he got there, Joey's jaw dropped. William must have been busy. There was a already a large pile of firewood in the corner. The older sibling went over to the pit and used the two stones to make a spark, lighting the flame. Joey continued to load the wood into the pile while William tended to the fire. It did not take long to get it done, however, and soon enough, the two brothers had settled themselves on the floor in front of the fireplace. William spoke, "I still have not spoken to anybody about the fireplace. I must get a hold of the land-lady in the next few days. Ms. Rosaline seems like she is easy to work with." Joey merely sat there, listening to his brother talk.
William looked over at his brother, and said, "So..Tell me of your new comrades." Joey said, "They are really cool, man. Wybie is, according to Coraline, a psycho-nerd. He is smart for his age. Coraline is a tomboy. And she is tough. She is the dominant of the two. She's got a lot more confidence than Wybie does." William said, "I agree. I noticed he stutters slightly. It isn't bad, but you can hear it." Joey said, "You should see their campsite. It is huge! They hand-made most of it." William rose one eyebrow, "Really?" Joey nodded in happiness, "It is so cool. It took them over a year to make. It is quite impressive." William said, "Did they mention anything of the neighbors?" Joey shook his head, "They never really brought that up. Neither did I." William said, "Very well. It sounds like you enjoyed yourself. However, young man. Do be mindful of whom you become close to." Joey said, "I know. But I'm trying to be optimistic about this." William gave Joey a look of uncertainty, grey eyes full of cynicism.