We were standing under a canopy of trees, the branches each intertwined amongst each other. It was a beautiful sight.
"Well, we're here," Juniper nodded at the lovely rows of forestry surrounded them.
"It…it looks just like where we were!" I grumbled. I think I was getting a tad sick of forest.
"Raina!" I heard a voice jump from atop the trees. I looked around, only to be hit in a hug by Beth.
"Miss me?" Beth asked.
"What? Where did you go?"
"I….I got lost," she grinned. A grin in which I could tell she was certainly lying. "Then I suddenly came across….well, them!" Suddenly, I was aware that there were others watching us, and not just Juniper. Eyes, tons and tons of pairs of eyes followed me through the branches, I could feel them.
"Who?" I asked, looking over.
"They are really amazing Raina! You have to meet them!"
"Them? Who are they exactly?"
"They're our friends!"
That's when they immerged from the woods, surrounding us. There were so many of them! People that were, well they seemed to be from some kind of tribe.
Juniper was brushing off her leather shoes and didn't notice them. She glanced up at us and then saw them. "Ah, it's about time,"
"Time is of the essence," one stepped out. He was thinly built, with an accent that I couldn't quite place, sounded French of sorts. "You of all people, don't make much use of it," he chuckled.
Juniper smirked. "You haven't changed much over the years."
He shook his head. "Neither have you. I see you haven't rid yourself of that stubbornness that's always been a burden."
"A burden?" Juniper replied in mock horror. "I seem to find it come in handy."
He nodded, then came up to her. They embraced, both with a smirk on their faces. Their eyes were smiling though, no joke there.
"So, it's happening huh? It's really happening."
"Not like last time," Juniper laughed. "Last time was fun though."
He nodded in agreement. "No arguments there,"
All the while, Bess and I looked at them in awe. How was that everyone was in tact with everything but me? I glanced at Bess and relished at her confusion. Thank goodness I finally wasn't alone in this.
Suddenly a voice came behind me. "Well, I don't want to break up this cheery reunion," it was Gabriel, "but we should probably be heading off don't you think?"
"Yes," As he answered he peeked around, looking for eyes that weren't of his own clan. "No one followed you?"
Juniper shook her head. "Not that we know of. Of course, someone could have drifted through the lines of the portal."
"We have to be careful regardless," he agreed. He then turned to me. "You are Raina yes?"
I nodded.
He bowed. "It's a pleasure. And where might be the young fellow?"
"Cal will meet up with us soon."
"So shall we head out without them?"
"That might be best."
"Follow me then. The others will surround us."
Juniper chuckled. "I'm surprised you didn't make the same mistake you did last time."
He furled. "I never make the same mistake twice," he grumbled.
"That's not what I remember.." and then they were off. They had wandered into the trees and I was listening to them no longer. Bess just rolled her eyes.
"Where do you think we're going?"
"Who knows?" Bess answered. "They may have told me more than they've told you, but they certainly haven't told me much."
"Why do you think they're hiding so much from me?" I asked.
'Because you'll most likely act up, like a foolish little child.' It was Cal. I tried to ignore him while talking to Bess. He just jumped in so suddenly that I had a hard time listening to Bess.
"I'm not quite sure. Of course, you did choose to go along with it."
I looked at her incredulously. "I chose this? I'm pretty sure that if I didn't go along with it, that I'd have no choice anyway."
She nodded in accent. "Yea, but if it were me in your situation, I'd be the one in control of it. I would want to know and you know me well enough to know that I would put up a fight."
I giggled. "Very true, but I'm not like that."
"Well, I just hope you don't get pulled into something I can't get you out of." She sighed.
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought that's the whole point of going along?"
She started to talk and then laughed. "True."
I looked ahead a moment to look for them, but I could see them fading. "I think we need to catch up Bess, I have a feeling that they've forgotten about us."
She nodded and then gave me a smirk. "I'll race you!" And she was gone. Sprinting over the twigs and branches like something between a deer and human.
"Bess!" I whined, but I laughed and started running, opening my lungues, closing up on her tail. And for the first time a long time, I felt free.