Hey everyone, sorry I'm not updating, like at all. So much stuff going on… ANYWAY here's chapter 7!

"Do you see anything?" I asked halfheartedly.

Columbia did a slow turn, looking around the pond's shore. Obviously she didn't see anything, because she just kept turning and turning and turning.

"Columbia. Do you see anything?" I repeated.

"What? Oh, no, I don't."

"Really?" I had expected her to say something more along the lines of "There he is!" and point to a large rock or "I see him!" and point to a half-dead tree. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm not a preschooler, you know."

You could have fooled me.

"Oh, sorry. Well if you don't see him we should go back," I started off toward the ladder.

"Wait!" I turned. "How deep is the water?"

"How deep?" I hadn't been asked this before. "Maybe… Eleven feet? Maybe deeper?" I had never thought about it. All I know is that past the drop off I couldn't see, touch, or feel anything but water.

"Oh. Okay." She muttered. I turned to go down the ladder and suddenly felt a rough shove from behind, plunging me into the water.

I came up with a sharp breath and a sharper look to Columbia who was giggling like a hyena. Without a word, I got back up on the ladder, launched myself onto the deck, and pushed her in too.

"There. Now we're even." I smiled triumphantly while she poked her head out of the water. "By the way, I'd fix your makeup. It's starting to run. Last one to shore is a rotten egg!" I dove off the other side of the dock and swam like hell toward the forest we'd come from. Columbia was a faster swimmer than I expected and she soon caught up to me.

We reached shore in a flailing, splashing mess.

"I take it neither of you buffoons found Rocky?" Magenta raised her voice to cease the splashing and wrestling.

"We didn't." I smiled. "Maybe he's at the treehouse."

"For your sake you better hope he is. Now get up, the two of you."

Columbia and I stood up into the brisk air, now realizing what a cold night it really was. I shook my hair out and wiped whatever makeup I still had left on my face off. I put my shoes back on and threw my fishnets into the woods, knowing that I'd never use them again anyway.

Placing my hat back on, I was ready to go. After waiting for Columbia to finish prepping herself, we set back up the hill, this time, Magenta having me lead to avoid any repeats. We found our way back to the crossing and down the other path, heading up another gentle incline.

It wasn't long before the silence that showed too often was penetrated by Columbia.

"Are we almost there? My feet are tired."

"Yeah we are," I assured her. "Just hang in there."

We continued on, soon reaching a clearing with a large tree in the center. Blended nicely with it was a wooden structure perched on the thick, twisting branches. A dirty, damp rope ladder hung from the underside of the frame, swaying slightly. I looked up at it, not seeing any particular movement from it.

That's when I noticed the trap door was open.

"Guys! The trap is open!" I called to the two of them who had fallen slightly behind.

"What trap?" I heard Magenta's voice call back, as the woman herself slowly rose up the hill.

"It's the door to the treehouse." I explained, pointing it out to her. "I don't think I left it open last time I left.

"Well what does that mean?"

"Either the wind blew it open or someone's in there."

"Kyara, Magenta! I'm stuck!"

Magenta and I looked over the hill to see Columbia with her jacket (still on her body, mind you) tangle in some tree branch that overlapped the path.

How she manages these sorts of things I do not know.

I slid back down the hill, Magenta dragging her feet behind me.

"Columbia, you have to take off your coat."

"Why? I'm cold."

"Just do it, please." I smiled reassuringly.

"Alright." She did so, shivering as she stepped away from the glittering clothes. "Now what? I need my coat back!"

I sighed and set to work on peeling the coat from the twisted fingers of the tree's arm. All the while, Columbia's background squeals set for an interesting mood.

In other words it felt like I was defusing a bomb.

"Don't rip it! If one sequin comes off they all do! You're tearing it! You're going to wreck it, Kyara!"

Eventually I got the coat off with little to no damage. Columbia was overjoyed and put the jacket back on, thanking me and skipping up the hill to the treehouse. I rolled my eyes, as did Magenta, and we followed her on up, trudging with newfound weariness.

Once we got up there, I took off my heels and made my way to the ropes. "Come on guys, it's up here."

"Do you think Rocky's up there?"

"Maybe." I started up the trembling rope ladder. With every rung I ascended, I squeezed my hands more and held on for dear life so I wouldn't fall off. I was hugging the rope to my chest for dear life by the time my head was at the open hole in the floor (or roof from my perspective).

"Well?" Columbia called from somewhere below me. "Do you see him?"

"Currently no," I hissed. "Mostly because I'm trying not to fall off and break my arm or leg or other appendage!"

There was a pause as I struggled up another rung. Then she spoke again. "So is he ther or not?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I finally hauled myself up into the treehouse.

HEY WHOA CLIFFHANGER