Now back in the cabin, Bryson eagerly scribbled on the blank pages of Rabadan's notebook with Tin Man's pen, his three coma pinons watching him curiously.
"What are you writing there, Bryson?" Tin Man asked.
Bryson finished up writing and sighed, his hand exhausted.
"Rabadan's gonna wanna find this... and I'm gonna give it back to him. Wanna know why?" he asked.
They all shook their heads, all anxious to hear what he had to say.
He rapidly went through the pages. "Well... I'm sure he'll see if I did anything to it. And on these blank pages.." He showed them to his friends. "I wrote our 'plan.' It's not a real plan, of course. But it'll trick him. I think. It's too much to explain now, you can read it for yourself if you want. But anyways, when he confronts me about it, I'll act hesitant, then give it to him."
But that was far from the truth. If he told them what his fake plan was, then they would know that he knew of Oz long before this. That where he came from, it was supposed to be nothing more than fiction created a long time ago. He wasn't ready to tell them, he didn't know how they would react. He didn't wanna lose his first true friends.
He stuffed the notebook back in his backpack, hoping no one would volunteer to read it. He set down on his backpack.
"Good idea!" Finley exclaimed, sitting down next to his friend.
Luckily for him, none of them tried to read what he wrote down. He sighed and leaned back on the couch he was sitting on. After a few moments of silence, Dorothy spoke up. "Hopefully it works... I just can't bare to see anymore of Oz or you guys in pain.."
"It'll all be fine in the end... I'm sure of it." Tin Man assured. "But we should probably get moving now, before it gets dark. "
The group nodded in agreement. Bryson put his backpack over his shoulders and they walked out the cabin, off the grassy yard, and back onto the Yellow Brick Road.
"I hope Glinda's okay.." Dorothy muttered, her face set on the road, looking miserable.
Bryson hated seeing her so sad, he wanted to comfort her.. but it was hard to talk to her at all... sometimes he didn't know what to do because he was so nervous.. but he couldn't help it.. he was madly in love with her.
"I'm sure she's alright... we'll get her back.. just don't worry about it." Tin Man assured.
Dorothy shrugged and put her head up. "Sorry if I'm getting you guys down... I'm just so worried.." she apologized.
"It's okay.. you have a right to be worried..." replied Bryson.
"Thanks, Bryson." He shuttered a bit. He always did when she said her name.. he loved hearing it... the tone of it... the way it rolled off her tongue..
"No problem.." he replied after a few moments.. he noticed he was staring at her, but she didn't seem to notice. After several minutes of walking down the seemingly endless road, Tin Man spoke up when it was now dark and they came across a forest on the side. "Guys.. I think it'd be best to to call it a night... it's getting rather dark."
"How will we sleep?" Finley asked, his voice showing that of exhaustion.
Tin Man looked around. "Hmm.. well, we might just have to rest against one of those trees."
He took a few more steps and poked his head around, pointing with his axe in his hand. "Ah.. right there shouldn't be too bad. It's a pretty big one."
They all came around to look at the tree Tin Man was referring to and agreed it should be a nice place to sleep. Well, nice enough.
"Dorothy.. Finley.. Bryson.. I think you three can rest right at this tree. I'm gonna go look out for anything and try and find some things to start a fire." Tin Man told them.
Dorothy nodded and scuffed her feet on the ground. "Alright..." she mumbled, slightly pouting with her hands behind her back, leaning against the tree.
"Well, I'm gonna go check for anything, I think I'll go try and find some things to build a fire for us, I'll be back in a minute." Tin Man told them, walking away.
Dorothy sighed and looked up at the night sky. She slowly slumped down against the tree, still looking up. Finley then climbed into her lap and closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. Bryson just paced back and forth the forest. Dorothy looked up at him. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.
Bryson stopped and looked at her. "Uh.. no.. I... I always pace around... and..." he pursed his lips and sighed, shrugging and scuffing his feet in the ground. "Stuff..." he finished clumsily.
She chuckled a bit and he turned to her, chewing on his lip and smirking. "What?"
"Nothing.. you're just..." She started, looking intently at him.
"I'm.. what?" he asked, anxious and curious to know.
"..Different..." she trailed off. "But not in a bad way, mind you." she quickly explained.
He walked closer to her and awkwardly rubbed his feet together.
"Oh? What do you mean?" he asked.
She shrugged and looked down. "I don't know... just.. the way you talk.. word different things... motions you do... you're just... nice to watch." she explained with a smile. "There's just something about you.. I guess you could say." She told him.
He smirked a bit. He guessed he had to have fascinated her at least a bit. They were decades apart and his speech and attitude in general were completely different. He slowly walked over and sat down next to her.
"And when we talked yesterday about Oz and how beautiful it looked... usually, boys don't really seem to care about.. that sort of thing.. they just wanna.. I'm not sure... and don't really pay attention to it. At least that's how it seems for me." She continued.
"I guess.. I guess so..." He replied.
"And you're a lot.. kinder than boys I know.. I guess you could say. At least where I come from.. in Kansas. A lot of them seem to enjoy That's what I love about Oz... most people are so much more loving and accepting. When I told my aunt and uncle about Oz...they just laughed at me and told me I must've hit my head too hard... I guess I can't say that a lot of kids at school made fun of me too. I'm basically the laughing stock there."
"I know how you feel... I get made fun of school a lot too.." Bryson admitted.
Dorothy frowned. "Why's that?"
Bryson shrugged. "I don't know.. I guess because I'm shy and quiet and never really talk to many people. Or maybe because I'm not athletic or anything like that.. or.. well.. I just.. I don't know.."
Dorothy frowned a bit more. "I don't know why people like to pick on other people..."
Bryson shrugged. "I don't know.. people can be so judgmental. I don't know why they have to be that way. I wish they'd just get over themselves and maybe we could just have more peace. It's one of the great things about Oz..."
Dorothy's eyes lit up a bit and nodded excitedly in agreement. "Exactly!" She told him with a grin. She looked at him and leaned more back against the tree, she was about to say something, but stopped. "You.. you wanna know something?" she asked, looking up at him.
"What?"
She yawned and then started to lay down, gently laying Finley down, Bryson laying next to her. She sighed. "Sometimes I wanna just stay in Oz. Forever. It's much better than.. well, Earth, I suppose you could say..." she then chuckled a bit. "Or wherever Oz is... I'm not quite sure. I've tried to ask people around, but since this is the only place they know of, it just sounds crazy." She explained, chuckling. "Well, anyways.." she sighed. "I wish I could just stay in Oz sometimes, in fact, if it wasn't for family.. I'd do it in a heartbeat." She explained, her voice full of compassion for the magical land.
"Yeah... I'm starting to feel like that myself... wanting to leave Oz if it wasn't for family and all. I couldn't leave my mother, or my sister.. or my dog..."
"What about your father?" she asked, but with hesitance.
Bryson sighed and looked down at his feet. "He uh... I'm... I'm not... I don't..." He struggled, sighing not sure what to say. "He's just... I don't even know if he really cares about me."
Dorothy frowned once more. "What.. what makes you say that?"
Bryson sighed. "He's just... he... he's just very.. mean.. I guess. Abusive, pretty much... verbally abusive.. sometimes a little physical.. you could say..."
Dorothy's eyes widened. "Not really with me... my mom... lately.. he fights with her a lot. Accuses her of cheating on him and not loving him.. stuff like that... they fight about every other night... but the last one... he just... started getting physical... I tried to help.. he pushed me away. Then my mom just gave me the okay to run... I should have helped her but my dad just scared me too much, and my dog ran away, I was just anxious to find him.. I just ran out and looked all over... then gave up and.. then a tornado came, actually.. I hid in a barn.. twister just.. just lifted me up. And here I am."
"The same thing happened to me. I was lifted up by a twister when I was in my house." Dorothy replied.
"Only reason I'm anxious to get back is to find my dog and apologize to my mom.. I hope there's a way to return to Oz..."
Dorothy looked up at him. "There is, actually... through.. these.. magic slippers. You put them on and click your heels, and then make a wish. And then, whatever that wish is will happen. It's how I got back home. Well, a day after I got home, I found them under my bed, and decided to wish to go to Oz. And now I come here every so often. But.. they disappeared recently. When all this awful stuff started to happen to Oz. I wouldn't be surprised if that Rabadan jerk has them... whatever the matter may be, I hope we can get them back.. or else we might not be able to get back home. My aunt and uncle must be worried sick, come to think of it.." She said, looking up at the night sky.
"You live with your aunt and uncle?" Bryson asked, again, as if he didn't know.
"Mmm hmm..." she said, looking off distracted.
"What ever happened to your parents? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
She shook her head. "I don't mind at all... it's alright... but, um.. well, I've never met my parents. I've been with my aunt and uncle for as long as I can remember, my parents passed away.."
He nodded and sighed again, they stayed silent for a few moments before Dorothy spoke up. "Oh.. so.. you mentioned you had a dog?"
Bryson nodded.
Yeah, me too. I'm really close to him.. he's practically my best friend." Dorothy told him with a chuckle.
Bryson chuckled back. "Yeah, same way for me... sometimes animals can be better friends then humans because they don't want anything from you, they don't judge. They're loyal to you no matter what..." He trailed off.
Dorothy's eyes lit up slightly once again as she looked over at him.
He noticed and looked over. "What?"
She shook her head. "I swear... you always seem to take the words right out of my mouth."
He smirked and they remained silent for a few moments until she spoke back up. "So.. what's your dog's name?"
"Lucky...I named him that because.. well...we make each other feel lucky I guess you could say." He chuckled.
She smiled. "Aw.. that's cute.. mine's name is Toto... I got him when I was 10, don't ask.." she said with a grin.
He chuckled, of course he knew Toto.. but still, couldn't be amused. "What? I like that name."
She shrugged. "Yeah.. I do too to be honest, but most people I talk to seem to think it's an odd name... but.. then again you're not like most people... but that's a good thing." She smiled over at him.
"You're not either... in a good way, of course." He explained.
"How so?" she asked.
"Well... the way you talk, word different things... basically what you said about me. Not to mention you're loyal.. more loyal than the friends I've known since like the 1st grade. And brave.. I mean... when you stepped up to Rabadan like that... that takes.. well.. guts.."
She smiled. "Well, thank you... and.. I feel like.. as if I could tell you almost anything and be comfortable.. yet I've only known you for a few days... I don't know.. I just.. it's just... I've never really been able to talk to someone so openly before.. unless you wanna count Toto, but.. he can't really respond." She explained with a giggle.
He nodded. "Yeah.. I feel the same way.."
They stayed silent for a few moments until Tin Man came back with wood in his hands. "Hey, guys. I suppose I should start with the fire?"
But he was given no reply, with Finley slouched upon a tree and Bryson and Dorothy laying side by side.