Wanted

Making Friends

~ Chapter 12 ~

Arden

I'd seen the tower from across the lake but hadn't actually been near it. It soared over our heads, easily beating out the Capitol as the tallest structure in the Out. Located at the edge of the forest and next to the water, it had a perfect vantage point of the little town. The steep stairs parallel to its base led up to a wraparound porch where two adirondack chairs set. A small wicker card table was nestled between them.

Fox twisted open the door handle and we filed inside the warm lookout. I scanned the room we'd entered as everyone else began making themselves at home. The door was flanked by wall to wall windows and below those, to my right, were soft teal couches. On the left, the tiny kitchen's fixtures were a matching shade of blue-green.

"Not bad for a decommissioned guard tower, huh?" Bear grinned as I earnestly agreed.

After plopping down on one of the couches, I watched as Bear kneeled in front of the wood burning stove and tugged open the hatch. He carefully placed a few small sticks and twigs inside, then used a lighter to start the fire. The little twigs ignited first, spreading the flame to the larger logs as time went on. I shifted my attention beyond Bear's broad shoulders to the view provided by the windows. From above, the Out looked like the scene of a vintage toy train set.

I observed Frog as he busied himself with the saggy couch cushions. He glanced down at his wristwatch and abruptly stood up seconds later to re-zip his jacket, "Gotta go pick up the little sis before it gets any later. I'll be back in twenty minutes, max."

I cocked my head to the side, "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Oh, yeah I do," he furrowed his brow slightly. "My landlady watches over her whenever I'm doing something she either can't tag along for or, at this age, just isn't interested in."

I gave him an empty nod.

"Don't look so surprised. A lot of us do have families here, you know," Frog stated, but he was smiling as he said it.

Well, where I come from there aren't many families, at least not ones that are close. Especially in my life," I blurted, thinking about Luke and John for the first time in hours.

Frog looked a little taken aback at first, but recovered smoothly, "That's a shame. I don't know what I'd do without Zenia. In a way, I think she keeps me grounded."

Sounds like John, I thought to myself, but kept my mouth shut.

After Frog stepped out, the rest of us made a unanimous decision to retrieve more blankets. It took us a few minutes to find the extras tucked away in a bedroom closet, but once we did, we hurried back to hunker down on the couches. Almost as soon as we'd all settled back into our places, the door popped open, and a young girl walked in, followed by Frog. A cheery chorus of "What's up, Zenia?" rang out from everyone around me.

After kicking off their shoes, Frog turned toward me and pulled his sister out from behind him. She and her brother had the same nose, warm molasses eyes, and air about them: simultaneously sophisticated and nonchalant.

"Zenia, this is Arden. Arden. Zenia."

"It's nice to meet you," Zenia reached out her slender hand and I shook it. Her manners surprised me at first, considering she was only about twelve, but then I remembered how courteous Frog was and the surprise dwindled.

"You too."

"I'll help you get your movie started." Frog slung Zenia's backpack over his shoulder and carried it back to the bedroom where his sister was already headed.