The Outsiders

The Outsiders: Chapter Two

Soum Menjivar

Leaves crunched and crumbled beneath us as we wandered through the woods.

            Matty and Maddy insisted on me accompanying them into the woods for an outdoor exhibition. It was an early Sunday with the tinge of morning sunlight just leaving the foliage. Birds chirped as they flew through the bitter air, flapping their wings through the cloudy grey sky. Pine trees stood stocky and stern, unmoving as the wind bellowed. The grass was hardly green, littered with dried leaves and snagged twigs. Water ran through the soil, leading the way as we followed the small dirt trail.

            Matty stopped after only three steps into the forest, sketching a small plant in his notebook before writing small notes about it. Picking the pant by the root, they gently placed it in a moist ziplock bag. Maddy swung from vines that dangled under the trees, chuckling as she spun in place. The twins shared a look of glee before they went on. Though they were both seventeen, they never grew out of exploring our backyard.

            Neither did I.

            My eyes glittered with cheery joy as I surveyed the woodlands. A subtle warmth spread through my chest; a warmth I could only yearn for. Walking through the arid forest, I spotted deer tracks and unripe clementines. The whistling of the wind sent my senses acute, signaling north.

"Maddy, watch it. That branch doesn't look stable."

Though I didn't have to look her way to know what she was trying at, I could sense the tree's crumbling age. As she groaned, I persisted and walked forward as Matty followed. Though we had ventured outdoors countless times, we never went farther than Mom told us. Though we sometimes bent the rules, since we stuck to her words we never found our way to the creek. Mom was out with our neighbor, Sara, so we unanimously decided today was the day. Today we would find the creek.

            "Soum, stop!"

             Matty's distressed voice made me turn to him as he ran towards me. Quizzically, I stepped back before a burning sensation ran up my left leg. Wincing, Matty ran to my aid. Maddy climbed down the tree as fast as she could, huddling close to me and Matty. As I sat on the dirt, Matty pulled up my pants, exposing the large burn on my shin.

             "I told you to stop."

            Matty pulled out a first aid kit from his rucksack, searching for the soothing cream. Maddy looked about the woods, picking at every plant with a small stick.

            "Wolfsbane."

            Matty pointed towards the purple-hued plant as he finished bandaging my burn. I furrow my eyebrows, sniffing the air yet I couldn't pick up its scent. Usually, I could smell the scent of every plant: dandelions with their bitter sap and Pine with its musk, but I just stared at the odd plant.

            "They're all poisonous, but I didn't expect you to have such a bad reaction."

Matty extended their hand as he stood up. I accepted it and pulled myself up, yet my gaze never left the purple plant. Matty was cautious around the plant, using the sleeve of their wool sweater to pull the plant out of the ground by the root. Before he could dispose of it, Maddy stomped on the plant with her thick-soled boots.