Ashes, Ashes

chapter 9

-ash-

I got out my compass and led the way while Aspen followed quietly. Occasionally, I'd forget that she was even there until I hear a branch snapping and some leaves rustling. I should learn more about her. It would be better to spend this time with her as a friend instead of acquaintance. I stopped walking and waited for her to catch up.

Then I proceeded to horribly sing 'Why Can't We Just Be Friends?' Haha, no I didn't. Just kidding. That would definitely push her away. A lot. Instead I said, "Aspen, I want to get to know you. I know you're an interesting person. What do you think?"

Aspen looked genuinely surprised. Then turned around as if to check if I was talking to another Aspen behind her. Then she looked at me and pointed to herself and asked, "You think I'm interesting? M-Me?"

I nodded. "Why so shocked?" I asked.

"Well, I'm n-not sure if you've noticed, but I'm kn-known for not being interesting...people see me ... differently." She said nervously.

"Well, if you're different, you're unique. If you're unique, you're interesting." I told her with a nonchalant shrug.

She smiled shyly at this and replied, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense..." She gazed up at me through her eyelashes and couldn't help but stare at her. I was caught in her beauty, her– her... i couldn't find the words for it but... Snap out of it! I chided myself. You're barely even friends with her and you're having these thoughts.

An awkward silence filled the air. "So, um, what do you like to do for fun?"I cringed inwardly. Really, Ash? You know you can do better than that. Come on! Now she thinks you're a weirdo.

"Uh, w-well, i like to read, and draw. And I do a little singing. But only in the shower," she said with a small smile. "You?" It didn't sound like she was weirded out. Oh, thank the gods,

"Sports, eating, hiking, eating , sleep and- did I mention eating?" I grinned.

Aspen laughed. This laugh seems a little different, like she feels comfortable around me. "No, you didn't and it wasn't very clear to me. Could you explain it again?" she said, smiling. I noticed she stopped stammering around me. \

I smiled back, "Well, at CHB they go all organic on you. The dryads– I'm assuming you already know what they are because, well, of your amazing fact-rant the other day..." At this, i glanced back at her. Her face had tinged pink and i felt an odd sensation bubbling in my chest.

"Anyways", i picked up, moving a branch back to let her pass."The dryads gather their fruit and vegetables, and at the beginning of dinner everybody scrapes their juiciest grapes, or fullest meat, or the best portion of food basically, and scrape it into the bonfire. For the gods," i added, after seeing her confused expression.

"Tell me more," she said, almost as soon as i finished talking.

"Well," i laughed. "There are the cabins. Each god gets one. There's the Council of Twelve, of course– Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hades– we just added him– Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, Zeus. And then, like the Hades cabin, we're adding a lot of the minor ones now like Hecate, Hypnos, Iris, Janus, Nemesis, Nike, Persephone, Tyche and more that I probably can't name." I explained.

"And each cabin somehow represents the god, like, the Apollo cabin glows gold at dawn. And, likewise, the Artemis cabin glows silver in the moonlight. The Poseidon cabin faces the sea, and Demeter cabin has grass and plants on and around it. And then we also ha–"

I caught a whiff of the sharp scent again. The foul stench of a monster reached my nose. Suddenly, we heard stomping and something crashing through the forest. Oh no...