Sixteen

Chapter Six; Leo

          Leo Flipp, funny name, funny guy. Aggressively smart, yet so anti-social you'd never even know he was there until it was time to present one of his genius ideas. Nobody ever really knew him. He was always "that smart guy," or a more accurately chosen nickname, "Einstein."

Well, right now, Leo was standing in an open meadow, examining a flower that looked familiar to him, when a crunch behind him startled him, and he whipped his head around. A girl with shoulder-length brown hair, a light olive complexion, and brown eyes stared at him shyly. She hesitantly waved, and Leo slowly waved back. Neither of the two said a word, yet they seemed to understand the other's intentions. The girl walked over to examine the flower, smiling at it. She now had a dreamy look in her eyes as she gingerly touched it. 

Leo grabbed her hand, pulling it away. "Don't touch it! . . . T-that's, um, Nerium Oleander, it'll cause skin irritation..." he mumbled. 

The girl was wide-eyed for a moment until he explained, then she gave him a sheepish smile, clapping her hands together and giving a quick bow. Is she thanking me? Leo shrugged, standing up. "Uh... no problem?"

She nodded, which left Leo feeling relieved. She then frowned and looked across the ground until she found a patch of dirt. She hurried over to it, stuck her finger in it, and was drawing out what looked like a name.

Elodie?

"I-is that your name?" He asked, mindlessly fiddling with his pant fabric.

She nodded eagerly, standing up. She stuck a hand out to him, to which he quickly took and shook, stammering out, "Leo. . . uh, L-leo Flipp. . . it's nice to, um, meet you."

She pulled her hand back, nodding again, her face seeming shy-er than before.

After a quick moment of thinking, he said to Elodie, "Do you wanna partner up...?" With how quiet and hesitant she seems, I don't think she'll make it without a partner to help her... I'm probably the only person here patient enough to not need her to speak... "I-i can help you out! I mean, we can help each other, I guess..."

Elodie's eyes widen, and after a moment, she opens her mouth to say something, but instead just nods again.

From that moment, they spent several hours examining flowers. Leo explained what they were, their origins, and fun facts about them, which gave Elodie a consistent smile, both curious and excited. After those hours, they both got to work finding supplies and working towards one day survived out there.

(Two in one day goes brrrr)