Abandoned in the Amazon

Chapter three

On the way out of Fourtrees, l spotted my "twin" once more. He was looking at me with wide eyes, kind of like how I was looking at him, and he followed me when I got up. He obviously wanted to talk. We went to sit down in the empty Fourtrees area. Picking up a small spider monkey, l looked at him out of the corner of my eye, studying his, my features.

"How is it that you look exactly like me?" I wondered suspiciously.

"I could ask the same thing," he retorted, smirking.

"Hey! Cerrera! Hurry up before you are left for the white men! Oh and Cayme wants to see you Taylor!" a young Tayope boy called.

I ran, noticing the other boy run too. He ran in my direction, reaching Cayme at the same time.

"Ok," I said, beginning to get annoyed, "You need to stop following me! And why do we look exactly alike?!Cayme called me, I am Cerrera, so go away. "No I am Cerrera, Lexis Cerrera."

"Mhmm, totally. I'm Hunter Cerrera, the only child with no siblings whatsoever."

"Here, I want to show you something." Reaching into his pocket, Lexis pulled out a tattered, dog eared picture and placed it in my hand. He walked into his family's hut without another word.

Glancing at the picture, I went over to his door and was about to knock when I froze.  I looked at the picture, studying it.

The picture was of me, holding the donkey, while standing next to Lexis. Mom and Dad were behind us. Mom was smiling her shy little smile, but Dad was beaming, even his light blue eyes were smiling. Mom's midnight blue dyed hair cascaded down, and my dad's short brown hair was all messy. They looked young and carefree.

I let a drop of sweat escape my eyes. Whew it sure was hot and stuffy in this hut. Heh heh. Looking at Lexis, I said,

"Where did you get this?"  I asked him, not sure if I could handle what he would say. His answer was one that would resonate in my head for eternity.

"Mom and Dad."

"Where are they?!" I screamed at him. Shaking him now, I said in a dangerously calm voice, "Where. Are. MY. PARENTS!" He looked terrified. Gripping his shoulders tighter and tighter, I was about to cry when he struck me across my face. Hard, might I add. I stumbled back. Glaring at him through my eyelashes, I said, "What was that for?"

"Dude you were strangling me," Lexis stated obviously annoyed. "If we want to find them, we have to be sane."

"Find them? You don't know where they are?!"

"Not for 14 earth-circles." "So you are 14 earth-circles old?" I wondered aloud.

"Nope, 15 earth-circles. My parents disappeared leaving me close to the Marubo hunting grounds when I was about 9 months. I had just learned to count. Hey do you still have Eeyore?" The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. "You know, the blue donkey?"

Smiling, I replied "Of course. Anyway how are we going to find them? They could be anywhere."

"Well first we have to help protect our tribe from these new white men."