illegal > luke brooks

chapter 18

james leads me out of the back door, and we walk out into the green. it reminds me of when I lived in alaska. the trees reach the sky, and you're left at the bottom inbetween the brown trunks. it's surprisingly warm, seeing as I'm in smaller pajama clothes. I continue to munch through my fruit, following james as we weave farther through the trees. we are following a hidden path, but I don't question anything. I stare into my bowl, sifting through the blueberries to find one last raspberry. james suddenly halts, as do I. when I look up, there's a small open area. it would appear empty, if james hadn't pointed out the ladder on a tree. it was too foggy, so I couldn't see what the ladder led to. I set my bowl of blueberries on the ground, and james allowed me up the ladder first. I climbed for what seemed like 5 minutes, but it only took about 30 seconds. still in my morning haze, I almost fell off at one point.
I watched my hands move up the ladder, seeing as I was way to high up, and if I slipped now there would be no chance of me living. I knew I reached the top when my head rammed into a wooden plank. I looked up, to come face to face with what seemed to be the bottom of a tree house. "the latch." james called, a few pegs below me. I found the silver hook, and pushed up.
it was a small wooden room, with two beach chairs and a cooler. there was a plastic chest, most likely from his childhood in the corner. there was a balcony through a small doorway, and I could barely see the view from where I was standing. "luke and I built this when we were 13. that's when jai told me luke had done something bad, and we all ran off." james looked around. "I haven't been up here in ages." james laughed slightly. he walked over to the cooler, and pulled out a water. "still cold. want one?" he asked. I shook my head, "no thanks."
I kneeled down beside the chest, and lifted the lid.
a toy soldier. a soccer ball. a medal, with lukes name on it. and the one thing that reminded me of my reality. a gun.
I closed the lid, and stood quickly. I crossed my arms, as if I needed protection. james walks out onto the balcony, and I slowly follow. I am memorized by the view. it's the perfect height to see over the trees that go downhill, revealing a navy blue ocean. ocean?
it's quiet, but I break the silence. "james, where are we?" I ask. I make my voice firm, so he knows I don't want some shit answer. "alaska." james breathes. "seriously?" I ask. he gives a nod, and continues to look around.
"wait, you won't use that to like... leave, will you?" james asks quickly. I let out a scoff, because first thing that comes to mind is 'duh, I'm getting out of here as soon as I can.' but the look on james face... it suddenly makes me feel like I want to stay. it makes me feel like I can't abandon these boys. at least I can't abandon james.