The Mark, Or God?

Apologies and Acceptance

We started to go into the woods. Will knew where to go, for he was there a lot of times. Steven still didn't like Will. Steven told me before we left, "Tara... Just because he has a cross on his neck and claims he's a Christian, doesn't mean he is one."

I thought about it. He was right, in a way. Of course, we didn't know him exactly, but we had to trust God that he would help us.

The woods were deep. Will said it was a shortcut. Of course, Steven didn't like it. I never understood why he didn't trust him. We traveled for quite awhile, until the sun set.

"We should camp here. I'll go get some firewood. Tara, you could make some food for us. Steven, keep an eye out for her," Will said as we dumped our things on the ground.

I never camped before. I was never an outdoor person. I always stayed inside and mostly played on the computer.

When Will left, Steven got up and started to look for something.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

Still looking, Steven replied, "I'm getting firewood. We don't need him and I'm sure there is firewood here somewhere."

I didn't comment. I wanted to ask, why don't you pray about it, but of course he wouldn't listen to me. So, I decided to just sit there.

Steven got some sticks and twigs and set them down. He put them like a teepee, like how a normal campfire would be. Then he tore a page from my book, Everyone Needs A Lover.

It was about a man who was stuck on an island. There was nothing but a sandy beach and a hut made of bamboo. He was very lonely in life, until he met a girl who wasn't really that pretty. It isn't a clithè book only because there are two people in the book.

Steven crumbled up the paper and placed it in the teepee of sticks. He reached in his pockets, but pulled out nothing. I figured he was looking for matches so I let him borrow mine.

"Thanks, Tara. What would I do without you?" Steven said, taking the matches.

I blushed and shrugged. "I guess you would have to deal with Will yourself," I teased.

He chuckled and blew on the fire. The fire was slowly coming up. I could feel the heat slowly reaching my body. It felt good. I wished I could of made s'mores that day.

"Steven, may I ask you a question?" I asked.

He nodded, still making sure that the fire was coming up.

"Did you ever pray about Will?" I asked.

He still looked at the fire. I thought he didn't hear what I said. He looked deep in thought. He shook his head. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Steven, I know you don't trust him. I wouldn't either, but I prayed. God told me to trust him. Will is a nice man and very sensitive. I'm sure he will do whatever he can to rescue Sofie."

He looked at me. There was hurt in his eyes. I could understand what he was going through, but he didn't have to take it out on another person.

"Sofie and I were best friends," he started off, "I liked her my entire life. When I first asked her out, it was to a party. She said only as friends. All I wanted to do was be with her. After that, we were inseparable. Until now."

I gave him a nice warm hug. He cried out tears of sorrow and pain. The tears got onto my shirt, but I didn't care. He needed so much love.

"Please, promise me that we will always be friends," Steven said, still crying.

I nodded, "Yes, I promise."

Right then, we heard movement in the bushes. Steven quickly grabbed a stick and put it in the fire. I was scared, but I knew that Steven was going to take care of me. The movement was coming in different directions, it was hard for Steven to follow.

"Um, can someone help me with this firewood? I think I grabbed too much," the movement said.

I was confused but recognized the voice. Steven went deeper in the woods and there was Will, struggling with the firewood.

"I guess we don't need all of this firewood," Will said, trying to make a joke.

I got a pan and food out and put it on top of the fire. Steven sat next to Will and they started to talk. It was nice to see the two talking together.

"I'm sorry for being so mean to you. I didn't know if I was to trust you or not. Also, I was used to take over everything. And for that, I'm sorry," Steven said.

He held out his hand for Steven to shake.

"I promise I will do everything in my power to help the captured girl," Will smiled.

The two shook hands and I pressured for a group hug. It  felt great that we were all on the same team, and not against each other.

&&&

The next morning, was a brand new adventure. We woke up bright and early, ready to rescue the princess from the evil dragon. We ate a nice, light meal, while discussing how we were going to rescue Sofie.

"I say we go by force. I'd bet that we could cause a distraction, find where Sofie is, look for weapons, and then take them out," Will said.

Steven nodded his head. I rolled my eyes.

"No, no, no. There is no way we could do that. Remember, if you have the mark, you automatically have power by the devil. They could cast a curse on us, or kill us in a snap. I say we think logically," I say.

They looked as if they realized that their ideas were stupid. Will got up and stretched. He put his leftover food in the scrap bag and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to go looking for a girl who could be dead already. Let's go."

The rest of us agreed and put our leftover food in the scrap bag. We put our book bags on our backs and headed for the headquarters.