Free time is something you're given every day and you think it's about two hours. No matter how hard you've been punished or tested on or even if you had misbehaved recently, free time always came. In all your years inside the house, you've only missed free time maybe four times. And you were in that house for nearly two decades.
When you were born, your parents immediately gave you up for adoption. Your caretaker took you in his arms and swore to them that he would protect you with his life since they were unable. He wasn't your father, he made sure you understood that you weren't someone who needed parents, but you called him your caretaker because he was the only one who ever showed you an ounce of kindness in that place.
He was stern, in everything he said or did, but he helped guide you as well. Taught you how to read, write, and solve equations like the people on the programs would learn in school. He also taught you the Italian language and some French, along with sign language. Sign language was actually your favorite because when you couldn't verbalize what you needed, your hands could do the talking for you. It didn't always come in handy, pun intended, outside the house because every time you tried with Sam, the shop owner, or Natasha and Yelena, the two girls from the other side of the forest, they would just kind of stare blankly. It was okay though. Not everyone had to know what you were thinking and in every detail.
"You don't talk much."
The three of you were sitting in the forest, twining together leaves and bendable little branches, but you added flowers to yours because you had just picked them.
You looked up at Yelena when she made the blunt observation, her attention back on the staff or sword she was making – it was hard to tell because she had just started a bit ago, and then you looked over to Natasha who was next to her. The blue hair girl nudged her little sister and sent her a glare as the blonde looked to her curiously, not knowing what she did wrong.
"Yes." You agreed because it was true, but it made you unhappy.
You wanted to talk more, ask them all about what it was like to live in the house on the other side of the forest, to have two loving parents, and to go to school with other kids. You wanted to know more about them, what they did on their free time when they weren't with you and if they had last names. Where their nightmares as vivid as yours? Or did they dream of far away places? Or maybe just dreamed like you were watching a program...live other people's lives through that time. You didn't know. You only knew drug induced nightmares for the most part. But the night after the first time you bump into them in this forest, you had dreamed of more free time. You wouldn't mention that you had another dream a week later because it only had Natasha in it and you didn't want to hurt Yelena's feelings.
"It's okay," Natasha was quick to tell you and she smiled softly when you slowly met her eyes, unsure if she was telling the truth until, "I promise we'll always come see you even if you never say a word."
"That would be kinda awkward." Yelena mumbled and Natasha's face fell, about to scold her sister again, until you chuckled.
Their attentions snapped to your face, never having heard that sound out of you before now, and you widened your eyes, surprised by it too.
"Sorry," You muttered shyly, feeling like they were studying you now, "But she's right," You paused, "Awkward."
And then the sun seemed to come out as Natasha grinned at you, laughing lightly in agreement, her green eyes glittering as they stayed on yours.
You smiled back, feeling a flutter in your chest, and everything bad in your life seemed to disappear – became a muffled noise in the back of your mind because in the front was everything that was this girl. Her brilliant green eyes, sharp red roots, and light dusting of freckles across her cheeks. But her smile was everything good.
"I um," Natasha started, suddenly nervous, and you frowned, not liking when she was uneasy, "I got you something," You were confused, your eyebrows pulling together as you frowned deeper, watching her dig into her backpack, "I went to the bookfair at school and-"
"Got your girlfriend a present." Yelena sang under her breath and Natasha shoved her hard.
"Shut up, Lena, you're being crazy." She hissed under her breath, sounding mad, but not the type of mad you had witnessed when she first saw one of your bruises that were usually expertly hidden under your joggers and long-sleeved shirts – even in the summer.
"What's a girlfriend?" You wondered, probably dumbly, and they both looked to you.
"It's when someone gives you kisses," Yelena told you, touching her own lips, "Here."
"Oh, like Topanga!" You were happy you already knew since you remembered Topanga kissing Corey against the lockers, leaving him stunned, on the program you watched but you didn't really want to kiss anyone right now.
"Anyway," Natasha shook her head, her blue hair swaying, and then she was pulling out a book to hold out for you, "Here. I thought you might like this one."
You gingerly took the book from her and read the title, 'Home in the Woods', making you quickly look back up to her in surprise. She just smiled kindly, jutting her chin out a bit and silently convincing you to look at it again.
You flicked through it, careful not to tear the pages, and you saw wonderful photos of nature, but there was obviously a story behind the pictures as well.
"Thank you," You whispered in awe and looked up again to see her smiling softly at you, Yelena going back to making her makeshift forest weapon with a small 'hmph' like she was bored of you two, "It's...I've never had something to call mine."
Natasha frowned at that, growing mad like that time she saw you were hurt, but then it quickly vanished, and your panic dissipated – you didn't want her angry, "Well," Her voice was tighter, "Now you do."
You smiled down at the softcover book clutched in your hands and then back up at her, handing over the poorly constructed flower entwined wand you had made without hesitation.
"I can't take that, you worked so hard." She shook her head, refusing it until you pressed it forward, wanting her to take it, so she did.
"Home in the Woods," You read the title over with a smile, "Home in the Woods."
"Do you live in the woods?" Yelena asked and Natasha glared at her again, but the small blonde just shrugged it off, obviously used to Natasha by now.
"Home in the Woods," You repeated because it made you feel something – like this was the first time someone understood, maybe, or maybe it was something else, you didn't know, but the feeling was foreign and it had you smiling, eyes flicking between the two girls, "My home is in the woods."
You had originally made your old treehouse as a place to keep pretty, but dead, flowers and a blanket from Sam so you could nap on your free time whenever you had a nightmare that kept you up the night before, but that night you fixed it up better with more wood you'd sneak out to find. Then you'd haul up your favorite piece of wood, a darker, almost cherry looking piece, to place against the wall and display your new book on. Your own little library.
You'd read that book hundreds of times, cover to cover, before you left the house, and it was one of the only two possession you kept close to your heart.
And you still have it, sure, it's seen better days, but for being over two decades old and having spent most of its time outside where the elements could've destroyed it, you'd say it held up.
But what you read more times than the book itself was the small note left by the gift giver on the inside cover.
'This book belongs to the girl with the sunshine smile in the woods.
Return to Natasha if found.'
