"H..He...Hello." I whisper in the darkness.
No response.
"Are you hiding?"
Nothing.
"Can you tell me your name?"
This time the boy gives me a smile, tilts his head, and stands up.
Now I can see him. One look and you can tell he's had a rough childhood. He appears to be about 5 or 6 with long, skinny limbs and ribs that I can nearly count through his dirty tunic. Barefoot and covered with mud, he needs a serious bubble bath. When you get past his clothes, you notice his features are very innocent. Light brown hair hangs past his ears, almost covering those breathtaking eyes.
I'm instantly worried for his safety. Is he lost? He has to have a gaurdian or something.
Then, while I'm lost in my train of thought, he makes a run for it.
Apparently within the 10 seconds it takes for me to analyze his appearence, the boy has already hatched a brilliant escape plan to the other side of the long room.
I jump to my feet and chase after him. If he gets hurt or captured it's on my conscience.
Over boxes, under shelves, we dart, twist, crawl, and, in my case, trip. I can barely keep up with him.
How long can this room go on?
Then I turn a sharp corner and stumble upon a secret.
A base camp hidden in the back of an old, crumbly building.
Pure genious.
The camp consists of a few shelves of food, two sleeping bags, some backpacks stuffed with emergency supplies, a few flashlights, and a stack of a few severly beat up books. All disguised by a stack of crates and a tarp.
This is totally my kind of place.
Thats when I notice them, the boys.
The little one that I have been chasing is huddling against an older boy, about 16.
The older boy is very tall, very skinny and nicely tanned, like the little one. I guess they're brothers. He has shaggy, sandy blonde hair that falls to his chin. Even though it seems impossible, his even more vibrant eyes then the younger boy. But his eyes are a sparkling emerald green. They are intensly staring me down, as if accusing me of harming his brother. The rest of his face is dull in comparison. His thin nose, and full pink lips have nothing on those eyes.
He spoke first.
"Who are you? You have no business being here."
"Uh..I..I was..I mean.... I am...uh...hiding...yeah." I stuttered over my words like a total idiot. Which is just fantastic considering who else is taking part in this conversation. At least this will help with the I'm-not-royalty thing.
He chuckled. " Aren't we all these days? Anyway, what is your name and why where you chasing my brother?"
"Uhm...my name...is...Kat. Yeah... Kat." I spoke with a completely unconfident voice, which caused him to roll his eyes. "And yours?"
"Will. And my brother's name is Ethan. I believe you didn't answer my second question." The smile that tugged on the corners of his mouth made his eyes light up. I had to catch my breath.
"Oh. Right." I debated what to say for a moment. I could play honest and tell him the truth, but that would be embarassing. I could play dumb, fierce, or even shy, but every choice had the same outcome. I would look stupid while he responded with exactly the right thing to say. Effortlessly.
