The Silver Owl

27

"Lizzie?" Zac asks.

"What?" I grumble.

"Can I come in?" He asks.

"I don't care." I'm sprawled out on the floor in a starfish like position. My right ear is pressed against the floor with my head turned to the left.

Zac opens the door, "Are you- What are you doing?"

I close my eyes, "I'm thinking."

"Existential crisis?" Zac stares at me from above. I'm not moving anytime soon.

"No!" I shoot back defensively, "I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

I grumble under my breath a little. Zac squats and pokes the part of my hair.

"Can I help you?" I query, why are you poking me?

"I was going to ask the same thing," Zac whispers, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I tell the truth. Nothing is up. But I am thinking. Some of it makes sense. Some of it doesn't.

What if bananas grew on trees? What is the mass of the sun?

Studies have shown that animals can only see a few colors. The colors they're brains' cannot comprehend are processed in different shades of gray. If gray are colors that cannot be comprehended, then what color do we interpret as gray? What color can we not comprehend?

"Zac?" I prompt, "What's your favorite color?"

Zac thinks for a minute, "Watchet blue."

"Bless you," I say. It kinda sounded like he sneezed.

"Excuse me?" Zac huffs, "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying I am not familiar with that color. I am also implying it sounds funny."

"And what is your favorite color?" Zac spins the question on me.

I refuse to move. I am one with the starfish, "The incomprehensible color."

"Which is?" Zac sits down. He pokes my back.

"Gray."

"Clearly we've gotten off topic here. Are you ready to leave?" Zac redirects my attention.

I sigh, "Yeah, I just really don't want to get up."

Zac gets up, "Well I didn't either. But it looks like it's not really an option."

I curl my legs into my chest, my muscles are all relaxed and complain about moving.

I stay curled in a ball in my side on the floor.

"That's not getting up," Zac informs me.

"I know, gimme a minute," I sit upright and extend a hand for Zac to help me up. He takes my hand and pulls me up, and I jump a little from the force.

"You're strong, you know that?"

Zac looks at his arms, "Not really..."

• • •

"Oh my gosh... Zoe wasn't kidding," I gawk. The clouds are beautiful. They are a light gray. We are right by the coast. I can hear the waves crashing against the cliffs, each cliff is has natural short grass.

I run over to a outlook, "Zac! Come take a look at this!"

Zac walks over to me, I peer down the cliff, thankfully I'm not afraid of heights. Black rocks cluster the steep cliff, as the waves wash over them, the salt water leaves a gorgeous shine on the rocks.

Zac doesn't say anything. He just looks. The water rushing and retreating from the rocks is hypnotizing.

It took several hours to get to Celesti. Zac and I are both tired. I close my eyes as the coastal breeze tangles my hair. I'll pay for that later.

But for now I let the wind blow my hair behind me.

"What now?" Zac asks.

"I don't know, I kinda expected you to know."

A boy, probably 20 some years old comes and stands next to us.

"Pretty cool, huh?" The stranger asks. He has black hair, and welcoming hazel eyes.

"Yeah." I reply. Zac puts his hands on the railing.

"So how's the compass coming along?" The boy with black hair asks.

"How would you know that?" Zac, who stands between the stranger and myself  on the right side of me, interjects.

"News travels fast in this community. My name is Jackson. Word of you guys trying to find the compass pieces was shared with Crossers all over. We were instructed to help you as much as possible."

"Oh," Zac says, "How do we know we can trust you?"

Jackson nods, "That's a really good point. You have every reason not to trust me, I am a complete stranger who knows what your looking for. I know that seems really strange. So you really don't have to trust me."

I take this under consideration. Well, that's true. If he wasn't trust worthy, he probably wouldn't have pointed that out. Of course, maybe that's what he wants us to think, so we will trust him, when he's not trust worthy... I'm over thinking this aren't I? Probably.

"I don't know..." I say.

Jackson nods, "That's understandable. There's no rush. I expected to hear that from you. So I put some stuff in near the center of the forest. There's a little cabin in a clearing, I have it all set up for you too. There are a couple of bedrooms, cupboards full of food of sorts, it's warm. I think there is a piano Cole brought in."

"Okay," Zac says skeptically, "And where would we find this so called 'cabin'?"

Jackson turns and looks down at Zac, who is about a head shorter than him, "Follow me."

I look at Zac, who looks right back at me. His look says, "Do we go?"

I look back at him and shrug, "It couldn't hurt."

Zac brings his hand in a circle, and then moves it over the circle he drew in the air. Backpack.

I remember the year Zac and I first met. Our class decided to make a series of motions to convey simple messages, because the teachers would always get mad at us for talking during class. So our year made hand motions to speak behind the teachers without them knowing.

Homework was sliding two fingers from the middle of your forehead, across the right side of your face to your cheek. I'm bored was folding your hand together with both pointer fingers together, and pressed against your lips.

I pull my backpack off my shoulder and give it to Zac. Zac unzips the backpack quickly, and removes a red bandana.

"How is that going to help at all?" I whisper quietly.

Zac shrugs, "Gonna tie it to a tree."

"Are you guys coming?" Jackson turns half away around and asks.

"Yeah," we both reply.