Let it Burn

Chapter 14; It' not all bad

After about half an hours drive and at least an hours walking up a very steep 'hill', Dan and I are now somewhere towards the top of a huge never ending nightmare of a mountain covered in dense vegetation and swarming with all sorts of animals and insects. Every where I turn all I can see is green; the small shrubs that surround me, the bright green leafy tree tops, not to mention the dominantly green and red parrots that a singing their own tune in the branches above our heads.

"Danny, I still don't get the point of this! What are you trying to prove? That I'm unfit!? That I should have taken the school option cause this is even worse torture"

I here a slight chuckle escape his lips "look around you Kat. Isn't that a beautiful view!?"

"It's spectacular" I say in a sarcastic tone to which he just glares at me. "Alright it's pretty amazing. I guess it'll makes the hike up here worth it... "Life's a climb but the view is great. Blah blah blah. I still don't get why you had to drag me all the way out here though."

Danny sighed "Did you really just quote Hannah Montana? I'll explain it all when we get to the very top. I promise just be patient, it's not TOO far now. Besides, school wasn't a good idea today. So I'm sorry for taking you there, I just needed to see how exactly you would react... Any idiot could tell you that after everything that has happened this year." I huff and we keep walking, and finally after what seams like forever, close to another half an hour later we make it to the top. And the view is- wow. No words can describe the majesty of it all.

"Here. Have some water" Dan says taking a seat on a big rock positioned in the perfect seating position to see the vast valley bellow, as he tosses me a bottle. I take a seat on a nearby rock, which was slightly smaller and open up the water, allowing the cool liquid to touch my lips before quenching my thirst. "Just listen to what I have to say Kat. Alright?"

I nod "alright"

He hands me a piece of paper, a photo; of a bush fire, or the results of one. All I can see is black. Black floor, black stumps, and thick black smoke. The image makes me cringe and I look up at him but before I could question him he cuts me off "I mean it. No interruptions"
"Okay Danny, I promise. Scouts honor"
He gave a slight chuckle before beginning. "That photo in your hands was taken from pretty much where we are sitting right now. Not that long ago, there was a bush fire through here, a pretty bad one two, as you can tell from that photo, but you can't tell that much can you? I mean there are a few things like some burnt stumps and things, but there is so much new lush growth that it looks as beautiful as always. Some may even argue that it looks better." He paused for a moment to let the words sink in and we both gazed at the view before us. I hadn't really though about it, but now Dans mentioned it I did notice bits of charcoal, but it was pushed away by all the little new sprouts, and the vast amounts of green. I looked back down at the picture and began comparing the two. If I slightly alter my position to the left the same tree is staring right in front of me. But the two sights are completely different. You would think the photo was taken in black and white it's so dark compared to the vivid array of colour before me, but it's not.  "The reason I brought you here was to see it in person, to see the evidence in a way. It's easy for some one to explain something, but you'll never truly understand something until you experience it. Which is half the problem. Fire has come through here, destructively, but these plants ain't gonna let anything get them down! Oh he'll no! Ain't nobody got time for dat! They get knocked down, and they get up again!?" He says putting on an accent like he was from the getto or something. I chuckle at his terrible attempt of an accent before he continues. "What I'm trying to say here Kat is, Drake is the bush as are you and even me, a fire came trying to destroy everything we had, but it actually made everything stronger and better, we're just haven't seen all the new sprouts."

"I get it. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' right?" I ask with a slight chuckle. "It's just.. It's so intense. What it can do so easily. It's fricken scary Danny, and i don't know if I'll ever be able to get over that. I mean, what if I'm the one log that stays charcoaled and destroyed? What if things never grow back? Will it ever be the same?"

"No. It probably won't be. But that's exactly my point. Just because its different doesn't mean it's bad. I mean you have your old friends back- most of them anyway. But you got new friends too. Ones that would drop everything for you in a heart beat. And that's what matters. If that fire never happened, your relationship with Jason could be very different, just an assignment partner. As soon as you did your speeches you'd go back to being classmates. You may have never known Pat..The ones that are in here" he points to my heart and touches his "there still in here. You've gotta let the past go, otherwise your future will never be happy. The fire hinders and changes the good stuff Kat, but it fully takes away the bad stuff. You've gotta let it take away the bad stuff Kat, so the new stuff can grow. You know? I KNOW for a fact that your relationship with drake, with me, is only going to be stronger because of this. The fires burned through, it was burnt charcoal for a few months... But now? Now the new spouts are starting to pop up, and the charcoal is washing away to reveal the plants that never burnt, the bush is looking better then it has ever before.
So now it's up to you kat, you've got to let the past be the past, and push forward.

I begin to try and process his words as I blankly stare out at all the foliage below me, and it's not until he sits beside me and pulls me into a side hug that what he's said starts to sink in. Dans always been one of my best mates, but I would have never gone to him to help deal with serious stuff. That was only ever drake, but because of the accident, we've relied on each other for so much. The two of us refused to talk to anyone else for the first week, and here he is helping me through it all.. Even after I was so horrible. Even after I abandoned him.

"Danny I'm so so sorry!! I don't know what I would so with out you. You've always made things so much clearer, and I just left you. I didn't realize till just now because I was so caught up in drake and myself, that I didn't realize I was hurting you!!!" I cried as I turned into his chest and let the tears fall freely. He did nothing to stop them, just pulled me closer towards him.

As my breathing begins to return to a normal pace and I sniff away the remaining tears I feel Danny kiss the top of my head and we both stare out at the valley once more, consumed by our own thoughts before he speaks up "Of course I forgive you Kat. I love you" he says just above a whisper "how could I hold a grudge against my little sister? Aye?" I smile up at him and kiss his cheek.
"I love you to bro"

~~~
Guess who's back, back again!
Yay please give it a read ✌️