Unbound

Chapter 2

Sorry that this is REALLY overdue. I was having a bit of writers block. Like a LOT of writers block. Anyways, here's the next chapter.

I grudgingly woke to the sound of a girl singing. I rolled over on the bed and tumbled onto the floor, landing on my butt with a dull thud. Nice Kodie. Real nice, I thought to myself. The singing stopped and I looked up at a girl staring down at me.

The girl had Asian features, small eyes and jet black hair. Her eyes were brown with bright gold flecks.

"Sorry if I startled you," she said. "You must be Kodie, right?"

"Yep." I got up and checked for a bruise on my head for the second time that day. If it was still Monday. "Hey, do you know what day it is?"

The girl laughed. It was an angelic sound, just as beautiful as her voice and singing. "It's Tuesday, just after lunch. My name's Angel by the way."

Tuesday? My stomach suddenly growled loudly, confirming Angel's statement. I sat back down on my bed and looked around. I was still in the dorm, the other two beds empty and things scattered on the floor of the tiny room.

"Do you have any food? I'm starving."

"I probably do somewhere in this mess. I'll get it for you." Angel dug through a pile in a corner and pulled out a Snickers bar. My stomach rumbled again at the sight of chocolate. She chuckled softly. "Here, catch."

She tossed the candy to me and I devoured it in seconds. "Thanks. I'm Kodie. Sorry I interrupted your singing. I'm pretty clumsy."

"Don't worry about it. I was just practicing," she said.

We began to chat for the good part of the afternoon. I learned that Angel was also new here, was 15 like me, and came from New York City, same as I did. She seemed to be as friendly and sweet as Shiv. Which was weird for me, but whatever. We could've chatted through dinner too, but my stomach had other plans.

I trudged down the stairs to the dining room. I bumped into Shivani along the way. "Oh hey," she said. " I thought you were still passed out. Or maybe dead." There was a moment of silence before we both started laughing, like friends who've known each other for years rather than days.

"Come on," she said, shoving a plate of food piled high with desserts into my hands. "Me and Angel have to show you something." She led me outside and started to take a path into the woods. I stood at the beginning of the trail, eyes on the setting sun. "Come on, Kodie. Scared of the trees?" Shiv  shouted, not looking back

Maybe.

I reluctantly caught up with Shiv, going deeper into the woods. I jumped at the sound of rustling bushes every now and then. Shivani gave me a funny look, but continued to lick cake frosting from her fingers.

After about ten minutes, we came to a huge clearing. In the center, a large oak tree stood, lanterns and Christmas lights strung around its branches. Angel was sitting in the tree, drawing on a sketch pad. Fireflies were floating through the air, making the meadow seem like magic was here. I looked around in wonder.

Shivani ran over and gave Angel a friendly hug. They climbed back up and waved me over. I warily climbed onto the branch, flinching when it creaked. We ate in silence for a while, loading up on sugary treats and enjoying the cool Autumn air. After a while, I broke the silence. "So, is there a reason I'm teetering on a branch, or are we doing this just for kicks?"