Good, Evil, and the Gray Area (FIRST DRAFT)

Chapter 34

hey guys! sorry its been a while... ive been busy with soccer and all... plus i printed off all i have so far and have been editing, however, havent added wut ive edited to the story... so anyway thanks for reading everyone and please comment, comment, comment! by the way this is the start of part two! dun dun dun! it doesnt really mean anything exept im gonna write it on a different doc on my writing thingy on my computer so i can print it seperate of everything else. anyway, here goes.

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PART 2

We said our goodbyes to the tribe, then Zahir when we were in Maine. After all that I was pretty cried out.

I was becoming more and more sensitive. The wall I had put up around my feelings and heart was almost gone now. Ava had been pulling it down at first, brick by brick, but then Zahir and the tribe came along, and hit it with a wrecking ball.

I have to say, I preffered Ava's brick by brick method. It was a lot less painful.

I lay across a tree branch, staring up at the starry sky. Ava's sleeping form was a shadow in the next tree. I could hear her soft breaths.

I had missed her so much.

My feet dangled into space. I would've liked to have them bare, but it was around fifteen degrees farenheight right now, and frostbite was the last thing I needed. So, they were protected by the fur lined boots.

I looked at the boots with a smile. I had turned into a lynx, which has beautiful, fluffy, warm fur. Then, I had been brushed, and after we collected all the exess fur. It was used for my boots.

I was brushed until the fur shone. I had shed a lot, because of the warmth, and gave the rest of the fur to the tribe as a thank you.

My fingers made their way to the tiny, beautifully carved wooden panther around my neck. Zahir had made it for me. He hadn't painted it, so it could be mistaken for a lioness because of the tannish wood. The grain was prominent, and a beautiful red gold.

He had given it to me right before we left Africa. He said it was something to remember him by.

The tribe gave me my very own tent. The tent, of course, stayed in Africa. However, they said whenever I wanted to come stay it was mine.

They didn't need to give me anything. They had already given me too much.

I gave Zahir a detailed drawing of he and I running through the woods. I hadn't ever really drawn before, but realized that I was pretty good in the few lazy days I had at the end of my stay with the tribe.

My last gift was something for the women of the tribe. I created a flame that would never go out. It took a lot of energy, and left me exhausted and fire-less for about twenty-four hours, but it would be worth it.

This way they had a fire that stayed lit during the rain, that could start a huge blaze but stay alive. If, per say, it started a huge fire, the woman could wait until it died down, then remove the flame and put it in a jar, or something like that. It needed no fuel, and would last forever, or until I put it out.

All of those thoughts, memories now, ran through my head. Plus, the war. We didn't know where everyone was, if the war had already happened, nothing. We were in the middle of nowhere with nowhere else to go.

I stared at the black sky dotted with bright white stars. I could see the stars again. In the jungle, I had only seen them once or twice when Zahir and I climbed up into the canopy.

I breathed in the crisp, cold air, clearing my lungs of the muggy jungle air. I had liked the jungle, but I had missed America. North Eastern America. Home.

I was so high in this tree that nothing blocked my view of the sky. It stretched over me with a curve. I felt so small, so insignificant. It was almost a good feeling.

The moon had set a while ago, and a tinge of pink light was starting to show in the East. Another sleepless night. I'd had many of those in my life.

Ava began to stir. She always woke at dawn. Always. I smiled. Now, knowing that she was alert, maybe I could get an hour or two of rest.

I closed my eyes, and settled deeper into the crook of the branch, smiling. It didn't take me long to sink into sleep.