HATCHING

HATCHING: Chapter 1

What was that? I freeze and look around. A twig snapped, I could have sworn. I start running again, more twigs that aren't my own. I freeze again, this time I don't even twitch, my muscles tense. I am stranded in the woods of a deserted island. At least I thought it was deserted. This all started when I was 13, 2 years ago.  

I was on my way home from school, walking, when suddenly I feel a hand over my mouth and a bandage over my eyes. I was dragged into the woods somewhere, and then whoever it was took off the bandage from my eyes. It took my eyes a minutevvvvv to adjust to the light. I was in a small meadow, and no one else was there. I looked around as a voice from the woods said, 

"Hello, Vi." In a cheerful, playful voice. I knew that voice. But who was it? That is precisely what they asked me.  

"Guess who it is! I dare you." 

I would know that voice anywhere if it was saying those words! "I dare you" has been a link between us for years. His sweet, melodic, changing voice filled me and I blurted out, 

"NATHANIEL GREYSON COLE!" Laughing the whole time, because I knew he would be mad that I screamed his full name. He hates his first, middle, and last names. He says they're "nerd names." He likes the name Jake, so that's what he makes everyone call him. But I'm special, I get to call him Grey. I don't know why, but I liked the name. So, that's what I called him, and it's what he tolerated, because it sounded cooler than "Nathaniel" or "Cole" or worse, "Greyson"! So, he comes out of the woods, grinning, because he successfully kidnapped me. Since I won the dare though, I get to make one wish. These are our rules. If one dares the other, whomever wins the dare gets to make one reasonable wish. The other, naturally, must grant it.  

I smiled evilly. "You have to sing me whatever song I like for a day."  

"What?!?!? No fair! That isn't reasonable!" 

"Says who?" 

"Says me!" 

"We'll, your opinion is not valid at the moment." I winked at him. I was going to get my way, I could tell. Don't get me wrong, Grey has a beautiful voice, and he loves to sing for me if I dare to ask. But in front of anyone else, no way. You couldn't get him to sing if you threatened him with death. But I'll get him to tide over and sing in public. For me. As I said, he will sing for me if I ask. I asked him to sing a lullaby we both listened to growing up: 

I know of a song  

It's a very happy tune 

If you sing along 

You will be contented soon 

So trust me my darling 

Because I love you so 

Give me fair warning 

Of wherever you may go 

Whenever I hear that song I have to blink back tears; it brings back so many memories, good and bad. So, We lie down and stare at the clouds for a while, then he walks me home from our new secret place, with me requesting song after song.

I skip through the front door of my home, still humming the last tune of the walk. I call my Aunt Melina,

"Hey Mel! I'm home!"

"How are you, popkin? Did you see him today? Jack?" She replied, smirking. 

"Yes auntie, I saw him. But only about 10 minutes after he saw me!" I said, knowing it would keep her busy until I told her what happened. 

"How is that?" She is intrigued. 

"He 'kidnapped' me. He put a bandage over my eyes and his hand over my mouth from behind and then he brought me to our fort in the woods." I lied. I didn't want her to know about our meadow, not just yet. But when we were both very small, we made a fort in a tree not far from the sidewalk where I was. 

She laughed, "Oh, that boy! He's a piece of work, ill tell you that!" She managed to squeeze out of her forever grinning face. 

"Me-el..." I groaned. She is always teasing me about him, I don't know why! We are best friends, nothing else! Right?...