Upside Down

Chapter Four

I had no idea how to reply to the boy who stood in front of me. It was becoming lighter, so I could see more of his features. He had medium-brown hair that hangs over his eyes. He also had soft, innocent, dark brown eyes with a clear face and a pointed chin. His facial features are soft and clear. The boy was built to be tall and lanky. He had broad shoulders and strong arms. His legs are long and powerful, and his skin was smooth and fair.

I finally managed to reply to his question. "My name is Gwen Hortaridas. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask what your name is?" I held out my hand, waiting to see if he would take it.

The boy's eyes twinkled with joy. He took my hand and gave it a frim shake. "I'm Scott Pierson. It's a pleasure to meet you as well. It's been a while since I last saw another human that's actually been nice to me."

I dropped the handshake and smiled happily at Scott. "You know, I'm just so happy to have finally met another human besides my brother who has actually been nice to me!"

I quickly covered my mouth to stifle a gasp. I hadn't meant for the part about my brother to slip out. I had just met Scott. I couldn't go out and spurt my secrets just yet. However, he seemed trusting.

Scott blushed. He was acting flustered. "Um, I don't have any siblings, so I don't have any real friends. My parents hated me for some odd reason. I honestly don't know why."

I was puzzled. Why did he just share something about himself that was considered to be personal? Did he trust me already? It was worth a shot to tell him about my life.

"My parents didn't like me either. They only wanted one child, but they couldn't get an abortion because my brother and are twins. If they tried to perfrom the abortion, my brother would have died to. My parents didn't want that. Since Alan was born first, I was useless to my parents. They tried countless times to kill me, but obviously, their attempts didn't work."

I felt as if a weight had been removed from my chest. I had been keeping the feelings of hatred locked up inside me for so long. I was about to burst if I hadn't shared them with Scott. I'm pretty insecure, so I don't trust easily, but something about Scott makes me want to trust him. It's like he has an aura surrounding him.

Scott had a concerned look on his face. He probably had been through some of the same traumas as me.

That's when it hit me. I trusted Scott so easily because I saw a part of me in him. He reminded me of myself. 

Scott's reply was barely audible. "I understand the feeling of almost being murdered. My parents weren't even married when they conceived me. They just randomly had sex. One day, my mother felt sick, so my father ventured out to get a pregnancy test. The results were positive, and my parents didn't have enough money for an abortion, so they were forced to keep me." He paused for a moment, letting all of this information seep into me.

I could barely contain my concern and partial anger for Scott. "That's not fair! How do you know this? You said earlier that you didn't know why they set out to kill you!"

Scott's eyes focused on the fallen leaves. He looked as if he was regretting something.

"The part of me being an only child kind of slipped out. I didn't know that you were in the same situation as me, so I tried to cover it up. I'm sorry for being dishonest. I must have hurt your feelings." Scott rubbed the back of his neck apologetically.

I immediately forgave him. I desparately wanted to be Scott's friend. We had so much in common; it would be a shame to ditch him.

"It's okay. I still trust you. I guess that I see a part of me in you. I feel like we can become great friends. I mean, I've only known you for the past half hour, but I want to spend my time with you. I don't think I could ever live isolated. What do you say?"

I felt something move in my chest. Seeing Scott seemed to have triggered an emotion that I have never felt before. It felt like an aching, longing in my chest. I suddenly felt alive. This was a second chance at life for me. I was a different person. I could be remade in this foest. 

Scott just shrugged, but I could see that he was super excited. "Yeah! Tha would be great! You know, humans don't do well living by themselves. It's going to be a pleasure lving with you Gwen."

Scott held out his hand and I took it. We were just innocent friends. It felt great to finally have a real, true friend.