Falling for the jungle boy

Chapter 10

He just watched me bewildered, too obvious that he had not had much opposition in his thoughts. I scoffed again and turned on my heel almost crashing into the wall behind me that Tay had managed to back me into.

With a heavy thump, I felt my eyes roll back into my head as I felt the collision between bone and wooden pole. With the automatic resonse being to shut down and not say a peep I sat down free my knees up to my head and bent my bruises skull over my legs, allowing my hair to casade over the apendages and drape into the floor.

"Didn't that hurt?" I lifted my head at the sound of a foreign body.

"Yah. And?" I bit through clenched teeth.

"You didn't make a sound..."

"I'm used to it." I rushed out too quickly.

My uncle used to beat the living daylights out of me. The only reason being, that I was the burden, the burden upon his life.

"You intruige me Claire." He muttered solemly to himself. I managed to allow the rough edges of a smile in the making to form outline against my lips.

Reatard of the highest calibre...

***

"So," he began, absentmindedly spinning the stake above the fire. A slab of meat was pierced on the makeshift spear and was browning slowly over the heavenly heat, the cooking bringing the divine scents to greater heights.

"So what?"

"I was thinking... we dont really know much about one another... and we haven't met in the rosiest of circumstances... do you wanna talk?" The hesitation in his voice along with the giveaway quaver was unmistakable.

"Um sure. I could do with a bit of peer councelling," i joked lightly. The inside joke warming my stomach. He just looked at me quizzically.

Oh Amy... Councelling was now a thing of the past now that she had passed.

"Its fine. You don't get it." I dismissed the idea with a wave of my hand. "So what is it that you so desperately need to know about me?"

"So what's your name?"

"Claire. You already know that... stalker," i refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Claire what?"

"Claire Veronica Georgina Ellen Haflinger... yes, like the horse." I nodded triumphantly as he tried to take it in. "What's yours?"

"Tay the jungle boy. People call me T. Or Tay, the tenth son of the year -ay... nevermind... yah, so that's me" he abruptly concluded. Sensing I shouldnt try and pry the information out of him i switched topics.

"Age?"

" 21 in normal years. I think... at least I'm 19 in jungle years. You?"

"18 for... normal years?" I tested out the new phrase while he nodded completely understandingly.

"So why are you even here in the vast jungle Claire?"

"Long story." I sighed wistfully. "I guess we do have time..." I looked up into the sky and saw the orange highlights bursting through the canopy. We sure did have time.

My parents were world reknown archologists and were particularly interested in the beauty of the Amazonian jungle and their people, many centuries of artifacts in these rural viallages were well preserved in the many huts and caves the people here used. All in all, it was a perfect opportunity for them.

The last time I saw them, they were leaving for yet another intesive week of findings and exploration. As per usual, i was left with my amazing  grandmother, from my mother's side.