The Chase [Watty's2018]

Two

Louis

I followed my brother carefully, staying as close to him as possible. The burning building was slowly disappearing behind us as we walked.

I stayed quiet, afraid that if I said anything, something bad would happen.

"Are you okay, Lou?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. Just scared to make a lot of noise. Do you know what these are?" I asked, pointing to one of the many tall brown things with green... Plants?

"They're called trees. They give off oxygen so we can breathe. The brown part is called the trunk, the smaller ones are branches, and the green things are leaves."

"Oh." I looked around. I don't know much about anything that's outside those walls. I know Liam only has limited knowledge, and I didn't want to annoy him with questions.

"You can ask questions, Lou. I'll tell you what I know," Liam said. I could hear the smile in his voice .

"I hate how you always seem to know what I'm thinking. It's like that's your second ability or something."

"It's not. I just know you," he replied, stopping. "It's getting late, we should sleep."

"By we you mean me," I said quietly, clinging to his arm as I looked around all the... trees.

"I'll sleep, too, Lou. I think it's still summer, which means it shouldn't get too cold." He looked back to see me slightly shaking, which I tried to stop. But it was colder out here than where we were.

Liam shrugged off his jacket that was part of the clothing we usually wore and handed it to me. "You'll need it more than I will. You're used to sleeping with a blanket."

"Lia-" I started, but he quickly shushed me.

"Take it, Louis. I'll be okay, I promise."

I took it and put it on over my own. I thought about what he said about it being warmer. "What's summer?"

Liam smiled. "Sit. I'll tell you."

I nodded and sat, Liam sitting next to me. "There are four seasons that change every so often. Summer, fall, winter, and spring. Winter is when there's snow on the ground. Snow is really cold water that turns into a solid. Most people don't like going outside during that time because they like to be warm. Kids love it, though.

"Spring is when trees grows the leaves. It's not cold or hot, but sometimes some days are more or the other. Flowers, which I'll show you, grow, and the whole place just looks amazing." I yawned and nodded. Liam moved so he was leaving against a tree, so instinctively​ I rested my head in his lap as he talked. "Spring was always one of my favorite seasons. I just love how bright all the colors are.

"Summer is usually really hot and takes place during June, July and August. These places called pools open, and people go to them. It's a giant hole filled with water that people go into so they stay cool. I haven't been in one in a while, so they might have changed.

"Fall is when the leaves change colors and fall off the trees. They're dying, so the tree can survive through the winter. They sacrifice themselves to save something bigger." Liam had a far away look on his face, and I knew what he was thinking.

I'm a tree, and he's a leaves.

"You're not a leaves," I said quietly to him. "You're a tree, too."

He just chuckled. "Go to sleep, Loubear. I'll be right here in the morning."

I nodded and yawned. "Love you, Lili."