Singing a new Song

Just Try it, go ahead...

They took him within the next two hours. Had him pack a few personal belongings and leave. He asked with a glimmer of hope in his eyes if he could take my sketchbook, full of my sketches of random things. I had completely filled it last night, a simple sketch of him with the leaves flying around him, his joy unmasked, pure, he was happy. I nodded, saying with a lump in my throat, "Take it, you love flipping through it, most of the sketches are of you doing stuff anyways. And you are a very expressive little boy," I pinched his cheek, like Grandma Dina used to do with both of us. He had wrapped his arms around me, looking up at me with tears flicking at the corners of hie eyes. He cried, I cried, we both hugged and sobbed. Then as Kilorn silently started pulling him away from me, Ashton flipped through the sketches and found his favorite. It was a scene from the family kitchen, my mom standing at the cupboard, pulling random things out, my dad ruffling Ashton's already messy brown hair, my two brothers fighting over a bit of cake, and Ashton's mom coming in through the door, a small puppy in her arms. He tore it out, and handed it to me. " Keep my favorite memory safe, Will, can you please do that?" He whispered as he was pulled out of the house, grabbing the door as he was pulled by it, closing it. I ran to it, flinging the door open again, screaming as he was loaded onto a huge flying transport. "ASHTON!" I screamed, hopefully the wind carried my voice to him, making him know how much I would miss him. I saw Farley, in all her bleeding, stupid glory, turn and a wave of anger flashed through me as she raised two fingers to her brow, saluted at me. I raced into the shack, grabbed a bag, flinging things that I would need. I spotted my father's golden dagger, the gold was mixed with melted diamond, making it goldeneye. A harder metal than gold, but still just as beautiful. I pocketed it, and grabbed my pistol, Ashton's hunting knife, and all the clothes I owned. The jet hadn't taken off yet, and as I neared it, I heard yelling from inside. Ashton was being a total waste of time for them, and I slipped inside just as the door closed. "If you think I'm going to just sit here quietly the whole time, you can go grab Willow, she's the only one who can make me shut up!" He singsonged in that annoying way that he loved to use. "They don't have to go grabbed me, I'm right here," I said was I stepped out of the shadows. This was obviously not planned because the exiled Prince literally spit out the water he had been gulping down. " Calm down Princy, I don't think the King would take it kindly if I kill you before he gets the chance," I sat myself in a seat next to Ashton's, smirking as the girl next to him fumbled with her seatbelt. "Well, what do we do now?!" Mare snapped at Farley, not knowing what to do with a brat and her bratty cousin. "We keep her, could be useful to us. Tell me girl, do you fight with just you ability, or are you more talented than that?" Farley asked. I took the goldeneye dagger out of my pocket and ran its gleaming blade across my palm. " does this answer your question?" I mused as I flung the dagger sideways, it hitting the wall just above  her head. If she had not ducked, it would have gotten her between the eyes. " Yes, yes it does," she smiled at me, a warm thing on anyone else's face, a deadly one on her's. I handed Ashton his hunting knife, and he goes and sticks it in his sleeve. He used to do that when First Friday came around, that way he could stab anyone trying to pickpocket him. He usually ended up doing it to at least two people, his record being ten. Soon all he had to do was look like he was reaching for a knife and he sent them running. " Where are you taking us?" I asked. " Our little base, know as the 'Notch' to us." Kilorn smirked as I was pushed into my seat by Mare. " Strap yourself in, don't want you flying out of the window," she made a bleeding attempt to make a joke, and I chuckled dryly. Ashton decided he would be the most annoying kid that they ever had the pleasure of meeting, and he started early. At five minutes into the flight he started munching on a granola bar, as loud as he could have. And he wasn't even really eating it, he was more or less nibbling. " I'm thirsty, do you have watermelon flavored water?" He complained as soon as he was done with the granola bar. " No, we have regular water," Cal said calmly from the pilot seat. " I can't drink 'regular water' I'm allergic to it!" Ashton said in fake horror. " well we have bottled tea that we stole from the last town if you would like some," Kilorn said in fake sweetness. I saw Mare, Farley and Shade twitch their eyes as Ashton said in totally fake innocence. " My mother told me to never eat or drink things that strangers give you, and technical you are a stranger." Ten minutes into it he yelled out that he was bored, so Mare and the rest was forced to play cards with him by Farley, who took over flying because Ashton refused to play if Cal didn't. Then when Cal won fair and square, Ashton squealed that 'He cheated!' I just sat and made tallys in my notebook. Ashton had ten, Farley had seven, Shade had zero because of no complaints about Ashton, and the Prince and Mare both had five. They played again and this time they let Ashton win. Shade stopped playing at the third time and sat next to me. " How do you put up with him, he's a brat?!" I added a tally to Shade's space before chuckling. " I don't let him get under my skin, he's just doing this to see how far he can get before one of you cracks. Based off the complaints, Farley will be the first." He looked over at the top of my paper, and laughed as he saw that it read: " Complaints about Ashton". " You don't complain much, do you?" I asked. He nodded. " I grew up with a brat for a sister, in the Stilts, no one can complain about much, because it's all unbearable," he flashed a grin. " Besides, I don't take much for granted, every day is a gift." I nodded. " and gifts can be taken away from you in an instant," Shade smiled and turned to watch the furious battle of cards going on between Ashton, Mare, Kilorn, and Farley. Cal was already out of cards, having pawned them all to Mare. " What do you want for that King Kilorn?" Ashton asked as the tawny haired boy looks at him. " I'm going to ask you for that Princess of Spades!" Ashton grumbled as he handed the princess to Kilorn. He looked happy as the king was put into his hand.  Watching him play cards with them all, I felt a slash of happiness. The King could come right now and call me a bleeding Red and I would say "Just try it, go ahead, I dare you...." With a bratty smile on my face.