Branches of Our Tree

Chapter Three: Change

Merida

"I'm sorry,"Jack repeated, for, I don't know, the gazillionth time. His eyes would keep flitting to the crack displayed in broad view above the lounging couch, regret painting in the worry creases aound his frown. He lifted his arm, his fingers riding through his frosted hair as he tried to offer a solution.

"Jack." I clamped his shoulders in my fierce grip, shaking him vigorously, back and forth, in an attempt to drive his ridiculous selfless feelings out of the situation. "Please...fohr the sake of my mind, shut up!"

Exasperation clouded his guilty expression, offering me temporary relief. "What?" he exclaimed. Jack threw his arms into the air, eyes wide. "I made you...do that." He pointed to the crumbling wallpaper, the crack a dark vein against the spring green color.

I sighed, wacking the side of his face with the palm of my hand. He winced, rubbing the impacted area. "No, ya did not."

Ding dong. A cheery toll of the doorbell echoed throughout my home, beckoning me to the front door. With Jack mumbling behind me, I twisted the wooden handle, pulling the door towards me to reveal Rapunzel. "Hey, Mer!" The tree green of her eyes glinted mischeviously as they rested on Jack's lumbering figure. "Jack."

"What's up?" he replied, offering a half-smile. Ugh, cheer up already!

"I have a date, actually, so let's make this quick," Rapunzel said. I blinked at her a few times as she walked past me, reminding myself not to get surprised by what she had told us. The bright golden sheen of her hair was a beacon in the dim living room, the locks rolling against her petite frame in a "Look at me!" manner. Wasn't that enough proof to show how Punzie had changed her interests over the summer?

Thankfully, having a sudden knowledge about the unappealing world of teenage relationships didn't hinder her ability to cover up a mistake with a few dabs of the paintbrush.

"This...is the crime scene," I explained, jabbing a thumb towards the crack. Jack's hockey puck remained, unscathed, a few feet away from the wall, its glossy black surface gleaming mockingly. Frustrated, I grabbed the round disc, stuffing it back into Hiccup's backpack on the kitchen counter.

"Didn't Hiccup take that from you, Jack?" Rapunzel asked, eyeing the puck in its last few moments out of the clogged interior of the backpack.

"Yep," he replied. He flashed a grin towards me, which I answered with a scowl. "You can probably guess what I did to pay him back."

"Just fix the crahck, will ya?" I told Rapunzel. "I'm headin' out to give Jack's paybahck to Hiccup." Only because Jack wasn't going to, anytime soon.

Rapunzel nodded, kneeling down with her messy artist's toolbox. I caught her flicking the metal locks on it just as I left the room, Hiccup's backpack slung over my left shoulder.

Summer was still a blistering fool, I noticed, as I trotted across the tall grass. In fact, I could see the heat shimmering off of the dirt road, sendings puffs of dust to harden and dry to the water-less ground. The skin beneath my knees was bare, relishing the dewy blessing of the grass that surrounded me, perhaps the only comfort on this scorching day. Behind my home, Angus's jaw worked against the trough that held his food, his black coat rippling in the wind that lacked cold.

Hiccup's home was next to mine in terms of a neighborhood. But we weren't in a neighborhood. No, we resided near the outskirts of town, where the pleasant and peaceful country aged with the day. I know the only reason my family had bought a home so far from where I went to school was because of Angus. The poor horse would be uncomfortable and unwelcome in the nasty streets of the city, and I loved him too much, enough to sacrifice some sleep in order to get to school on time. Hiccup happened to be there when we moved in, but I have yet to uncover the truth behind his stay in the middle of nowhere.

When I knocked on his door, he seemed a bit surprised, despite me being just ten minutes from him. "Oh, Merida!" he said, blinking, his green eyes wide. A grin split his face, and he stepped aside. "Come on, in."

"Hiccup, it's okay," I said. "I just--"

"My dad made some tarts." He knit his eyebrows together. "You like those, right?"

I smiled, rolling my eyes. "Fine."

My heart jolted in shock at the sight of Hiccup. No longer was he the lanky, freckled boy he was all last year. His round face had hardened, molding him into a chiseled jaw and a defined set of cheekbones. And...I swallowed...did he get taller? Of course, not taller than Jack--he was Mt.Everest compared to us. But, still. I remember towering over him by a few inches. Now, here he was, causing me to crane my neck just to say hi.

I haven't seen him, nor either of my friends all summer. How could you, when your mother decided a trip to Paris was in order? None of my summer family vacations caused my friends to change much, though, whenever I returned. This time...

Everyone changed.

Elsa

"It's fine," I comforted, stroking Anna's copper hair continuously. "We'll be fine."

"I know," she replied, her voice small and quiet. Her head remained idle in my lap, unmoving. I had leaned over moments ago to see if she had fallen asleep, but was met with the blank stare of her clouded eyes. "I trust you, Elsa."

The lump that had swollen in my throat increased its size. I pressed my lips together, trying to hold back the tears. What have I done? I shouldn't have let Fodner's ill wishes provoke my anger, no matter how wrong her words were to me.

The sun was up high by the time we set up whatever camp we could. I had only a few twenty dollar bills in my pocket, another thing about my runaway plan that was poorly-planned. "Next time," I muttered,"I'll keep all of my money with me."

"Money?" Anna lifted her head, a weak smile lifting her cheeks. "I have some."

"What?" My eyebrows furrowed along with my confusion. "How?"

"Papa gave it to me," she explained. "It was on my birthday." Before I could question her further, she straigtened up into a seated position, lifting her leg. Her fingers curled around the heel of her boot, and she tugged, the entire bottom popping off. She probed the compartment a few times before pulling out a few thick rolls of green paper.

Money.

"Anna," I started, but she lifted a finger.

"Do we have enough money to rent a hotel room for the night?" Anna asked me. I took the roll of bills she offered me, and I counted, peeling back each corner as they were ticked off.

"Yeah." I smiled. "Anna, you're a lifesaver."

She shrugged, beaming at my words. "I know."

A gust of breath in the form of relief escaped my lips, and I raised my chin to the sky, loving the fresh and exhilirating blue of the sky. "If we keep this up, we might be able to go to school."

"What?" Anna shook her head, frantically. "No way! What about being homeschooled?"

I frowned at her. "You know we can't afford the textbooks."

"Aw man." Anna draped an arm over the back of the bench, throwing her head back. "I somehow knew that was coming."

I laughed. "Now...I think it's about time I got a job."