HATE (Editing)

10

"'No, no, forget it,"'

“It won't bite,” I said holding up a lizard.

"'Get that thing away from me,"' Celia shrieked.

“It's harmless,” I said holding it even closer to her face as the creature wiggled its tiny legs.

It wouldn't hurt her. I had learned that animals never intended to hurt. Not like people. When I was all alone. I had them. Nature in all its beauty. I'd just sit alone, and watch nature. The trees. The air. The birds. The vast grass. And for a while, I knew I wasn't alone.

"'Please Lane,"' she said backing further into the tree.

“There you go little one,” I said placing the lizard back on a branch.

Celia jumped towards me clutching onto me like I'd offer her every bit of protection she needed.

“It's just a lizard,” I joked.

"'Yeah, and it's just a snake, and it's just a rat, well just a should turn to jutsu, cause I wouldn't be afraid of Jutsu,"'

“What's that even supposed to mean,” I laughed at her outburst.

"'I dunno,"' she said climbing on top of a rock, "'I just say it,"'

I laughed.

“Say, how long are we staying here?”

"'Just a week, why? "'

“I just wanted to know,”

Luckily, I had someone cover my shift for this week, which wasn't that hectic as I also had frees.

"'Afraid of the dark aren't you?"' she joked.

“No, me, never,” Liar. I almost missed a step but she offered me support before I could land face first on the soil.

"'Sure? Aren't afraid of the monsters,"' she added a scary effect to her voice but was failing miserably.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

"'Julia... Julia... I'm coming for your brain,"'

I laughed. “Stop it. You can't scare a butterfly even if you wanted to,”

"'Why would I scare off an insect when I can just swat it?"' she finished brilliantly.

Can't argue with that...

“So, who else is here, do you know them?”

"'Well, technically yes, and technically, no,"'

“So, all of you are complete strangers?”

"'Yeah, that's why I couldn't come alone, it's a business thing, my parents had to send someone to represent them, and, here I am,"'

“And here, we are,”

We had finally reached our destination for today. I could see a couple of tents set up.

"'We'll be camping here for this week, talking about this and that, going here and there, you know, stuff,"'

“Stuff,” I giggled. “You don't have a clue what you are supposed to do here, right?”

"'Not a clue,"' she did a face palm.

“I don't think the others have any clue either,”

"'I hope so, I'm only nineteen, what did they think,"' she paused throwing her hands dramatically into the air. "'I was actually gonna read all that stuff?"'