The Silence Between Us

A Game of Life and Death

Chapter 11:

"Nope. I changed my mind. Take me home." I said, pacing across the floor of the tiny hut in the middle of the forest.

There was something about the place that made me want to leave immediately. Maybe it was just the fact that I literally had no clue where we were, or perhaps that we were about to shoot each other with paintballs that would probably really hurt in a creepy forest. Or maybe it was when the owner of the place handed me the paintball gun.

I didn't like the feel of holding the gun. And I especially didn't like the feeling of Wanda the walking stick being ripped out of my left hand and replaced with a weapon.

"You can't just take her away from me!" I cried, lunging for Wanda but only coming up with air.

Mae could hardly contain her giggles as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Her?" she said mockingly.

"That walking stick has kept me alive for the past three years and I love it with my whole heart. Don't blame me for naming one of my prized possessions. People do that all the time with cars and teddy bears and things like that." I defended myself.

The snickers continued, "But I've never heard someone name their walking stick." This coming from Finn.

You know, at first I thought the idea of them being together was cute, but now I have to rethink my decision. If I learned anything this past week, it was that Mae, along with being totally the best, bubbliest, and happiest person ever, loved to dish out the sass. And Finn was her partner in crime. When they were at each other's throats and were arguing, it was absolutely hilarious. But when they teamed up to pick on someone else, talk about terrible.

"What's the name?" Clara asked, suddenly joining in on the conversation.

I fought hard to stifle a groan, but the sound still erupted from my mouth. There was going to be no way I would ever live this down. They would pick on me forever about it. Just the thought of the constant nagging made me sick.

Mae kept elbowing me. I tried to ignore it, but the jabs got harder and more frequent, making it impossible to just pretend they weren't happening.

"Fine!" I screamed, causing a burst of laughter to come from the three of them. "It's...Wanda."

Next to me, Mae gasped, "You didn't."

"I think she did." Finn replied.

"There's no way." Clara said.

When I kept silent, they burst into laughter and I could feel my face flaring up in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. How dare they insult Wanda the walking stick? That was like a crime against humanity. No, it was a crime against the entire world.

"I will have you know Wanda the walking stick has been the best thing that ever happened to me! She means a lot to me and I will not just stand by and let you make fun of her!" I roared, only causing the laughter to escapade and spiral out of my control. The corners of my lips quirked into a small smile despite me trying to be mad at them.

"I'm leaving." I said, dropping the paintball gun on the floor and attempting to storm out of the room. The problem was I couldn't see where I was going, and without Wanda, I couldn't see the obstacles in front of me. Instead of walking like a boss out of the hut, I ran straight into, and I quote according to Mae, the incredibly toned chest of Alexander Mirren.

And she was right. It was like running into a wall of granite.

He took my good hand and started signing before I could say anything else. You are not leaving. And I thought Wanda the walking stick was our thing?