Trapped in our stories

The newcomer

"Meow meow..."

Milo looks up from his book to view the cat playing across of him. Seeing its claws grasp for the wiggling culm before him, attacking it mercilessly like a lion who hasn't eaten for days storming an antelope, makes him move a few inches away from it. The feline, named Oscar, is actually a very nice cat. He can get quickly attached to people. When he didn't trust someone, he'd simply walk away without attacking.

With Milo, however, it was the complete other way. Oscar never got close to him, like he did with others. When they are in the same area his eyes would follow him in a stern and warning way, making the boy feel anxious and when he gets too close, the cat would uncharacteristically attack him. Well, maybe not uncharacteristically if it is Milo he attacks. 

The source of the sound, however, did not come from the furry fighter. It came from the girl playing with him. Meowing as she playfully waved the culm in the air. In fact, Milo is pretty sure his friend, Charity, meows more than the feline himself.  She's the one who's been taking care of the cat ever since she first arrived in the institution. You never have Charity without Oscar and same goes the other way.

Charity is a rather shy girl with soft facial features which makes her look a tad younger then she really is. She is a very tanned brunette with hair so dark, it might as well be black. Unlike Oscar, Charity is Milo's friend. His best friend as a matter of fact. Milo is a skinny boy with pearl-white skin and light brown hair. His rather round face is balanced out with somewhat sharper facial features. Both of them are long ranged fighters with the girl handling the bow and the boy controlling magic.      

Neither of them doesn't really like to be around many people. That's why they spent most of their time in their little hide-out, where they are right now. It's a calm and closed off space they found while venturing through the forest. When they had first discovered this place, they had a hard time finding their way back and ended up spending the night here. Fortunately, they managed to get back to the institution and memorized the way. 

Not bothering to continue his book, Milo closes his eyes and let his other senses enjoy his surroundings. The fresh smell of oxygen the plants produces, the soft rush of water from the nearby river, the happy continuations of meows sounding from his friend... the overall calmness of this place makes his body feel more and more relaxed.     

Then all too soon that calmness is disrupted by the alarming ruffles of leaves, increasing in volume. The mage quickly jumps to his feet, alerting the girl who finally notices the noise as well. Both ready themselves for the possible threat luring closer. Charity takes out her bow and stretches its bowstring with the nock of an arrow. Milo's hand is already aglow with light magic. He would have used fire magic but figured he doesn't want to start any forest fires. Suddenly the soft ruffles become much more chaotic and its accompanied by a small cry, not even a second before the source of all this noise comes flying from the bushes towards them. Both brake their position to dodge the flying, maybe less possible threat.

Landing between the two is a small ginger boy with chubby cheeks covered with freckles. He sits up straight, hand clutching the back of his head while grunting a few 'ows' to himself. After noticing he's not alone, his head perks up to meet the two wary gazes fixated on him. 

"Whoopsies didn't mean to, uhm, drop in like that." Alright, I guess now it's safe to assume he's nowhere near dangerous. The tanned girl quickly tends to the boy after that conclusion.

"Are you alright?" The ginger stands up and shakes his head as if to shake off any remaining pain or embarrassment he still has. 

"Nah, don't worry 'bout me. When you fall like five times a day, you get used to it." He gives a small laugh to confirm that he's absolutely okay. Charity laughs politely with him. The freckled boy has already shown he's the complete opposite of intimidating. That makes her feel much more at ease around him. Milo, however, is already busy inspecting the boy. He seems unarmed, so it's unlikely he's been traveling very far or that he even is a traveler. Besides, he's much too young for that. Then again there are no villages close-by. 

"Where are you from?" The questioned boy turns his head confounded to the pale one and his direct questioning but decides it shouldn't be that surprising. 

"I guess I should introduce myself first." He says before standing up again and turning his attention back to the both of them. "My name's Aidan and I actually just arrived today at the institution not far from here." Milo and Charity both look quizzically at each other as they're thinking the same thing before the mage continues his questioning. 

"Then what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you get settled first, get a weapon and what not?" The ginger doesn't hesitate to answer. It seems like he feels completely relaxed in the position he is now. "Yeah, but I wanted to explore a little bit first. So, are you guys also students here?" The two friends nod and introduce themselves to the newcomer. Apparently, Aidan is the same age as Charity, 12. Milo's one year older.

 Now that most questions seem to be answered, the sounds of the wind brushing against the leaves and the birds continuing their daily tasks returned once again to the forest along with its calmness. They continue chatting a bit. No one asks about each other's backstory though. Everyone in the Mabeo institution no longer has any parents. Most of the time their stories are too painful to talk about and everyone respects that.

After a long while, they decide to return to Mabeo before it gets dark. Aidan already lost the way. Luckily he's with the two others, who were once in the same situation. The freckled boy is ranting on about and on about whatever he can come up with, but only Charity is really listening. Strangely enough, the dark-haired girl found a certain calmness in herself while talking to the energetic boy. Or rather as much as she can bring in the conversation. She's content nonetheless. Milo is more focused on his surrounding, not really thinking about anything. He can feel every year his head had been and still is active. It's just not the usual for him to be around someone so dynamic for so long. 

Then something else got his attention. Through the treetops, he can faintly make out traces of smoke. It's in the direction of the institution! The rush of adrenaline and the sudden panic of his home being possibly in danger makes him dash off immediately, leaving the other two confounded behind. After two seconds, the two starts sprinting after him, still wondering what got over him. But he didn't care. He is not going to lose his home.