The Curse

Chapter 27: Split Personality

We were sat there for a good amount of time before Juliet broke the silence.

"There's a small treehouse about a quarter mile from here. If we can get there without stopping, then we'll be able to make it before dawn."

"Okay," I agreed.

Juliet led the way, and I silently followed. About ten minutes later we reached the treehouse.

This treehouse was similar to the one were I discovered the time machine in, but it looked newer, and better kept. There was a sturdy ladder that was made from thick, freshly cut lumber.

The outside of it was painted light blue, and the door was a vibrant yellow. Glass was actually used for the windows, unlike the other tree house.

I carefully climbed up the ladder, balancing the bags that I were carrying on my arms. I knocked on the door twice, and waited.

A few moments later, a tall guy with ragged clothing answered the door.

"Well if you look who it is! Good ol' cousin Julie!" he smiled.

"Hey Chester! I haven't seen you in a while! How have you been?" Juliet asked him.

"Good, good. And who is this young lady that you have brought along with you?" he asked.

"This is my great-uh...I mean cousin, Maya," she told him, nearly revealing my true identity.

I greeted the man with a 'hello' and gave him a small wave.

"Well don't just stand there, come on in!" Chester said opening the door wider.

This wouldn't be so bad after all.

That thought was soon proven wrong when I saw who else was inside the treehouse with him.

There were four other guys chewing on some grass from the field, each one of them holding a sharp, dangerous, or pointy object that could be used as a weapon.

Whenever Chester was looking, they would give me a fake smile, but as soon as he turned his back they looked at me with a sinister smirk.

I don't think that Juliet seemed to notice because she was deep in conversation with Chester.

There weren't any seats left for me to sit on, so I just stood there awkwardly shifting my weight from one foot to the other periodically.

An hour later Chester stood up and stretched.

"I hate to leave so unexpectedly, but I have some things that I need to get done in the town," he announced slinging a worn out satchel over his shoulders. "I think that I'll be able to see you guys before you set off to embark on your journey in the morning."

He bid us farewell, and shut the door behind him.

As soon as those men were sure that Chester was gone, they arose from their seats, and formed a circle around us.

"So you think that you can just come up in here acting like you own the place, huh?" the one with a sharp knife spoke.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Juliet.

"You know full well what we're talking 'bout," said the one with a pointy wooden stake, "You're trying to manipulate Chester into making you the new leaders of our group."

"You idiots must be crazy if you think that-"

"Maya," Juliet muttered gritting her teeth, "they're just joking."

"No we're not," the obese and stout one replied. And I believed him. By the looks on their faces, and their tight grip on their weapons, they looked like they were going to pounce at any moment.

"Look, we don't want to be the leaders of your little 'gang'. You're the lamest group of people that I've ever seen," I told them.

"How to we know that you aren't lying?" the fourth man asked.

Juliet looked at me as if I knew the answer.

"Let's make a deal. We don't say a single word to each other, and we won't use any of your belongings," I bargained.

They stroked their beards deep in thought. They then huddled into a group to decide if they wanted to accept my offer or not.

Once they were done talking, they turned back around to face us.

"You have yourself a deal."

Juliet and I shook hands with each of the men's rough, dry hands to seal the deal.

Afterwards, the men took out some food, and began to scarf it down. Their 'dinner' consisted of a bowl of grub and some burnt meat.

I had just came up with a marvelous idea. I whispered to Juliet and she nodded in agreement. We took our suitcase that contained our food outside with us and got to work on our plan...

A little bit later...

You could hear the clanking and clonking of our plates and pots near the fire that we had just made. There was a small chicken that had to be eaten soon, so I seasoned it up, and cooked it for our dinner. We also had sides of freshly picked green beans, and mashed potatoes with gravy.

This was about to be good!

We had just got done saying our Grace when our eyelids opened to four men standing around us with grumbling stomachs. I guess that grub didn't fill them up.

"Can I help you?" Juliet asked annoyed at getting interrupted before eating.

"Can we have some of that food?" one of them asked licking his pale, chapped lips.

"I would give you some, but remember our little deal?" I reminded him in a mocking tone.

We left them to stand there and stare as we continued to enjoy our lovely meal without any further delays.