Rush Above Sea Level

Chapter 7: Rocky Road

"Joseph wouldn't do that!"

"Joseph listened! Look where he is now!"

"Joseph could have done better!"

"Joseph is doing better than you!"

I'm not Joseph, I'm Atlantis, somehow my parents couldn't fit that in their heads. No matter how many times I reminded them that, they dismissed it and called it any excuse. Joseph had a passion, I didn't. They were still used to having a perfect kid that listened to them and talked back once a while, they weren't used to one that talked back all the time.

"Your grades are dreadful, again!" My dad bellowed.

"We are disappointed in you, Atlantis, this is the seventh time this month." My mother shook her head.

I was dying to talk back, but the risks and benefits ratio wasn't very fair, I would pay a hefty sum if I said a word. I gritted my teeth as they kept talking, clenching my fists I kept a neutral face at them. Once they finished, they sighed and I ran back to my room, if only there was a way to escape all this...

Jesse sat in front of the fire, staring at the light meekly. Twinkle came, cradling an armful of wooden sticks and piled it on him. The three of us sat on the dirt. We had just ran away from the cabin fire, I was scared that the fire would spread but there wasn't any wind. Jerry had gone to hunt, most of his arrows were burned in the fire so he decided to stick to his knife. Kayla sat next to me, her head on my lap. I held the wooden knife in my hand, the handle was rough on my hand but the knife was still sharp.

Jesse had been blaming herself for disregarding Cruellum ever since the fire. We have told her multiple times that we could never known what Cruellum could have done something like this, but you can't convince a blind person they aren't blind. I still haven't told them I saw Cruellum in the act, part of me felt more guilty than Jesse for not stopping him. But I also felt stupid I didn't know his intentions, it seemed so clear yet I didn't have a clue on what he wanted to do. Keeping silent, I watched as Twinkle comforted Jesse.

After a while, Jerry came back, his hands empty. Exhausted and bewildered by how fast everything went, he plopped down next to me.

"I suppose I should get to know everyone better before one of us sets fire to this camp too." Jerry said jokingly.

Twinkle mumbled "Jerry, I appreciate how you're trying to light up the mood but now isn't really the ti-"

"I'll go first." I interrupted weakly.

"I guess I haven't told everyone, but I'm in year 10."

Jerry nodded appreciatively. Twinkle hid his annoyance and stayed quiet.

"I smashed my dad's favorite plaque once." Jesse grinned.

"It was you!" Jerry accused "You told dad it was me!"

Jesse shrugged innocently "I knew he would suspect it was you."

"Why did you do it?"

"He wouldn't buy me a kitchen kit like the other girls did."

"I lost my privileges to go play volleyball with my friends for a month!"

"That's your fault you were so easy to accuse!"

Jerry rolled his eyes "Next."

"Want to guess how many stitches it took to heal this?" Twinkle held up his lost arm.

Jerry looked at his arm "7."

Jesse narrowed her eyes "5."

I looked for some time before guessing "9."