Homeless

Chapter 2

I wake up in my tent like always. The old blue blanket is wrinkled on my long body barely covering me. I get up and look out on the spring. My tent sits on a cliff near the wolf den, but far from the gang's town. I stretch as the sunrise touches the water giving it a surreal effect. My long strawberry blond hair is straight like always. No matter how many times I braid it, it always stays straight. When I finish getting ready, I change into my blue sweater: the only other sweater I have, and start to walk down to the entrance to the spring. It's a big rocky beach, about 10 meters from spider cave's entrance to the spring. I walk through the water and lay on the island in the middle of the spring. The willow tree's long branches gently touch the water making ripples that calm me down-not that I was nervous. "People never see this part of my life" I say accidentally out loud. They only see the part of me thats dirty, smelly, and lonely. Those village dwellers never see this part of the day, because they're so busy working. Ironically, I do need a job, but I only have a couple years of Primary school on my record. I have travelled to all the closest villages, but none of them will take me. I need to save up enough money to go somewhere bigger, but I don't want to leave. I got so used to the spring near Duarta, I  just can't leave it. I kind of understand the gangs in that manner. They don't let in girls though. Nobody knows much of the gangs actually, I've seen a couple but, they seemed to mind their own business, I always see this older man come to the same little pond, near the wolves' den, but they never really come to the village, as it's too expensive. I agree with them. Anyways I make my way through the water and exit the spring through spider cave I walk towards the mountains where the village is situated. I walk up the stone path as the little chalets pass by me. "YOU STOLE SOMETHING DIDN'T YA" I hear an old man. He seems to be yelling at a boy my age. I see the boy getting pretty much choked by that boy who seems about 23. It doesn't look like the boy will kill the thief, but I'm sure the old man would've. I follow them until the boy is thrown in the house. Literally thrown. I catch myself looking in the house. I don't know why I'm so interested, every time I have gone to the village I've pretty much avoided other people. For some reason though, this boy gives off a different vibe than the other village dwellers. When the muscular man leaves, I walk around the house to a window and stand on the tip of my toes to look through it. The boy is standing up but he has terrible posturer. He is holding his head with his hands burying his eyes while making awful sounds. Should I help him? He doesn't seem dangerous but, I'm not too much of a talking person. What do I say? How do you greet somebody your age. Is "Hello?" ok? I don't know...ughh ok fine. I breathe in and out and finally say, "Hello?" He looks very alarmed when I say this, but not exactly scared. Maybe he knew I was here. I try again. "Hello?! I heard noises...Like you were in pain." Thats fine right? that makes sense? Yes ok.. He actually responds. "Noises?" Why is he so surprised, maybe he is still in shock from being thrown to the floor. "Yeah, you were grunting for the past minute, non-stop." He's still a bit confused, but I've gotten a little more used to talking to him. He replies a little more comfortably now. "O-oh well, why are you talking to me?" We continue talking and slowly through the conversation he is figuring out how I'm different, I assume. His ears are becoming less red and it for some reason makes me happy to know he is comfortable around me. He's probably had a pretty rough life, to have someone to speak comfortably with, hopefully thats a relief for him. It's going smoothly until he says "I need to get out, without being seen." I look at my sweater's pocket. I see the pocket knife. "Stand back, and turn your back too." He obeys and I close as my eyes as my knife touches the old glass window. The glass breaks at my feet and cuts my 2nd toe, but I will deal with that later. He jumps out carefully and the back of his army green shirt gets a little torn through the glass. I make a mental note before our eyes meet. He's not much taller than me but he has pretty eyes. Like the color of the spring at night, that dark blue. It is relaxing looking in his eyes. It's like we can read each others mind because our feet both take off at the same time towards the forest. We run. The wind flying in our eyes, ears, and hair is refreshing. The village air is really stuffy, but in the pine forest, the smell of fresh natural earth is best. We stop at YuskaCan. (Spider Cave). He tries to "help" me by telling me which way the village is; the way we just came... but I tell him that I don't live in the village. He smiles a little bit and asks if I am also homeless. I am a bit disappointed, if anyone would understand, it would be him I was sure! Apparently not even him understands where I am coming from, I want to argue, but he has had a rough day, I don't want to give him any more trouble. So, I just smile and say "No, I'm not homeless". then I walk through the water to the exit and walk up the path to the cave to the tent. I didn't eat breakfast that morning so I looked in my tent I found nothing. "well...there are some wild strawberries on the hill near the village, I will go collect some." The sun is up highest in the sky meaning it is around mid day. I collect some berries from the bushes, then go to wash them in the spring. I think nothing of it but when I see I am 2 feet from a sleeping human I almost jump. I whisper. "Is that the...Is that the boy? from this morning?" He looks so peaceful, untouched, opposite of his restless self before–I can't blame him though. I lean over to look at him. "Hello...?" I jump back and nearly fall. "OH...I'm s-sorry what I ..." His very confused dark blue eyes stare back at me. This is what embarrassed feels like. "I don't know why I did that, it was I guess weird to see someone here..." "yeah I guess, um here you go." He hands me a bandaid. "Whats this for?" The boy looks away from me, his face red and says "your toe..." I look down, oh yeah.. the glass cut me there. How did he- "You noticed?!– Wait why were you looking at my feet?" "I WASN'T" he yells. "sorry, I didn't mean to yell" I look at the bandaids and back to him. I smile. For the first time in a long time I truly smiled. Not as a mask, just a general smile; to project that I am happy, for real. "You should do that more..." He randomly says. I question him. "Huh?" "Before you like...smiled, but not like this. It was fake!" "You noticed that too?! You're very observant..." "Thanks I guess." "Whats your name?" For some reason I suddenly have an urge to know who he is now. We've known each other for a couple hours now, and oh, its just all moving so fast. I'm not used to this. "Sebastian, you?" "Kristine, I guess we're the same age." I chuckle. He looks confused he crosses his hands over his chest like an armor and says "How do you know something like that.." "Our names. English names, the year we were both born in had a trend to name their children English names, and not Telonian names." "Oh..I didn't know that..." "Well now you do :)" I wave goodbye and walk into the water. A smilier scene to what happened hours ago. My now wet pants walk through the shallow water until I stop. I turn back and shout: "Sebastian, thanks for making me smile, it has been a long time since I've had a genuine smile." He smiles too now and nods. "Me too. Kristine, Me too", and with that we part ways.

{Author's Note}

Good Morning friends! (it's morning for me.)

Have you been well? I hope so.

I almost published this chapter yesterday! I was just so excited for everybody to read it.

I am having almost Too much fun writing this, and I hope you have even more fun reading it.

Stay safe! We can push through this pandemic if we all stay inside away from each other. 

Auf Wiedersehen! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ