In a Forest, Under a Tree Where Many Plans Were Made

Chapter Three

🌲Running🌲

So, back to the present. Summer was shaking her ponytail out of her face as the cold wind nipped her cheeks. She ran quickly into the forest, not looking back at Kryston once. She wondered what Ju, and Lazuli her two best friends, would do. Surely they'd understand? What about her father? And Oliver? He may be dull, but his love for Summer was true. Summer felt a pang of guilt, which was quickly diminished once she saw Jack under that old tree, waiting. Now she was full only of joy.

"Jack!" and she flung herself at him, and he held tightly. No one would ever take her from him. Ever again.

Jack smiled. He loved the way she warmed his heart. He had never experienced the melting experience before he had met Summer. If anything he loved Summer more than she loved him, which certainly was saying something.

"Summer!" he laughed back. Then he was all business. He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her blue eyes with his grey ones.

"Summer. We have to run. Far away from here. You probably didn't know, but in the mines... They're going to destroy the village. They don't know it, but they're using too much TNT in a couple more expeditions. They think they may have gold right below the village. Lots of other miners are concerned, but Carcak always gets his way." Summer nodded. Carcak was the leader of most mining expeditions, and was notorious for his bossiness and how he will do ANYTHING to get his way.

"Anyway, the TNT... They're definitely using too much. It's gonna blow Kryston sky high. We can't evacuate everyone. We just can't, I know you were about to say it." Summer looked at the mossy ground with tears in her eyes. Everyone she knew and loved... They would be gone.

"Jack... Can't we try?"

"We'd be arrested. You know that. Carcak is going to win, even if it costs the life if everyone we know."

Jack wrapped his arms around Summer as she sobbed into his chest. He tried to sooth her the way he had always done, the way that had never failed. He ran his fingers through her hair, and kissed her forehead. But this news must've been too much, because it didn't work, and Summer just sobbed harder.

Eventually, after many tears had fell onto the tree, she calmed down and stared and Jack with a broken heart in her eyes.

"Okay. But we must go now."

So for two days they trekked through the forest, keeping the bread, just eating wild fruits and camping at night, cooking meat Jack had speared over a fire.

After two days, the found what they'd been looking for. In the middle of a vast forest, far away from their special tree, a clearing. A pond nearby which Jack declared was fresh water, plenty of animals nearby. It was great.

Now, you are probably wondering what Jack had in his ruck sack.

He had a flint and steel. Probably more practical, as it wouldn't run out as quickly as the match box Summer had brought.

A tent. Yes, he folded it most tightly, and squeezed it into the bottom. It would serve well until he and Summer could build a real hut.

He took a sharpening rock that he used for knives and his spear. It wasn't a real sharpening device, but works just as well.

He also took a long sleeved shirt, and a small one. Also shorts and proper pants. He didn't take shoes, as he hardly wore them anyway. He took a jacket though.

His ruck sack was pretty much full, he took a loaf of bread too though.

He wore a short sleeved top over a long one, and shorts under his pants. He carried his spear in one hand, put Summers necklace in his pocket and carried the quite heavy rucksack in the other hand.

After they found the clearing, it was almost dark. Jack looked at his watch, then in the general direction of the town.

"Summer. It's tonight." he called out to the tent which Summer ha spot he'd and was laying the blanket on. By 'it's tonight' he meant the accidental destruction of the village. Summer slowly walked out with Jack. He glanced at his watch again. "...Now" and a gentle bang reached them. They saw a cloud of smoke rise from where they had left the town. Oddly, at the current moment, Summers only concern was Jacks old tree house and 'their' tree.

She asked Jack if they would be safe, and he assured her they would. "Probably some people on the outskirts of Kryston will survive too."

Then it hit her. The overwhelming sadness. She lived pretty much at the centre of the town, so her father was definitely dead. Ju lived at the outskirts. Hopefully she didn't choose tonight to go shopping in the Other Shop. And hopefully Lazuli was visiting for the night. For about ten minutes they just sat there, silently gazing at what used to be their home.

Then Summer burst into tears. "Dead... All dead..."

She remembered the old man who worked at the other shop. When she was little, he was kind to her. He let her open doors and greet customers. He said one day she might take over the shop. Summer would always laugh and say "but you can't die." And the old man would smile, a little sadly and get back to work. It seems little Summer was wrong.

And Summer hated to be wrong.

She started screaming, yelling, and crying. "Why?? Their stupid, stupid greed! Why is gold so freaking important! Isn't innocent lives more so? GAHHHHHHH!" And she ran into the tent, crying into the blanket.

Jack followed her calmly. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. Eventually her screams turned into gentle sobs. Jack sat there soothing her with a blank look. Was it jealousy? Jealous of her having something to miss, and love? Because Jack had nothing but Summer. No friends, or family. Nobody had stood out in being kind. Maybe it was jealousy. But his love came first.

So they lay next to each other under the blanket, awake all night. Summer said thanks to everyone who had ever been kind to her. It was a very long list.

Jack stayed awake hugging Summer whenever she started crying, which was often. Jack cried too. He had nothing, except for memories. And now he thought of it, there were some people he mined with that he could call mates.

Summer, while going through her list, got to Oliver. She had no idea what to feel. She never really liked him, but he was kind to her, due to his long term love. He had loved her about as long as Jack, if longer than not by much. She froze up. The tears suddenly stopped. Her body went stiff.

"Summer? Are you okay?" asked Jack. Of course. Asking her if she's okay AFTER she stops crying. But her body language told a confusing story.

All Summer said: "What about Oliver?"

Jack nodded curtly. He and Oliver never liked each other, due to their rivalry for Summer. In fact, they hated each other.

"I didn't like him Summer. You can though. I know you do love me." He thought for half a second. "I hope."

"Oh Jack, of course I love you! I'm just confused about Oliver."

"You go ahead and like him. As a friend. He was nice to you." replied Jack.

Summer nodded.

She slept. She had been running too long.