Escape

Tree

I opened my eyes to blackness. After a few moments I could see shapes. I looked around, trying to see if the bacca was around. I couldn't tell, but didn't think so. Some faint light came in from the doorway, and after a bout of dizziness when I first tries to stand, I managed to get up and walk outside. I felt a lot better now.

I stood on the balcony, I suppose you'd call it, outside. Looking up, I could see the sky, it was definitely night. The light was coming from a torch I could see on the ground, and I could see some sort of glow through the trees. There didn't really seem to be enough light to track the path or anything, so I didn't know why they were there.

I couldn't see much deyond the glow of the torch far below me and the stars above me.

I turned to go back into the house when something hit the wood beside me. I jumped before realizing it was Jerome.

"You're awake. Here, let me..." A spark flared before a red glow let me see. He appeared to have lit some sort of stick that he set in the house before lighting others, the same way. They didn't have flames, and the light they shone was red, but they seemed to be torches.

The tree the house was built around was inside the house as well. But he had used the tree as part of the house, if that made sense. A few branches took the roll of chairs, with a table of sorts in between them.

I sat on a branch and after a moment Jerome sat down as well. He no longer had blood in his fur and his suit was clean.

"Are you okay?" Jerome asked gently "I'm sorry you had to go through that. They wouldn't have let you in the camp otherwise."

"I feel better now. What was that? Is that why you collapsed? How did you not scream? That was agony." He sighed.

"Lissia went into your mind. She was going through your memories and thoughts. You probably saw a few of them?" I nodded and he continued. "She saw more than those though. It barely takes any time, but she could have just seen those memories or she could have looked at all of them. No way to tell. It always hurts, but it took more out of you because you're human. That's probably why you passed out, but it hurts no matter what, because your mind is being forced open and controlled by her. Before you freak out, there is no way to change your memories, see anything you don't remember, or control you. As for why I didn't scream, part of it was that my mind wasn't working as hard to get rid of her as yours was, another part was that I was more used to it than you."

I thought this all over.

"Can all baccas do that?"

"No, but all baccas can do some things with their minds that humans can't. To do what Lissia did is very hard and can't be taught to everyone. She has abilities that help her do that. I'm going to go work on some things, you can look around if you want, come find me if you have questions or anything."

I took s closer look at the torches but still couldn't understand how they worked. They let me see the house better though. It appeared to have a few rooms, and I was in the main one. Two branches came through the floor in here, one where I had just been sitting, and another in a part of the house that was pretty bare at the moment, but had a pile of animal skins where I assumed I had been when I woke up. Branches formed walls and doorways, I soon found Jerome in one of the rooms.

"Hey." He stopped what he was working on and turned towards me.

"Hi Mitch. I'm working on a ladder. You'll still need help for any of the other trees though."

I walked over and picked up part of the ladder. It was made with vines mainly, some sticks reenforced it.

He gently pulled the ladder out of my hands and continued working on it. I leaned against the wall and watched him work. Occasionally he'd glace over at me, but we didn't talk. It was a comfortable silence though, both of us enjoying each other's company.

~Hope you guys enjoyed! Please vote and comment.~

-stellerjay