Destiny Divided

Chapter 5:

Miku's POV:

"Thank you for letting me walk with you." I smiled.

Len bowed. "My pleasure." Then he raised his head and seemed a little embarrassed. I think he may have done that out of habit.

I laughed and turned to go inside. My dad was standing right in the doorway.

"I was starting to get worried about you dear. Who was that? It wasn't that Oliver was it? Didn't look much like him."

"No papa, that was Len. He's new to our group and very nice." I answered my father.

He hurried to the window and looked out.

"I don't like you walking home with boys...specially one's I don't know." Father grumbled.

"Okay...next time I'll invite him in so you can get to know him." I replied slyly.

"Devilish creature!" My father exclaimed, playfully swatting at me. "Get off to bed before I become rightfully angry."

I ran upstairs and was in time to see Len rounding a corner from my window. He paused and looked back at my house. I wonder if he saw me?

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The next day I woke up bright and early as usual. I quickly helped my father and the hired men and boys with some of the chores and then went off to play.

Ilsie was waiting for me at the fork of the road that led to town.

"Why didn't you tell me you met a boy at the castle?" She asked with an accusing tone.

"Well, I didn't know if he was really there or not. I thought I might have just IMAGINED him at first. He's much kinder than Luki and Fukase and Oliver."

"Don't you go and abandon me for him!" Ilsie smiled, but I don't think she was entirely joking.

We were walking past a large fenced in yard where I saw a group of small children chasing around a boy my age.

"I SURRENDER! PLEASE YOUR HIGHNESS SPARE ME!" The boy yelled with a cleverly disguised laugh.

"NEVER! You will be exe...exe...excooted for your cwimes!" Yelled a smaller boy of maybe five.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shouted the older boy as he was surrounded by the swarming children. "OW! okay stop...STOP! Ouch! Your pulling my hair! OW get off! I AM THOROUGHLY EXCOOTED!"

I choked on my laughter as the boy was finally released and he stood up. He looked like he had just escaped being tortured...which he pretty might as well have been.

He laughed at them and then met my eye.

"We're playing hide and seek now and I'm it! One...two...three..." He started to count and the children all fled with joyful shrieks. 

Then he walked over and jumped the fence.

"Hullo Miku. Ilsie." Len smiled and made a playful bow.

A little girl who had stayed behind (she was smart enough to) fell over the fence and scrambled over to Len. She clasped his hand and hid behind him. She was so adorable!

I bent down a little.

"Hello there. My name is Miku what's yours?"

"Emi..." The little girl whispered. She seemed very shy.

"I have a very dear friend named Emi and she looks just like you! Will you be my friend too?" I asked.

The girl nodded. "Are you going to play with Len today?" She asked.

I looked up at Len.

"That's good. He doesn't have any friends his age here, but all us little kids love him! He's the nicest person in the WHOLE world! You're gonna be his best friend now right? Cause I can only help him a little cause I'm little but your big like him." Little Emi seemed so eager to help Len. I found it very sweet.

I laughed.

"Aw Emi go play." Len mumbled, embarrassed. 

"Okay! Be nice or they won't like you and you gotta get more friends Len!" Emi called as she ran back over to the fence and struggled to climb back over it.

"She's a little passionate..." Len began.

"I think it's sweet that she cares that much about you." I cut in. I could FEEL Ilsie's eye roll. 

Len nodded and I could tell he was even more embarrassed. I gave up trying to make him feel more comfortable.

"Are you going to come play with the group?" I asked.

"He was dared to so He HAS to." Ilsie reminded me.

I realized that I had put Len in an awkward position. I didn't know if maybe his only chance to be with his family was on the weekends, or maybe he had lied and he didn't actually like any of us very much. Had I been to pushy?

"I would go anyway." Len announced much to my relief. "I don't have anything better to do, plus I like your group. I do actually need some friends my age."

We walked back to town.

Luki, Gumi, Emi, Fukase, and Oliver were already there.

"Thank goodness!" Gumi shouted, "If you hadn't come in at least four more seconds I would have had to tackle Luki to keep things interesting!"

"That WOULD have been interesting." Fukase chuckled.

Len's POV:

"Today I think we should explore the woods again!" Luki announced to us some ten minutes later.

"AGAIN!" Gumi cried. "I know that area of the woods better than I know any of you guys! First you take a right and there's that big stone that's shaped like a walrus and..."

"Well I don't see YOU suggesting anything." Luki grumbled.

"That's because you won't stop talking!" Gumi sighed with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I would like to do something new also." Emi whispered.

"I have something we could do." I declared, hopping down from my perch on an old log.

"Oh do tell! Whatever it is it's gonna be better than what we usually do cause your new!" Gumi clapped her hands.

"We should go into the woods..." I started.

Gumi cut me off with a groan. "I take it back. You're as normal as normal gets."

"We should go Into the woods and I'll show you a spot I KNOW you haven't been to yet." I finished.

"Is it that secret spot with the bush that looks like a..." Gumi started.

"No." I said quickly. "It's a spot with great climbing trees and a huge lake that's almost like a beach because it has sand around it."

"YES! I VOTE LEN'S PLAN!" Gumi yelled waving her arms.

"That sounds nice." Emi smiled.

"Who cares?" Luki was trying to look like he wasn't excited.

"Oh I can't wait! Let's go!" Miku cried.

"First, whoever's house is closest should get a lantern for everyone because it will most likely get dark before we start to head home."

Oliver stood and ran off and returned in two minutes with four lanterns. "That's all I could take without my Ma gettin' cross." He explained.

"Alright! Let's GO. Let's move it! Everybody up! Lead the way O mighty Woods Master! Giant lake here we COME!" Gumi cheered.

I led the group into the forest as memories threatened to show their faces and ruin my fun.