Not So Different

Chapter 9 - Are You, Are You, Coming to the Tree?

[A/N: Hi there! Wowzers it's been a long time!! Well I'll have you know that I've spent all this time figuring out ideas for this chapter...actually that's a lie so don't believe that. Sorry! So here's the long awaited secret. Enjoy! :)]

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 "Daniel. Daniel. Daniel. Daniel," I continue to say annoyingly while poking his face. He doesn't seem to care, but I want to know what the secret is. His eye starts to twitch. Maybe I've finally gotten to him. He lets out a loud sigh. Yes. I have him.

"Cheesus crust what do you want? I'm not going to tell you the secret because oh, I don't know, it's a secret!"

Oh he's mad now. I should probably lighten the mood.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like surprises or secrets. Will I like it?"

We're about two miles from Cecily Park. Maybe that's the surprise.

"It depends on if you don't mind the cold."

I laugh a little and flash him a small smile.

"Oh please, the cold never bothered me anyway."

I flip my platinum blonde hair in a dramatic way. He chuckles. Oh good. Phew. He's in a better mood now.

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"Daniel. I'm not getting out of the car."

"Are you serious?"

"It's too cold. I can't do it," I say as I tighten my grip on my seat.

"I thought the cold didn't bother you," he says with a smirk.

"Well it does today," I say stubbornly.

Daniel scans the park and promptly picks up my legs, trying to pull me out of the car.

"Just give up," he shouts.

"Never! It's too cold!"

We're making such a big scene on the side of the road next to the park. Children are pointing at us and their mothers are walking them away while giving us disapproving looks.

"Elsa honey, you're making us a spectacle so why don't you just get out of the car?"

"Ummm, what's the opposite of yes," I ask in a bitter tone.

"Fine then," he drops my legs, "I'll just go to the tree by myself."

He starts walking away. He has the nerve to walk away from me? You can't just drag someone out into the cold.

"Wait! Daniel! I'm coming!"

Of course after hearing those words escape my mouth, he decides to full out run. Ugh. I don't want to run. It's cold and I don't like running. It's too much work. Well crap. I don't know where he's going. Oh well - ebolo! I take off sprinting and soon settle at his pace.

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"This is what you made me run into the woods for," I say dumbfounded.

"Yup, ain't she a beaut," Daniel says while patting the tree.

"It's just a piece of wood protruding from the ground."

"There's more to it," he says, slightly frowning.

This is stupid. I went through all that for a tree. A dumb frick frackin' tree. My fingers begin to tingle. So does that mean like ice or snow or something is going to shoot out of them again? I still don't really have this, whatever it is, down and controlled. But seriously, my hands are so cold right now. They're getting colder by the minute. I start to walk back to the car before I cause trouble. Daniel stops me.

I turn back to meet his eyes.

"Are you okay? Oh and do you like the Hunger Games," he asks.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just thought the secret would be better. Yes I do, I love the Hunger Games. I didn't really like the beginning of Mockingjay though," I say warily.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree," he asks in dead seriousness.

"Uh what?"

"They strung up a man, they say who murdered three," he continues.

Oh wait. I think I get it.

"Strange things did happen here," I sing lightheartedly.

"No stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree," we finish together.

Daniel explains that the tree, like in the Hunger Games, was used to hang people in earlier times. I thought our history in this town was pretty clean, but I guess not. Anyone thought to be a witch or have supernatural powers were hung. All it took was one accusation to be hung or stoned to death. It's such an ugly history.

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"Hey Elsa, I gotta pee like really bad. I don't want to walk back to the playground to use the restroom, so I'm just going to walk a little further off into the woods. Yell for me if you need anything or are in trouble. I'll be right back."

He disappears into the woods and I'm left alone with the tree.

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A hand covers my mouth, muffling my scream.

"Shhh shh it's alright. Don't scream," a voice says.

I try to turn to see my captor but his body is positioned in a way that I can't. My eyes search wildly for anything that could describe him.

There it is.

A white flash of hair.

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[A/N: Sooo how did you guys like the update? Yah or Nah? Haha I added in random things like Ryan Higa and the Hunger Games! Please comment and vote - all is appreciated! <insert music here> Thank you, thank you very very much! Happy reading! :)]