Bright Side

Chapter 5

     "Hi everyone!" I exclaim as I walk to our usual table in the coffee shop. I see pretty much all my friends: Sash, Gwyn, Mia Rose, Aya, and Mimi. All with grim expressions in their faces. They respond with a simple hi or half-smile and a wave trying to be as enthusiastic as me, but the mood is killed. Well, that is until Zath comes stomping in behind me.

"Zathie!" All my friends yell in unison as they consume him into a very big hug. He yells for them to get off, but it is too late, when my friends decide to do something they do it all the way through, even if it is annoy the heck out of my little brother-which they know they are highly succeeding at.

Mia Rose is the first to break away from the hug and walk over to me and Catnia. She is about the same height as me with very pale and easily burned skin. She has blond frizzy hair that she never brushes and hardly ever cuts, but when she does cut it, she cuts it to about her shoulders before letting it grow another five inches. Normally she will braid her hair into two dutch braids or just leave it down. Her eyes are ocean blue with flecks of white in them and her nose is very stubby, as are her fingers. She is the most unique, chill, and outgoing person I know by far, and very, very stubborn.

"Are you good?" She asks. I set Catnia down and shake my head showing her my shaking hands.

"Don't tell anyone though" I plead.

"Don't worry." She sticks out her pinkie and I do the same. We link them together and shake. "But we need to get this quickly because school starts soon, and you decided to pick today of all days to show up late."

"Yeah, probably," I respond with an eye roll, "But next time you try dealing with an angry Zath."

We both laugh and I raise my voice a little to ask everyone if I can talk to them. Everyone nods and comes over to sit by us. Catnia walks over to Gwyn at the other side of the table and Zath sits next to me.

"Ok," I begin. "So as I told Mimi, I need to talk to you guys," I make eye contact with each of them. Mia Rose and Aya are the only ones who know any details about the plan. "We all know it is inevitable that I get picked for the Clash today, so I'm gonna need your help from here on out. Probably after I get out too 'cause there is no way I will be mentally sta-"

I'm cut off by Sash, "Don't talk like that!" She has light brown hair that is straight and falls just below her shoulders. Her eyes are tiny and soft chocolate brown. Her skin is neutral colored and she is an average height. She has an oval head, long nose, and for some reason her lips are always chapped. "Who knows," she continues, "maybe your fear won't be that bad. Remember that one year someone's fear was the darkness? He came out just fine."

With my luck my fear will probably mean death, I think, but instead just say, "Yeah, maybe, but I still want to have a plan set in place," I begin to tell them my plan, but am cut off.

"Ok, so essentially you want us to illegally watch your siblings?" Aya says and everyone shushes her because we are in a public place but I respond with, "It's fine, it's fine. I mean who's gonna report us here anyways." I mean, everyone here loves Catnia and would never dare turn her in.

I make eye contact with Aya and give her a wink. She has frizzy, thick, chocolate brown hair that is parted off to the left and falls a few inches below her shoulders. She has a few freckles, but they are hardly noticeable and her eyebrows are curved upward. She has narrow, hazel eyes, and wears pale pink glasses.

"Eh, she has a point," Mimi says.

Aya just puts a hand on her hip and flips her hair to show that she was right to say that all along, causing us all to laugh, with the exception of Zath. He just rolls his eyes.