Human One

1. Apples and Companions

"Almost....there.....". I grunt, stretching my arm out until it feels like it will snap as I reach for the apple which dangles just a few inches away from my hand.

"Try not to die." Becky says flatly from the tree branch she's lazily lounging in as she watches me, blowing a piece of her choppy, chin-length black hair out of her eyes.

Kay sits next to her, dangling her legs and throwing an apple into the air before catching it.

"You know it would be great if you guys could actually do some work." I growl, my eyes still focused and intent on the shiny, red fruit above me.

"Work's for lazy people who have nothing better to do." Becky retorts, and I watch Kay nod beside her out of the corner of my eye.

Kay, a little girl no older than twelve with dirty blonde hair and molten gold eyes just like her older half-brother, Lager. We used to be as tight as a tied knot, always spending hours with each other. It felt like having a little sister, and I even believed she looked up to me. 

That is...until she met Becky.

Once Kay got a whiff of Becky's usual cool and ice cold manner, she started following her around everywhere instead of me, agreeing with everything she says and imitating everything she does. 

Am I bitter about it?

Yes, very much so.

Although she tries to copy Becky in every way, she never opens her mouth to say a snarky comment or voice a sarcastic reply because of her muteness.

"That's incredibly false and you know it." I say with gritted teeth, my fingers just brushing the apple from where I stand on a low branch. The wood creaks beneath me, making me wobble slightly, so I shift my feet to get into a better balancing stance.

"Believe what you want." Becky replies nonchalantly. "Also, it would be in your best interest to pay more attention to your surroundings."

"Why-?" I ask, and am cut off by my own shriek as something electric blue suddenly fills my vision.

I lose my hold on the tree and fall backwards, my arms pin wheeling in a desperate attempt to fly.

Too bad I don't have hollow bones and feathers.

A second passes as air whooshes around me until my backside makes contact with the hard, unforgiving soil, the breath being knocked from my body.

I stare upwards in a daze, watching as a blue monkey swings down from the tree branch he was hanging onto and landing a few feet away.

I draw in a breath as a bright flash of light appears next to me and then a  boy's voice.

"Whoops."

"Good job, Max." Becky says sarcastically, jumping down from the branch she was on along with Kay and walking over to stare down at me.

Max's boyish face comes into view, his blonde curls, which form a mop on his head, looking even lighter in the sun. He's shirtless, as always, but has a pair of shorts on he must have pulled on right after he transformed back into a human.

"I didn't think she would fall from the tree!" Max defends, his brows creasing in worry.

"What did you think would happen?" Becky pushes.

Breathing becomes easier, and my annoyance grows from their bickering.

"Enough!" I groan when a stab of pain shoots down my back.

Max's eyes leave Becky's and meet mine, a frown pulling at his lips. "I'm really sorry, Ashley."

"I might forgive you if you help me up." I say with narrowed eyes as I weakly outstretch my hand.