Surviving the Tornado

Mia!

        "MIA!" I scream, my voice full of joy, "YOU'RE ALIVE!" I run toward her, my arms spread out wide. I cry. She cries. We just hold each other standing there, never wanting to leave. "I'm never leaving you again!" I promise.

        "Oh Skyler! I was so scared! I was alone in the woods, shivering, cold, and lonely. It's been so long since I saw you! I missed you so much." she tells me while we cry. It feels like forever when we stop.

        "Come on Mia! We need to keep traveling." I say.

        "Get some rest. Trust me, I've been doing this a long time." Mia firmly says.

        "3 years to be exact. Mia, I need to tell you something." I tell her quietly.

        "Yeah, sis? It's okay, you can tell me anything."

        "Mia, I ran away from home." I whisper.

        "You WHAT?" she asks.

        "I ran away."

        "Why?" she asks quietly, her voice full of concern.

        "Mom." I say, hoping Mia will understand that I want to leave it at that.

        "Okay. Come on we need to get to my camp." she says softly. Then she starts walking, I see her limping, sort of. Probably from the fall. I still feel bad. I know it's not my fault, but if only I was faster. I could have caught her. But I didn't.

        "Come on slow poke! You have to see my camp! I even have a guest room!" Mia calls excitedly.

        "Coming." I say without a hint of enthusiasm. The bad thoughts keep running through my mind. I need to get a hold on myself.

        When I look around, Mia is nowhere in sight.

        "Mia? Mia, are you there? Mia, where ARE you?" I ask. Nothing. I keep walking, and then I see a ball of light. I walk toward it. Then, when no one is there and I'm about to leave, I hear something.

++++++

"Boo!" Yells Mia as she touches my shoulders. I nearly jump a mile.

        "Mia, what is wrong with yo-" I stop as I look around.

        "Yes?" Mia wonders.

        "Nothing. This place is amazing," I look around and see a beautiful little house about 6 feet tall with a roof made out of logs and moss. As I walk inside, I find out where the yellow light is coming from. She has a fire in her house. Right in a corner. A fire in a wood house. And she even has a bed that's made out of animal fur. Bear's fur. "Mia, you're amazing." I say in awe.

        "What, this whole thing? Aww, no, this is just the safe house. The real house is out there," she points out a little window and a house that's about 12 feet high. "That one has 2 stories. 1 for a house and the other for storage. I have a lot of food that I'm saving for the winter. And I have a lot of blankets up there. Oh, and the house is made out of clay. Did you know that there is a little stream over there that has natural clay in it? Clay can be used for a lo-" that's when I tune her out.

        I just sit there, amazed. Mia is the most brilliant sister in the whole world. I will never forgive myself for thinking differently.

        "Uhhh hello? Earth to Skyler!" she yells in my ear.

        "Mia you're amazing." I repeat, still staring out into space.

        "Skyler, are you okay?" she asks softly.

        "Yeah." I shake myself out of my trance. "You were saying?"

        "Come on. You need to rest." I feel myself being dragged out of the house.

        "Hey! I can get up on my own!" I snap, but after I see the hurt in Mia's face I regret it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just tired. That's all."

        "Okay!" the smile returns back to Mia's face. I like it that way.

        "How did you do all of this?" I ask, looking around her camp.

        "With my friend of course!" she says excitedly, " Here he comes now." I hear the crackling of leaves and the snapping of twigs, and a voice muttering how he couldn't find some sort of path. "Meet Charlie." Mia grins.