sunshine // joel miller

TWENTY FOUR

"You okay?" Joel asked her, catching her attention as she looked over to him quickly.

Ellie was quick to answer his concerns with the same response they had both got any time they asked, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"It's just..." Joel hesitated for a moment, "you kinda seem extra quiet today, so."

Ellie looked between the two adults, "Oh... I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine." Joel was quick to stop the apology, it not at all being necessary. He himself had been the same after Sarah, away with the clouds. He knew what he was like.

Ellie seemed to grow uncomfortable under the stare of the two adults, Joel quick to relax her, "Did you hear what I..."

"Yeah, boost." Ellie cut him off, "Got it."

She walked off to where Fran and Joel had once been, Joel quick to follow.

Joel managed to get a little height, standing on some old palettes with his back against an old pole. He put his hand out for Ellie to stand on, Ellie putting her foot there as Fran walked over to offer her hand to keep her stabilised.

Ellie took it, other hand on the pole behind joel as the man counted, "One... two, up!"

They managed to get Ellie above Joel's head, Ellie grabbing onto the floorboards above and trying to haul herself up.

"Ya got it?" Joel asked as he used his hands to push her feet up the rest of the way; the girl rolling onto her front from where she was on the second floor.

"Yeah," Ellie breathed, managing to stand, "Okay."

"Pass the ladder down now," Fran said up to her, reminding her of the task at hand in case she didn't hear. Ellie nodded, grabbing the end to start to pass down, but her eyes caught something, excitement taking over.

"Whoa!" And just like that she dropped the ladder, the thing clattering as the weight became unbalanced and it came toppling down on Fran and Joel. Fran was quick to move out of the way as Joel tried to catch it.

"God damn it, Ellie!" Joel yelled up to try and catch her attention, Ellie now completely out of view as the two adults tried to set up the ladder, "You stay there!"

"Ellie!" Fran yelled now too, Ellie out of sight making her panic grow as Joel tried to set the ladder up stably, "Not funny!"

"You gotta see this!" Ellie just yelled back, not at all coming to their aid. Joel's hand on her back moved her toward the ladder, him holding the bottom as she quickly got herself up.

"Ellie?!" Fran yelled when she got up, holding the top for Joel to get up too.

"Up here!" Ellie's distant yell was heard again.

"Faster, paffuto! Come on!" Fran demanded Joel as the man made his way up the ladder, yelling off behind her, "Ellie!"

"C'mon!"

They both made it up, running to try and find the girl, only for her to be another level up and running to whatever she had seen.