The Hidden

Chapter 3

        This time around I thankfully awoke on my own instead of being forced awake by the ever-so-irritating voices of my family.

        I let out a long yawn as I pushed myself up into a sitting positon. The nap had been a good call because I felt pleasantly refreshed now and the heavy feeling on my eyes had lessened.

        The room was now empty but for me and a still sleeping Aven beside me. The silence was incredibly peaceful, everything felt so calm and-

        "Good you're awake, mom wants you guys out here." The loud and annoying voice of Cassia said as she burst into the hut.

        I sighed, I guess those few moments of peace would be all I got today. Living in close quarters with four other people did not offer much calm, not to mention the eighteen other people close by. This fact was part of the reason Aven and I would often slip out at night, nightime was one of the rare times when things were quiet in our little community.

        I heard a groan beside me and turned to see Aven sitting up with a grumpy expression on her face. Apparently Cassia had woken her up.

        "What do they want now?" Aven complained, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to rub the tiredness away.

        "Dalia's party is about to start." Cassia said before turning and bounding back outside.

        "Must have slept for while." I said as I got to my feet and went to go grab a brush to run through my now frizzed up hair.

        "I'm surprised they let us sleep that long." Aven said as she too got out of bed.

        After calming my hair down as much as possible I grabbed my present for Dalia (a bracelet woven out of blades of grass that I had made myself)  and headed for the door, Aven close behind.

        Each year it seemed that Aspen upped her game with the whole birthday thing, this year things were more impressive than ever. The big long table with the rock seats Mora had been moving earlier today was covered with tablecloth made out of sewn together leaves and set perfectly with bark slab plates and acorn cups. In the middle of the table sat all kinds of delicious looking food, all kinds of tasy berries, chopped up wild veggies and even a large chunk of deer meat. Though we hidden were usually vegetarians, we wouldn't pass up meat when it was easily acsessible. I could guess that Aspen and Felix had been saving that meat for this special occasion.

        Everyone was gathered out in the clearing, all seven of the blonde-headed Clearlys, the Hillens, the Blanches and of course my family, the Barrons. Everyone was one-by-one dropping off their gifts for Dalia in a little pile on the ground at the feet of Dalia herself.

        Dalia looked very pretty all dressed up in her nice dress made of violent petals. Her dark brown hair was done up in a complicated braid that only Julianne Hillen, our resident hair magician could have managed. Though the dress and hair was nice, it was the huge grin on Dalia's face that really made her look pretty. Dalia was beaming from ear to ear, her eyes bright and full of excitement.

        "Crap, I've got to go grab Dalia's present, I'll be right back." Aven said then rushed off to her hut.

        After dropping off my present by Dalia and wishing her a happy birthday I went to stand next to Ash who was standing off to the side with an uncomfortable look on his face.

        "They better have remembered that cake this year or else I'm packing up and going to live with grandma's clan." I said, not taking notice of Ash's clear uncomfortability at first.

        After Ash didn't respond I turned to look at him and one look at his face told me what he was thinking.

        "Seriously Ash, it's been almost a year." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

        "I don't know what you're talking about." Ash said, refusing to look me in the eyes.

        "It's not like you haven't seen her since then before, you see her all the time, why is today different?" I asked, keeping my voice down low so as to not be overheard.

        Ash let out a long sigh then turned to look at me.

        "Today would have been our two year anniversary." Ash murmured grimly.

        I couldn't help but roll my eyes. After his breakup with Thalia Clearly, Ash had been in constantly crappy mood. Thalia had been friends for the longest time, everyone in the clan was sure they'd get married when the time came, especially after they started dating two years ago. Ash and Thalia had been perfect for each, or at least it had seemed like it. But somehow they had gotten into an argument and Thalia had broken up with Ash. Both of them still refused to tell me exactly what the argument was about, but apparently it was something pretty serious. Though the remained 'friends', they both actively tried to avoid each other. When forced near each other for events such as this, they would put as much distance between each other as possible. It was unbearably awkward and just watching it made me feel uncomfortable.

        "Ash you have got to move on. I know there aren't a whole lot of options around here, but just because you don't have a girlfriend doesn't mean you have to be all mopey." I said, my irritation showing through in my voice.

        "I am not mopey. Besides, what would you know about it anyways?" Ash retored, giving me a dark glare.

        That was proably a pretty accurate thing to say, I really didn't have experience with romance. I was friends with boys in the clan, like Quinn Hillen, but I had never thought of it as more than friendship. None of the guys in the clan really interested me in that way, I had grown up playing with them, they were more like brothers to me. That was one of the big down sides to being a hidden living in forest far away from any other clans or anything. Those in your clan were the only options you had, if I ever wanted to get married it would have to be to one of them.

        "Enough to know that you need to move on." I countered, giving him an equally intense glare.

        That staring contest probably would have gone on for quite some time longer but it was interuppted by  Aspen's shouting voice.

        "Alright everyone, let's eat!" She called out just as Aven came hurrying out of her hut.

        "I couldn't find it for a while, I almost freaked out but it turn out my mom dropped it off in the pile for me." Aven said, sounding a bit irritated.

        "She could have told me that before I almost went berserk." She said, shaking her head.

        As Aven talked to me I noticed Ash slip away out of the corner of my to go sit at the opposite end of the table as Thalia. He was lucky, the start of supper and Aven coming over had saved him from further pestering. One day she'd get through to him, but apparently today was not that day. So instead I sat down next to Aven and dove into the divine meal before me.