Freak

14.

They read every other page aloud to each other and whenever there was dialogue they would take a character each and speak their lines in funny voices.

" 'Take some more tea' the march hare said to Alice, very earnestly." Jack said in his best snobbish voice, one Blue suspected was based off of that Trelawny man who had been around a few times.

Giggling Blue answered " 'I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, 'so I can't take more.' " she had taken to speaking all Alice's lines in a very squeaky voice that delighted the four year old.

" 'You mean- "

"What'r you two giggling at?" Micha Bell's voice broke into their magical little world. Neither of them answered him, hoping he would get bored and leave them alone like he usually did.

"Huh? Can't you see the rest of us are workin' our asses off to get out of the mess you made?"

Blue didn't know what got into her but before she could stop herself she promptly told him that "I don't ever see you working Mr. Bell!" Jack let out the tiniest little gasp next to her. The look of pure shock on Micha's face would have been funny if it wasn't for the snarl that soon replaced it.

"You getting an attitude gurl?! think you're an outlaw? that you can talk however you want to me? Well let me tell you-"

"Tell em' what Micha?" Bill came around the wagon, annoyance evident on his face.

"That this lousy little freak shouldn't talk back to grownups!"

"Don't you call her that!" Bill said angrily, walking up so that he now stood in between them.

"Stay out of this Marion, the kid needs to know her place!" Micha countered. This, however didn't seem to pleas Bill at all. Blue didn't even know what happened before she saw the angry blond sitting in the dirt on his behind, a look of shock once again on his face.

"You stay away from Blue, an' Jack... or you won't have many friends in this gang for much longer..." rumbling, that was the only way Blue could think of to describing Bill's voice at that moment, like thunder rolling over the clouds "Ya' hear me?"

Micha apparently heard him loud and clear because he stood up, sent Blue one last glare and left. To the three remaining people's delight Mr-scary-cowboy had a moderate amount of mud on his now wet behind and as he walked through camp people covered their mouths to hide their laughter.

As it turned out, most of the gang had watched Micha go down and judging by the fact that not a single one of then, not even Dutch, had come to his rescue, spoke of their true feelings towards the man. Now they all returned to their respective jobs whispering to one another, all expect for Arthur who made his way over with another box in his hands.

Bill turned to face her and Jack, cheeks rosy from anger, or was it embarrassment from all of the attention? It was hard to tell...

"Keep away from him, he ain't no good for little kids' like you." Even though he addressed them both Blue had a feeling he was speaking more to her since Micha seemed to have something against her in particular.

"We try uncle Bill we really do!" Jack reassured him, only earning a huff from the man in front of them.

"That was quite the show you put on there Williams, putting him in the dirt like that, I ain't complaining but you might have just caught yourself an enemy" Arthur heaved the box onto the wagon before he came back around and slapped Bill on the shoulder. Blue knew that it was supposed to be a friendly slap but she couldn't for the life of her understand why all these men found slapping to be the true way of showing friendship... She would never EVER hit Jack, no matter how much she liked him! As many other things Arthur and the other men in camp did, it was a total mystery to her...