*EDITED*
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Kaylee's POV
Nothing sounds after Jessica stomps off and I make no move to follow her. I just lay there for a few Moments, trying to figure that girl out. Once Moment she's totally nice and fine and the next she's acting like some prissy bitch. Sighing, i shoved that issue for later and got up to chase down the runner.
Finding her was easy and I just wandered around behind her, far enough so she couldn't hear me. My eyes and ears were on high alert as we walked, listening for things that could either be harmful or helpful. Nothing really sounded, just the footsteps of Jessica and the quiet ones of mine that trailed behind her.
I laughed in my head as I thought about this situation. For almost three years, it'd been like this. just trailing behind and in the shadows of this amazing girl. Never being noticed, never being herd. Oh how this was horribly ironic.
She stops finally, bending over to look at something on the ground. Frowning, I wondered what the heck she was looking at and stepped forward slightly to peer around her curiously. Peaking over her shoulder, I caught a glimpse at what she was looking at. My eyes widened as I instantly recognized the objects. Whipping my head around I looked at where we were. How did I not notice where we were? I would've stepped in a told her to go elsewhere but to late now.
But here were now, no longer lost in these huge woods, standing in a beautiful clearing. Stone bench on one side and a natural pond on another with two gravestones set in the center. It gave the beautiful place a sad kinda look to it all. Wistful memories all hidden there. I knew exactly whose they were and how they got there. The sight of them made me stand frozen in place, my gaze locked in on the sight in front of me.
Expressionless face, I stood there watching as Jessica crouched in front of them. A hand brushing over the names lightly. No connection had been made yet which was slightly shocking but then again, they'd been here for a long time now. They were probably eroded some, covered in dirt and dust, hidden away from the world.
A gust of wind flew by, sweeping up dead leaves into the sky. Jessica stood, her hair scattering around behind her as she turned to look behind her, finding me standing there stone still. I watched as pity slowly encased her gaze, my own turing cold and hard. I didn't ned pity. I didn't even want it. They were dead and gone. Nothing could change those facts.
Jessica flinched slightly at my cold look and we just stood there silently facing each other for a long Moment. The winds died down then sprung up again, swinging my hair around across my face. It almost felt like a scene from a movie. Some dramatic Moment, the climax or something. If a well taken picture was shot of this Moment, it'd certainly be an interesting one.
The ever lasting Moment of stillness broke as I spun heel and walked away, leaving her once again to follow or stay there. My pace picked up slightly and soon I was running. I raced through the forest, my hair flying out behind my as I duck under branches, dodge trees, jump over shrubs. I just went as fast as I could until I did the typical thing and tripped over a tree root and went flying. Tumbling several more feet, I just lay there looking up at the almost dark sky, wishing I could just disappear.
People always see me as someone I know I am not. It's like I'm on a stage and everyone I meet gather down in the audience. Here I am, spinning, tumbling and dancing a dance that is written in stone. Even when the curtain falls, my mask will not fall.
Finally catching my breath and calming down, I heard faint sounds of leaves crunching and twigs snapping. Looking over in the general direction, I watch as Jessica makes her appearance a Moment later. She looked incredibly nervous now, what from I wasn't sure. Offering a small smile, I looked back at the tree tops.
"We wont be able to get home tonight" I announce after a minute or so. "W-w-what do you mean?" she stutters. My eyes just roll "Means we're camping out here tonight." I say stretching. Unknown to me, my shirt slides up some, showing the world scars and bruises all along my stomach and rib cage. A low and soft gasp sounds from Jessica, getting my attention once more. "What, you've never camped before?" I asked with a slight smirk. She doesn't answer, just opens and closes her mouth like a dumb fish. I snicker slightly, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you wont freeze to death" I say sitting up, my shirt falling down like a window shade, hiding everything away from the outside.
Jessica's POV
How had things changed in such a short amount of time? Everything was fine until we got lost in these woods. We got lost, I stormed off, found gravestones of her family, she ran off and how here we were in the dark of night. It was one thing after another and now nothing seemed quite right.
I didn't understand why shed bolted after seeing what I'd found. Well, it made sense to some extent, I was partly aware of what shadowed my expression. I guess I wouldn't want someone to give me that look either. Pity isn't exactly a pleasant thing. It just made you feel kinda low or something. It wasn't something I totally understood.
When she announced we were camping out, initially I was about to freak out about that. Camping out door was not something I did at all but what caught my attention next shocked me even more. As her shirt rode up, I caught an eyeful of scars and bruises. It was quite a shock for me. Having never witnessing something like that before made comprehending it a bit hard.
When she laughed, I got even more confused about this girl. Who the heck was she? Laughing like nothing was wrong? I'd see glimpses though. Little hints and signs that things weren't totally as they seemed but it was hard to believe it. She seemed so carefree and cheerful.
As she spoke again, I blinked and nodded slowly "Uh..okay?". She laughs once again, one that sounds so real but now I wasn't sure. Jumping up she looked down at me "Wait here, I'm going to get wood for a fire" she says before disappearing. Sitting down, I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them as I sat there alone with my thoughts.
Remembering her reaction about parents earlier, it started to make a little sense. But if her Dad was dead then what about her mother? Where was she? Kaylee was hiding something, something big. Just something I had a hunch about. Now, to find what it was exactly
Another thought jumped into my head, why did I care? I'd just met the girl, she was only a project partner. Nothing more and nothing less. For all I know, she could be totally fine and all that was past things. Lies. I knew that wasn't true. But all the same, why did I care so much about a girl I just met? I meet people all the time and none of them interest me enough to want to find things out. Their issues and concerns didn't mean anything to me. So this or that was going on, whatever, not like it affected me and my life. But Kaylee...ug it just made no sense to me! Giving up, I leaned back against a tree and was just getting settled again when Kaylee reappeared dragging a few things.
Behind her, a couple long broken limbs rested on a shoulder. Dropping them, she swiftly started digging at the ground and making a makeshift pit. Placing stones around the edges, she started breaking branches and creating a mini teepee type thing. It's final height was about as tall as I was and I was a bit taller then Kaylee. At the bottom, she scattered dry leaves and grass, anything that would catch fire easily.
Everything was done with perfection in the silence that hung between us. When she was done, a light sheen of sweat covered her face but she didn't roll up her sleeves. From the pockets, a lighter came forth. Flicking it, she picked one branch up and lit it ablaze after a couple tries. Lowering it slowly, she touched the fire to the grass and leaves which instantly caught on fire.
Soon all the wood was ablaze in a soft orange glow that was warm and comforting. Kaylee looked incredibly pleased with her self and was smiling a bit to herself as she studied it for a Moment. "You did a good job with the fire, never seen anything like it" I compliment. Her cheeks redden some as she nods her thanks "Thanks..my Dad taught me how when I was younger" she says softly.
"Here, eat since I'm sure you're hungry" she says after a few minutes of us just sitting in silence. Arm out, she held a bag of food. Taking it, I looked inside and found a bunch of apples. Raising an eyebrow, I wondered where the hell she'd gotten them since as far as I knew, it wasn't apple season and we were very lost. "Thanks...are you sure?" I ask, just double checking. She nods and looks back at the fire.
Picking one up, I bit into and and started munching on it quietly. The only thing that sounded was the cracking of the fire and my quest chewing. Nothing else was said as we both sat there quietly, just watching the fire and eating apples. Eventually, she yawned and lay down, her head resting on my leg some. Her soft breathing was barely herd over the fire as she relaxed and slowly fell asleep for the night.
Her random action didn't bother me at all, I just started running my fingers through her hair and untangling it, hoping I wasn't hurting her. Tossing the apple core in the fire, I watched the flames consume it instantly. My mind was aloof, totally gone as I sat there just looking at the fire. As time went by, I poked the fire now and then, tossing in more sticks to keep it going before I myself grew tired. Adjusting my position as to not wake up the other girl, I lay down as well and dozed off into a peaceful slumber.