He spotted them first and pulled me down so that we were both squatting on the ground.
He didn't say anything, he just pointed through the trees. After a second, I saw movement.
Luckily it wasn't directed at us, it was more akin to someone going about everyday chores.
Peter peered over the foliage we were hiding behind and waved his hand for me to follow.
He made his way over to the tree and pointed up. The limbs were thickly bristled and close together, easy to hide inside.
He slipped in as close to the trunk as he could and began scaling the tree. I went to follow but my backpack knocked against a branch, causing it to rustle loudly.
We both froze. Peter, who was a few feet up at this point, looked towards camp and then flashed me a thumbs up.
I continued up behind him, doing my best not to shake the tree.
When we got to the point where the tree started to get a bit flimsy so we stopped.
Looking through the branches I realized exactly how close we were to the camp. It was maybe forty feet from where we sat.
The camp was comprised of mostly tents, an outhouse, and a few structures that were just generic sheds. In the center was what looked like a fire pit full of some kind of mystery rubble.
"That's where they keep the boys," he whispered to me, pointing to the shed furthest to the right, "It's only locked with a nail, so you'll be able to get it."
"I'll be getting in?"
"Yes, someone has to distract them."
"Yeah, I guess," I said, watching as one of the women threw a match or two into the fire pit. I realized, watched them all mill about, there were very particular characteristics amongst the groups. All the Elders were indeed female, and the youngest was maybe in her mid-thirties at best. The part that surprised me was that the only boys I could see were the Lottes. Peter had made it sound like there were at least a few more.
"I thought you said there were other boys here?" I whispered.
He only nodded his head, teeth grinding together as he did.
We continued to watch as the boys cut up food or hauled things from one place to another, loomed over constantly by an elder.
And in the center of it all was the familiar man, who hadn't even bothered washing the blood out of his hair. He lounged in a lawn chair with a book in his lap.
I looked to Peter, expecting to see the combo of worry and sadness I'd expect in a situation like this, but instead his face was cold, calculating. His eyes flitting from one place to another, planning something in his head.
The sun was nearly concealed behind the horizon line when he broke the silence, "Bo you've got to promise me something. Actually, you've got to promise me a few things."
I shifted a bit in the awkward way we'd positioned ourselves amongst the branches, mostly to avoid touching, "What's that?"
"When you get the boys you need to run as fast as you can until you get home. And you can't tell the cops or anybody about this place."
My stomach twisted. He'd confirmed the thing I'd been telling myself couldn't be true, "You're not coming with us."
"No."
"Why not? And why can't I call the police?" My voice broke above the designated whisper and he flinched, eyes immediately darting back to the camp.
"Because that man down there has a lot of money and a good memory. He won't forget your face if you've done something against him. I've watched him kill people, I've seen him burn them right there," he points to the fire pit, "He always finds the people he's looking for. And the only reason he would be looking for you is if he thought you were with me."
"But if I call the police they can just arrest him."
He shook his head, "I know you think I'm dumb. And I admittedly don't know very much about your culture and world. But if I know anything, it's that man. He has a thousand different ways to get out of anything. You don't even know who he is."
"Who is he then?"
"It doesn't matter, because you're going to move away, go to college, and have a good life. Okay?" There was just a twinge of sadness that made it to the surface of his face. He'd been so good at hiding it recently, and only because he knew I would be able to tell what he was planning. But now I could see every thought bubbling up, "It's probably for the best, anyway. You were always going to leave."
I wanted to tell him to stop, but I knew it was true. It's not like I could keep him in my dorm room. There was nowhere to put him besides that shack.
But my brain searched for a magical solution like I hadn't been thinking of one for two months and come up empty.
All I could think of to say was, "This won't even work, and they'll know it was me who took the kids. Who else would it be?"
"When they get me back they won't need the other boys anymore." He said it blankly, like I was supposed to know what it meant. I looked at him, obviously confused, "I haven't been completely honest with you Bo."
I didn't even know what he meant, but it still stung. He shifted again, feet now on the same branch as mine as he leaned against the branch across from me. It was the closest he'd been to me in a long time.
"About what?" I demanded in a whisper.
He was silent for a minute, looking a few times like he was going to speak, but stopping himself before finally saying, "I don't want you to know."
And with that, he pulled me into a very tight hug. I nearly lost my balance, my poor footing causing the branch to shake a bit, but he didn't pay it any mind.
It was a shock to be so close. We'd spent every day together, except with a sizable space between us. But even with the alien nature of the gesture, I could still attest that his comforting effect got stronger the closer I was.
We stayed like that for a minute, putting off the finality of it. In that moment part of me wanted to be selfish, to leave with him and run away. But I had to save those boys from becoming whatever he was.
Gently, he pushed me back up to where I'd been perched in the tree.
"I'm going to circle around and come in from the other side. Don't go for the boys until everyone is completely distracted. But once they are, go quickly." He said, beginning to climb down the tree. My purple dice bounced against his arm. Good luck.
He stopped near my feet and I had to squat down to be able to hear him, "I'm going to miss you."
I knew that if I tried to respond I would cry so I just nodded and silently begged for him to change his mind.
But all he did was take one of the dice into his hand and kiss it softly, giving me a reassuring smile before continuing down the tree.
He disappeared into the blackness, and I only waited a minute before following his lead. But I hovered near the tree just enough to be camouflaged by the branches, but close enough that I could see everything.
It was all normal for a while. Just people eating near the fire. The boys had been locked up the second it got dark, so it was only the master and his elders now.
After a few anxious minutes, I heard a commotion from the opposite side of the camp.
"Hey, guys! I'm back!" It was Peter, yelling in a pseudo jolly voice and banging his hands on everything he passed. They all got to their feet immediately.
He got to the very center of the clearing before stopping, "Miss me?"
The master went to stand in front of him, arms crossed like a disappointed father, "I figured you'd come back, boy."
"Oh, I'm not just back," Peter said, strangely assertive, "I've also got a surprise."
He let it sink in a minute amongst the elders before he pinched his eyes shut, shook his head around a bit, and then revealed a pair of jet black nothingness. Familiar nothingness.
And before he did anything else, the eyes fell directly onto me and winked.