I didn't know when I woke up the next morning but I felt like a storm had hit me. My feet still seemed sore from all the walking and my shoulders hurt from carrying the pack. The sun was shining brightly in the window. That was the only reason I had woken up. I forgot to close the drape last night so the sun was in my eyes. Even though it was late in the day I wanted to go back to bed and sleep. I didn't feel like getting up but I knew I'd be up in the night if I didn't get up now.
Reluctantly I got up off the bench and headed to the kitchen. There was food that had to be eaten today or tomorrow before it got rotten or spoiled from lack of storage. It felt weird being able to eat in the morning even just walking into the kitchen knowing there was food. I shook the feeling off and grabbed an apple from the cabinet. It was a bit bruised from the ride over but it was food. I took a bite out of the juicy apple. It taste better then it looked.
I strolled over to the next room to see if Will was up. He was laid out on the floor asleep. The blankets were half way off his body and his pillow was scrunched at his head. I took another bite from the apple before walking back to the kitchen. I felt like I was dirty not having a way to wash at Pete's house. The pack with my other clothes was on a chair in the corner. I walked over to it and picked it up.
With my pack over my sore shoulder I walked outside and headed out to bath. Being in the sun helped me get up and the energy the apple was able to give me made the day seem brighter. The walk was the best part to the hidden waterfall. The trees made for nice shade but the leaves let in light just enough to light up the pathway I used. It illuminated the way to the waterfall. The singing birds helped lighten the stress of the other night. It also helped make me feel a lot better about myself. I didn't even need to wash up to feel good with this beautiful day.
I reached the waterfall in a half hour. The water was flowing down the river making a steady current. It made a deep pool of water before it flowed down stream. I put all my stuff at the bottom bank of the waterfall. I'd end up at the bottom when I was finished with my bath.
The water was spraying up from the fall. It was causing my stuff to get wet so I hid everything behind a bush hoping it would keep it dry. I made the climb to the top of the rocks. The slopes were slippery. It was a dangerous climb to the top.
At the top of the waterfall I looked down the waterfall. The draft from the waterfall made me shiver from head to toe. I took a deep breath and dove from the top. The fall seemed to take forever and the wind made me shiver more.
Cool water hit my skin in a refreshing burst. Now I was under water looking at the life beneath the surface. It was an interesting life to watch so I swam under until I had to come up for a breath. I came up from the surface gasping. I flipped my hair out of my face so I could see where I had ended up. I had become closer to the fall. The spray from it hit my face but this time it was comforting, not freezing. It felt good, relaxing.
My hair soaked my neck and flowed in the water. I treaded the water while looking up at the waterfall. It was beautiful. The sun shined on the water particles making the air seem to sparkle. The waterfall fell down with great pressure until it reached the bottom where it dispersed into what seemed like nothing. It seemed like the water would fall down on you hard and fierce but it just sprinkles down when it finally hit you. Birds flew over the water making it seem like an easy thing to do. They just glide right by the water like it was nothing. It seemed like it would be amazing to get that close to the fall.
I was staring up at the waterfall when I heard a rustle from a bush to my left. I turned and stared at the woods trying to see what it was. The shadows of the woods were too thick for me to see anything. I turned away from the woods and dove under water. Who ever was in the woods had seen me and I had to get away.
Under water I swam farther into the waterfall. The steam helped give me a mask to hide behind, a way to disappear. I got a far distance into the waterfall when I had to take a breath. As fast as I could I swam to the surface. My lungs gasped for air as I broke through.
As once as I got a breath in I was going to go back under but a voice said, "Wait. Who are you?" The voice was very familiar.
I turned toward the voice half way to see who it was and used my hair as a veil to cover my face. The water blocked most of my view but I could see a familiar figure. It was Will. He had found my bathing area. I was glad that the water was obscuring his view as much as mine. Him seeing me like this wasn't very good sign.
Even though I was ready to leave right then and there I was curious to how he had found this place. I decided to take a chance.
With my normal voice a pitch higher I asked, "How did you fine this place? It's a very private place."
"I wondered off in the woods trying to find my friend. Have you seen him?" He asked.
I smiled behind my hair knowing he wouldn't find the other me. "How long have you been there?" I changed the subject trying to figure out if he had seen anything that might give me away later.
He paused a second seeming embarrass and shy. Not a good sign. "I've only been here for a few minutes. I saw you looking up at the water only, nothing more."
I sigh with relief. He hadn't seen anything that would get me into trouble. I caught him staring my way. Maybe he had seen more. "You shouldn't stare. It is rude and uncomforting. Next time you should let you presence be known too."
Will looked down at his feet embarrassed after the scolding. "I'm sorry for not letting you know. I got caught up in the beauty of... y... the water fall." He caught him self in time. "You never answered me. What's your name? And have you seen my friend?"
"You ask a lot of questions. Pick the one you want me to answer." I toyed with him. I wasn't going to give him my real name even if he asked.
Will had to stop and think hard. He seemed reluctant to ask but he did. "Have you seen my friend?"
"No I have not but can you stop looking. I feel very uncomfortable." I rebuked. He was making this too easy.
"Sorry what do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Well I'm not dressed so if you could look the other way and close you eyes until I'm done that would be nice." I explained.
This time I could see Will blush from far away. "Yes of course." He turned away and used his arm to cover his eyes.
I smiled behind his back one last time before I went under again. I swam all the way to the other side of the pool. The waterfall was still blocking my position so I didn't have to worry about Will seeing me. Luckily my clothes were on the opposite side from Will. Slowly and quietly I got out of the water trying to make no noise. With Will across the way I couldn't afford to stay out and dry very well so I dried as best as I could and put my clothes on.
Quickly I raced through the woods to try to get back home before Will did. As I ran I put my hair up into my hat once again putting my mask on. Will might not have recognized me but I still had to be careful of what I did. At any time he could recognize me and then I would be found out. That couldn't happen. My secret needed to stay a secret. So far my day was very unlucky. I couldn't risk it happening.
I finished putting on my hat by the time I had made it near the clearing to the house. I stopped before I came out of the woods. If Will had made it back before me after seeing through my trick I had to look like my self. To make my face look like normal I put some mud on it. It defeated the purpose of taking a bath but it had to be done. I had already put my old clothes on so I walked into the clearing.
Will was nowhere when I searched the house so I cooled off and dried off outside by the well. I decided to relax for the day and try to not think about the group of people looking for either me or Will or the fact that at any moment Will could figure out my secret. If I didn't relax for one day the stress would get to me eventually. It wouldn't be good to have a break down during the day. I just leaned against the well in the shade and relaxed. Today seemed like the perfect day to do so.
After a few minutes of relaxing, Will came out of the woods. His clothes were a bit wet which was probably from the waterfall. He didn't seem like he was completely inside his self. He had a weird look on his face like he woke up from a good dream and was trying to remember it.
I half expected him to realize I was the mysterious stranger he met but he just walked up to me and sat across from me. No one said anything for a while. We just sat there. We didn't talk, we didn't practice, and we just sat there lost in our own minds. I just leaned against the well and unwind. Will on the other hand seemed like he was trying to remember a dream that he wasn't sure was one. As long as he thought that I was in no danger.
Finally Will spoke up. "Where were you this morning? I tried to find you. I looked everywhere even in the woods."
I put on my fake voice and acted like I was bored and tried when I replied, "I woke up and decided to go for a walk in the woods. Did you eat anything? There is food in the house that we need to eat before it goes bad." I switched subjects smoothly so he didn't get suspicions.
"Yeah I ate. You were in the woods? We must have missed each other."
I yawned. "Yeah you're probably right. They are pretty big woods. I'm surprised you didn't get lost." We went quiet again. I shifted my position so I had my head on the ground.
A few minutes later Will got up from his spot and walked to the training area. He started to do some offensive techniques. I watched lazily as he moved with his punches. Each step had a fluent attack with it. His technique was decent more or less but it needed work. Not every move he made was right. They weren't fluid. Some of his executions were off too.
I let him go on with his way of doing it for a good while until I felt like I had to intervene. If he didn't get the right training I felt like he would end up beat again then it would be my fault.
"You're doing some of that wrong. It's right what you're trying to get at but wrong on how you're going about it. Try combining your third attack with you fifth movement and tell me how that feels." Will did what he was told. "How does it feel now?"
"Better, smoother. Thanks."
"Now try to exhale every time you do an attack." He tried. "No you're doing it wrong. Inhale right before you attack then exhale as you do." I pointed out.
"I don't see. Come and show me."
"Sorry but I told myself that I wouldn't do any real physical work today. I'm giving myself a break so figure it out verbally." I explained.
The rest of the morning and evening I corrected Will on his form. We only stopped for lunch and dinner it was all we could afford. Will was taking forever to learn verbally. It was more comforting teaching him then it would have been just sitting letting my mind wander, I realized, even if he was taking forever. I moved only to get into a more comfortable position or to a better spot. Some of the spots I chose gave me better angles to see where Will was going wrong and others were more comforting.
We had just finished for the day when Will asked, "Why do you always wear that hat? I don't think I've seen you with out it on." I had changed into my old hat knowing we wouldn't be going out anytime soon.
"I like hats and wearing it reminds me of my life before this and what I try to achieve and what I'm preventing from happening."
"What are you trying to achieve and prevent?"
"Nothing that concerns you"
"Oh, okay I see. I was curious that's all." He said it like he was sorry he brought it up.
"It's okay I understand curiosity. I don't know how many times it has gotten me into trouble. Just be careful about what you say to certain people. Like I said way back when I first met you 'Curiosity can get you killed.'"
We went to bed like we normally would. I stayed up longer then usual thinking about what I had been avoiding during the day, everything I had been avoiding. Thoughts came to me randomly about all the people hunting us, and about Will seeing me in the water. I had fallen asleep worrying and wondering. It didn't help my sleep.