...
"I SWEAR TO GOD I'll break your nose if you don't hand me that right now."
The threats ringing through the air made no impression anymore, especially not after the string of colorful curses which had left the mouths of all of the boys when they had tried to set up the tent.
Will had just begun haphazardly with whatever he was doing, a bunch of nails in one hand, a hammer in the other. Ella was pretty sure he didn't need either right now, but she didn't comment on it. Whatever kept him busy.
On the other side of the clearing Alex had positioned himself, the instruction manuel in his hands. Levi had thrown one glance at the many pages and then decided it would be too much work to read it, focusing his attention on the scattered parts. She had watched with amusement as he had lifted a pole over his shoulder, ready to start doing whatever, when Will had grabbed two parts from beside him and quickly had ran away.
"Give it to me, you fucker," Levi snarled, his hand extended towards Will.
Will flashed his teeth in a big grin.
"Teamwork makes the dream work," he said," let's do this, Levi."
Ella had to give it to him. He didn't seem deterred at all by Levi's glares nor did he seem to particularly care, a feat that was quite hard to accomplish when the person glaring at you was 6'4 and seeming to be made of defined muscles and unlimited anger. From what she had seen until now they seemed like they had known each other forever, so she supposed he was used to it.
"This isn't a team," Levi said," this is a dictatorship."
"I think it's going to storm soon," Alex said, interrupting Levi from hitting Will.
"Have you turned into a weather forecast or something, Alex?" Levi frowned.
In reply Alex pointed up, dark clouds forming across the grey sky. As if to prove his point, a low rumbling then resonated from the sky.
"My mother sent me to scouting for a week," he said.
"Just a week?" Ella asked.
"Well, let's just say I did other things than tying knots," Alex smirked," or rather, people."
"I regret asking."
Levi and Will started arguing again and Alex continued to stare boredly at the first page of the manual, which, last Ella had seen, was completely in Japanese. She had been sorting out the supplies from the backpacks, but everytime she put something down it was either snatched to throw at someone's head or taken and placed somewhere else.
"I can do this myself," Levi scowled," so you either give me that pole or I'll shove it right up your -"
"Listen," Ella finally snapped," you are all going to sit down right now and follow my instructions or I'll knock you out with that damn pole myself."
Will's mouth fell open and Alex' eyes widened, but it was when Levi's eyebrows shot in the air that she actually realized what she had said.
"Hypothethically of course," she quickly added.
Alex whistled as he slammed the manuel shut.
"Damn," he said," for someone who only skipped school a couple of times, you have quite the feisty personality, babe."
"I guess," Ella said, tight-lipped as she held back her sarcastic comments.
"Do you know what to do, El?" Will said.
"Not really," she said," but I think it's faster if we act organized."
"Can I call you El too, babe?" Alex grinned.
"No," Ella replied without missing a beat," but anyway, let's just go and try something."
"So you don't know what to do," Levi said as he looked at her, his bored eyes cold.
"Well, you don't either," Ella retorted," so let's just form a plan before anyone here gets hurt."
"You're right," Alex said as he stood up, brushing the grass from his jeans," we wouldn't want Levi to fight now."
Well, not exactly the person she meant when she said someone could start fighting, but whatever.
"Come on, Levi," Will coaxed," give me the pole."
"No," Levi said," forming a plan is too much work. I can do this by myself."
"Okay," Ella said, ignoring Levi's comment completely," Alex, hold the tent here, Will if you would push that up here and Levi, you put those poles up the tent there."
They all moved, all except Levi. Halfway through helping, Ella turned her head at him, her eyebrows raised.
"Well?" she said," what are you waiting for?"
"Don't order me around," Levi scowled.
"Then sleep outside," Ella said, a sweet smile on her face," I hear it's wonderful weather this time of the year. Who knows, maybe your glare will even deter some predators."
"It does actually," Alex said as he pulled on one side of the tent," you have to see him with animals, it's hilarious."
"I'm not surprised," Ella muttered as she helped put one pole in.
Before she could complain any more about him, Levi had already walked towards the tent. Even though he glared at her the whole time, he did help set it up, his scowl fading as he concentrated. Ella had to admit he was quite good with his hands, his movements fast and skillful.
After some time, the tent was finally set up. Not particularly that well, but it looked like a tent and that was all that counted. She let herself fall on the grass, sighing as she closed her eyes for a second. Everything had become more quiet, as if the impending storm had scared nature to sleep, the only sound the wind dancing around her.
"Remind me again why I go to these trips each year?" Alex sighed, lying down as well.
"Well, we're here, aren't we?" Will smiled.
"That's true," Alex said," you know, you've both always reminded me of that old man and the dog from that balloon movie."
"Up?" Ella supplied.
"Yeah! That one," Alex said as he sat upright.
"Which one am I?" Will said, taking a place beside him.
Alex patted him amicably on the shoulder.
"You can be anything you want to be," he said," but you're obviously the dog."
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear this whole conversation," Levi said, shaking his head slowly before turning his attention back to his phone.
He let out an annoyed growl then and Alex frowned at him.
"What's up?" he said.
"Cell connection is down," Levi said.
"Of course it is," Alex said," we're in the middle of the woods, man."
"Maybe if you climb up a tree," Will suggested.
"Terrible idea."
"We're on a camping trip," Ella said," what did you expect?"
Levi didn't spare her a glare as he tapped on in irritation. She raised an eyebrow, surprised at his lack of response.
Well, that was a first.
"You're not even the type to stick to your phone, Levi," Alex said," I remember you went around without one for a week without noticing, what could possibly be so important right -"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he gasped.
"Is that today?" Alex said," seriously?"
Will shot up, excitement glittering in his eyes.
"The match!" he exclaimed," how could I have forgotten?"
"Whose match?" Ella frowned.
"Only of the greatest fighters of all time," Will gushed.
"He is one of the best," Alex nodded," worked his way up from the streets."
"No losses too," Will added.
"Spare your words," Levi said," she probably doesn't even know him."
She enjoyed watching MMA fights and other martial arts plenty, but even if she hadn't his words irked her. Ella frowned as she tried to think of any big shot who had a fight today, but she came up empty.
Whoever this guy was that they revered, he probably wasn't even that great.
"She may know him," Will said," he competes in the national boxing finals today."
"Who is it?" Ella said.
"Sebastian 'Demon' Martinez," Will said.
Ella almost choked, coughing as she tried to recover from the shock. Sure, she knew her brother had been good and sure, he was competing in nationals right now, but with all the chaos around her move she hadn't completely kept track of it.
But the fact that they were fans of her brother, the guy who only barely knew how to make eggs, almost made her laugh.
'So, you know him?' Will said.
She hesitated. Telling them he was her brother was one thing which would make this whole situation worse, the attention she would get from that alone enough to cause trouble immediately, but that wasn't just it. Her brother wasn't the only one notorious in these parts. Revealing she was his sister would make that connection for them really quickly.
The name Ella Martinez was quite well-known, but for all the wrong reasons.
Keep off the radar.
"No," she said," never heard of him."