Always Home
CHARMIAN AND NISKIGWUN stared in open-mouthed surprise at the Fairy Arch. It looked exactly the same as it always had...except for the fact that...
Charmian's brow furrowed slightly and she lifted a hand to rub at her head. "Is it just me or...was it...just slightly more uphill before...?"
Niskigwun could only stare as if struck dumb. They tentatively approached the great Arch, stepping around its base to make sure that it was in fact the real thing...Charmian touched it with one finger, and it felt real enough. She frowned and stared up at where it joined the hillside, and could just barely make out the giant stone steps that Manabozho had mentioned earlier. They led down to the Fairy Arch itself, which stood not set far back among the trees and undergrowth further up the bluff as it had before...but now down overlooking the shore itself...completely out in the open. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought that maybe it slid down the bluff to come to rest on the lakeshore.
She stood and puzzled over it. Niskigwun walked around the base and shook his head numbly, feathers rustling. They both looked up at the same time to see a few birds ascend from the top of the Arch.
"Can..." Charmian paused, frowning, then bit her lip. "Can landmarks just...move, whenever they feel like it...?"
Niskigwun slowly shook his head. "No...they cannot." His own brow furrowed. "Unless..." Charmian looked at him, and his own eyes grew troubled. "Unless the Island wishes it."
Charmian blinked. "The Island--?" She glanced up at the rock. "You mean, the Island moved the Fairy Arch...? But...why would it do something like that?"
He shook his head again. "I do not know." The troubled look in his eyes grew and he chewed his lip as he stared up at the Arch. "This makes no sense! The Arch is to remain hidden--why would it now be out in the open like this--?"
Charmian turned to look at the Arch again, and they stared at it for a long while. After some time her face began to light up. "Maybe that's it," she said, and he looked at her, confused. "What you were telling me up on the bluff," she said. "About how maybe it's time that your people and my people took a look at one another." She waved at the Arch. "Well...maybe it's time that it came out in the open, too. And isn't hidden anymore."
The Michinimakinong looked even more confused. "But--the Fairy Arch was hidden for a reason! So that trespassers would not invade our land! With it out in the open like this--everyone can see it--and ANYONE might decide to pass through!"
Charmian shrugged. "Maybe that's the whole point." When he gaped at her she offered a smile. "I think the Island's telling you it's time to stop hiding, and come out where everyone can see you. For better..." she turned to look at the Arch once more "...or for worse."
Niskigwun's feathers all sank and he look utterly mortified. "But--" He put his hand to his mouth and actually started chewing on his fingernails. "But this is so sudden! Does the Island want us to be invaded--? How are we to handle it if people start passing through--?!"
Charmian had to stifle a laugh. "Based on how well they've kept away from Scott's Cave--I really don't think you're going to have a problem with that just yet!" She waved at the formation. "Besides--it's your job to guard the gateway, isn't it--? Well, maybe the Island's putting you to work. You'll have to put a lot more backbone into it, now!"
Niskigwun blinked, then glanced at the rock. He chewed his lip a little, then his face set. "Perhaps...perhaps this is right," he said hesitantly. "Perhaps Michinimakinak is testing me! To see if I am still worthy to guard the gateway!" He clenched his spear and stood up straight. "I will have to be ever more vigilant, now! To protect the Sky Tree!"
Charmian smiled again. "I get the feeling you won't have to worry about much," she said. "But it's a good gesture anyway." She started looking at the crevices and holes in the rock surrounding the Arch and then her face lit up and she tugged on his arm. "Hey, look! Here's a little cave you can sit in!" She led him toward a small cave set into the stone just to the side of the Arch, and they stepped inside the hollow and looked around. "Just like Devil's Kitchen!" Charmian exclaimed. "Not quite as big, but still..." She took in a breath and waved excitedly. "I know! Fairy Kitchen! A kitchen on the west side, and one on the east!"
Niskigwun looked thoughtful. "It does rather fit," he mused, then his ear twitched. "Though I will of course be serving a much more useful function than that GEEBEE ever has!"
Charmian did laugh this time. "Come on, Augwak has his uses--like making everybody else look good." She noticed how Niskigwun stared up at the hollow of the Arch and rubbed his spear somewhat absently, and fell silent for a moment. She touched his arm and he looked down at her.
"I guess it's time for you to get going back to the Sky Tree," she said quietly. Niskigwun blinked again, then his feathers sank and he looked almost crestfallen; she bit her lip, hating the look.
"Geezhigo-Quae will be awaiting me," he murmured, and fiddled with the feathers on his spear. "I guess that it is time I went."
Charmian held out her hand and he looked at it oddly. "Megwetch," she said, and he blinked. "For all the help you gave. I'm glad I got to meet a Turtle Fairy for once."
Niskigwun stared at her with wide eyes, then they softened and he reached out to grasp her hand. "Megwetch," he echoed. "For letting me know you." Charmian smiled and he turned to the Arch, starting to climb up the rocky slope toward its middle. He paused on the edge of it, which was a bit more precarious now without all of the vegetation to shield it, and she thought she saw his eyes glistening, but couldn't be sure. She waved at him once more and gave a big smile which she didn't quite feel. He faltered, then returned it, before turning and climbing through the hole. In an instant, he was gone.
Charmian continued staring at the Fairy Arch for a long while, as if hoping that he would come back, but nothing stirred but the breeze in the trees and the canoes now far out on the lake, heading eastward. She let out her breath and looked skyward to see that evening was settling in and the moon had already risen, gleaming palely in the sky. Her eyes stung and she reached up to wipe at them.
Rustling noises came from higher up on the slope, and she then heard a thudding noise behind her. "Charmian...?"
She blinked the sting from her eyes and turned around. Thomas was coming down from the bluff, Cloud in tow; Charmian smiled when the horse bobbed his head and let out a low neigh as if in greeting, and she reached out to rub his nose when he approached. Thomas held onto his reins and tilted his head.
"You're not trying to leave without saying goodbye, are you?" he asked.
Charmian flushed. "No, I'm not!" she insisted. "I just wanted to say goodbye to Niskigwun, is all."
"Ah." He lifted his head, then cocked it to the side and nodded. "I thought maybe you wanted to say goodbye to him, too."
"Huh...?" Charmian frowned a little, then turned her head. She furrowed her brow in puzzlement at the lone shape now standing further north along the shore, staring out across the water. She had to squint to be sure it was who she thought it was, in the dimming light, and once she recognized him her confusion grew.
"Moon Wolf...?" She squinted harder. "But I thought he was heading back to Cave of the Woods..."
"Looks like he took a wrong turn." Thomas moved to stand beside her and they both stared at the medicine man; he was staring out across the lake, as if watching the Iroquois depart, though Charmian thought his eyes seemed distracted. "Or maybe he just wanted you to think he was going back there...?"
"But why would he do that?"
Thomas shrugged. "I can't honestly say. Whenever I want to think things over though, I find that sitting on the shore helps." They both glanced up at the bluff when more soft rustling noises came, from closer to Moon Wolf this time. "Wonder what that might be now...?"
Charmian squinted again to see what was making its way toward the shore, then her eyes widened. She grasped Thomas's arm and hauled him toward the trees and undergrowth and they ducked into a hollow in the rock so that they were concealed from view. Thomas gave her an odd look and opened his mouth but Charmian quickly hushed him.
"Shh!" She craned her neck forward. "I think it's..."
She trailed off. The shape now parting the leaves and tentatively stepping out onto open land was who she'd started to think it was, and her breath caught in her throat. Moon Wolf turned his head as well to look at the newcomer, and his own eyes widened. Thomas and Charmian, with Cloud nearby, stood and stared at Shadow Water as she stared at Moon Wolf, and he stared back. They all froze as if trapped in time for a moment.
Thomas opened his mouth but Charmian put her hand to it and shook her head, so he closed it again.
For a few moments the other two did nothing but look at each other, before Moon Wolf started to slowly lower his head, as if unable to keep meeting Shadow Water's eyes. Charmian thought she saw the other woman's fingers clenching, before she took a hesitant step forward, then another. She stopped and pulled at something she'd been concealing under her clothes and they squinted to see the silver wolf-and-moon pendant glittering in the pale moonlight.
Thomas's brow furrowed and he peered down at Charmian. "Hey, isn't that...?"
Charmian nodded, eyes wide and ears pricked. Moon Wolf saw the pendant that Shadow Water held and his own eyes looked almost stricken to see it there; they shifted back to Shadow Water's face and they stared at each other again. Shadow Water stood nearer to the bluff so Charmian could just barely see the side of her face, and her eyes seemed hard, almost like they had been back when she had served Ocryana; she held her breath, as the air had grown so still that nothing could be heard but the trickling of the springs, and waited to see what might happen.
Shadow Water took several more steps so that the big gap between the two of them was lessened, and they stood directly before each other. Her knuckles were white where she held the cord of the pendant, and it swung slowly over the sand, as if she were about to hurl it. After a long pause Moon Wolf's shoulders sank slightly and he seemed to look like he expected her to turn and walk away. Charmian's heart started to sink, when she noticed Shadow Water falter, just the tiniest bit; the hardness started to die from her eyes, and at the same time she took a step forward, lifting the pendant. A second later her arms were around Moon Wolf, her head pressed to his shoulder, and her eyes were shut tight. Charmian couldn't be certain, with how far away they were, but her mouth moved, and she could have sworn that she heard her whisper.
"I forgive you."
Charmian had never seen Moon Wolf's eyes so wide before. They immediately flooded with tears, and she took in a shaky breath when she realized that she couldn't remember ever having seen him cry before. Moon Wolf shut his eyes and the tears streamed down his face; he put his own arms around Shadow Water and embraced her tight, burrowing his head against hers. The two of them blurred, and Charmian had to blink; she rubbed at her eyes, feeling a pain in her heart, but at least it was a good one. She looked up at Thomas and offered a watery smile; he smiled in return, and the two of them turned silently away from the scene, retrieving Cloud and carefully making their way back up the bluff as the moon rose.
Another Arch arose, dark against the darkening sky, and Thomas tilted his head back to look at it as they ascended the slope. He shielded his eyes although it was unnecessary.
"Arch Rock...?" he murmured. "Again?"
"It's where I first came through when I got here," Charmian said, picking her way up through the miniature arch beneath it. She glanced briefly at Stick-In-The-Dirt's drawings before turning and reaching out her hand to help Thomas up; Cloud picked his own way up the steep slope without much difficulty, and was already eating grass off to their side. "I figured, it's probably the best place to go back." She came to a stop and pulled out her dreamcatcher, looking at the way that the moonlight gleamed on its webbing. She bit her lip. "I'm not even sure if it'll work again," she murmured.
Thomas clambered up beside her, panting and wiping his brow. "Are you sure you want to chance it?" he asked. "You could always ask Francois again, couldn't you...?"
Charmian frowned thoughtfully at the hoop, then shook her head. "I want to try it," she said. "It got me here, so it should take me back." Her mouth started to turn upwards into a faint smile. "I kind of like to think that if I just believe in it enough, then it'll take me through safely."
Thomas arched a brow. "That's rather illogical thinking for the Charmian I know," he said.
Charmian gave him a challenging look. "I can be irrational too sometimes!" She started looking for the best place to hold it up in the moonlight. "I should be back in my own room in no time. And as soon as all my work there is done, then I'll be coming right back. I hope this place doesn't change too much while I'm away." She looked thoughtful again. "Then again, maybe that would be interesting...I know that this time certainly was!"
Thomas's mouth twitched. "Don't tell me you'd go through that all over again?"
"At the time, I never would've said so," Charmian replied. She paused. "But seeing how it all ended...then yeah, I actually wouldn't mind that much." She made a face. "Except for Walks-On-The-Shore seeing me naked. That part, I could do without."
Thomas's eyes goggled and she started laughing. "I hope I see you again when I get back," she said, having to force herself to sound cheerier than she felt, as she hated the thought of leaving; what if the Island had moved forward another ten years when she returned? She tried to shove this thought out of her mind and offered a wavery smile. "Because if I don't, then I'll have to track you down and..."
She trailed off when she noticed that Thomas had gone over to Cloud and was removing his bridle. She frowned a little and watched as he rubbed Cloud's muzzle and murmured something to him; the horse snorted and flicked an ear, tilting his head to the side a fraction as if puzzled. Thomas turned and came back toward her, having to stoop to get through the little arch. He smiled at her, clasping the bridle in his hand.
Charmian's brow furrowed. "What're you doing...?"
Thomas tucked the bridle under his arm. "I thought I might come with you," he said.
Charmian blinked, and her eyes immediately went wide. "Come--come with me--?" she echoed, startled.
He nodded, looking amused. "To see what your side looks like. I've never seen the mainland before, much less the mainland of the future. I thought it might be interesting."
Charmian gawked at him for a moment, then started waving and stammering. "B-but--YOU can't come back with me!" she cried.
Thomas's smile faded and he furrowed his own brow. "Why not--?"
Charmian couldn't stop gesticulating. "Because--you belong HERE! On the Island! You'd never fit in where I come from! And you've always lived here!"
Thomas shrugged. "I don't exactly have much tying me down here, do I? So far, you've been the only worthwhile person I've found to talk to." Charmian's face went red. "And you managed to fit yourself in here just nicely! I hardly think a century's going to be that difficult to comprehend. As you know, I catch on fast." His amused look returned.
Charmian sputtered, feeling her ears burning. "But--you can't leave here," she insisted. "What about your mom--? And Cloud--? I think Cloud would miss you if you left! Besides--what would my parents say if some strange guy comes walking out of my room with me?! I'd probably get grounded! I'm only fifteen! I'm not allowed to date yet!!"
Thomas raised his eyebrows, seeming surprised by her persistence, but still also amused. "You don't want me to come back with you--?"
"No! Yes! I mean--" Charmian let out a flustered noise. "I don't not want you to--it's just--" She gestured around them. "I can't take you away from all this! This is where you belong. You might not believe it, but--it is. Just like the mainland's my home." She paused slightly, not quite believing that she'd just said that, but pressed on. "I'll come back," she insisted, "I mean it. As soon as I'm able. I promise."
Thomas gave her a skeptical look. "And you won't take ten years to do so...?"
She shook her head wildly. "Of course not! I mean..." She chewed her lip. "I'll try not to...but...well, I can't really be sure how long it'll take me." She got a meek look. "But it'll be as soon as I can."
He stared at her for a moment or two, then lifted his head and crossed his arms. "I'll just have to wait for you, then," he said.
Charmian stared at him in return, her eyes wide. She blinked. "You'll what...?" she asked faintly.
"Wait for you." He cocked his head. "A month or a year or however long it takes you to get back here."
Charmian felt her eyes start to sting, and her vision of him blurred. "You...you'd do that?" she whispered. "For me?"
Thomas couldn't keep himself from smirking at the look on her face. "Of course I would," he said. "After all--it's like I said. It's not every day that I find somebody worth talking to, around here. At least, somebody who talks back as much as you do." Charmian's face went brilliant red and she felt suddenly giddy at the comment, and had to grab onto the side of the rock to keep from falling down toward the shore. Thomas stepped closer and took her arm to balance her, and she made sure that she held the dreamcatcher tightly so she wouldn't drop it. It dangled from her fingers and she looked back up at Thomas, still blushing.
"I'll make it back," she said, her voice stronger, more certain than before. "I'm sure I will."
"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Thomas said.
Charmian pretended to scowl. "I haven't broken one y--!"
She didn't get to finish. Thomas had leaned down toward her, and his mouth was touching hers before she could even get the words out; her eyes goggled for a second, the heat rising in her face, but then she felt the sting in her eyes again, and shut them. She returned the kiss this time, feeling remarkably embarrassed, and dizzy, and elated and bewildered all at once; she felt like turning handsprings down the bluff, and screaming her head off, and burrowing herself into the ground, and jumping off of Arch Rock, all at the same time. Her heart thudded harder than it ever had when Chakenapok had been controlling it, and she was sure that her spirit stone must be glowing like the sun itself. But for some reason, it all felt...right, somehow.
When Thomas pulled away she let out a little breath, blinking and dazed. He stood up straight again and crossed his arms once more, giving her the same look as before. "So you keep your promise," he said, and she blinked again, then felt the flush creep back up into her cheeks. She bobbed her head a little too quickly.
"Uh--uh-huh!" she managed to get out, and only through sheer force of will kept herself from falling over or turning around and running right into the side of Arch Rock.
Thomas's eyes shifted upward, then he looked back at her and gave a small nod. "You might want to get yourself ready..."
"Huh--? Oh!" Charmian glanced up and saw that the moon had risen higher, its light now starting to filter down toward the miniature arch they stood by. She fumbled to unwind the cord of the dreamcatcher from around her arm, and held it up, her hand shaking, so that it dangled from side to side. The moonlight rose, striking the stone face just behind the hoop, then slowly shifting to strike the webbing itself, and it glimmered faintly. The two of them watched it intently, though Charmian did turn her head to look at Cloud, still standing in the brush off to the side.
"Bye, Cloud," she called. "Thanks for everything."
The horse tossed his head and let out a low neigh.
"Take a look," Thomas said with a slight frown. Charmian turned back and saw how the moonlight was striking the entire dreamcatcher now; when she turned her head to look at the rock face behind it, she saw its shadow, but even as they watched, the intricate lines of the shadow shifted and started to grow, getting wider, then merging with one another. Her brow furrowed as the shadow grew darker, then wider, then she let out a small gasp when she saw that it was forming into a hole, then an opening, then a little cave or tunnel entrance.
"Just like the one back home," she murmured softly, watching it expand. It grew big enough that it would fit her, and Thomas gave her a little nudge in the back, which she appreciated, else she wouldn't have ever been able to force her legs to work. Making certain that her pack was on safely, she stepped hesitantly toward the opening, then peered back at Thomas again. She bit her lip.
He made a shooing gesture. "You'll come right back, you promise--remember?" he said. "And I promised I'd be waiting. You'll make me look bad?" He made the shooing motion again. "And you really want to get grounded--?"
Charmian blinked, then her eyes watered and she smiled, a genuine if shaky one this time. Thomas smiled back, and she had to turn away from him before the tears could drop from her eyes, and without saying another word--as her throat was stuck--she stepped into the tunnel, and off of Manitou Island.
The tunnel opened up ahead of her. She peered up at the rocky walls, worn smooth as if from water, before chewing her lip and peeking back. It had closed behind her, leaving her in relative dimness, and she let out a sigh. She turned to face forward again and started walking, having to duck her head and squeeze through tight spots now and then. The tunnel seemed vaguely different from the one she'd taken to get here, though she supposed that was to be expected, what with the way things usually seemed to work. She squinted as she walked, then pulled her backpack forward and dug around in it a bit, pulling out her flashlight and flicking it on. She shined its beam around on the tunnel walls and saw that they glimmered faintly with Weavers' webs, and this realization brought a faint smile back to her face, and made the rest of the going somewhat easier.
After some time of walking and then climbing she spotted a dim opening ahead, and made her way for it, having to pull herself up and around rocky projections just to get to it. It grew brighter as she slowly approached, and she at last reached the lip of it, grasping onto it and pulling herself out with a grimace. She collapsed upon something soft, and lay there panting for a moment, before blinking and shifting her head to peer around herself. Her hands pressed against carpeting.
She saw her own bed standing across the room, with her lamp on the stand beside it, and the blinds on her window still open. The only difference was that moonlight was no longer streaming through; it was sunlight now, and she could hear birds singing outside, and the voices of kids as they ran by down the street. She stared at this scene in silence for a moment, then looked back over her shoulder.
The cave opening wavered and slowly faded away.
She stared at the blank wall for a few moments, yet there was no change. She pushed herself up and lifted the dreamcatcher so that the sunlight glinted off of it, but its shadow was just as it should have been. She let out her breath again and lowered it, climbing carefully to her feet. She stepped toward her bed and took off her pack, dumping it at the foot and hanging the dreamcatcher from the bedpost, then sitting down on the mattress with a gusty sigh. Her arms and legs ached all over, and her clothing and hair were mussed, but for once she didn't mind.
"I'm home," she murmured, and it sounded odd, but she lifted her eyes to look at her dresser, her desk and schoolbooks, her posters and mirror. "I'm home," she said again, louder, and though it still sounded odd, it sounded about right, as well. She felt a faint smile come to her face, and stared at her surroundings for a while, before more talking and laughter outside made her let out a little gasp and jump to her feet. She parted the blinds and peered out the window, seeing schoolkids walking past; she glanced at her clock and saw that it was just about time to leave for school. She blinked, then dashed to the little bathroom just off of her bedroom, flicking on the water and splashing her face and arms. With a grimace she pulled off her old clothes and quickly changed into new ones, brushing her hair back with her fingers and grabbing up her bookbag, and dumping all of her books into it at once. She hastened to tie the straps shut, which she had to do a few times, as her fingers were so awkward.
Charmian?
She gasped and dropped the pack so that it struck the floor with a loud THUMP, then she grimaced. Her head popped up and she blinked at the wall.
"N--Nathalit--?" she blurted out.
She felt a familiar presence, and remembered then that she had never told Nathalit goodbye. I am still here, Nathalit said, and she let out her breath in a whoosh. She put a hand to her head and took a step back to sink into the chair by the desk. She lifted her eyes to look again at the dreamcatcher still dangling in the sunlight.
"You mean...it was all real this time?" she asked softly, uncertain whether she wanted to know or not. "I didn't just dream it all up...?"
There was silence for a moment, and she started to fear that she had imagined Nathalit's voice too. It was real, the voice answered her at last, and her muscles relaxed. Just as it was before. Just as real as this room is, right now.
Charmian shut her eyes, feeling the relief settling over her. "I was so worried that I would wake up and it would all be not real," she said, her voice quavering. "The last time...I really wasn't sure. It felt real...but I really couldn't tell. I had no way to know."
You now know that it is, Nathalit replied, and as if prompted, Charmian picked up her vest and started digging in the pockets. She pulled out the little carved pinecone. Sitting up straight in surprise, she felt at her neck, and tugged on the cord concealed beneath her shirt; on the end of it she found a sprig of dried cedar. Digging in her old backpack revealed several empty candy bar wrappers, a few strands of brown fur sticking in the smudged chocolate and a little handprint left on one of the wrappers. Charmian felt a smile start to come to her face on looking at all of this. Her heart started thudding hard again and she couldn't quite keep herself from grinning from ear to ear. She lifted her head and looked toward the ceiling as if to see Nathalit there.
"It WAS real! I didn't imagine any of it!"
She sensed the creature's amusement. What was this I told you...? She could almost see Nathalit tilting her head, her eyes large and dark. I thank you for everything you have done for all of us, she said, and for the Island. I have never known one to offer as much as you.
Charmian's eyes watered and she smiled as she wiped at them. "I bet there's all kinds of people like that," she said. "You just haven't found them yet."
She felt a slight amusement. Then the Island is fortunate indeed, to have such friends. Nathalit shifted about. I must return now...and watch over the Borderlands again. I fear them being left empty for too long. But I believe that things will be all right now.
Charmian's smile faded a little. "Nathalit, do you think--do you really think it's okay now? That he won't do anything else...? They said he's a lost spirit, and...I just wonder..."
She sensed reassurance. I do not believe he will threaten us further, Nathalit replied. I can feel him, and his heart is at peace. For perhaps the first time in his life, and in his death, he knows rest. She shifted again. And I believe this means much more to him than his game ever could.
Charmian let out her breath again. "Then I'm glad," she murmured. "I'm glad I could help."
Nathalit paused, then started to retreat. The Island welcomes you whenever you should return, she said as she went. You always have a home there, as you do here, Mainlander.
"Thanks, Nathalit," Charmian said softly, and felt the creature's presence slowly drift away, until she was left standing alone in her room again. She stared at the wall until the noises from outside at last dragged her out of her reverie, and with one final glance to make sure that she had everything she needed, she hurried from her room and dashed down the stairs.
Her dog was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and he got to his feet and tagged alongside her as she jogged into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast, his tail wagging and tongue hanging out the entire way. Her parents, already awake, were surprised to see her there; her mother offered to let her stay home, considering what had happened yesterday, but she shook her head as she finished off the toast and chased it down with a waiting glass of orange juice; it tasted so wonderful, after all of the soup and the whiskey on the Island. Her parents looked concerned until she offered them a smile, stating that she believed she would feel better going to school; and with a quick kiss for both of them, and a scratch to her dog's ears, she was on her way, jogging away up the sidewalk.
She arrived just in time for the bell, and for the first time in months, the classes breezed by, and she had no difficulty actually concentrating for a change. She cheerily did her literature and science and algebra exercises, ate her lunch as if she'd never eaten anything before, went through her art and French lessons, and easily climbed the rope in gym. At the end of the day, when the rest of the students poured out of the school and made their way, chattering, toward the nearest fast-food restaurants or the park, she walked with a spring in her step, her bookbag slung over her shoulder and her face bright and her heart lighter than it had ever felt in ages. She started mentally counting off the days until summer vacation, and wondered what she would do on her next visit.
She found herself passing the track, where a group of students were currently running and practicing. Her step slowed until she came to a stop, and she watched them going through their exercises as she chewed on her lip. She moved toward the fence and grasped onto it, peering through. The girls were practicing at one end, the boys at the other, and both groups were chattering with each other as they stretched, a burst of laughter breaking out now and then. Charmian's stare settled on one of the male students doing stretches off to the side and she chewed on her lip even more before walking toward the opening in the fence and making her way toward the track. Her step faltered a little bit, but she forced herself to keep walking.
He didn't look up or notice her as she approached, until she stopped several feet away from him, and even then he didn't lift his head. She thought over how he had looked the last time she'd really talked with him, which had been a long time ago. He'd been about her height then, all arms and legs, with hair which fell in his eyes and a crack in his voice and a goofy grin which always made her want to both slap him and grin along with him. Now, he was taller than she was, and still all arms and legs although they seemed to fit him better now. He sat on the ground stretching his legs; when last she'd really known him, he'd been lucky to run several paces before tripping and falling over whatever was in his way, but now, she knew he could likely run even faster and further and better than she could, without even stumbling one bit. She bit her lip and shifted her bookbag, feeling suddenly timid and awkward.
"Hi," she said in a very small voice, and he stopped his stretching and lifted his head to look up at her. "Drake."
He blinked. For a second she was certain that he didn't even remember her, or else didn't care, and she was ready to turn and go running back home. Then a smile--the exact same goofy smile that she remembered from long ago--came to his face, and he started pushing himself up to his feet.
"Hey, Charm!" he exclaimed, his voice different, yet the same, somehow. He stood, and there was a brief pause when she had to crane her neck to look up at him, he was so tall now; she blushed a little, but he didn't even seem to notice. He hit her in the arm hard enough to sting, but she didn't even mind, reaching up to rub at it absently as a wavery smile came to her own face.
"How're you doing?" Drake asked. "You never even come to talk to me anymore! I thought maybe you thought you were too good for me now!" And he let out the same laugh that he always had.
Charmian's awkwardness abruptly vanished and she gave him an offended look. "YOU never even came to talk to ME! How was I supposed to know you ever wanted to talk--? All you do is RUN all the time!"
Drake snorted and crossed his arms. "And all YOU do is stick your nose in books! What're you reading there, anyway--?" Before she could protest he had snatched away her bookbag and was digging in it diligently; he managed to free one volume before she could grab the bag away from him, and he held it up so she couldn't reach it. "Lore Of The Great Turtle. Jeez, Charm!" He made a scoffing noise and dropped the book back into her hands. "Don't you ever do anything just for fun--?"
"I do all sorts of things for fun! You just never know because you're always busy running around!"
"Yeah, well..." He made a face at her. "That's 'cause I wanted to beat YOU the next time you go running!"
Charmian's face screwed up. "Since when do I go running--?"
He shrugged and smirked at her. "I dunno--like, maybe when a demon is chasing you--?"
Charmian's smile abruptly vanished. The book fell from her suddenly numb hands to strike the ground with a thud; Drake glanced down at it, puzzled, then back up at her face. Charmian felt like all of the breath had left her body.
"...Huh?" she managed to get out, after a stunned moment.
Drake frowned a little, then made the scoffing noise again. "Oh, c'mon! Like there's any other reason why you'd read that book! Let me guess, it has manitous and GeeBees and all sorts of things in it, right--?" He scooped it up and started flipping through the pages, then pointed triumphantly. "A-ha! Mitchi Manitou! What'd I tell you--?"
Charmian had to struggle just to find her voice. "You mean you...you remember...?" she asked faintly. "You...you remember Manitou Island...and everything...?"
Drake grinned and handed the book back to her. "Well, DUH! You think I'd forget something like that? Hello, how dumb do you think I am?"
Charmian slowly shook her head. "But...you said you didn't remember any of it," she insisted, utterly confused. "When we got back. On the ferry. You said--you said we'd been on Mackinac Island...taking pictures and stuff...you didn't remember any of it!"
Drake cocked his head to the side and grinned again. "Well, what was I supposed to say! I thought YOU didn't remember! You were acting all, 'What happened?' and the lady on the ferry was all, 'Are you okay?' and you were all, 'Where am I?' so I kind of figured, you didn't remember anything!" Again with the scoffing noise. "And like I'm going to stand there and say we were on an Island being chased around by demons and manitous and cannibals and make MYSELF look nuts--?" He jabbed a finger at the book. "So, c'mon, spill it! Why're you reading that? Are you heading back there? C'mon, tell me what all you plan on doing! It's about time you started filling me in for once!"
Charmian blinked, then let out her breath in a gust, feeling her senses returning--her heart lifted in her chest, and she felt remarkably stupid, yet remarkably relieved at the same time. "I--I'm reading it because--" She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts, and clasped the book to her chest. "I already went back there!" she exclaimed, giving him a superior look. "And I met with Tal Natha again, and Stick, and Silver, and everybody! And I fought off another bad guy, too! AND I'm going back as soon as summer vacation comes!"
Drake's mouth fell open, then he hit her arm again so that she stumbled to the side. "THAT IS JUST LIKE YOU!! Go on back and don't even invite ME along! What kind of a friend does THAT?"
Charmian made the scoffing noise this time. "You were all racing and running and stuff! How was I supposed to know YOU wanted to go--?"
Another shove. "That's why you TALK to people, duh!" He turned and quickly snatched up his gym bag, then waved at her. "I'm done here for the day, but now I want YOU to tell me EVERY SINGLE THING you did over there! And no skipping around either! I want to hear it all!"
"All of it?" Charmian groaned, and they started walking away from the track. "But that'll take FOREVER! I'm supposed to go back next month or so, you know! I promised Thomas I'd be there, and if I keep him waiting, he'll get all pissed off at me..."
"Thomas?" Drake echoed, and Charmian's face went brilliant red when he started crowing. "CHARM'S GOT A BOYFRIEND! CHARM'S GOT A BOYFRIEND!" He laughed so loudly that she was certain it could be heard across the bay, and she cringed and shrank in on herself as they made their way out toward the street. "So who is this Thomas? Is he cute? Is he anything like Justin? Does he turn into a demon or anything--?"
"Now I remember why I didn't ask you to come," Charmian grumbled.
Drake's laughter resumed when she started scowling, and he had to skip to keep pace with her, the two teenagers continuing on their way up the sidewalk and off into the sunny city. "Aw, I think it's rather CUTE! I think it's about time you got a boyfriend! And it has a nice ring to it! Thomas and Charmian, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N...OW!!"
605,000+ words
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