• Chapter 9
    Secrets Are Told
    We got off at an island. Jenn and Flare got me out of the box as Connor looked around and Blaze had gone looking for food. When he had returned, the group had set up camp and I sat a bit away to look at the stars. He gave everyone an apple; he also gave Jenn a few extra berries.
    “Thank you.” She said to then kissed him on the cheek. He blushed.
    Then an idea hit. I knew why he was so nice to Jenn but barely talked to anyone else. I knew what he was feeling.
    That night I was sitting on a hill overlooking the campsite. Blaze got up and walked over to me.
    “Something on your mind?” I asked him. “Sit down. I want to talk.”
    “’Kay, what you wanna talk about?” He sat down beside me.
    “I know, about you and Jenn.”
    “What about us?”
    “You’re in love with her. I can tell by the way you act around her. It’s as plain as day. I just don’t get why she hasn’t caught on yet.”
    “I am NOT!” He almost screamed as he jumped up. “I have never been- you have no idea what you’re talking about. Or is this my sister talking, making up stories to make me look bad?”
    “No, not your sister, And I do know what I’m talking about. You can trust me on that.”
    “Wait, you mean that you’ve been in love before or are you pulling my leg. If this is a trick I’m gonna roast you so bad your sisters gonna start calling you crispy, if we ever save her that is.”
    “Oh, this is no trick. And to answer your question, yes and I still am.”
    “What’s her name then?” He sat back down with an air of curiosity around him. He reminded me more of my sister when she would ask me to tell her a story and interrupt every minute to ask a question than his usual self. It was actually kind of nice to be able to talk to him like this.
    “That’s something I don’t want to disclose to people like you.” And I was telling the truth. I hadn’t even thought of a way to tell her yet, much less people I had just met. Heck, I didn’t even know how to tell my own family what I wanted for breakfast until it was dinner time.
    “Then at least tell me about her.” Blaze pushed. Apparently, he was really desperate to know about the mystery girl. “What’s she like?”
    ‘That’s something for another time.” I told him. “We don’t want people getting too nosey now do we?”
    “So what?” he was getting annoyed. “I won’t tell anyone.”
    “That’s what they all say.” I stood up and walked to the group as Blaze sat where I had left him, a speculative look on his face. I could tell that he would return to his usual self by the next day.
    “What were you two talking about?” Connor asked as I settled down for the night.
    “It was nothing.” I told him.
    He stood there looking at me for a few seconds then gave a small shrug. He began to turn then stopped, “You’ll figure something out, just wait. Everything will end up just the way you want.” He walked off.
    I sat up and was about to ask him what he was talking about but when I had looked in the direction he walked, he was gone. So I let the question dance in my head. Then another one formed. Did he know what Blaze and I were talking about? If so, then how?
    The questions ran from my head as thoughts filled it. The best was the knowledge that the next day I would have my family back and that a month from now we would be sitting around our chimney talking like we always did. I let these thoughts take into sleep. A sleep filled with dreams of happiness.