Beat The Clock.

Jan 14 - Trees

A shout of glee echoed through the sparse woods, searching way beyond the blue of the fading afternoon sky. I laid back on the top of the hood of an old pick-up, sandwiched between two of the three people who knew me best in the world. The third was running across the tree tops, shouting at the top of her lungs, showing everyone just how gravity worked in her world.

"You'd think she'd get tired of doing that after a while."

I rolled my head over enough to peak at Ray with strands of blond hair covering his eyes, one brawny arm crossed over his chest while the other was tucked beneath him. He stared at Sylvie in wonder, that spark of bemused fascination still making him smile after years of friendship.

"What can you say." I looked back up at and watched her moon walk to her own silent beat. "She's easily amused. Must be the lack of oxygen."

"I heard that!"

A deep chuckle came from my right as long, calloused fingers curled around the fist I hadn't known I was making. There was a deep sense of calm that rolled over my skin like a spring breeze. For once, I didn't resist him, letting it sink into my body, taking a deep breath. Luc twined his fingers with mine, brushing his thumb back and forth over my wrist.

"Its not a bad thing, what's happened," Luc said quietly. I flinched at the word but didn't pull away. "We all knew this was going to happen at some point."

Ray elbowed me softly in the side. I sat abruptly up on my forearms to glare down at his infuriating smile. "We're going to be fine, Skully. These next few years will fly by. Nothing going to change."

I turned my sights back to the sky, watching the bottoms of Sylvie's shoes dance above us, pointedly ignoring the white sheets scattered at our feet. They were happy, I thought in sad surprise. They really think nothing going to change.

Through years of coming out to these woods, this circle of our trees, we hid who really were except from each other. Luc was right. It had always been a matter of time. Something was bound to drag us all apart. I just never imagined it would be this benign. It was suppose to be men in pretty white coats with testing needles and iron cages. Not colleges stretching to each coast of the country, separating us for thousands of miles.

The air around us grew tense, making it too hard to breathe. I felt Luc tighten his grip, silently telling me to let it all go. I shook off his hold and took to the sky, tree branches scratching at my arms and face. But I didn't care. I needed the open sky and fresh air. I needed something familar.

Grabbing Sylvie's ankle, I yanked her down with a laugh bubbling in my throat. The expression on her face was comical as I soared by. By the feel of the current she was far behind, planning her exact her revenge in our old game of tag. No matter what was coming, some things never changed.