Young Writers Society

MECKIAH

The voices faded and I shook my head. I scrambled through the forest, wondering if I had gone crazy. I held onto the mushroom and ran through the forest. My mother had something wrong with her lungs. The mushroom had prevented her death, but she was still weak. I doubted that Jesse had the same. I didn't care. It was worth a shot.


I stumbled around the forest. Which way was the camp? I glanced around, fearing that I was lost. "Dammit!" I yelled. I rarely swore, but this just seemed like an appropriate time. How the heck was I going to get back to Jesse? I convinced myself that Myles would have everything under control. But what about Arthur?

I sat down and thought for a moment, trying to remember which direction I had come.

Arthur

Arthur was standing awkwardly beside Jesse, who was still coughing uncontrollably when he heard a faint voice coming from the forest. It actually sounded as if someone was swearing at the top of their lungs. He took a step back – that Meckiah girl had looked like she really meant it when she threatened Arthur, so he wasn't going anywhere.

“Erm,” he said, addressing the still couching Jesse. “Did you hear that?” She didn’t respond. Well, obviously, she didn’t respond. She was past hearing, or even caring what Arthur said. Then again, many people found themselves in that state after being talked at by Arthur.

“Oh, I wish those two would hurry up,” he grumbled, folding his arms. “I can imagine that it would take a while to find a doctor, but this long? Honestly?” He directed his next words at Jesse. “This wouldn’t have happened if you thieves weren’t so far from civilization,” he said.

MYLES

He had a healer at knife point now. She could help him.

"Please!" She said, eyeing the blade. "I'm going to come. But there are so many people in the town who need my help now."

"Well, my friend needs you more. So hurry up," he said, jabbing her in the back with the hilt of his blade.

The older woman jogged up ahead taking his directions.

"I'm coming, Jesse," he murmured.

MECKIAH

I couldn't stand it anymore. I just couldn't. I rose from my log and paced for a few moments. I had heard voices. Mostly male, the odd female, but I didn't dare call out for help. That and nobody had approached me yet.

I sighed. I had to figure this out on my own obviously. Okay. So why not just walk around till I either got myself so lost that I would never find my way back again; or I could keep walking around and possibly stumble across the camp.

Well, there wasn't anything else to do. And waiting for somebody to come help me didn't seem like a very good plan at this point. I started walking around, looking for my own footprints.

Somewhere a bird sang at the top of its lungs. Any other time and I would have enjoyed it, but not today. Today it was an irritating distraction. I tried to stay focused. I found my footprints after what seemed like forever and started following them.

It took me forever to get back, but I did. Arthur was sitting on the ground, pouting like a five-year-old and Jesse was sitting on the ground looking exasperated. "Jesse!" I called out. She turned her head to me momentarly, but looked away again.

Arthur's head shot in my direction. "About time one of you got back!"

Wait. One of us? "Where's Myles?" I moaned. Had he seriously left Jesse with Arthur? Nice move.

"He went to find a doctor or something." He shrugged. "I think he still thought you were here."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he did. "I doubt this will help, but it helped my mother when she had a disease and was coughing up blood. If you have a disease..." It had occurred to me before. Jesse was probably just injured. I didn't care. "It's worth a shot though."

She nodded and I sat on the ground beside her, ripping off a piece of my mushroom and handing it to her.

MYLES

"There she is," he pointed to Jesse who looked terrible with the the front of her shirt splattered with blood. "Please. Go help her."

"I'm going, I'm going," the woman grumbled, walking towards Jesse. Arthur eyes the woman and tried to keep his eyes away from Jesse and Meckiah - who had come back.

"Pushy friend you've got there," he heard her mutter to the others.

Myles almost smiled. He stayed back and let the healer have her room. Jessse would be okay now. He'd done everything he could. She would be - she had to be- okay.

"You have a pushy friend there," The lady muttered.

"Actually, I havn't been around long enough to know," I informed. She raised an eyebrow at me.

Arthur said nothing. I was right, the mushroom hadn't worked. I was wrong, not worth a shot. Oh well. She apparently did have some sort of injury.

I sighed and looked around the camp. Arthur followed my gaze. "Who's Seth exactly?"

I turned around to look at him. "Just somebody I knew from training." I shifted my gaze the the ground, afraid my eyes would water again. I couldn't let them see me like this. "You look quite a bit like him actually."

"Really? And you were in training for what exactly?"

I rolled my eyes. Too many questions. "Arthur, lay off," Jesse managed to mutter.

Of course, Arthur didn't. "Well?"

"To be a warrior actually. Turned to thievery after Seth died." I paused. Oh why not tell them my life story? "Dad and mom died when I was young because of some tax issue. Seth protected me from the tormenting of other trainees. He died along with twenty others of unknown causes one night. The tormenting got so bad after that..." I trailed off. As if Arthur looking like Seth hadn't been enough...

I got up and limped to the tree I had fallen out of, climbing into the leaves.

Jesse:

I rolled over and into something warm. I pried open my eyes to see Myles sitting there beside me. He looked half-asleep himself.

"What're you doing here?" I muttered, still more asleep than awake.

"Jesse!" He exclaimed. "You're awake!"

I groaned as I sat up and took a look around. We were in a tent, probably still at camp. What had happened? I didn't remember much but my chest freaking hurt.

"What happened?" I asked, meeting his eyes. Myles smiled at me.

Arthur

I, Arthur Brimas, of sound mind and body, do bequeath all my possessions thusly; Arthur wrote slowly on a piece of paper he had managed to lay his hands on. Maybe writing a will was a bit over the top, as he even thought to himself, but it would at least allow people to know who he was. He continued.

Assuming that my things are not a) destroyed or b) despoiled, I give my personal possessions to my fiancé, Geneva, with the following exceptions; Arthur stopped again. Who would he give things to? He scratched out the bit about exceptions before continuing.

To my sister, Pricilla, I can only say this. I completely and totally blame you for my current predicament, which is that I am stranded with a bunch of thieves while our village is torn apart by monsters. If it weren’t for your hare-brained idea of going after that random scream, I'd be fine! The town was being ransacked! Of course someone was screaming!

Arthur continued ranting in this manner for several minutes, before coming to his senses and stopping. He stared down at the four paragraphs he had written. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, he thought, before screwing the paper into a ball and tossing it over his shoulder.

He stood up. Now, he needed answers. Like, for instance, when the bloody hell I can get out of here, he thought, making his way for a central area of the camp.

MECKIAH

I watched Arthur from the top of my tree. He didn't look all that thrilled to be here. I sighed and dropped out of the tree, approaching him.

He glared at me. "What do you want?" He snarled.

Grump. "You look aggitated," I replied, shrugging.

"Well, no duh. I'm in a camp of thieves who would willingly slit my throat."

I raised and eyebrow at him, a smirk formulating on my face. I chuckled softly, earning me another glare. "Sorry, but I doubt anybody here will kill you without good reason."

He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking into the forest. I stared too, trying to find something to start a conversation about. I had never been good at this kind of thing. I could talk about Seth...but then I'd start crying. I quickly dismissed the thought.

"Do I really look like Seth?" Arthur asked, jutting into my thoughts. Well then... Nevermind avoiding that conversation.

"Actually, you're very, very much alike. If you don't mind, I'd really rather not talk about it." I crossed my arms, just to prove that I wasn't willing to open up to him about my long lost love.

"Whatever." He shrugged and kicked at the ground.

Awkward. I turned and scampered back up the tree.

**Arthur cracks me up so much, Kelcia. I just love him. xD**

MYLES

"Well...a lot," Myles said, pulling at the ends of his short hair. He couldn't help but grin with relief that Jesse was okay.

"Then explain," she replied, unable to hide her curiosity and nervousness.

Typical Jesse. Couldn't wait to get the answers until after he was sure she was alright.

"Well, you've been really sick," he sighed, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah, I got that part," Jesse rolled her eyes. "I wasn't coughing blood or anything."

She grinned at him to let him know that she was joking but Myles didn't crack a smile. She wasn't the one who stood so helpless as her friend looked like she was dying. She didn't have to go through the panic of finding a healer and finding a way to keep her safe all the time. Jesse meant to much to him to lose. She was the only one he had left. No. She didn't understand that.

"Myles...my goodness...you weren't worried or anything were you? About me?" Jesse asked, shocked. There was something else in her expression Myles couldn't label.

He kept his mouth shut and the two just looked at each other. Myles seemed entranced by the brilliant green of her eyes. His throat dried and he felt an empty longing in his stomach. Like he was hungry...except not for food.

Myles stood up quickly and backed away from Jesse.

"No," he said, giving a false laugh. "Well, a little, but you were pretty sick. Anyway, I just went to get a healer so you'll be fine now. Right?"

Something was wrong with him. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like it. One thing he couldn't deny was that he was very happy -too happy- that Jesse was getting better.

Arthur

Arthur stared as Meckiah darted back up a tree.

What a loon, he thought, his head cocked to one side. Completely fruity. He shrugged and walked on, not exactly sure where he was going. It relieved him that no one would slit his throat, and with that worry aside, he began to think about more important things.

Like Geneva, for instance.

Where could she be? He thought, and his stomach twisting into an anxious knot. She couldn’t have gotten hurt, could she? He shook his head, the knot in his stomach tightening. The idiotic girl. I told her to stay out of it, but did she listen to me? Oh no, it’s just ‘be quiet Arthur’ all the time, he groused silently.

But then an idea struck him. What if he went to find Genie? What if he saved her? It would be no ‘be quiet Arthur’ then! He would be her hero. They would get married, and settle down, and Genie would give up her tomboyish habits, and they would have three kids. Arthur sighed and shook himself out of this happy daydream. Of course, he needed to find her first.

“Um, I say,” he called to the world in general. “Would someone come out here? There is a matter I would very much like to discuss.” He just hoped that that loon Meckiah wouldn’t be the one to answer.

----

*Isha, don't take Arthur seriously. He just thinks about people that way. *

MECKIAH

I was evidently disliked by Arthur. Then again, I was disliked by most people. Had been ever since Seth died. I leaned my head on a branch and listened to Arthur. "There is a matter I would very much like to discuss," he stated.

I chuckled. He sounded moronic when he talked like that. I didn't answer. It was Myles' and Jesse's camp, they could deal with him however they wanted to.

I began to fiddle with my sword, completely bored with life. Bored, tired, hungry and sad. I turned it over to where Seth's name was engraved to the back of the handle and smiled. I had always held onto a faint hope that he was still alive, though I knew very well that he wasn't.

I traced his name with my thumb, wondering what to do next. My stomach growled. Well that answered that question. I sheathed my sword and jumped from the tree. Arthur startled and took a hurried step back.

"It's not like I'm going to kill you, Arthur," I muttered, walking to the tent where Myles and Jesse were. I stood for a moment, debating with myself whether or not to enter. "Can I come in?" I asked quickly. I could feel Arthur staring at me. I think we both gave eachother the creeps.

I need Scarlett to post before I can.

However I don't want this to die. Ugh. I liked this! Still do!

Maybe you could write it like Jesse was about to talk, but got interrupted by Meckiah? I don't want this to die either!

Sorry guys! My laptop is toast, as most of you know. I'll try posting now then.

Jesse:

"Don't go," I whispered. Myles watched me, looking kinda sad. I'd seen the look he gave me earlier... Did he like me? He hesitated, glancing from me to the tent entrance and back.

We were interrupted by the new girl whose name I couldn't remember. "Can I come in?"

I coughed and turned away from Myles to look at the tent entrance. "Sure," I told her and she hesitated in the doorway. I sighed. "I may be nasty to people, but not to those who live in our camp and I certainly don't bite."

I winked at her, watching Myles out of the corner of my eye. He didn't look happy but he slowly sat down. He had a sour look on his face, as if he wanted to be anywhere but next to me.