Young Writers Society

Evaline took the plate and then set it on the tray.

"So," she said as she got up and placed the tray back on the small table. The plate for her food was still there, but she wasn't quite hungry yet since she already ate breakfast. She turned around to face him, hands still on the edge of the table.

"I'd imagine you'll get bored when you're awake," she commented.

James looked at her, not sure what Evaline was leading into - but he recalled she said there was something for him that she was saving for after the meal. That was probably it. Something to bide the time?

"A little," he said. "You know I know how to keep myself busy. I'm just more limited since I'm sick."

"Right," Evaline said softly, drumming her fingers along the edge of the table. She was trying to think about how to lead into this, but she didn't really know how to without just outright saying it, and she at least wanted to try to be a little spontaneous.

"I'm sure it's harder, though, not having to move, or being able to get resources by yourself. It's a lot of time spent sitting."

"It doesn't have to be," James said with a little grin. "I could get up if I wanted to."

Maybe.

"I just might feel a little lightheaded."

"No, no," Evaline insisted with a teasing smile. Her eyes flicked to the corner of the tent where the children's book was, as well as the basket. "I mean, what would you even do? Pace around the tent?"

James pursed his lips, concealing a smile.

"Pacing is a good idea. Or uh, work out, I guess..."

He squinted his eyes. He could feel his body's objection to that idea. He laughed weakly.

Evaline lightly smiled in amusement. "Plenty of time to be doing pushups while you're sick and wounded. Otherwise maybe there are other ways you could work out. Like..."

She paused.

"Your mind?" She returned the weak laugh. There was a joke in there, somewhere.

"Yes, I will just sit here and do math in my head all day," James said. He put his pointer fingers on either side of his temples and closed his eyes.

"I can see it now. I'm already getting smarter."

"Wow," Evaline said flatly, but she was repressing a laugh and a smile. "Already getting smarter just by calculating imaginary numbers. Imagine how much smarter you'd be if you had math books."

"I would be unstoppable," James said, knowing it was a gross over-exaggeration, and far from true, but he found it funny. He kept his eyes closed for a moment as a smirk grew on his face, and then he peeked his eyes open to look at Evaline with a little glint in his eyes.

"You'd be a human calculator," Evaline said with a playful smile, even though she wasn't even sure he knew what a calculator was. "And I'm sure reading the children's book would make you more childish."

"I haven't the slightest idea what a calculator is," James said, closing his eyes again with a contented smile. "But maybe being a little childish just for now... wouldn't be a terrible thing."

"It's like a..." Evaline started to explain, but then trailed off, deciding it was too difficult to explain. She shook her head and the thought away.

"Not at all," she agreed. "But I'm sure you'd rather feel a bit more mature." The smile tugged on her lips again.

James turned towards Evaline with a grin. "I'm sure you would prefer that too, huh."

Evaline slowly crossed her arms and leaned back against the table, repressing a smirk, but failing as James turned towards her with a grin.

"Perhaps," she said nonchalantly. "But if you prefer to be childish, I'll trade in the mature books I got from Gabby and switch them out for more children's stories."