Chapter five

I went to sleep that night cold and tired. I woke up in the morning my hands felt like icicles. I walked another five or so hours. Finally I saw my tree house in the distance. I ran as fast as I could til I reached it. I climbed inside curled up and went to sleep during the middle of the day. I woke up an hour later and I ran out to the store to pick up some good food.

"Hi." I said when I got there.

"Well hi sweetie, haven't seen you in awhile." said Mrs. Dixon.

"Well I've been busy." I said with a smile.

Joey gave me the weirdest, most awkward, most creepy, conniving glare you will ever see.

"Hey Jack can I speak to you, in private." Said Joey.

"Yeah sure." I said.

"Jack where did you get that scratch?" He said in his stern voice.

I felt my forehead there was a huge gash filled with dry blood. 'The bush must have had thorns.' I thought to myself.

"Oh.. uh... that, you see that was from a thorn I think that was on a bush, nothing bad."

"Jack why do I feel that you not telling me the whole truth?"

"Uh.. I don't know I mean I couldn't imagine why you would think that."I said as I slowly slipped away into the other room.

I bought some meat.

After I walked down the street looking for boxes on the corners of yards. I found one box. When I got home I opened it.

"YES!!" I screamed. A brand new pair of cargo pants, a camo shirt, and a tan vest with pockets were inside.

It started to get extremely cold. If I hadn't known better I would have said it was already winter.

I started to worry that Joey would freak out if it got cold. I started to go to the store everyday. I didn't work for mr. L much during the fall, so I had to try my best to get by. I knew it was only the beginning of fall, but I had to start getting ready for winter. I went to the store and bought a brand new blanket. After that I picked loads of apples and pumpkins.

Days went by, it was Sunday. After Church I hung out with Joey a bit.

Yeah he was 16 and I was 12, but I looked at him like my friend, my family. He took me out to lunch. We ate at an Italian restaurant. Joey asked if I liked it. I said yes but I didn't remember having it any time. He wanted to know more about my life, I couldn't tell him much, obviously, considering I didn't know most of it myself. I told him every thing I remembered, well that is all except the bear and getting lost and such. I told him one story from when I was about six.

I was living by my tree, winter was extremely hard cause I didn't have my tree house. One thing I remembered that helped, is I slightly remembered that in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, they hid in a hole/cave one winter night, although I didn't remember where I heard it. I ran around looking for a little in-ground cave. I didn't find one but I did climb my tree and slept in it. One time I did wake up on the ground though, I geuss I fell out in my sleep.

After I told him more and more stories, I went back home. I could tell he was nervous about the up coming winter, I think I might of acted a little scared. When I got home I sat down and read more of my book. I loved the Narnia series. I quietly said to myself,

"Thanks C.S. Lewis, you showed me a. new world and kept me imagining even when times got tough."

I climbed out of my tree house. As I started to climb down my foot slipped. I feel straight on my back.

"Ahh!" I screamed. My back stung and I got the wind knocked out of me.

I started to try to get back up, but I fell back. When I got back up there were bruises down my back and scraps on my elbows. I was gasping for air. I climbed back up in the tree house and lied down. I was still gasping for air. For the first time, in as long as I could remember, I really thought I needed someone with me.

"I can do this, I don't need anyone but myself and God, I will be fine." I kept telling myself. I eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up it was 2:00 pm. I had only slept for an hour.

"Ahh!" I groaned as I rolled over. My back still hurt horribly.

I lied there awhile till I heard something.

"Jack!" "Jack!" The voice called.

"Oh man." I whispered to myself, "It's Joey." I slowly got up and walked toward the front of my tree house. Joey could see the pain in my eyes.

"Jack!" "WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED!"

"Nothing." I said quietly.

" I know something's, wrong you look like you're hurt." "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said again quietly.

"Jack."

"NOTHING!" "ALRIGHT!" "NOTHING!" I screamed as I ran back in my tree house.

"JACK!" He shouted. He quickly followed me into the tree house. "Jack, what's wrong?" "You don't have to hide anything you know."

"If I tell you, you'll freak out, even though its no big deal."

"Now I see what you're afraid of. Jack I won't tell anyone, alright?"

"I fell off my tree house and hit my back on the ground hard." I said.

"You did what?" He asked his eyes wide as he looked down from the tree house and saw the pretty tall drop. "Are you alright!?" He asked.

"Yes I'm fine." I said as I forced a smile to my face.

"Jack, do you need something?" "An ice pack, anything?"

"No." I said my eyes closed tight.

"Jack, the scratch, on you forehead, where'd you really get it?"

"A bush I told you."

"But why were you in the bush?"

"Joey, I...... I just can't say right now, okay?"

"Alright Jack, bye." He said as he walked away.

My back ached has I crawled into my bed. I didn't want to eat anything, I just wanted to sleep.

"Dear God, please please help me!" "I love you." I prayed. Then I went to sleep.

I woke up the next morning, my back was felling better.

"Ugh." "What am I to do today?"

I got up slowly. I decided that I should run the store just to show Joey that I was alright.

When I got there Joey smiled at me, I just smiled back.

"Hi Jack, what do you need today?" Asked mr. Dixon.

"Oh I was wondering if I could get an ice pack and some band-aids.?"

"Oh sure, that be $5.00 please."

"Oh man!" "I only have four dollars."

Then Joey jumped in.

"That's fine we'll just give our best costumer a discount this one time, right mr. Dixon?"

"Um... Why sure, here you go."

"Thanks!" I said and I walked out of the door.

At home I put the ice packs on my back.

"Yes." I gasped. "Finally."

I felt a huge relief spread over my back. Honestly I was kinda scared that I might have done something very bad to my back, because it never hurt that bad for that long before.

Joey came up the next day.

"Hi Jack." He said.

"Hi." I forced a smile on my face so he wouldn't think my back still hurt.

"So, how do you feel?"

"Fine." I lied.

"Okay I will just believe you."

A sharp pain ran up my back, I squeezed my eyes closed tight.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Jack, I'm taking you to the doctor."

"But.....but then they'll ask for my parents names and my last name!!!"

"Hold up, I have an idea." "I will pretend your my little sister and that mr. And mrs. Dixon are our parents."

"Works for me."

Soon we were off, I was shaking in the backseat of the car. When we got there Joey waited in the waiting room and I went in. They gave me exe-raze and a bunch of different things.

When I came out they had told me that I needed to be careful for two weeks cause I almost broke my back, but luckily I sorta twisted and just hit it hard.

When we left Joey said.

"That's it Jack, your coming to my house for a few weeks, you'll love it I have a 14 year old sister and 13 year old brother and then after two weeks you can go right back home."

"No!" "I'm fine, I......... I can do this on my own, all I need is your prayers and I'll be fine."

"Jack, I said I wouldn't tell anyone, I never said I wouldn't help you."

"Yeah and you have helped me, but I have to do this on my own, besides what's your family gonna think if you bring a random 12 year old girl to your house, don't you think they will think I don't have a home."

"I will just tell them what you told me they won't tell."

"No Joey!" "I didn't even mean to tell you, I can't tell complete strangers."

"Oh so you never trusted me."

"No Joey that's not what I said!"

"It's sure what it sounded like." He was quiet the rest of the way.

He dropped me off at my tree house.

"Thanks, Joey." I said waving goodbye. Still no answer.

"My goodness." I said when I got in my tree house. "How can you take what I just said and turn it in to that, I mean it didn't even sound like I meant that!" "Ugh!" "God I just made a friend, why..why'd you make him get mad, why'd I get thrown out here? Why me?" "Did I do something wrong!?" "I need answers!" I screamed as I fell on my knees crying.

"Child," said a quiet voice.

"What?" "Who's there?" I said in a panic.

"Hush child, it's okay it's me, your father in heaven above."

"God?" I whispered.

"Yes, child, now let me answer your questions."

"Oh yes please do!!!" I begged.

"You did nothing wrong child, but at times things need to happen in order to fulfill my plan, and this, all of this is part of it, child."

"What is it for?" "Why does this need to happen for your plan?" "What is your plan?"

"I'm afraid, I can't answer that question."

"Yes you can you're God you can do anything."

"Okay child," he said with a laugh. "I can answer it but I won't, you must wait and see."

"Alright, I will trust you."

"Good girl, now go be brave and carry on."

I spent two weeks resting, mean while winter was getting closer and closer and I still wasn't ready, perfect time to get hurt, huh? I didn't hear from Joey at all. I thought if he hadn't seen me for two weeks he would come. I was starving, each day I ate one meal so I could get the stupid rest the doctor recommended, I mean I didn't need rest, look at me I got scraped and I got sick, but I never ever took a two week rest. I wanted someone to come more than anything in the world right then, but no one came.

"Maybe he really doesn't care anymore." "I should have never trusted him, or tried to make friends with another human, it was a dumb idea." I beat up on myself the rest of the day, saying things like, " You mess everything up, little adventurer." Or "What do you know, your family probably got tired of you and got rid of you and that's how you got here."

"You're worthless!"

"Child, why do you say such things?"

"Cause they're true."

"I told you to trust in me, my plans never fail." "And none of that was true at all and you know it."

"I'm sorry...I... I just don't think I can do it any more."

"Do what anymore?"

"This, I need my family, but I will never find them on my own."

"You can do this, you were meant to do this."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see, soon enough."