A/N: I saw Avi's post about the forest in the picture above and this idea came to mind. I hope you enjoy it.

Avi was finishing the green smoothie he had made for lunch on the bus, sitting in the back lounge with his feet up while scrolling through twitter on his phone. He always tried to eat healthy while they were travelling, so that when they stopped he could indulge in something truly tasty... like barbeque... without feeling guilty. Everything in proportion, as they say.

A few minutes later, Avi felt the bus come to a rumbling stop, and felt the engine shut off. Getting up and stretching, he made his way through the bus, placing his glass in the small sink to wash later. As usual, the two buses had pulled up side by side, with enough space to park another bus between them, leaving the perfect area for the twenty something travellers to gather.

Avi followed a few crew members down the steps and through the bus doors to step down onto the concrete parking lot into the space between busses where Esther always held her team meetings. It had become routine for the band and crew to always file out of the buses and stand around for a few minutes while his sister filled everyone in on the plan for the day or night. Esther was an incredible tour manager, and she was always so organised... but Avi usually found himself drifting during the meetings. On show days the plan was always pretty much the same anyways. Sound check was always around 5:30pm, followed by the meet and greet, then a break for an hour or so to eat and change clothes, before the show... usually around 8pm. There were lots of other details, but nothing that really concerned him.

Avi wandered past most of the crew, planning to hang around at the back of the group so that Esther would hopefully not notice when he stopped paying attention. He gazed up at the clear blue sky as he walked, a small smile making its way onto his face as the sun's rays bathed him in their warmth. Avi was only wearing an old black T-shirt and green flannel shirt left open at the front, so he could feel the sun warming his shoulders as he moved. It was a truly beautiful day to be outside, and he had already spent half of it cramped up inside the tour bus.

Avi saw Kevin talking to Scott and Mitch, who were standing over near the other bus, along with Kirstie and a few of the other girls. Pulling his beanie down slightly, he continued towards the back of the buses, surveying the surrounding area. Avi covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he yawned, before his gaze drifted all the way to the back of the parking lot, his green eyes widening in pleasant surprise at the sight that greeted his tired eyes.

Lush. Green. Forest. Avi's own version of heaven. The perfect place to escape the busy tour schedule and recharge. He could just imagine the quiet calm beauty of the forest... feel the cool, crisp breeze on his face... hear the swaying of branches and the call of birds high above... He could hear the crunch of leaves and twigs as he walked down the path towards a trickling stream... A grin crept onto the bearded man's lips as he gazed at the path leading into the woods, calling to him... Avi... Avi...Av

"Avi?"

The young bass singer jumped, broken out of his reverie by Kevin's meaty arm coming to rest across his shoulders. "Hey bro, are you alright? You seem kinda out of it..."

Avi dragged his eyes away from the glorious forest, to be met with his brother's grinning face. Kevin was watching him with a look of amusement, mixed with just a touch of concern. Kevin knew that Avi sometimes struggled with the fast paced life they led, and was always there for him when he needed a hug, a kind word or some good advice.

Avi nodded and tried to put on a smile for Kev's sake. "Yeah, I'm okay... just tired," he mumbled in response, dropping his eyes back to the cracked concrete and shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. With Kevin's arm half guiding him, Avi reluctantly turned around to face the group, and was met with a sea of staring faces.

"Esther's been calling your name for a while..." Kevin whispered, dropping his arm. Avi looked through the crowd, to see his sister, who was glaring at him like she used to do when they were younger... he knew he was in trouble. Avi gulped and one side of his mouth twitched into a guilty half grin.

"Sorry Es," he mumbled, unable to keep a grin from forming on his bearded face. "I'm listening now... I swear... I just... I... did you see the forest?" he added excitedly, motioning towards the back of the parking lot.

Esther just sighed loudly in response. Avi knew that she still saw him as her annoying little brother when he did things like this, but she was smiling... so she couldn't be too exasperated. It's not like it was the first time she'd caught Avi off in his own world during one of her meetings. Avi loved his sister so much. She really did make his life that much easier.

Esther was still staring at Avi... "Yes Avriel. I saw the forest. I was actually hoping that you wouldn't see it until after I had explained what the plan for tonight entailed," Esther replied calmly. Avi pouted and gave his sister his best puppy dog eyes, pleading to let him go. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and took a deep breath. "I know you want to go and explore, and yes... you can go into the woods, but give me five minutes first, alright?"

Avi grinned at his sister in return and nodded happily. Some of the crew were smiling, amused by the sibling's conversation, but Avi didn't mind. He was going to get to go into the forest! This day was turning out to be much more exciting than he expected. Don't get him wrong, he loved performing... but touring day after day for months without any real down time always left him feeling drained.

Avi turned his head slightly to gaze into the forest again. Yeah, he was definitely going to take his guitar with him... it was the perfect day for it. He would walk until he found a nice secluded spot, then relax and play his guitar and let nature recharge his body and spirit.

He should probably change into his boots and grab his jacket before he left, as it would most likely be chilly in the shade of the trees. Wait... what was Esther saying? He was drifting again...

"... so everyone should use the side entrance to bring in the ...." Esther continued to explain details that Avi didn't have to worry about. Maybe he could slip inside the bus and grab his things now, so he could leave as soon as his sister finished talking. Avi slowly made his way towards the front of the bus. Esther turned away from him to talk to one of the crew near the front of the other bus, so Avi took his chance and dashed inside the bus, hoping Esther didn't see him.

Grinning to himself in triumph, Avi kept low as he scrambled over to his luggage and changed into his boots. He slipped on his jacket and was just reaching for his guitar...

"Alright, where the hell did Avi go?"

Damn, he had been caught. Avi heard chuckling from outside the bus.

"I'm still listening," he called, kneeling up on one of the lounges near the front of the bus and sticking his head through the open window. Avi grinned at his sister, who was giving him a death stare.

"Really? You couldn't wait a few more minutes?" Esther asked in disbelief, her eyes narrowing.

"I can still hear you," Avi shrugged. He scanned over the group. Kevin's shoulders were shaking as he was laughing into his hands, trying to muffle the usually loud sound, and Scott was stooping down to try to hide behind Mitch as the blonde chuckled quietly. A few other members looked amused and more than one of the crew looked like they were struggling not to grin.

"Just... don't go anywhere yet, I'm not finished," Esther sighed, then turned back to the group and continued her speech.

Avi locked eyes with Kevin and winked at him, causing the older man to grin and shake his head in incredulity. Avi grinned back and pulled his bearded head back into the bus. He picked up his guitar and headed toward the doors, grabbing a bottle of water as he passed. As the bass stepped back outside, Esther was just thanking everyone for their time and attention... which meant that he was free to leave!

Avi turned to walk away, when a small hand on his forearm stopped him. Esther was looking at him with a mix of amusement and concern.

"Did you actually hear anything I just said?"

"Of course I did Es," Avi replied, turning to face his sister. "I have to be back by 4:30pm at the latest to get ready for sound check," he shrugged, grinning. "After that you'll tell me where to go and what to do."

"Ahhh!" Esther said through gritted teeth, whilst somehow still smiling as she put her hands up to Avi's neck in a mock attempt to strangle him. "You'll be the death of me, Avriel Benjamin Kaplan!"

Avi chuckled and shouldered his guitar so that he could pull his sister into a hug. "Thanks Es."

Pulling back from the hug, Esther looked Avi up and down, probably checking that he was dressed warm enough and had water to drink, just like the protective big sister she was. "So what time do you have to be back here?"

"4:30pm, Mom."

"And how will you know it's time to head back?"

"Because I'll set an alarm on my phone," Avi replied, rolling his eyes.

"And where's your phone exactly?" Esther asked, folding her arms in front of her.

Avi reached down to his front jeans pocket to grab his... wait... He looked down and felt around in his pockets for his phone... which was... where did he leave it? Avi thought about it for a second, before looked up at his sister with a shy, guilty grin. "It might still be in the bus..."

At that moment, Kevin burst out laughing. Avi couldn't help but grin at his brother, laughing hysterically at him being babied by his big sister. Okay, so maybe he did need his sister to look out for him occasionally.

"Stay here, I'll get it," Esther said with a motherly smile, before she climbed the steps into the bus.

"Oh man," Kevin said, walking closer and trying to recover from laughing so much. "Esther really got you there, bro."

"I know," Avi grinned, shifting his guitar strap further up on his shoulder. "I was so close to escaping, too."

"Here," Esther said, handing Avi his elusive phone. "Don't forget to post something on twitter, preferably before the show," she added. Avi nodded his thanks, and stared at his phone for a moment, trying to think of something to post. He wasn't all that great with social media, and didn't really take many photos... wait...

Avi grinned at Esther, then Kevin, before he turned around and took a photo of the forest with his phone.

"I should have guessed he'd do that," Esther mumbled to Kevin as Avi tweeted the photo and added a caption.

"Be careful, bro," Kevin said, holding out his hand and pulling Avi in for a bro hug, before turning towards the bus.

"Call me if you need to okay?" Esther said, hugging Avi again. "Or if you get lost or hurt or..."

"I'll be fine Es," Avi cut her off with a smile, "Don't worry. I won't go too far, and you know I've been exploring the woods alone since I was five!"

"I know. Have fun Avi," she replied, pushing him gently towards the forest. "Go hug a tree for me."

Avi chuckled, and finally walked off towards the inviting forest of tranquillity.

To be continued in Part 2.

I appreciate any feedback, so please leave comments. Thanks for reading.