"Seriously?" I asked myself, aggravated that the loop of my jeans had somehow gotten snagged on a piece of the rusted wire fencing behind me. I was trying to loosen its grip when a sharp pain hit me on the back of my head.

"Aw! What the-" I started to exclaim but was cut off when another stab hit my leg, right below my ass. "Shit!"

I turned around to see where the projectiles were coming from. To my surprise, a camo-wearing brunette with long flowing locks, wearing overalls and an intense glare stood before me. Her stance indicated that the next rock was headed straight for my eyes if I moved a muscle in the wrong direction.

"Uh," I began cautiously. "Hold up. Hold up. Don't shoot."

"Why shouldn't I?" the little warrior goddess asked me in deadly calm. "You're on our property. Uninvited."

I used my left hand to scratch my chin. "Just...let me untangle myself and I'll explain." Before she could object, I hastily turned and finally broke my jeans free from the fence.

Moving back to face her, I noticed she still held the slingshot at ready.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I tried to reason. "You can put that thing down."

Tossing her head back and lowering her aim slightly, she laughed briefly before resuming her no-nonsense position. "I don't think so."

I turned my head slightly and offered her a smile. "Please?"

"Oh, well since you put it so nicely," she continued with a smirk before answering firmly. "No."

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. "My name is Adam. I just wanted to hang out down by the stream. I didn't think anyone would be there this time of day. I wasn't going to do anything wrong."

"Why aren't you in school?" she asked me warily. I kept my eyes on her hands as I answered. I wasn't looking forward to being hit with another rock if she didn't like my response.

"I could ask you the same thing," I said with a sly grin. Maybe a little flirting would loosen her up.

Raising one eyebrow, she looked at me in surprise. "Yeah, right. As if."

Confused, I stared at her with a frown. "What?"

"Like you don't already know," she answered with a sneer. "My daddy told me all about you guys at Garden Hall. I know why you're there...what your kind would do to a girl like-"

Cutting her off, I put my hands up in the air. "Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. I just needed to get away for an afternoon and wanted to sit by the water, walk around the forest some, and then I was going to leave," I tried to explain.

"I don't really fit in at Garden Hall and needed to get away."

I was losing my steam as the earlier adrenaline rush abated. "I got into a pretty bad fight with someone this morning and I'm washed out. You know?"

"Who?" she asked.

"Who?" I replied, not understanding.

"Who did you get in a fight with? Did you beat him up? Are you some kind of rebel?"

I suppressed the urge to make fun of her. Rebel? Where did this girl come from? Who talks like that?

Exhaling, I continued. "My dad. I got into an argument with him before school. He's pretty stubborn. It's always his way or the highway. Do as I say or get out!" I explained, mimicking Dad's condescending voice on the last part. I kicked a nearby tree branch and growled. "Pisses me off. I just want to experience things, you know? Have a little freedom; get out a little bit; live a little."

"Unfortunately, though," I grumbled to myself, snapping a piece of tall grass from a nearby stalk. "my dad doesn't always agree with me. He's so controlling."

"Your dad's strict with you then?" she inquired, finally lowering her weapon.

When I nodded she pursed her lips and finally put her slingshot into her back pocket. "Mine, too," she sighed grabbing my hand. "Come on, let's go."

Taken off guard I almost tripped as we started to run, holding hands and heading down into the valley in front of us. "Where are we going?"

"To the stream," she hollered full of sudden energy. "You said that's where you wanted to go, right?"

"Yeah," I called out from behind her.

As we clipped an upbeat pace, she began to yell and I followed her lead with some of my own ruckus. "Slow down," I called out chuckling after her. "We're going to trip."

"Mmm, what's a matter, handsome," she asked mischievously. "Can't keep up with wee little 'ol me?"

Flashing me a smile as she ran, her honey-kissed cocoa locks fanned out behind her. The sun was shining overhead, and a pair of swallows set aflight across the clear blue sky as we dashed by.

When we broke into the clearing around the pool of crystal water, my little termagant skipped over to a sprawling willow hidden in the shadows. Sitting down to kick off her mud-smeared converse and roll her pants, I watched the cagey girl unhindered. "What'cha doin'?"

"Dipping my feet in," she replied smiling. "It's getting hot. The water will be ice cold." Then gathering herself together, she stood up and leaped over to a nearby rock cropping. "Wanna sit with me?"

Not needing a second invitation, I kicked off my own sneakers and clunked over to her. She had perched herself on the boulder so easily that I was caught off guard by just how precarious the trip out to her might be. "Jeez, this moss is slippery."

"Be careful," she sighed, closing her eyes to warm her face in the sun. "Go slow and you'll be fine."

When I finally reached her, I sat down and looked around. "It's beautiful down here."

"I know," she agreed languidly. "It's my favorite place in the whole world."

"It is?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Have you traveled a lot, then?" I asked with interest.

When she opened her eyes and scowled, my eyes instinctively traveled to her back pocket. I hoped she wasn't going to reach for her slingshot again. In a matter of seconds, she went from 0-to-60 mood-wise.

"I never go anywhere," she grumbled. "You said your dad is controlling," she scoffed. "You should meet mine. I'm not even allowed to go to school. I'm home-schooled. You're the first guy I've really talked to, outside my brothers and a few cousins, that is."

Nodding my head, "No wonder," I said to myself. Then I frowned. How could her dad keep her locked up on his property like that? I picked up a nearby pebble and skipped it across the water.

"What about your mom?" I asked gingerly.

"My mom?" she replied, turning her head with a frown. When I shook my head yes, she continued quietly. "She left when I was very young. She was pretty head-strong. Her and Daddy didn't get along."

"Oh," I flinched in response. "Sorry."

"Way to go, genius," I thought to myself.

"It's ok. You didn't know. How could you? It's a normal question. And, it's been so long... ...but, I'm in an ok place with it now." She reached out and circled the top of my palm in a reassuring manner, letting me know I was off the hook for asking such an uncomfortable question.

Peering around, trying to think of anything to say at this point, I noticed something moving quickly towards our wading feet. "Hey, a garter snake-"

That was about all of my sentence I got out, however, because the minute the word "snake" passed my lips, my truancy partner shrieked and practically shot out of her skin. Racing across the stones in her way, she quickly scampered into the woods at mock speed. "Wait!" I yelled out to her, scooping up the snake in my palm before retreating after her.

Running along a dirt path that I hadn't realized was there, I was surprised to find myself soon surrounded by a small cove. There were a few apple trees scattered about, and an old oak stood in the center. A miniature house was built into the tree and as I looked up the ladder boards on the trunk I saw her head peak out of a makeshift window.

"Is it gone?"

"You mean this?" I teased, holding the snake overhead.

"You keep that friggin' snake away from me, Adam. Throw it in the woods."

"I'm coming up," I chuckled. "This snake wants to meet you."

In an instant, her slingshot was back in hand and her blue-green eyes pierced me from up above. "You come any closer with that vile thing and I'll cream you."

Shaking my head in mirth, I placed the snake in a nearby shrub and whispered. "You better get out of here fast. You're about to be mince-meat, little fella." Not wasting any time, he took my advice and slithered away quickly into the shade-covered leaves.

Watching from the window, the girl squinted down at me. "That wasn't very nice, you know. Girls don't like snakes."

"Oh, no?" I laughed. "Well, most girls don't wear camo or carry slingshots either, but you do."

"Hmph," was the only response I got.

When I poked my head through the floor of her fort, I used my hands and arms to haul myself into it. It was quaint. Little decorations and knick-knacks were placed here and there. Battery-lit twinkle lights christened the ceiling. A small blue hook rug completed the floor. "This is nice."

"Thanks," she said accepting my compliment while busying herself near the window. Her back was facing me and I couldn't make out what she was doing.

"I built it myself. Home-schooling has its advantages," she further explained over her shoulder. "Lots of free time and the ability to study unusual topics, like architecture and carpentry."

"And you wonder why I was surprised you didn't like snakes," I mumbled under my breath, shaking my head in disbelief. I distracted myself by snooping around, gently rubbing an ancient-looking, red-leather treasure chest with the palm of my hand.

"What was that?" she murmured, her voice trailing off.

Walking over to the tree's trunk, I brushed the pads of my fingers down the three little letters she had obviously carved into it. I tucked my chin and bit my lip, trying not to laugh. When I heard her sudden grunt and then exclamation, I glanced over to see her half-hanging out of the treehouse window. Alarmed, I jumped over to grab her from behind. "Hey, watch it. You'll get hurt."

Giggling, she pulled herself back into my arms and sighed. "What did you say?" She asked.

I looked down and laughed. She had an armful of apples from the nearby branches. As the reflection of the sun bounced over their cherry-red skin I chuckled in spite of myself.

Of course.

"I didn't want you to fall, Eve."

"No worries about that now that you're here," she replied with a sly grin.

THE END.