“Okay, I think we should start this from the beginning,” I reply, straightening my posture on the cot so I could stare at him head-on, “why would you think that I’m after your forest? I’m not affiliated with the logging industry in any way. In fact, I’m here as a manager for the hotel that is being built in the mountains. I’m the son of a businessman who specializes in the hotel sector as well. We don’t deal with logging.”“Well, then, why are you buying the timber yard?” questions the man, “you’ve been lurking around the place ever since you stepped to town, and you’ve even conversed privately with both Paul Duncan as well as the logging company. I saw you sympathize with them myself after we burned the timber yard down.”“Oh, so that’s your doing, huh,” I exclaim, “I also assume that you’ve been behind the vandalism as well?”“Yes, we were,” says the man.“Are you responsible for trashing our place too? What about Owl’s Creek? You totally vandalized their construction site and a lot
A few hours after that, after I had taken yet another nap after downing the whole water bottle, I find myself surrounded by a group of people who are not masked with those ridiculous balaclavas.It’s the most disorienting thing, actually. Because I had no idea that I would find so many faces staring at me when I open my eyes to the light of the cabin for the second time that day.And all these faces are young. Around the same age as I am.I did not realize that the man who I called Chief is around my age. He’s a brunette who looks positively elven, with his pale skin and amber eyes, high cheekbones, and hollowed cheeks that would give Angelina Jolie a run for her money.I don’t know why but for some reason I’d envisioned him as some sort of tattooed, mustached villain type with a bald head under the balaclava. Serves me right for stereotyping all criminals I suppose.What comes as more of a shock than the people and the chief’s surprisingly young face so the two people standing next t
Slowly but surely, we manage to tell each other our own stories. And at the end of the conversation, night had fallen, and the ‘eco-conservationists’ have started to believe me.But that is only the tip of the iceberg.“So, you call yourselves ‘eco-conservationists,’” I ask, emphasizing the sentiment behind the term with finger quotes, “what does that mean exactly?”“We protect the forest,” says the Chief, his tone and expression clearly indicating that I’m kind of crazy for even asking that.“Yeah, I gathered that, but what is it that you exactly do? Do you have a certain organization? Do you have campaigns? Donation rallies for your cause? How do you get sponsors to help you all in this noble venture of yours?”Again, the group looks at me, bewildered.“Organization?” utters the girl who talked weirdly, “campaigns? What is it that you’re saying? I recognize them as words, yet the meaning is lost on me.”“Sponsors?” asks Geller, “never heard of them.”“Then how on earth do you find t
“So, what are you going to do with me now?” I ask them after the meal ends, “I’m innocent in all this. You’ve got yourself the wrong guy, and frankly, there’s nothing more I want to do than leave this frickin place and go home.”“Where is your home?” that questions come from Geller.“Clandestine city of course. That’s where I was born and raised until I went to university.”“University?” The whole group looks at me with interest.“You attend university?” Bryn inquires carefully.I narrow my eyes at them, “what, did you think I was too dumb or that or something? Of course, I attend university.”“There is no need to be hostile, we meant you no disrespect,” Medic rolls his eyes, “it is just that none of us had attended such an institution.”“Wait, seriously?” I look at them one by one, and then my gaze finally settles on Medic.I narrow my eyes at him, touching my head, “you mean to tell me that you’re not medically trained?”“I am medically trained,” Medic huffs with what seems like ind
It did take me some negotiations, but finally, I struck a deal with the eco-conservationists. I would think it would make my dad proud of my conduct in this whole affair if I was being a bit more egotistical. I mean, I would say I did a damn good diplomatic job saving myself from staying kidnapped.Even if I had to go on and promise these weird bunch of tree-huggers something downright ludicrous.I really need to learn impulse control when it comes to sentimentality.But when the next morning comes, the group of eco-conservationists bid me goodbye, and we take to the forest. I’m freed from my restraints after some apologetic glances are sent my way, and I rub my ankle perhaps a tad accusingly. I get some breakfast, and if they hadn’t kidnapped me, I’d have felt guilty for eating them out of their house when the people didn’t even have jobs, according to them that is. I did not know where they got the money for the groceries if they didn’t have jobs or even sponsors but wisely decided
“Oh, my god, Jace, you’re alive!” a flurry of blond hair buzzes past the men and women of the construction site who are gathered around me to gawk at my sudden return from the unknown.I feel myself give out an ‘oof’ when Coraline comes barreling towards me, her arms wrapping around my torso in a vice-like grip. Instantly, I feel guilty for being gone for about two days straight, even though the circumstances of my absence were beyond my control. Oliver Hannity comes right behind, parting the crowd. An expression of relief immediately dawns on his face as he takes me in.“Thank god,” he breathes, “where the heck have you been? We thought you’d gone off and fallen off a cliff somewhere!” Then his attention catches my bandaged head, and the eyes narrow, "it seems like I might not have been too far off my mark.”I roll my eyes at him, still bent over from Coraline hugging me.“It’s a long story,” I reply, trying to keep my voice grouchy, but it ends up coming out relieved as I feel infin
“We need to get home tomorrow,” I tell Coraline as soon as we get some privacy, that is after we set everything straight before retreating to the cabin. I actually find myself missing the cabin although it had only been two days, appreciating its homeyness and familiarity especially compared to a certain other cabin I found myself in the recent times. It’s a shame we have to leave it though.I’m going to miss sharing a living space with someone if I’m being honest, more than the cabin. Coraline and I were really good roommates if I dare say so myself, we somehow fit in without giving each other trouble. I consider that quite a feat, given how many bad experiences about roommates I’ve heard of in the university, even if the said roommates were girls. I’m going to miss the easy routine we had going for us, the banter and the companionship of sharing a bathroom and kitchen, the way we both found ourselves being in sync with each other, so we didn’t get in the other’s way while trying to
“I’m telling you, Jace,” says Coraline, “you’re insane for doing this.”We’ve packed everything up already, and honestly, we did not have much here that our ours. We decided to leave the groceries at home so the other person who would claim this place could use them, maybe the next manager who my father will have to order from here.I’ve sent him an email for that already, after trying to take a call but not coming up with anything other than the line constantly ringing. He must be out of the country again or at least in a no-signal zone.We’ve sent emails to everyone who concerns with our decision already before we started packing as the company needed warning in order to find someone new to fulfill the positions created by our absence. Of course, Oliver and the rest of the construction zone crew were flabbergasted at this new development. It will be throwing a bit of a wrench to my plans regarding the timber yard, but that deal could be done long distance. By now the preliminary tal