• What was happening? I know that Boa has a rope, but I never noticed the barrel that Trek was holding and the duck tape in Kert’s hands. Boa and Kert went inside the house with their things and Trek stayed outside with his barrel open. Its been a really long time since they where in there or maybe it just felt that way because of the haunting suspense.
    "at first..." Jen broke the long silence. "I thought they were going to murder him! But now...now I think they're going to kidnap him. What do you think?"
    I was quiet for a moment. "I...don’t know"
    We both stared eagerly at the door, waiting for it to swing open. I imagined Kert taping Rogers mouth shut then Boa tying his hands and feet together. After that, they would carefully carry him down the stairs so his mom wouldn’t wake up and then...
    "there!" Jen said cheerfully.
    As if on cue, they came out with Roger, exactly like I pictured it. He was wriggling around like a worm. I wondered how they would carry him, but that was when I realized what the barrel was for. They dumped him inside it and Trek covered the top with a lid. They laid the barrel on its side then started rolling it away from the village.
    Jen tried not to burst out laughing and I could see he was having a hard time. "that...they...ff...oh man!" he was trembling with amusement.
    I stared at them as the roughly and quickly pushed Roger away. Roger...
    "Hey, you alright?" Jen pinched my cheek.
    "nn.." I looked at the ground.
    "Come on, lets go" he walked forward, waiting for me to follow. "Anysa?"
    I frowned. Anysa-the name Roger gave me. My fingers twitched a little. Am I going to go? Can I really, really go? To see Roger...I want to. But my legs, they won’t move. I’m scared. My insides tighten and I feel like im going to cry. The symbol on my arm starts to pulse a bit.
    "Hey..." Jen held out a hand. "Need help?"
    I looked at him. There’s something different, something off about him. I’ve never noticed it before but now, this feeling, being with Jen, it feels so familiar, its strange. I took his hand and he squeezed it. Familiar...it feels so familiar.

    They stopped behind a giant tree. I hugged Jens arm as we got closer to them. For some reason, I cant let go of him, its hard to understand. We crawled under a thick root that lifted off the ground to form an arch. We couldn’t see anything, but we could hear them. Roger was making strange muffling sounds and if I were to guess, he’s really angry.
    "I’ll get that tape off your mouth if you promise not to scream" Kert ordered.
    More muffling sounds.
    "I mean it, don’t scream"
    It was quiet for a moment then there was a loud yelp.
    "Shush! It wasn’t that bad"
    "What are you guys doing?! Your crazy!" It was Rogers voice.
    "Interrogating!" Boa announced.
    "interro-what- Me?!"
    "Yah, cause your not being reasonable" Trek muttered.
    "At what?"
    "Anysa" the three of them said together.
    I had a strange, burning feeling in my chest when they said that.
    "...what about her...?"
    "You know what!" Kert shouted. "what did you do to her?"
    "...nothi-"
    "It wasn’t nothing, Roger!" Boa interrupted. "You said something-did something to her when we went outside. Once you left, she was crying, staring blankly out the door! Roger, what did you do?!"
    Silence.
    "Roger!" Boa repeated, more fiercely this time. "What did you do?!"
    "..she didn’t tell you?"
    "no" he said instantly.
    Silence.
    "I kicked her"
    "What?!" Trek boomed. "You kicked her?!"
    "yah. She wanted that box, I didn’t want her to have it, she wouldn’t listen, so I kicked her" He said it calmly.
    Impossible. Why is he lying? Why, why-I get it now. It makes sense; I can’t believe I didn’t realize this sooner.
    "Roger you-" Kert began to say.
    I yelled as I crawled out from my hiding spot and pounced on Kert before he could hurt Roger.
    "Anysa, why-"
    "Stop lying...s-stop lying.." I looked Roger who was confused and shocked at the same time.
    His facial expression went serious. "What are you talking about?"
    "What you said…it never happened!"
    "Yes it did, it did happen!"
    "Roger...you don’t have to do it"
    He flinched. "Do what?"
    "Protect me..."
    His bottom lip started to quiver and he began to stutter. "I...no...w-wasn’t...I wasn’t..."
    "Anysa, he hurt you-" Trek began to say.
    "Its…he’s not telling the truth. Can you…the ropes?”
    He hesitated before untying the knots around Roger’s wrists and ankles. Roger didn’t move a muscle after being freed. We just stared at each other attentively, waiting for one of us to flinch, to give in. He looked away.
    "I’m sorry, I’m sorry...I just…its just...I didn’t want it to happen again!" he pounded the ground with his fist. "Not ever again. It...it really hurt you...the way you screamed in agony, how you collapsed. Even when you woke up from it, saying that you were fine, I could easily tell you weren’t. When I saw that box with the usoda symbol on it…I didn’t want you near it at all. Haven’t you suffered enough? Anysa…I…was just…” he gulped. “I’m so s-“
    Before he could apologize again, I hugged him, and he hugged me back. My face felt flushed from his body heat. I smiled at the sound of his heartbeat as I rested my head against his chest.
    "Awkward.." Jen said as he crawled out from under the root.
    His heartbeat went faster. "shut up..!" he mumbled.
    "This went exactly according to plan!" Kert smiled proudly.
    "...what do you mean?" Jen asked.
    "This was all planned out, right from the beginning when Anysa heard us talking from the outside about our 'plan' "
    "What...so….what?! You knew we'd follow you and that this and...and you and him and…they would...what?!"
    Boa, Kert, and Trek laugh. "yupp"
    Jen got mad and started chasing after them, threatening to kill them.
    "I missed you..." I said quietly. His heartbeat raced, faster than ever.
    "Um...uh.."
    "Kiss, kiss!" the four of them sang together.
    "Wait, no." Kert said. "She’s too young! Roger is too young, too!"
    "Then why are they so lovey dovey if they’re too young?" Trek asked.
    "Anysa doesn’t know these feelings and Roger...he’s just barely understanding!"
    "Hey!" Roger growled.
    Everyone started laughing and messing around. Sounds began to drain out and soften as I, soon later, I fell asleep.

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