Fan Fiction |
by Hibiscus
“Canned food. Check.”
“Um, Ariel. We need maybe about three, not one dozen cans of beans.”
“Be quiet. We might get lost and I don’t want to starve. Bread, check.”
“What do you need bread for?”
“How else are we going to eat the beans?”
“Can opener, knives, forks, napkins, plates. Check.”
“You left out the cheese grater.”
“Don’t be silly. I bought the cheese pre-shredded. Safety pins, check.”
“What will we need safety pins for?”
“What if it starts raining and our tents start leaking? Huh? Sunscreen, check. Three pairs of clothes, check.”
“We are going for ONE night.”
“I said be quiet. Hmph. First aid kit, check. Chocolate, check. Books, check.”
“Ariel, we are allowed one bag.”
“Oh, sleeping bags! Check. Pillow, check. Face cleanser, check. Moisturiser, lipstick.”
“Are you going to attempt to seduce the wild life?”
“Wild life?! Are there bears there?”
“No.”
“Tigers?”
“No.”
“WEREWOLVES??”
“Ariel!!”
“Should I take a gun?”
At that, Mike threw her stuff in his car, hustled her inside and drove off to the outskirts of the city, nearing the countryside, where they were supposed to meet their guide who would go camping with them.
The guide’s name was Linda. She was a short woman, with short curly hair and a no-nonsense look on her face. Dressed in khaki shorts and a matching shirt, she was the epitome of a guide. She took one look at Ariel’s luggage and made her cut it in half, ruthlessly going through it and choosing only the most basic and necessary items.
They were supposed to hike up the mountain, away from the village and camp on the mountains for the night. And then in the morning, they would be led down and could pick up their car and leave for the city.
Ariel applied sunscreen liberally all over her legs, hands and offered her sunscreen to Mike generously. Mike had been looking at Ariel’s actions with a look of bemusement and she snapped at him, “Don’t mock me!”
“I didn’t say a word!” Mike said defensively.
“You didn’t have to. I heard you thinking!” Ariel said hotly.
Just then Linda gestured to them start inclining the hill and Ariel put on her music and started walking, determinedly ignoring Mike who in turn to turned HIS music off and walked ahead conversing cheerfully to Linda about the flora and fauna.
Linda determined a camp site after two hours of hiking. She kept on talking to someone over the walkie talkie sounding worried and both Ariel and Mike noticed that as the day crept towards the end, Linda became more and more anxious.
Finally Ariel asked Linda what the matter was.
“It’s my daughter. She’s in labor. It’s her first baby and there are complications. I’m just so worried.” Linda said a frown clouding up her face.
“You should be with her right now.” Mike had gone to collect firewood for the fire and Ariel and Linda had set up the tents.
“I needed the money to pay the doctor and Angela Jie was very generous. There was no way I could turn her down. But I’m so worried.” Linda said again.
Ariel’s kind heart pitied Linda’s plight. She asked her. “Can you make it back to the village before dark?”
Linda looked up in surprise. “Yes I know my way very well but what about you two? I can’t leave you two here.”
Ariel looked around. They were in a clearing on top of the mountain side. The forest was a few meters behind them and in front of them was the edge of the mountain which overlooked the sea. It was beautiful and at that moment, it seemed very unthreatening.
“Well, you can just hurry back in the morning and get us. We should be fine. There are no known predators out here, right?”
“No. But I would feel so bad.” Linda started.
“Don’t worry about us. Your daughter is most important and I won’t tell Angela that you weren’t here so you should be able to get paid anyway. It’ll be a secret.”
“Are you sure, Miss? I don’t feel right about leaving you here.”
Ariel looked around again. “I’m sure. Go. Hurry. Before it turns dark.”
Linda expressed her gratitude and left Ariel with a list of warnings and Do’s and Don’ts.
Just after she left, Mike wandered out of the forest looking disheveled and hot. He had a whole bunch of prime firewood in his arms. Walking into the camp area he looked around for Ariel and Linda.
Ariel, he saw, sitting with her legs dangling off the edge of the mountain, taking pictures. Linda was no where to be seen.
“Ariel! Get away from there, do you want to give me a heart attack?” He yelled at her.
“Sorry, Grandpa.” Ariel got up and walked towards him, smiling.
“Where’s Linda?” Mike asked drinking deeply from a bottle of water.
“She went back to the village.” Ariel said calmly.
“She WHAT?” Mike sputtered, choking as the water went up his nose.
“Goodness. Breathe for God’s sake, Xiao Mei.” Ariel said slapping him on the back.
“What do you mean she went back to the village? Why would she do that? And leave us here? By ourselves? What?” Mike asked.
“Okay so her daughter is in labor. Complications arose and she was very worried so I sent her back to be with her daughter.”
Mike was so surprised he could only gape at her.
“It’s very important to have your mother with you on that day, you know?” Ariel said conversationally.
“Why didn’t you ask to go back with her, Ariel you little twit!!!” Mike bellowed.
“Calm down! We would have slowed her down and besides, she’s coming back in the morning to get us. Didn’t you say you liked camping?” Ariel stretched breathing in the fresh mountain air.
“Okay that’s it.” Mike took one of the longer pieces of wood and laid it between the camps. “You stay on your side and I will stay on mine. No fraternizing.”
Ariel rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious, Yi Chen. We no longer have a chaperone. If this gets out, we are both royally screwed.”
“I can’t worry about hyenas in a place like this, Mike.”
“You should.” Mike said darkly. “I’ve learnt my lesson too well.”
“And besides, what do you expect me to do, seduce you over the camp fire?” Ariel continued, completely ignoring his dire predictions.
“Whatever. Just stay on your side and I will stay on mine and we will be fine.” Mike said.
“Okay fine, Mr. Prim. I’m hungry.” Ariel went and dug out one of the cans of baked beans while Mike started the camp fire. She heated the beans in a pan and got out the bread.
Then looking over at Mike, she grinned.
“You’ll have to come to my side if you want food.” Ariel smirked. Mike glowered at her. Ariel smiled sweetly and started eating.
“Oh this is SO GOOD. Doesn’t the food taste better out in the open, Mike? Oh right, you wouldn’t know since you won’t come near me.”
If looks could kill, Ariel thought, she’d have been at the bottom of the mountain by now, pinned and buried by Mike’s feral glare.
“Would you like some?” Ariel continued smiling generously.
She shifted and created a spot beside her. She patted it.
“Why don’t you come over and get some.”
“I don’t want any. I’m not hungry.” Just then Mike’s tummy growled loudly, calling him a liar.
“Oh Mike, don’t be such a priss. Just come over and I’ll feed you, like I always do.” Ariel said sounding exasperated.
Mike got up reluctantly and then walked over the piece of wood he had laid between them and sat down beside her.
Ariel made him a sandwich and they both ate, ravenously hungry after the long day of hiking. After eating and then cleaning up, they sat down and Ariel took out the pack of cards she had hidden from Linda’s ruthless inspection of her stuff.
“Let’s play cards.” She said to Mike.
“No.” Mike said lying back on the ground.
“MIKE!!” Ariel suddenly screamed.
Mike got up hurriedly and ran over to Ariel who was standing with her face toward the horizon, a fascinated expression illuminating her features.
“What?!” Mike asked.
“Look!” Ariel pointed to the sky.
“I don’t see anything.” Mike replied.
Ariel smacked him on the head. “Look again!”
“Ow! What am I looking at? Oh. The sunset? What about it?” Mike rubbed his head.
“He Jun Xiang! How can you not appreciate that beautiful sight?” Ariel hmped, crossing her arms and frowning.
“With you beside me, everything else fails to impress me.” Mike replied grinning.
Ariel snorted. “You said that to me in high school during prom, remember? Right before you ditched me to go dance with Leila.”
“But it worked then.” Mike grinned in fond remembrance.
Ariel smacked Mike again for good measure then stalked back to the fire where she had laid the cards ready to play.
“Come on, play with me.” She wheedled.
“NO. You’ll start screaming, “Omg! You cheated” once you start losing. You always do that.”
“I promise I won’t this time.”
“Pinky promise, Arieletta.”
“Er, my pinky’s hurt.”
“Yi Chen!”
“Okay okay. Hitler. Pinky promise.”
20 minutes later.
“OMG, you cheated!” Ariel shrieked as Mike won his fourth game in a row.
“I did not! You promised you wouldn’t say that!” Mike said.
“It’s the truth!”
“Is not!”
“Is too!”
“Okay okay. Fine, I cheated.”
“I knew it!” Ariel pouted.
“Here.” Mike took something out from his backpack.
Ariel looked at it suspiciously. “What is it?”
“The only thing Linda confiscated off you that I was interested in.” Mike said.
“Chocolate?!” Ariel snatched the packet of chocolate from Mike’s hands.
Suddenly she yawned. A big toe curling yawn that sent Mike into hysterics. Ariel scowled and watched Mike giggle.
“You are not very hot when you are giggling like a girl, you know.” Ariel said with a haughty sniff. Mike paid her no attention and continued laughing. Finally he stopped, clutching his sides.
“That yawn was bigger than you are, Yi Chen. Go to bed, it’s been a long day.”
“Yeah.” Ariel stretched. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll turn in. You?”
“I’ll stay out for a bit. Then sleep.” Mike replied.
“Hm. Okay.”
Ariel turned to leave and then stopped as though debating something in her head. Finally she turned back and gave Mike a sudden hug.
Mike stiffened then relaxed almost immediately. He hugged her back and then smiled crookedly. “Was that a thank you for the compliment?”
“No. I’ve missed you, He Jun Xiang.” Ariel said quietly.
Mike felt that his heart would burst at the happiness that coalesced in him at Ariel’s words. “I missed you too, Lin Yi Chen. Friends again?”
“Friends.” Ariel said and shook his hand.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Ariel had been sleeping deeply when a sudden sound woke her up. She woke up with a pounding heart and sweaty palms. The silence seemed immense; it crowded her senses and brought to painful light her own isolation.
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Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Haptnerc. I told you to be careful what you wish for. ;) And this Author has to announce that due to technical difficulties, posting of chapters may not occur on a daily basis. And this Author is not laughing gleefully, really. Hahcough. =D