Hae Ri
I mostly stayed inside the shed, only coming out for food or water. Whenever I saw Areum or Min Woo I turned away. I felt bad about doing so, but I couldn't have that discussion with them again. My time was now spent counting the drops that fell from the leaky roof, picking at the loose boards of the floor and sleeping. It was already day four of my seven day deadline.
What was there to prove anyway? I'm not who she says I am.
I thought about the possibility of going back home - back to a life where my purpose was to marry, back to mother... and him. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling.
My life just couldn't be easy.
Someone gently knocked on my door. I sighed and said, "come in." The sun streamed onto my face, forcing me to look at my visitor.
It was Areum. Her hair was different today, she had the little ponytail at the top of her head. It was off-center, which made it even cuter. I didn't want to admit it, but I was glad to see her at my door. I thought she would hate me for avoiding her.
She looked everywhere but at me. "A-are you okay?"
I didn't know what it meant to truly "be okay" anymore, so I gave her the answer she wanted to hear. "I'm okay."
She stepped inside but kept her distance from me. "I'm sorry for you know," she said dusting off one of the shelves. "I hope you're not mad at me."
I couldn't be mad at her, she was only the barer of bad news. "It's okay. Forget it happened."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "It's stuffy in here huh?"
I figured some fresh air would do me good. Areum took the lead as we walked around Juran. Some stared at me of course, but I was used to it. We passed by Min Woo practicing his form on a dummy made out of sticks and hay. With his wooden staff, he made a horizontal strike sending the dummy's pumpkin head flying.
"Minnie! Cool moves," Areum said cartwheeling over to him.
"Thanks. Oh, Hae Ri good to see you. Are you uh-" he began to say.
"I'm not. Don't worry about it." I interrupted.
He nodded. "Hey, watch this." He then took a step back and made a vertical strike.
We gave him a round of applause. I always enjoyed watching others fight. When I was younger, I used to watch the village boys play wrestle and sword fight. Mother eventually caught me and snatched me away by the ear.
"We're going to The Hill. Want to come?" Areum asked.
"All the way up there? No thanks," he dismissed.
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, of course you wouldn't, Lazy,"
"We're going up a hill?" I asked unimpressed by the idea.
"Not just any hill. Come on, I'll show you," she said.
We started to head north when we ran into Chief Jang. My guess was that he was coming back from practice, for he was dressed in casual clothes and had an axe fastened to his hip. The few hairs that were out of his ponytail stuck to his forehead. It was like the sun had disappeared the moment he stood in front of us.
"I trust you two are staying out of trouble," he said with arms crossed. His deep voice sent fear into my soul.
I nodded, afraid to speak.
Areum on the other hand, was bold, patting his arm. "Father, you don't have to worry." She smiled and guided me away. "Hurry," she said to me under her breath.
~~
We went beyond the village, past the hunting grounds and past the fields. As always, it was difficult to keep up with Areum. She hiked over the difficult terrain easily, sometimes going on all fours to jump over fallen trees and onto high ledges.
"Hey, could you slow down a little?" I asked as I crossed a stream.
"Oh, sorry." She waited for me. "So, what's it like on the outside?
I remembered my life with Mother. The constant training and restrictions. I shrugged. "Well, it's nice."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
She obviously thought I was lying. It wasn't really a lie, really. For some, it was nice and there was a time when I was happy. My days as a child were the happiest, Father was there and Mother loved me. At least it looked like she did.
"It can be nice, we'll just leave it at that. Why do you ask?"
She hesitated. "Because I'm curious. My mother was an Outsider."
"She was?" I found it hard to believe that a girl with so much power would have a normal parent.
"Yes, and she didn't live long enough to tell me about her home." Her voice was full of sorrow.
"I'm sorry to hear that," It must have been hard not knowing about that side of her heritage. "What would you like to know?"
"What do your people do for fun?" she asked.
"Well, kids on the other side are not any different than Jurani kids. They skip rocks, play sword fight, chase, and hide and seek. Have you ever played Palm Push?"
"Huh?"
I turned and put her directly in front of me. I held my hands at chest level with my palms facing her. "Put your hands like mine." She copied me and awaited for further instruction. "Now the point of this game is to knock each other off balance. Ready?"
She nodded and put her game face on.
"Go!" I attempted to push her off balance. Back and forth we went until she misjudged where my hands were. She lost her balance and fell to the ground.
She stayed there for a moment. Her shoulders were going up and down. It looked like she was crying.
"Are you okay? We don't have to play that anymore." I reached out to comfort her when she rolled over. She wasn't crying, but laughing.
"I love that game!" She got up and brushed herself off. "I've got to show that to Min Woo when we get back."
We continued our hike, casually talking here and there. She told me about how she once saved a bird that fell from a tree, and about Min Woo's strange fear of spotted things.
"We're almost there." She pointed to a steep hill in front of us.
What is with her and high places?
I took my time and walked up the hill. My muscles were crying for they never had to endure such strain. When I finally reached the top, I sat down by a large, lone tree to catch my breath. "Why... did... we... come... up... here?" I asked between breaths.
She giggled. "Would ya look Silly?"
I got up from the tree and joined her. What I saw was the most breathtaking view. There was a vast land in front of me, stretching far beyond what I could see. Numerous lush fields were cut by a soft flowing river, which led to a central lake. The clouds looked to be so close from up here. I couldn't fathom how a place so beautiful as this could exist in this harsh world.
The wind blew through her wild hair. "I know right? It's something to remember. This reminds the Jurani that we are blessed to live in a place like this. We are the ones that should be thankful."
Indeed, it is the Earth who allowed us to walk its grounds, to eat, to sleep - to live.
"For me, this place reminds me of my duty." She brought her hand to her heart. "I am the guardian of nature. I was chosen since birth to protect everything you see here." She looked on with a straight face.
"You're not scared?" I asked. This should not be her burden to carry.
"I was of course. I cried when I found out but..." A small smile formed across her face. "...then I felt it. I know it doesn't make sense, but somehow I don't feel worried anymore. I just know that I have what it takes." Her voice was unwavering.
This little girl was an enigma to me. She had the world on her shoulders, but she carried the load with pride. Areum had more courage in a strand of hair than I did in my whole body, which is why I knew I wasn't who the forest called for.
"Anyway, I didn't mean to get all serious. Listen, Hae Ri I don't care if you are or aren't the one in my dream. I'm just glad to have found you. We're friends now, right?" She looked at me with hopeful eyes.
Before I could answer a loud roar ripped through the sky and the Earth started to shake.
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