Far Away Memories {Ruzes & Charlie flashbacks}

Plans come together in a matter of seconds. He's ready to follow her to wherever she needs to go, but she makes it very clear he'll be beside her instead of following her. That he can agree upon. Why not? Her bottom lip quivers with this fear that he can sense. Unsure of what the consequences that may follow this little plan hatching, he just knows that he can't let her be taken, or to go alone. With the bracelette in his hand, being held out for Charlie, she takes it with a smile. He gently wraps it around her wrist, tieing it where it needs to be tied. It's nothing special, but it's the first gift he's ever given her aside from birthday gifts. Something in him gives him this weird vibration when he lets go of her hand and he can't really explain what it is about Charlie that makes him feel like protecting her, but he does. To him, she's almost like family.

Ruling out the possiblity of Kya going makes it a bit more difficult. He will be leaving behind everyone he loves for this mission. So, they finally agree on how to save her. They'll be meeting when everyone falls asleep in the middle of town at the school. Not only at the tree, but it's where they lean against when they count for hide and seek. The tree has more significance than ever for Jeran because one time at recess, he took a crayon to write on the tree his name and hers along with the phrase 'friends forever' underneath. The only bad thing about that was the rain that came that night to wash off the color. Though, Jeran could pinpoint the exact location of where he'd written it out one time.

"Good idea, Charlie." He says to her but with a tight squeeze, she's suddenly out of his grip and out of his bedroom in a flash. Even sooner, he runs to the window to see her gone from their house. He never even got to return the hug at all. It was just over like that but the hug has him feeling suddenly alone now. Charlie left him standing there with so many questions and so full of fear that the plans wouldn't work out. What if Kya got sick again? What if his mom didn't go to sleep, or his dad?

That night, he laid in bed. The clock was ticking down. His mother had already came in to give him kisses and tuck him in, but his eyes were no where near ready to close for good. Instead, he pretended to sleep until the house was quiet. That's when he got up and changed into his pants and a shirt. His feet slipped into his shoes and he instantly takes out a bag he stashed in his closet earlier when Charlie came in with the plans. With the bag on his back, he leaves his room as quiet as possible before he reaches the downstairs.

"Jewen? Where are you going? Not school time yet." A gentle voice whispers out from atop the stairs. Her hands moving gently over her eyes as she yawns big. A set of eyes stare down at him. "Go back to bed, Jewen before momma catches you."

"Kya, go back to bed. I have something to do." Jeran tells her, putting his finger up to his lips. She shakes her head and starts down the stairs, becoming more alert.

"No. You are suppose to be in bed. You can't leave, Jewen. Take me with you. Please?" She tries to use her charm against her brother like it always would work, but Jeran only shakes his head terribly at her.

"I said to go back to bed Kya."

She shakes her head again and pulls on his arm. "Come on Jewen. Bed time. You are going to get in trouble."

Suddenly, he slaps her hand away from pulling on him. "I said, NO Kya. Go. to. bed! NOW!" His voice raises to a very loud whisper at her the moment his hand slaps against hers, stinging her as if he'd punched her in the face. She pulls her hand into her and covers it with the other. Tears form and collect to her eyes instantly.

Jeran turns away from her and heads straight to the door. His fingers turn the knob and opens it but once again, he feels tiny arms wrapping around his middle as she attaches herself to her brother.

"Jewen, please don't go.... stay with me. I'll tell mom and dad!" She coaxes to get him back inside, but what happens is a shock to even Jeran. He grabs her hands and unwraps her hands from him and pushes her backwards until she falls. The look of pure horror on her face is enough to tell even Jeran what he did was wrong, but with that look from his sister, he races out the door, shutting it.

Fifteen minutes, Jeran waits at the tree. His back against the tree, tears forming at his eyes. Feelings of remorse setting in already for what he did to Kyanite. "Come on Charlie. Where are you?" The darkness starts to play with him out here in the open. Fear starting to play tricks within his head of things that go bump in the night. Finally, he lets the tears go and very gently sobs. "Alone...."

Silent sobs escape from the little dark haired boy. Small tears drip from his cheeks, soaking into his pants, leaving little wet drops where they've landed. Remorse fills the boy because of what he did and what he was doing. Not necessarily because of running away as much as what he had just done to someone that he promised to protect since she was born. He was the one that pushed her down. He was the one to gave such a harsh voice to. Those tears in her eyes couldn't even begin to match the tears that pooled in his eyes. His was regret, whereas her's was of fear and abandonment. The whole run to where they would be meeting, he kept replaying the moment she fell. When she only wanted him to go back to bed. Something inside was trying to counter his actions and just take her with him, but he couldn't do that to his parents.

"Charlie... please don't leave me out here." His voice barely whispers out inbetween sobs when finally, she appears. Her voice automatically makes a comment on his unstable emotions because she has no clue what horrid thing he had just done. He looks up to her and shakes his head to her and drops his head once more.

"I pushed her. I told her to go to bed. She didn't want to let me go. Charlie, I pushed her down. Kya is going to hate me. I can't go back home. I can't." His eyebrows arch to a sorrowful kind. His eyes trying to search Charlie for any kind of relief but he can't find the answers that he wants. With her arms suddenly going around him, he gives the hug back to her. For once, he feels the comfort now. His best friend is giving him what he needs at a moment like this and his sobs disappate.

"Everything's going to be okay. In a couple of weeks we'll come back, and it'll all go back to normal." She tells him. His eye's dart between her two and with a heavy breath, he gives her a nod.

"Okay. I trust you, Charlie."Even though he gives her his trust, the thoughts of Kyanite still linger in his head. He stands up and watches his friend bring out a knife and for a moment, he opens his mouth to say something about it, but when she starts carving the tree where he once put their names, a small smile appears on his lips.

"That's cool, Charlie. Forever. Our tree." He brings his hand up to touch the tree where she had put their names on it permanently. Then urgency sets in. The sooner they leave, the better because if they tend to linger, they'll be found soon. Jeran's unsure if Kya will tell his parents or not about what he did, but if she does, he'll be punished forever.

"Right. Let's get out of here." She extends her hand and he puts his hand in hers and off they go, right foot in front of the other as they make a break for it into the woods behind their school. Time seems to stretch on as silence fills the air. Jeran, however, breaks the silence ofthe quiet night.

"Charlie... do you think Kya will hate me?I didn't want to push her down. I didn't want her to come. I didn't want her out here. She's been sick a lot and I just didn't want her to get sick again. I am not a good brother. I shouldn't have done that..." He brings himself down as they walk. Immediately following that sentence, he bends down and takes hold of a thick stick that is his height and starts to drag it along behind him. In the distance, a low rumble of thunder echoes through the darkness, but it doesn't seem to effect Jeran.

A very low rumble occurs again. In the distance, while the too are preoccupied, a storm seems to be approaching, but with the two children under the cover of the trees, the wind that starts picking up only feels like a gentle breeze. If only they knew what dangers were coming with the unstable sky. With the rumbling barely audible, the two kids talk amongst themselves. The young boy confides to his friend whose right there beside him the whole time. Her words seem to calm his fears enough to tell him that he's a great big brother and with the knowledge that they wouldn't be able to take care of her out here has him feeling better. In a way, he had to be a little bit mean to her to make sure she stayed home and that way she was protected. There was no telling what troubles she might have gotten into if she came.

Charlie always seems to know exactly what to say to Jeran to make him feel better. It's natural now between the two. They know what makes the other mad and how to heal a hurting heart. The two of them might as well be siblings as much as they hang out and understand each other. Still, her words seem to stick to him. It lightens his load a lot more then she knows and walking side by side, Jeran bumps into her once just to play with her.

"How do you think we'll get food? I only got enough for a few days. What all did you get?" He questions as he adjusts the backpack on his back. The bag on his back is stuffed to the breaking point. The zippered area stuffed till the zipper won't move anymore of clothes and a few food items. Suddenly, a crack of thunder echoes through the forest, as well as the first flash of lightning. Jeran jumps and immediately puts his arms around Charlie as if to protect her from what was occuring. When the sky goes quiet, that's when his voice seems to set into a tone of leadership.

"Charlie, we need shelter. We need to hide from the storm!" Without even getting any further into their plans, raindrops start to plummet down and soaking the pair of runaways. Big drops pound harshly against the ground, quickly turning everything in front of them into wet clumps of grass or very liquified mud. Jeran takes her hand and immediately starts to run with her. His feet slip several times on the mud while the lightning is the only thing in their way from seeing and not.

Once more, the lightning lights up the sky and for more than two seconds the light holds enough that Jeran is able to catch a hole in the wall of the mountainous area they seemed to be heading.

"Over here, Charlie. A cave.. we can hide in there?" He cries out in the middle of yet another loud crack of thunder. It jars him a little that time enough that he covers his head with his hands then turns to Charlie. "Run!"

His feet splash against the terrain under his foot, but no sooner has he started, the ground beneath him collaspes and both him and his partner tumble into the opening and into the pit of mud and broken twigs. Landing on his back, his breath is taken away as he looks upward toward the sky; raindrops falling on his unwavering gaze to the darkness.

"Ch...ar...lie?"

Jeran is the first to take the lead. It was the young boy who discovered the cave in the first place with what the lightning had given him to see. He had the general direction of the place as well as how high up to go, it was getting there that was the problem for the runaway duo. No sooner had he grabbed her hand and lead her astray through the forest, that the ground began to give way underneath and the moment the weight was altered above the hollow ground, they both tumbled down. While Jeran was the first to fall through the threshold, the debris is what broke his fall into the slippery mud below. Sticks and leaves break under his weight as a scream echoes out from Charlie whose tried to land on her feet. The sound of it makes Jeran wince as he tries to catch his breath, but her name only comes out in whispered gasps.

Something similar to pain seems to irritate the boy as he grimaces from where he lays. The sticks from underneath poking him harshly into his back while the rain keeps hitting him in the face causing him to cough up the liquid trying to drown him and the breath he hardly has. As fingers finally reach over to him, so does a question to the little lad. So far, moving doesn't hurt as he lets his fingers dig into the space between him and Charlie. Mud squishes between his fingers as he pulls himself off the painful poking of the debris underneath him and he lays his head onto his arms. Slowly his chest moves up and down.

"I... think.. so." He manages to get out. Lightning lights up the sky and the hole that they've fallen into and with what little light was given, the hole is nothing but a mud hole waiting to be filled with water. Cold, soaked and with small bouts of pain, he tries to get to his knees while listening to Charlie, whose more hurt then he thought as she explains that her feet hurt from the fall. Immediately, Jeran reaches out for her and coaxs her to sit beside him by pulling on her arm.

"Sit down, Charlie... let me see." He asks as his breaths begin to get better the more he tries to take deeper intakes of air. It still hurts, but he's passed that just by the fact that his friend is hurt. His mind is adverted away from his own problems and he's focusing on her. Once she's sat down, he moves his hands down her leg till he finds her feet and touches the left ankle. "Does that hurt?" He asks then immediately goes to the right ankle, being gentle as he feels around the inside of the foot. A problem is detected almost immediately as he feels the bone somewhat out of place. Even in the dark, it doesn't take a genious to figure out something is wrong even with the way she's cried out in pain and his hands leave her ankle quickly.

"I'm sorry.. I"m sorry.. please, Charlie, don't cry. Don't cry." His heart breaks to hear his best friend crying. He don't like it at all and this is almost the first time that he's ever heard her cry like this. Even as the rain keeps pouring, the thunder doesn't let up, letting out a single loud crack that shakes even the ground around them, causing the mud to sudden pour more into the hole. The danger is getting worse for the youngsters.

PAT -600

Hearing his friend cry out in pain is just unheard of. Any other time they've gotten into trouble and the last time he can recall of her being in pain, it was from when she fell from the tree the year before. Even if tears might have graced her face and rolled down her cheeks, that pain is nothing compared to the wail she let out when his hand touched the area on her ankle that is clearly broken. Age has nothing to do with common sense as he can tell so readily that her ankle shouldn't feel like that. His hands leave her ankle quickly not wanting to cause more pain and already words of regret pour from his mouth to calm her down.

Yet, there's not calming this situation that has suddenly become more than just running away to avoid losing his best friend. It's become almost life threatening as the mud around them starts to cave in and water seems to be coming into the hole as buckets. Now isn't a time to just sit there and try to coax his friend into not crying as she clearly tries to be strong and saying they need to get out of there. With a nod, he has to agree and his hands are on her arm as she tries to stand.

"Stay off your foot, Charlie... so you don't make it worse. I'll help you." He says and it's clear that's what he wants to do. With one arm still around her, he uses one hand to see about digging his hands into the wall around them, but it only comes out in clumps. It's unstable and falling apart as much as the rain thatbeating against it is loosening it.

"Charlie. STand on my shoulders. When you reach the top, pull yourself out then help me out!" Formulating a plan seems easy for the one that isn't clouded by pain. He bends down and allows her the needed room in order to stand on his shoulders, yet he knows that she'll only have the grip of one foot, so the moment that her foot is pushing against his shoulder, his hand goes to stable her. "Go Charlie. Climb... Get out!"

Something don't feel right at that moment. With her weight pushing against his body, he feels his feet sinking into the ever deepening mud. Already, he feels the mud around his ankles, covering his shoes but he suddenly, uses both hands to grab on to her ankle and push upwards as his body sinks further yet again. Just like that, her foot is out of reach as he can only hope and pray that she got out as he crumples to his knees in the mud, but it seems like he's not even bending over as the mud has completely covered his legs to the top of his calves.

"Charlie.. go get help. I can't move." As much as he don't want to make the situation any worse, he knows that Charlie will be the only surviver in this harrowing ordeal. Panic and fear seems to eleate the boys senses as he tries to get his feet out of the mud but just as much as he pushes to get out, the other foot keeps sinking further and further down. Finally, he stops moving to prevent him from going any further into the mud. "Charlie.. I'm stuck. The mud... Go get help!"

PAT - 574

Protecting his friends and family is what is most important to Jeran. It's been instilled into his head from the moment Kyanite had been born that day when he was told he was a big brother. From the exact moment that his father took his hand at just a mere two years old, and he laid eyes upon the precious little girl that he calls Kya, being a protector was drilled in his head. Keep her safe. Don't let anyone harm her. You make sure that whatever happens, you make sure she doesn't get injured. If anyone hurts her, you will answer to me. Phrases stick to his mind the moment that his father had said over the years. He's never met a problem that he's never been able to accomplish when it came to protecting his sister. When it comes to Charlie, it's a little bit different. She has saved him many times. In a way, they pay each other back. Her friendship to him is about as valuable as his sister. She is in every way, something that he will keep safe if it means that something happens to himself. That's why he's went on this journey with Charlie. Because he knew, at some point, that she would need him. He just never expected that it would be this early into the escape.

Without her muddy foot pressing down on his shoulder, he knew he had done what he aimed to do. She would be safe from this muddy pit if it suddenly was to collaspe. He would not be alright, but at least his best friend would be. She was more valuable to him than any jewel they could bring up from the rocks. She was more precious than any gem that could be polished into perfection. She was his everything. If it meant that he would take his last breath before the mud covered his head, he knows that he did everything to protect her from a horrible death.

Drop of rain fall through his hair. His eyes looking down into the pitch black mud that has no source of light. The backpack that he's put back on his back is regretably pulling him further and further into the mudd as he tries to move even the littlest bit. The extra weight is pulled off no sooner had he put it on and with an anxious try, he throws it up into the air, but it falls back down beside him. A scream suddenly penetrates his ears as she screams out for his friend whom he had sent off to go get help. Her foot would cause them trouble, he knew, but at leasts she had a chance of getting out while he was being slowly suffocated in the mud that will soon consume him as the rain pours into the hole.

Flashes of lightning grace the sky, allowing Jeran the ability to see more and more of what's going on around him. In one split second, a clump of mud falls, hitting him in the back, making him fall over yet again, his hands sinking deep withing the ground in front of him that is becoming more of a muddy pool than a death trap. If he doesn't get suffocated by mud, then he'll drown in dirty water. If only the rain woulnd't keep going. If only there was a way to get out.

"I can't walk. Grab onto this."

Her voice is heard among the rumbling of thunder in the background. By the sound of it and the length of time between each strike of lightning and the thunder, the storm is very much upon them without the courtesy to leave any time soon. It's horrid for these two youngesters to have to deal with this, but being the troopers they are, they keep fighting. With tooth and nail, Charlie keeps moving trying to save her friend by poking a stick into the pit to pull her friend out. A gust of wind enters the pit, sending cold chills down JEran's back as he reaches up to grab the stick. Little by little, his feet move upward, but without the presence of shoes, his toes seem to dig deep into the muck to climb a little higher each time.

"Charlie. My shoes..." He tells her as he uses the tool he's clinging to like a life support. It just might be the only thing that is keeping him from sinking deeper. Just as soon as his feet is topside of the wet soil, the clouds open up to a second round of full liquid being poured onto them. A mouth full of water is spit out as Jeran tries to figure out how to climb without the water going into his nose nor his mouth, but the grip on the stick is waning with the mud caked fingers that he has. Even on the other end, he feels the stick coming more in his direction.

"Don't let go Charlie. Please?" He said about the time that a gush of water pours over the edge, and Jeran falls onto his back, splashing into the muddy water. Autmatically, he begins to cough up the liquid that fell into his mouth. "It's no use..." Jeran's heartbroken. As good as they were doing, it just wasn't enough.

"Charlie, promise me - you'll go to that family if something happens..."

Devistation seems to always find these two as lightning flashes brightly right beside of Charlie, hitting the tree with a loud crack and the huge branch only feet away from her ignites for a moment with fire before falling down and covering half of the pit while a yell is heard then complete silence.

The rain lightens up just slightly, no longer pounding on the pair, though the one in the hole has suddenly became quiet. Jeran's eyes remain closed, partly in fear from the sound of the crack but also of fear from seeing the branch falling toward where he currently is stuck. With what courtesy the sky does give, it lights up enough of the half covered hole with branches and leaves that stick down into where he's being held captive. Slowly, he moves and crawls over to the edge where he was sure he saw a branch that was within arms reach. Slowly, but surely, he takes hold of the twigs first, and then the thicker part before putting his bare feet against the wall of the pit and slowly pulling himself up.

"Charlie?" He questions, when his hands reach out among the edge of the hole. "I need help..." He grunts as he pulls himself out slowly and tiredly. He stops halfway, as he lets his head lay against the branches that saved him and takes a deep breath. All the while, his mind is screaming for him to go a little bit further, but his body just won't let him. His toes slip from their grip and he slides just an inche back down before grabbing harder onto the branches. "Charlie!"


PAT - 1175

The entire time as Jeran hangs precariously on the stick, Charlie is refusing to let him go that quickly. She's determinded and perhaps, even more so than Jeran himself. She's got it lucky though. At least she's out of the danger, whereas he's still unable to really count for much. His feet still sink in the mud. The stick has hardly any grip on it and Charlie is just his age, with barely enough strength to hold him in one place and with an ankle like that, he's surprised she's even able to focus enough to help him out. Though, the support of the stick is released with a flood of water that makes him lose his grip and he falls back down. Words of pessimism is heard and promises to make her life even better is needed to be known before he succumbs to his fate.

Still, the good thing about Charlie is that she's not willing to give up on him too easily and even if he's unable to grasp the stick again, some other force has taken it upon themselves to show them another way to get out. Lightning has suddenly became their ally, breaking off a good sized branch from the full trunk. It's just what little Jeran was needing to make another attempt at getting out of the hole. It has to be done one way or another. If he doesn't, then the pit in which he has fallen will surely become his grave without the need to dig the six feet down.

Despite the pain to hold on to the tree branch, with the many twigs poking and scratching up his arms, he fights against the grain until he feels that he can't go on anymore. Upper strength doesn't really come in for a boy his age until he's been trained better. He's only been under the supervision of his father for less than a year, and he's surprised that he's done as well as he has given the circumstances of being asleep at this hour of a night anyways. Exhaustion seems to be the key factor working against him as he finally calls out for help. Surely, Charlie isn't too far away from him in order to get to him quickly before all of the climbing so far would be in vain. The scratches he feels stinging on his feet and his hands and arms will be for nothing if he falls back down into the bottom of the muddy grave.

In only moments after his call for help, he sees Charlie going over the side to help him. Then in matter of harrowing seconds, he feels her hand against his own and tears become his friend at that moment. If any other moment has been terrifying, just having her hand on his is enough to give him the strength and courage to keep going.

"I've got you!" She tells him and he fully gives all of his trust into her. HEr fingers squeeze hard, showing him just how much she don't want to let him go. It's something that Jeran seems to be all too grateful for and she pulls on him as much as she can. With fingers pulling up on the branches and his toes digging into the wall, the aid is just enough that before he knows it, they are over the edge in no time.

Gentle moans come from the boy in the form of an inaudible sob. Hiccup like breathing is making it clear that he's worked up about what happened. That he, himself, could have ended up at any minute, been tossed back down in that crypt and only to be found at a later time when his breath would no longer be exiting and entering his small lungs. He looks over at Charlie, looking at her face to measure the amount of pain she might be in and before he can ask about her, she's making that statement to him.

"I'm... scared." He says bluntly. Normally, he's never scared and never been known to actually admit it so openly. Though, if he can't be open with the person that just saved his life, then what good would it do? "I was really, really scared, Charlie."

It's just as if she knew exactly what he needed and her arms are around him in a moments notice. He's instantly taking that hug and returning it just the same knowing she had to go through so much to keep him from giving up when it seemed hopeless. He suddenly shakes his head. "I told you to go for help... you know I didn't want you to fall down again. Thank you for saving me." His words come out with a shaky tone.

His hand goes down to his feet and tries to wipe off some of the mud, but as he does a stinging sensation shoots up his leg from the scrapes and cuts that he's incurred from the battle with climbing the tree. The lightning begins to lighten up just to ever other second now. The rain has turned back to a good rain instead of a monsoon like downfall. "Charlie... we need to get to that cave still. We need to get out of this storm before another tree falls on us. Can you walk..." He asks, but already remembers how she could barely get up on her own let alone hearing the scream when she did try to go get help. He knew her foot is no good at all.

"Charlie, get on my back." He states and stands up from where he was previously resting. Right now, there is no resting. They still need safety out of the storm and the last place he saw was that the cave was just up a small hill. He crouches down in front of Charlie and gives his full back for her to cling on to. "Get on Charlie. I'll carry you." He reaches out for her hand and when he feels that she on, he puts both hands underneath her legs, mindful of her ankle, to keep her from slipping and starts off on the trek up the hill to the shelter.

Wind whips around the pair, pushing the water from the clouds to partially clean off his extrememly muddy attire. Even his face starts to run free of the gunk that decorates the boys face. "You okay Charlie?" he questions as his feet slip on the wet mud as he almost tumbles with Charlie in tow. His regains his footing, digging his feet into the soil below to gain traction for the climb up the hill and to the cave that is coming into view more and more as Jeran nears it. The threshold of the cave is about as dark as the pit was only the dry atmostphere is too tempting to leave once inside. Two steps inside, he bends down and lets Charlie sit down in their makeshift shelter.

PAT - 1166