What seemed like hours was only one. There was a light breeze that caused the leaves to brush right past them and little puffs of clouds moved along the sky. The trees made rustling sounds as the branches moved. The trees had now become closer together and the path became narrow. The path was nothing but dirt and along the side was grass, so it was obvious that the path had been used.
The groups of the students, plus the two twins, walked along the path, a few chatting as they walked in hopes of passing the time and getting to know one another better.
"We're here," Celeste stated as she stopped a few feet away from a rather large tree that slightly stood out from the others, if you gave a second glance at its wide trunk.
Upon closer inspection, thin gaps could be seen in between the trunk which widen the higher up it went, creating three separate trunks that held up a large wooden base.
Planks also contributed to upholding the base and its structure up in the trees since they were plastered around, nailed to the trunks and bottom of the base.
Celeste made her way to a singular pole with spiraling wooden steps attached to it that blended in with the scenery of trees, dirt and leave perfectly.
She motioned to the group to follow her as she proceeded to place a foot on the first wooden step. She gave a small jump to show its sturdiness, so the others wouldn't have to fear falling, before she continued to make her way up on the spiraling steps.
Celeste stepped onto the wooden platform held up by the planks, and tree itself, and walked a few feet in so others would have the space needed to step up.
A thin yet strong plank railing ran around the edge of the platform to prevent any fatal accident from accidentally falling off the edge.
A few windows took the place of wood so the inhabitants would be able to peek out to their surrounding and for the sun to let its rays of warmth and light to seep in. The space in front of the window were shaded with a grey colored canopy which were held by wooden poles.
A balcony stood above one window, using a tree trunk as a wall while a few window rooms peeked out from above the roof of the residence.
The walls were a mixture of different browns, all blending together to create a color to camouflage with their surrounding trees.
While two of the trunks calmly made their way from underneath the base of the home outwards in a tilt to the sky, one of the trunks was growing straight up, letting it become the wall for the balcony and for its leaves to act as a draping blanket of invisibility, for the home, to unwanted wandering eyes.
Once everyone made their way up and were safely on the floor of the home, Celeste started to walk towards the door of the wooden tree house. She quickly pulled opened the door and made her way inside, revealing an interior much larger than what the outside lead it on to be.
A step inside was all that was needed to cause a long silence as the students took in the unexpected large interior.
To the right of the entrance was where they assumed was a kitchen except there was no fridge nor a stove or any sort. Counters and cabinets lines the two walls while a breakfast counter marked the end of the kitchen. A gap was visible in the middle of the counter which allowed people to go in and out of the kitchen as they pleased.
Smooth wooden stools proudly stood against the breakfast counter, waiting for someone to sit upon them.
Another staircase appeared just beyond the kitchen, acting as its fourth wall while it also provided a way for someone to head to the second floor.
On the other side of the door was an open space with two woven chairs, with pillows at the seat, stood at the middle. Windows on the walls allowed sunlight to waltz in and lighten up the home.
A wooden railing separated the space and the area in front of it which was considered as the living room. A sofa was lined against the railing while another had its side pressed against the staircase. Both seating areas had wooden bases with pillows neatly arranged along the seats and backboard.
A small coffee table stood in the middle of the vicinity with a bowl of apples, finishing the furnish of the first floor of the twins' home and creating a homey-sort of atmosphere within the building.
"Here is where we currently reside. I do hope it is quite pleasant stay for the lot of you," Celeste stated as she walked in.
"It looked a lot smaller on the outside," Scarlett said as she walked around the open space.
"It was enchanted," Lucas said as he made his way through the group and went up the stairs. A couple of minutes passed and he came back down. He had brought out clothes, "These are a change of clothes for you."
Aiden looked around and his eyes landed on the stairs leading to the second floor. His attention was dragged down to his clothing which were covered in dirt and a few blades of grass. He look up at Lucas and asked, "Where can I shower?"
"The lake you fell in," Lucas said as he walked to the couch and placed the clothes on the seat. "We don't have a power source or a water pipe. We used candles if we have to have light and wash ourselves and clothes in that lake."
Aiden glanced out the window for a second as his mind processed the words Lucas had said, "So, what you're saying is, we have to shower and fo to the bathroom outside. In the forest."
"Pretty much," Lucas smiled.
Aiden let out a pained laugh as he wandered over to a window. "I'm already starting to miss plumbing," he muttered to himself.
"It will be fine, it's not hard. Now you guys said you were hungry, so does anyone want to come with me to get the food? I need two people," Lucas asked as he looked around.
Scarlett cheerfully raised her hand, "I'll go! It's something to do."
Daniel raised his hand, "I will!"
Lucas nodded as he made his way back through the group. Daniel and Scarlett followed as Lucas walked out.
Celeste watched them for a second before she looked over at those that stayed behind and did her best to match names with faces. "Follow me upstairs to the sleeping quarters," Celeste said with a smile before she started walking upstairs to the rooms.
As she walked the rest followed looking around in awe.
"Did you guys make this by hand?" Don asked as he looked at the carving in the rail.
Celeste let out a sigh, "We did in fact and it was quite the hassle. You could not imagine the splinters we had to handle, but it's all well in the end."
"Here we are. I will evenly separate you into three different rooms," Celeste said as she walked on the second floor which held five different bedrooms. Two rooms on the walls across from each other and the fifth alongside the third wall, creating an area in the corner which was being used as a closet while the other other was another staircase connecting the second floor with a third.
The final wall was more of a rather large window that lead outside to the balcony.
Celeste walked to the center of the room and pointed at different rooms, saying who was staying where. "To my left are the rooms where Lucas resides and where Crystal, Destiny, Don and Daniel will in as well," Celeste stated. She looked over at the remaining twin and added, "Crystal and Destiny are to sleep on the bed while one of you sleeps in the chair and the other on the floor. Do no worry, I'm such we have enough blankets to make the floor suitable."
"My chamber is on the right, across from my brother's," Celeste continued. "Next to my room is where Scarlett, Aiden and Madison will sleep in."
Finally Celeste pointed towards the sole room that created the closet and staircase area. "Lastly Ava, Riley, and Marley shall share a room," she said while looking at the three and then at everyone else. "I hear no objections to the arrangements so the decision is final. You may not enter my or Lucas's room unless told otherwise by one of us and that goes for the second staircase, as well. I do hope you all understand that. You are allowed to walk around. I will be downstairs if I am needed." With that, Celeste made her way downstairs.
Madison looked around for a second before she walked to the door of her assigned room. "This seems too goof to be true," Madison stated before she walked into the room to set her backpack down.
****
Lucas walked down the stairs and to what seemed to be a pile of leaves, He brushed the leaves away to reveal a little trap door. He opened it and reached in, then he pulled out a bow along with arrows. "Pick something that's good for hunting." He got up and waited.
Daniel looked down the hole and pulled out a dagger that had a red ruby at the end. The handle was also decorated with smaller rubies. The blade was black and sharp. "This looks like something out of a movie!"
"That's the Poison Ruby Dagger. Don't stab yourself or anyone that you don't wish to die instantly."
Scarlett peered into the hold and carefully examined each weapon in the hold. She frowned and looked back up at Lucas. "Recommend anything? I don't really know anything about hunting."
"Um...well, do you know how to use any type of weapon?" He asked as he walked to the hole.
Scarlett looked over to the side, thinking of the best way to respond that wouldn't give off too information. She believed that they would leave the forest quickly so there wasn't a need for anyone to know the whole truth.
"Umm, I know how to use a sword," Scarlett said after a while. "But I don't see how a sword would be useful for hunting.""It can be, here," he reached inside and pulled out a medium sized sword and handed it to Scarlett.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8GGzdpUBl
"How big is that?!" Daniel asked as he watched Lucas close the door and put the leaves back on.
"If I find that you stole or told anyone about this safe, you won't make it out of this forest." Lucas coldly said before he started to walk.
Scarlett looked away while she muttered, "Damn." She looked down at her sword and turned t around before she shrugged and threw it into the air. She quickly jumped up and got ahold of the leather handle.
She looked at Daniel with a smile before she ran to catch up to Lucas, doing her best not to accidentally lodge the sword into a tree. "So what are hunting? Rabbit? Deer?," she asked as she looked around the forest scenery.
"Yale," Lucas said.
Scarlett frowned in confusion. "Yale? What's that? I never head of it before."
"It's an animal that lives here. It's like a deer in your world. It just looks a lot different; it has big horns. You can't miss it," Lucas explained as he walked through the trees.
***
"Celeste?!" Destiny called out as she walked down the wooden stairs. Celeste walked out of the kitchen with a smile as she gave a response, "I'm here. Do you need something, Destiny?"
"What did Lucas mean by 'fire concealer'?" She asked as she looked down at her hands.
"To put it in simple terms, it means you can call fire out to your aid and manipulate it to your will," Celeste said as she gently held Destiny's hands in her own. "You will need to practice if you want to call on it on any given time."
"How is that possible? Magic?" She asked as she looked up at Celeste.
"I prefer to see it as a hidden energy within us that takes different forms depending on the person," Celeste said as she kept eye contact with Destiny while she tried her best to answer Destiny's questions. "But of course, that is only my explanation and view on the matter."
Destiny looked at her hands again before she pulled them away from Celeste and placed them in her pockets. She walked back upstairs, "Thank you?"
Celeste gave a small nod as she watched Destiny go back upstairs before she softly stated, "I should be the one giving thanks."
Celeste raised her hand and closed her eyes for a second before a flame started to flicker in the palm of her hand and a smile appeared on her face. She lowered her hand, dismissing the fire and quietly returned to the kitchen with a satisfied expression adorning her face.
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