The Hill

Hey all!

Sorry it’s been while since my last post. I’ll try not to let it happen again, but I make no promises since I start my spring semester this week. I hope you guys enjoy this piece (whoever reads it that is). These characters are part of a superhero team I invented when I was a young teenager, and I’ve slowly kept them and developed them a little more throughout the years. If you guys enjoy it, I may post more with these characters.

Anyways, enjoy!

“This is my life now. I have climbed this hill and now I will die upon it.”
Erica rolled her eyes and heard Carter groan from the head of the group, “Would you please shut up! We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, Cass, Carter is right.” Erica tossed her water bottle to her slightly sweaty friend, “We have a lot further to go. If you don’t think you can make the rest of the trek….maybe you could wait here for the others?”
The trio had stopped which gave Cassandra the opportunity to drop to the ground. She collapsed in an exaggerated heap, loudly sighed, and threw an arm over her eyes attempting to block out the sun. Large, gray clouds dotted the sky getting closer to one another, and the intense heat was baking anyone that had decided to go to the summer camp. The team had decided to be camp counselors hoping to get away from the city to take a break on being vigilantes, but trouble had followed them here.
“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea for Cass to stay alone,” Carter said, rubbing the sweat from his forehead.
Erica resisted the urge to roll her eyes again, “Fine then. You two stay here and wait for the others to catch up and I’ll go on by myself.”
Taking back her container of water, Erica stuffed it in her pack, tightened up the laces on her hiking boots, and took several steps forward before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She faced Carter with a glare etched on her face.
“What?”
Carter took a careful step back, looked over his shoulder, rubbed a hand over his face, and then looked directly into Erica’s eyes. “You need to be careful out there. I’m only letting you go on alone because I think you’re the only one that can handle it out there alone,” He took a hold of her hand as he materialized something from the air. “Take this with you just in case.”
Looking down at her hand, Erica was surprised to see a pouch that would attach around her waist filled with throwing knives.
“Thank you, but I’m sure I have plenty of my own throwing stars in my pack to help me out if something goes wrong,” She tried to hand them back.
Carter shook his head, “We can’t be too careful. Lorde’s son is still after you, and if you aren’t careful his amateur thugs will take you out by surprise. I don’t want anything to happen to you up there on that mountain….especially not before I get there.”
The look in Carter’s eyes had Erica almost frightened. His green eyes were glazed with an intense look that she’d only seen him use in combat when he was afraid they wouldn’t save the civilians in time. Now he looked at her like that, and she wanted to reach forward to hug him yet decided to hold herself back. She kept his gaze held with her own hoping that he would see how grateful she was that he was watching her back. Whatever had passed between them was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.
“Carter, do you have anymore water!”
Cassandra yelled from where she was still sprawled on the ground. The couple standing further up the hill had jumped out of the stupor they were in staring at each other, and now Erica’s face held a new heat in her cheeks.
“Thank you for this, Carter. I’ll be careful.”
“Watch out for these clouds too. If it starts to rain, you need to turn back. We’ll all turn back if it starts to even sprinkle. Without weather information out here, we never know what it can turn into.”
Erica nodded and turned to walk away again.
“Erica.”
She paused, “Yeah?”
Carter took two large steps to cover the little distance she’d put between them. Suddenly, Erica was pulled tight against his chest, his arms around her back, and hers slowly wrapping around his back. His chin sat on top of her head, and she could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke.
“Be more than careful. If you find that facility, don’t go near it without us. I know how you are and I told your brother we’d watch out for you.”
Pulling back out of his reach, Erica held up the knives between the two of them, “You’re doing great at it….I promise that I’ll watch out for myself. But if I don’t go now then I may as well wait for the rest of the team with you two. All that’ll do is take extra time.”
“I know.” Carter nodded, “You’d better go on. I’ll keep an eye on Cass and make sure she doesn’t over dramatize herself into a heat stroke.”
Erica gave a small smile, turned, and jogged the rest of the way up the hill. She didn’t dare look back, though she could feel a tickling sensation where she knew Carter was still standing there watching her. Instead, she kept her eyes forward to the trees at the far end of the small plateau where she now had a better view of the mountain. After a deep breath, she marched forward.