Can we trust him?

Lacey got up from the table and gathered up the dishes and headed up the tree to the hidden room to wash them.

When she came back Silvia was sitting up to the table trying to run the brush through her silver hair. The pink strip was already braided and hanging to the side.

Silvia stopped as Lacey came down the ladder. "Can you help me, I can't get some of the leaves out." She groaned, Lacey nodded and knelt behind her and took the brush from her.

She looked down at the mess and pulled out a couple leaves. "You should just get a bath to get all this out." "No!" Silvia cried. "That boy, Tim is around there.

There is no way I am bathing in that lagoon as long as he is there!" "Okay, Okay, we will just have to do the best we can without water." Lacey laughed as she began pulling the brush through the tangled mess of hair. Slowly, bit by bit she got it straightened out.

About a half hour later, and with a lot of screams and yells from Silvia her hair was snarl free and back to its glossy state. Lacey pulled it back into a braid and tied it up with a bit of leather.

She sighed and set down the brush. Silvia yawned. "Good night." She announced, grabbing the brush and disappearing up the ladder to her bed. Lacey smiled and headed straight to her pile of hides.

Laying down she thought. "Maybe it is a good thing that the boy came. Silvia has needed someone her age around here and he can't be much older if any." Soon she drifted into a sound sleep.

Two days later Silvia was coming back from a patrol around the Island. She had also gone up the mountain a little ways and had ended up sensing a big flock of the big black birds.

She had scouted out where they were and had watched them for a little bit while they were eating another kind of monster which it looked like they had killed.

She had retreated slowly so as to not disturb them. It would still be a while before they went over the mountain. She had left at sunrise and now it was after noon sometime and she was hungry.

She jumped up the tree to the hut and opened the door. Lacey was sitting up to the table. Silvia went in and sat beside her. There were nuts scattered on the table and a bowl with already shelled ones inside.

There were shells scattered on the floor. Silvia grabbed a couple huts and shoved them in her mouth. "Hey!" Lacey cried, and slapped her hand as it went to the bowl again. Silvia pulled her hand back. "Do you know how long I have been at this and you just come and eat them!."

She snatched the bowl away. "Ugh!" Silvia groaned, as she got up and headed for her hidden room. She had just gotten to her door when she sensed Tim under their tree.

She shut the door quietly and went down the tree to where she could see him. There he was standing not far below her. She lay down on the branch and looked over at him.

She could hear him muttering to himself "They came this way." "Oh, come on! This forest is just way too big." He yelled. She sighed. "He was looking for them. Why?" She thought, her senses caught something else coming their way.

She jumped and ran to the porch and grabbed her spear that she had set there when she had returned from her scouting. She rushed down the tree and stopped on the lowest branch and listened.

She could still sense the monster and it was getting closer, but it was not too close yet. She jumped down to the ground. Tim, who was leaning against a tree close by, jumped in fright at her sudden appearance.

She hadn't killed a monster on her own but this one was too close now to go get Lacey. She stood ready as the monster came closer. The trees shook and branches were snapping.

Tim came over to stand beside her. "What's coming?" He asked, ready to run. She did not look at him, the growling noise came closer and Tim began to run in the opposite direction of the noise.

He hid behind a tree a few yards away. Silvia stood at the ready as the bear-like monster came out of the trees. It was about feet taller than her. When it saw her, it let out a growling noise and rushed right for her.

She jumped as it reached her and right at that same moment Lacey leaped from the tree, spear in hand too, and they each drove their spears deep into its neck. It fell hard onto the ground.

The girl's breaths came hard and fast. They looked up and their eyes met. "Thanks." Silvia smiled, breathlessly. Lacey nodded and climbed up out of sight into a different tree. Making her way back to their tree, careful that Tim could not see the way she went.

"Great, another monster under their tree." Thought Silvia to herself. She had been making sure to avoid killing them here because she would have to move them later.

Tim came out from behind the tree and looked with frightened eyes at the monster. "This forest is still dangerous." She glowered. "You shouldn't be out without a weapon." She added. Tim nodded and moved closer to her and the dead beast.

Silvia still stood on top of it. "Can you eat them?" He asked. "No." Silvia said in disgust and jumped down. "Oh, so you guys just go around killing these things? And what do you do with the rest of your time?" Asked Tim, kicking the monster to reassure himself that it was indeed dead,before moving back a little.

Silvia went over to a big root that came out of the ground and set her spear on it then jumped up to sit on it. She swung her legs as she tried to think of a way to answer. Tim was quiet too, waiting for her to answer.

She sighed, looked at him and then quickly looked away. "Not much, I guess I have never really thought about it." She answered, jumping down. He laughed. "Well, I guess, thank you for saving me…..again." He said.

"Look Tim, stay out of trouble, I would rather not have to keep saving your life." With that she headed towards the lagoon to not let him know that they were right under her home. She still did not trust him.

He laughed after her. "I can take care of myself, you don't have to worry about me." He shouted after her. "I'm not." She snapped back at him and then jumped up into the closest tree and ran off to circle back around to her tree.

"The poor boys must be starving by now. But who cares, he said he can take care of himself." She thought to herself as she ran along branches and jumped from tree to tree holding her spear in hand.