~ Jaden woke up before the sun cleared the horizon, the eastern clouds splashed with hues of orange and pink. He lay there motionless for several minutes while birdsong drifted from the forests and out across the plain. A pair of swallows danced overhead.
"This is way too peaceful," he thought. He wondered why Andrew wasn't up poking around, he was always awake first. That was when he looked over and noticed that the sleeping bag across the now dead fire from him was empty. He sat up with a start.
"Andrew!"
"What?" Jaden turned around and there Andrew was, just sauntering towards him over the rise of a hill. Jaden's irritation flared.
"If you're going to go wandering about why don't you tell somebody for pete's sake! What if something happened? It's not out of the question, we are in a competition afterall!" Andrew remained maddeningly calm and happy.
"That's cute Jay, you were worried about me. You do care. Anyway, there's a little creek over that way." He pointed in the direction he'd just come from. "It's awfully cold, but not so bad that you can't clean up in it if you want." Jaden then noticed that Andrew was indeed freshly shaven, his hair neatly combed and slightly damp. He would think of personal hygiene at a time like this.
"A time like what?" Jaden asked himself.
"Shut up," he replied. He pulled himself up and grabbed his bag of "Pretty Boy Stuff", as he and Andrew called their hygiene kits, from his pack.
"I'm, uh, gonna go clean up then," Jaden informed. Andrew didn't look up from his digging in the coals for a bed of live embers.
"You have fun with that." Jaden started to walk away. "But not too much fun!" Andrew hollered after him. Jaden heard Takyle's muffled snap from deep within her sleeping bag.
"Quit yelling for crying out loud, what is wrong with you people?" ~
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