Wandering.

[Caitlyn Scott]

Sun shone over Brightston village, and Caitlyn Scott wandered through, the only one out and about in the early morning. She made her way over to the park. All the playground equipment was still soaked from the night, so Caitlyn walked over to a huge willow and sat at it's base.
She sighed and looked up into the branches. She wanted so badly to be sitting up in one of them. Her mother's words were imprinted in her brain.
'Caitlyn Liu Scott, the only time you will ever climb that tree is over my dead body'
Those words had been repeated so many times.

A thought struck her. Her mother had only forbidden her to climb the oak tree at home in Wiltshire, but that didn't meant she couldn't climb the tree she was leaning against. Standing up, she looked up at it, trying to find a good way up.

 

[Zachary Heaton]

It was early. Way too early for Zachary Heaton. Yet, the sounds from across the room were awakening him; his little brother and sister were giggling at something. Grumbling, he threw a pillow at them to try and make them be quiet. The giggling only increased. Sighing, he rolled out of bed, grabbed clean clothes, and went to shower. There was no use trying to go back to sleep with those two roaming around the house.

There was no way that the ten year old was hanging out here all day. Ever since he had figured out how to find his way around his new surroundings from moving here a few weeks ago, there was no keeping him inside. As long as he didn't wander too far, his parents had no problem with it. After his shower, he grabbed some money and flew out of the house before his mother could make him do chores. He would pay for that later, but for now he was free.

He paused briefly to buy a bagel from a nearby shop before making his way to the local park. The dew from the grass soaked the ends of his jeans, but he didn't take notice. He went to one of his hiding places in the park to eat his breakfast in peace, underneath one of the willow trees. Leaning with his back against the tree, he finished the bagel just in time to hear another person ruffle their way underneath the tree. The trunk of the tree was large enough so neither person could see each other. He brushed the crumbs off his fingers, and stood up. Peering around the tree, he looked to see who was standing on the other side.

Of course it was a girl, and she looked puzzled about something. He glanced from her to the tree, and realized she was trying to find a way up. "Hello," he said quietly, coming the rest of the way out. He didn't want to scare the girl. "That branch right there is one of the easier ways up," the blonde told her, pointing to the one he was referring to.

 

[Caitlyn Scott]

Caitlyn was just reaching a hand up to start climbing the tree, when she heard a quiet voice that matched her own. Smiling softly in thanks, she took his advice, and reached for the branch he had pointed out, hoisting herself up easily. She shuffled across the branch to make room for the boy if he also wanted to climb the tree.
"Thanks" she called down quietly, in her English accent.

Deciding that she wasn't high enough, she reached up, and grabbed hold of a strong looking branch, using it to climb higher. She quickly made her way up to the top, and sat a long branch that extended right out over the park. The joy that was filling her now, from actually being in a tree, was the most she felt since before her father had died.

 

[Zachary Heaton]

Zachary nodded in return to her thanks, brushing back the strands of hair that had fallen into his face. He debated about if he wanted to climb the tree as well; it had been a few weeks since he climbed the same tree with anybody else. Back in London, he and his friends had done it quite often. Here, he hadn't made close enough friendships with anyone yet.

In his debating, he missed the accent at first. As he decided to climb the tree, he realized that the girl's accent didn't match the New Zealand accents he had been hearing. Grabbing a hold of a branch, he scampered up the tree until he was a few branches below the girl. "I'm Zachary. You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, his own British accent coming out.

 

[Caitlyn Scott]

Caitlyn was glad that he seemed just as comfortable with silence as she was. Caitlyn wasn't really a big talker, and had always liked the quiet.
She watched him climb after her, and settle on lower branches
"I'm from England" she replied simply. She could that he was also, by his accent
"Where abouts do you come from?" she asked quietly, looking shyly down at him.
"I'm Caitlyn" she added, falling back into silence. She picked a leaf off the branch and let it flutter down to the ground, watching it the whole way.

 

[Zachary Heaton]

England; of course, he should have known. "I lived near London, ever since I was born. Bit of a surprise coming to live here," Zachary answered, finding a spot on the branch that allowed him to rest against the trunk of the tree. While he missed his friends in London, he had grown use to the idea of living here.

Silence followed, but that was fine by Zachary. He looked out through the tree leaves to the park below. Signs of life started appear in the park as tired looking mothers with bouncing toddlers started to come in. “Do you miss England?” he asked quietly.

 

[Caitlyn Scott]

This boy Zachary was the only other English person around her age that she met so far in NewZealand. It was nice to have someone that understood the beauty of her home country.
Caitlyn contemplated her answer to his next question. She had mixed feelings about leaving England
"Well, yeah, I suppose" she said slowly
"I only miss the country, not really anybody. Because my mother came here aswell" she said, attempting to explain herself.
"What about you?" she asked quietly in return.

 

[Zachary Heaton]

"I miss it," Zachary said simply, not wanting to say anymore. He hated showing his true emotions, and saying he missed it was revealing too many feelings already. "My whole family is here as well, except for my Uncle. We moved because it is suppose to be safer for me and my twin to go to school here or something," he continued, "But I plan to go back there once I'm done with school.

The boy couldn't help but think about what he would be doing if he was in England right now. The weather would be much colder, undoubtedly. He didn't like the fact that the seasons were reversed here. January was not meant to be a warm month, but a cold one. He wondered if there was snow on the ground; if there was, he and his friends would be outside playing in it on the hill. But, he had to let go. There was no use thinking about what would be going on.

Already, Zach was getting bored with sitting. Like most ten year old boys, he couldn't sit still unless he was preoccupied with another activity. He moved to a lower branch, jumped down, then proceeded to climb back up. Pointless, but that was Zachary. "Not to be rude, but you don't see too many girls around these parts in trees," he said, climbing back up the tree.

 

[Caitlyn Scott]

Sorry about the lateness =-/

Caitlyn nodded slowly as he talked, even though he couldn't see her. She knew exactly how he felt. Caitlyn had hated leaving the English countryside, and their old house which she had lived in her whole life. She hadn't been particularly attatched to any people in hr home town. Her mother was the only family she had left, after her great uncle Connor had died last year.

Watching him jump down from the tree, Caitlyn's heart sank as she thought he was ditching her. Caitlyn was used to this. Most people she met got bored with her, because she was so quiet. She was surprised, however, when he climbed back up the tree.
"Why did you do that?" she asked curiously, before considering his question.

"Well... I just feel a real connection with trees" she said, cheeks flushing slightly, as she thought about how weird that sounded
"It clears my head, and I... I find it easier to think up here" she finished, looking down into her lap. A little bird chirped from the next tree, and Caitlyn looked over at it, just for something to do.