Breathe in the Rainbow

Knight of My Heart Ballard

Evangeline squinted through her eye lashes into the sunlight filtering through thin curtains and frowned, gently easing herself up, feeling stiff. She looked around, yawning and stretched her arms out. Pushing herslef up from the bean bag, she walked to the broken window, frowning at the thin layer of cloth improvised as a curtain. She pulled it back and peered out into the trees, a smile stretching across her face. 
"Morning sleepy-head!" Andrew called from below. She looked down and grinned. 
"Good morning!" She yawned again and pulled back from the window, climbing down the ladder as fast as she could. She raced around the tree to Andrew, who was dragging a pile of wood over. She frowned, leaning on one hip and folded her arms over her chest. 
"What're you doing?" She asked, leaning against the damp tree. He grinned at her. 
"Thought we were going to re-build it." He said, tossing her a branch. She caught it and laughed, letting it drop. He dropped the planks of wood and beckoned to her, walking toward the small path that probably led to his street. She jogged to catch up and he took her hand and pulled her along, leaving the path and moving into a tiny clearing. It was obviously hand-made and in the middle were stacks of wood planks laid out on black plastic which had also been folded over the top. 
"Hold out your arms." He said grabbing two short planks. She sighed and unfolded her arms and held them out in front of her. Her placed the wood planks in them and she curled her arms around them quickly before they fell out onto her toes.
"You know, I could've picked these up myself." She said, turning on her heel and walking back the way they had come. He laughed and followed with two long planks balancing on one shoulder with his arm curled around it. He set them down next to hers and looked up at the tree house to examine it, glancing down at her who was staring at the wood. 
"What's so interesting about wood?" He asked, smiling. She sighed and looked up.
"Where'd you get it all?" 
"I found it in that clearing."
"Yeah, but, if it had been covered, don't you think someone was going to come back and use it all?" 
"No." He chuckled and nudged the wood with his foot. He sighed and caved. "Fine, fine. Me and my dad, we were going to build a little cabin over in that clearing, and when he died, I never had the heart to come back and collect all the wood." He said, sighing and staring at the wood. She stood frozen and shocked by this revelation. 
"Oh...um, I'm really sorry." He shrugged and looked up. 
"He passed away in his sleep last October and I'm happy for him. He fought leukemia for a really long time and when he died, I imagine he got relief." He said. But either way a tear fell down his face. She rushed forward and took both his hands. 
"Don't cry, Andrew." She said quietly. He sniffed and wiped the tear away with his shoulder and looked down at her. 
"We better hurry and get this done. It didn't rain last night and I'm guessing it's going to soon." He said, sliding one of his hands away from hers and looked upward. She followed his gaze and watched a dark grey cloud for a moment. The lightning flashed before her eyes and she grinned. 
"You know what thunder storms are good for, Andy?" She asked, taking her hand away and twirling. He watched her curiously. When she didn't continue, he frowned.
"No Evy, what are thunder storms good for?" He asked, laughing as she twirled again. 
"Fairies and dancing and glorious banquets with centaurs!" She said, giggling. He rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the laughter that escaped him. She continued to spin in a circle, hodling her arms above her head like a ballerina and arching her back. She stumbled, giggling and he caught her and pulled her back to her feet, spinning once in the other direction. 
"Ooooo-ooo." She groaned and flopped down onto the grass, giggling quietly. She sighed as he pushed all the wood into the small lift and began pulling the rope to lift it. He coiled it and she watched the bottom of the treehouse, trying to regain some steadiness. He sat down next to her and she lay down on her back, sighing again. He lay down as well and they both watched the bottom of the treehouse.
"We should go inside." He said. When she didn't respond, he turned to look at her.
"I meant it, Andrew. Thunder storms are good for dancing and fairies. But mostly magic. Hasn't anyone ever told you that?" She asked, keeping he gaze fixed on a knot hole in the wood. 
"I've heard they're good for dancing and hot chocolate, not magic." He replied. She sighed and turned her head to look at him. They stared at eachother for a while until she broke the silence. 
"Maybe I'll have to show you then." She said, smiling. She got up quickly and ran to the ladder. 
"Stay down here! I'll be back in a second!" She called and climbed up. Once she was in, she checked he hadn't followed and undressed. She pulled on a black tank top and a pair of black, thin materialed, mini shorts. She climbed back down and kicked off her shoes. 
"Come on, it's going to rain soon." She said excitedly. He laughed at her and pulled his shirt off. Evangeline couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks as she stared at his well-muscled body.
"Um, this way." She said, pointing into the trees. She grinned and grabbed his hand. As she ran, Andrew clutched her hand tighter in his and came to run beside her. Each of them raced side by side, daring eachother to go alittle bit faster. When she pulled him to a stop, panting and bent over with her hands on her knees, she smiled weakly. It hadn't begun to rain yet, but the distinct sound of rushing water close by was easy to hear. The humid air made her hair cling to her neck and he looked skiny from sweat. She laughed breathlessly and took his hand again, walking toward a net of vines. She took a deep breath and turned to him, a childish look playing across his face.
"Andrew...um, what's your last name?" She whispered. He laughed. 
"Adair." He whispered back. She bit her lip to control her giggling and nodded.
"Andrew Adair, do you promise to keep what I show you next, a total and complete secret?" She asked. 
"I promise."
"And do you swear never to talk about it with anyone else other than me?" 
"Isn't that the whole point of keeping it secret?"
"Oh shut up and answer the question." She said, grinning for a moment.
"I promise you Evangeline." He whispered. She smiled and turned around to the vines. She took a loose hanging one and tugged it back until there was a hole big enough for her to fit through. She climbed through and held it open for him. When he emerged, they both turned to face a rock formation with a few trees growing on them, and a beautiful waterfall cascading down into a stream. 
"Welcome, Andrew Adair, Knight of the treehouse, umm...Ballard, to Ballard Falls." She said, grinning.