Through Fire

Chapter 8 - Allie

"You cut your hair... and dyed it! It looks great, Kaitlin... when did you get that done?"

"A couple weeks after you left! Look, you can see a tiny bit of my roots coming in already..."

"Yeah, you can... I love the red. It looks so lovely on you, Kait." My dear friend smiles, running her fingers through the straight shoulder-length hair, a deep burgundy-crimson color. Her presence comforts me in a way I've been needing... A homey, childish way. I've felt increasingly trapped, almost, here at camp with my own thoughts and memories of what happened. I've been missing home, Kait, my mother... Her visit is very comforting, reminding me of Worthing and us and fun.

She hugs me again, asking me timidly if I want to talk at all about what happened.

"No... I don't," I answer her as she straightens from the hug, "I really want to just forget it ever happened."

"You got it, sugar," she says as she gives me one of her broad smiles. "You know what would be great?"

"What?"

"Chocolate chip cookies. The best medicine I can think of... Is there a kitchen in this grand 'ol place?" I giggle, remembering with a warmed heart how whenever one of us are ever down about something, we always bake cookies or brownies together and talk about it.

"Of course we do, let's go do some inventory for supplies."

We pass Rome and Sage on the porch on our way to the lower cabin, and Kait tells them our delicious intention. Rome says we should have most of the ingredients, and that we should check the s'mores drawer for chocolate chips.

"Is this just a froo-froo girly thing, or can we come help you?" he questions with a grin, Sage nodding beside him with an imploring smile. "And by help, I mean eat the dough."

"Good Master Spade, you've held my Aleithea captive for two whole months and counting, spare some of her time for the sharing..."

"I must agree," I shrug, timidly trying to ease my mind and play along with Kaitlin's posh English accent, "be a good pair of lads and scurry off to ready the quads in preparation for bearing us to the reservoir this eve." I grab Kait's hand and tug her toward the lower cabin. She twiddles an imaginary mustache before adjusting an invisible monocle.

"Good day, we'll rally you chaps when the utensils are primed for your licking." Pausing to stifle a snort, she looks devilishly sideways at me.

"I do say, that's what she said," I beat her to it. As we giggle off down the hill, Roman's voice sounds behind us as he shouts at Sage.

"I'll prime your utensils for licking!"

The sound of our chortling fills the yard, and a pang hits my chest as I feel the constant weight in my gut and heart remain, even with so much joy around me.

With the supplies gathered for our cookies, Kaitlin starts measuring out the dry ingredients into a metal bowl as I ready the sugar, eggs, and butter for beating.

"I see you decided to off your awesome pink 'do," Kait pouts into her bowl. I give a small smile at her crushed look as I crack an egg.

"My roots looked trashy, and the dye was fading something awful. You'd be thanking me if you saw it before I fixed it." She gives a heaving sigh as she brings her bowl to me, and watches me beat my mixture.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat ever!" She chimes over the loud whirring of the beater.

"How's it going with Chance?" I shout over the noise, "I've been dying to actually talk to you about it, we barely text as is." Her face lights up, and she begins to slowly pour the contents of her bowl into mine as I continue to run the beater.