Magic Tales: Sea and Snow

(The Boy)

                          
"Excuse me!" Amy said, swelling with rage. While quickly scrambling to her feet. Her attacker was already standing.

"Who does this kid think he is!?" Amy thought, thoroughly irritated. (Yes, her attacker was a boy of no more than 12 or 13 years of age.) "To call ME stupid, of all things!" 

This was one thing anyone who knew her would never accuse her of. It was the one insult her classmates had never ever been able to say to her.

"And now a complete stranger is calling me dumb!" Amy glared up at the boy, (for was a good half a head taller than her.)

"How dare you! Amy shouted, pointing a trembling finger at him. "First you attack me! And then you drag me through the trees, I could have been blinded you know! And then, to top it all off you insult me!" 

"I didn't attack you!" He protested, indignantly "I actually went out of my way to save you! And now I'm starting to think I shouldn't have bothered, if this is the way you thank me." 

Amy's blue eyes flashed dangerously at this. "Oh, I'm sorry but I didn't realize people from this world called dragging and insulting people, saving them." You could have collected the sarcasm dripping off her words in a bowl. 

"You know, those Hygro Men would have trampled you, or worse, captured you, if I hadn't stepped in!" The boy said angrily.  

"Hydo what?" Amy's rage was immediately replaced by confusion. 

The kid smirked and said. "It's pronounced Hygro Men." Then he added in an infuriating superior way "Do you seriously not know who they are?" 

"No, I do not." Amy said through gritted teeth.

The boy laughed. "Where have you been the past five months? Stuck up in a tower, living under a rock? Everyone knows who they are!"

"For your information, I have only been in this world for a few minutes!" She said stiffly.

That wiped the smirk from his face. "What did you just say?!!" His head tilted to the side like a confused puppy. This movement caused a mop of wild, tangled, brown hair to fall over his eyes. 

"I bet he wouldn't know what a hair brush was even if one hit him in the back of his head." Amy thought. 

And then for the first time she noticed what a startling shade of emerald green his eyes were, as they widened in shock and disbelief.

"What do you mean, saying that you've only been in this world for a few minutes! That's impossible!!" He looked like he was about to continue, but then he stopped himself. His forehead wrinkled in confusion. 

Then he muttered "But it would explain her funny looking clothing, and her not knowing anything."

The emotional tension of the day had become too much for her. And like most other 12 year olds would have done, Amy finally snapped under the strain, and shouted, "My clothes aren't the funny looking ones!" 

She looked down at her normal jeans, sneakers, and plain blue t-shirt. Finally her eyes alighted on the necklace; she quickly stuffed it under her shirt and out of sight. She would deal with it later. 

"Your's are the strange looking ones!" She took this moment to look the boy up and down, studying him closely. 

He was wearing what looked a lot like historical hunter's garb. This consisted of a tunic like shirt, made out of greenish brown cloth, or maybe the brown was just from dust. And cargo pants, (with lots and lots of pockets) made out of the same material. Although they were all brown. The color of the cloth worked well with the shadows of the forest, to make it harder to see him if he stood still.