sunshine // joel miller

EIGHT

Chapter Eight
Ground Rules

"We'll cut across the woods here."

Joel's words were more of a warning than a recommendation as they reached a cross road. One followed the trail they'd been on for hours, the other led to a hardly walked on patch of the woods.

"Isn't the road easier?" Ellie argued, looking back at the two adults behind her.

"Yeah, it's just... There's stuff up there that you shouldn't see," He said to the girl, his voice softer. Fran's eyebrows furrowed at that, after what they'd already been though and seen, this didn't seem like the worst yet. But then again, she didn't know, and she trusted Joel to know.

"Well, now I have to see it," Ellie said with a mischievous smile on her face, going to continue on.

"I don't want you to," Joel shook his head as he spoke. Ellie have him a deadpanned look, before smiling at Fran, who shook her head.

Ellie started to walk on, Joel sending Fran a look as if she was responsible for the younger girls actions.

"Ellie!" Fran called to her, staying where she was.

"Francesca!" Ellie yelled back, making Fran shake her head.

"You should listen to Joel," She said to the younger girl, arms crossing over her chest. It reminded her too much of her own mother who would stand the same way when reprimanding her and her sister, "he knows better than us."

Ellie thought over Fran's words, before looking at Joel, "Can it hurt me?"

"No," Joel said, but his tone was a little confused. Not physically, psychologically, sure.

"You're too honest, man." Ellie shrugged, beginning to walk on with a smile, "You should've said axe murderer."

"Lei sarà la mia morte," Fran mumbled out in frustration, kicking her feet as she began to walk after Ellie, Joel was quick to follow.

"What's that mean?" He asked her, he'd heard her muttering the language to herself when she wanted to say something that couldn't be argued.

At his question, she sent him a confused look, he just stared ahead at Ellie, who was now looking around for whatever Joel had warned about.

"What's it mean?" He asked again, the only Italian word he currently knew was Vaffanculo, because she'd said it to him in anger and Ellie had translated.

"She will be the death of me." Fran says to him, to which he nods, hiding a small smile. He remembered thinking the same thing with Sarah when she'd do something against his word.

Silence fell over the duo as they watched Ellie up ahead, Fran was nervously tapping the side of her leg.

"What is it that's bad up here?" She asked him, her voice timid. She didn't really want any suspence, her mind already running wild. If Joel thought it was bad, it was bad, and she didn't want any surprises.

Joel could hear the worry in her voice alone, looking over to see her head down. He sighed, looking down himself, "just... just don't look to your left for a while."