Of the Twisted and the Lost

Chapter 44:

Screams fill the car, as branches whip their arms out to attack the windshield. "I want my cat!" mewls Sam, as he claws Junjie's sleeve. "We're both going to die!" 

If you had to know one thing about Junjie, it would be that he always gets into near-death experiences. 

"We're not going to die," Junjie says calmly. 

"Uh, yes we are," Sam corrects. "We're going downhill, with absolutely no control of a wheel." 

"Yes," says Junjie. "As always, I have a plan—" 

"Rubbish plans," interrupts Sam. 

"—and it involves jumping out of the car," Junjie continues, ignoring Sam's comment. "So are you ready?" 

"What? No!" 

Junjie unbuckles his seat belt, exhilaration swirling through him. "Come on," he yells, as he flings open the door. 

Sam lets out a shriek that sounds so high-pitched and terrified, Junjie rolls his eyes. "Stop being such a baby," Junjie sighs. 

"I am not being a baby!" howls Sam. "Jumping off a moving car? Are you freaking crazy? Don't answer that question. I already know the answer to it." 

Junjie unbuckles Sam's seatbelt, who immediately starts flailing around, smacking the McDonald box to the ground. 

"This is the craziest plan you've ever made!" Sam lashes out, grabbing the armrest. "You really want us to get killed?" 

"I'm trying to get us not killed," Junjie refutes, as he glares, the wind whipping out and dancing through his hair. "So get out of the car and let go of the freaking car seat or I'll eat your fries for life and you won't get to eat anymore McDonald." 

With a growl, Sam lets go of the armrest. "Now what?" he yells above the wind. 

"We jump!" Junjie shouts back. 

A squeak escapes Sam. "I can't," murmurs Sam, glittering tears in his eyes. "I just can't. I'm sorry. You have to go without me—" 

Junjie throws Sam out of the car. 

A scream echoes through the dark forest, followed by the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground. Then— 

"Ow!" Sam cries out, voice muffled. "I think you broke my ribs." 

Junjie sighs in relief. 

Still alive. 

Then Junjie prepares himself for the jump. 

Jump! he tells himself. It's just jumping off a moving car. No biggie. At all. 

Three. . . 

Two. . . 

One— 

Junjie jumps. 

Pain explodes on his cheek, as he lands, facedown on the ground. All the air leaves Junjie's body and he gasps, blanching against the fire. 

Burning brighter and brighter, fiery orange mixed with blinding white, agony dancing from limb to limb, until. . . 

"Junjie." Sam's face blurs into his vision. "You okay, dude? You hit the ground pretty hard." 

"I'm fine," Junjie snaps, before snapping into action. "Alright, since we've gone off course, we should get to Sera's house in ten minutes. We took the shortcut, by falling off the cliff." 

Sam blinks. "Um, okay?" he says, as his face morphs from concern to expectant. "Did you save my little babies?" 

Junjie goggles. "We fell off a cliff," Junjie says slowly. "And you're thinking about food." 

"Of course." Sam looks puzzled. "What else would I be thinking about?" 

"Oh, I dunno. How to not die, maybe? Or just thinking about a plan." 

* * * * 

The first time Junjie saw Sera, he thought she was the strangest little girl he's ever seen, smiling and beaming like the world had no end. 

He wasn't stalking her or anything. He just seemed to notice her, and she just seemed to always be there. 

Small and petite, with black hair that curled around her waist and innocent chocolate-brown eyes, Sera seemed to be the most. . . 

Well, not the most beautiful. 

Junjie has certainly seen beautiful things, and Sera doesn't come close. But he doesn't care about beauty. 

It's the air of innocence that surrounds her that makes Junjie really intrigued. 

"Hello," Sera said, eyes dancing as she pointed at the playground, where screaming and squabbling children were. "Do you want to play with me?" 

Junjie stared at the little girl, the eight-year-old her, and he smiled. 

"Okay," he said, before suddenly feeling unconsciousness weigh down in his stomach.

What did you do? he screamed at him. You're going to make a complete fool of yourself!

"My name is Sera," the girl said, her lips spreading into a beam, as she gave him a piece of tanbark from the playground. "What's yours?" 

"Um." Junjie flushed red, as he squirmed under her gaze. "Junjie."

"That's a pretty name," Sera said, before she grabbed a handful of tanbark and threw it on Junjie's hair.

"Hey!" Junjie protested, jerking away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm decorating your hair," she replied, before leaning forward, as if revealing a secret. "When I grow up, I'll be your hairdresser." 

"What if I move away?"

Sera's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You'll stay with me forever and ever, right?"

Junjie shrugged. "You can't control the future, so I'm not sure."

"What if I command you to stay?" Sera's eyes grew wide, as she leaned closer. "Will you stay with me, Junjie?"

"Uh. . ."

His breath escaped him, as Sera leaned closer. "Will you, Junjie?"

Junjie tried to move his lips, but they were stuck together.

"How about we do this?" The tiny girl stood up, placing her hands on her hips.

Then she started grabbing daisies, pulling them from the grass. "Do you know how to make necklaces?" she asked him, and he shook his head. "I'll teach you then."

Sera poked a hole in the stem, slipping another daisy stem into that, weaving and weaving, building and building, intertwining and intertwining, until—

"There," she said proudly, placing one in her hair.

And another in Junjie's head.

"It's a friendship crown!" Sera beamed. "That way, we can be friends forever and ever. Pinky promise?"

Junjie looked at her pinky.

It had been two years since Melo had left, and Junjie hadn't attempted to make any more friends. After all, they were just a waste of time, just another sediment, another feeling that didn't help gain anything.

But now, as Junjie stared at the little girl who had made him a daisy crown, he felt something flutter in his heart.

"Promise," he said, hooking his pinky to hers.