• I gazed at was left of the forest outside my window. Recent wildfires had left it barren and grey. I sighed and turned back to face my room. It was cluttered as usual, but that didn't bother me, my room was always messy. I found it was easier to find my stuff when it was disorganized in an organized way, if that makes sense. When I did clean my room, I couldn't find anything for weeks afterward. I was a mystery to my parents, and many others, but I was content.
    My life was generally happy, usually random, and sometimes lonely. I was withdrawn from the world, or at least that's what most people seemed to believe. I viewed myself as shy, but also I did not like to talk to others my age. I used to be quite a chatterbox actually, until my classmates, and then my friends stopped listening to me. Now I rarely speak, unless spoken to, and even then I still don't say much.
    Since I did not speak much, most people thought me an idiot, but the truth was i was actually very bright, not to seem arrogant or egotistical, but I was a straight A student, top in all my classes. Teachers used to call on me more often in an effort to get me to speak, but soon they realized that I was just as smart if not smarter than their other students, and so their questions ceased.
    My bed groaned as I sat down, and looked at the ridiculously easy homework my English teacher had assigned that day. I could not see the educational value of homework. If we went to school to learn, then why should we bring work home? After school is a time for most people to hang with their friends, I usually just picked up a good book, or went for a walk in the forest. Homework is the dark blot in my day. I would do the homework tomorrow before school. I always had time before school, my 'friends' usually ignored me, the way we all liked it.
    I wandered down to the second floor of our house, looking for the book I had been reading the previous day. I was sure I left it on the blue couch, but maybe it was on the green one. Upon finding it was not on either couch, I proceeded to walk to the main floor, when the thought struck me that I had been reading the book in my tree. I say my tree, because that's what it was, my tree. The very first day we moved in, I sat in my tree and watched the movers carry all our furniture and boxes up. I felt sorry for the guys who had to carry my stuff up, they had three flights of stairs to climb, and my boxes were filled with books. Hardcover books to be specific. Paperback books did not last long in my possession sadly.
    The backdoor swung open easily, and I walked out heading towards my tree. My tree was a large redwood pine, my favorite kind of pine. The needles were just beginning to turn from that lime green color, to the forest green that most pine needles are. I reached up, and pulled myself into the tree, searching for my book. I spotted it a few branches higher than I was sitting at the moment. I reached up even further, and grasped the book by the spine. I smiled in triumph, but then I lost my balance, and teetered over the other side of the branch i was on. The last thing I remembered was my back hitting the ground, and a wet sticky feeling on my shoulder. Then everything went black.
    ~~~~~~

    I felt numb for a few seconds, then the pain washed over me. I slowly opened my eyes, remembering the details of my fall. For a moment I was confused, there was somebody holding my head in their lap. I struggled to sit up, but a hand gently pushed my uninjured shoulder back down.
    "What....?" I managed to ask.
    "Shhh... I don't think you should be talking in your condition," It was a boy’s voice speaking, "You hit the ground pretty hard."
    I tilted my head back so that I could see his face. This may seem corny, but DANG he was hot! "Umm.... How did you get here?" I wanted to hear his voice again.
    He had a sheepish look on his face, I wondered why. "Well, I was kind of watching you when you fell. I wasn't spying, I swear! I just was looking out the window and I happened to see you walking to the tree. And then you.... kinda..... fell. I did call for help if that makes you feel better."
    It did, so I smiled, and tried to sit up again. He didn't restrain me this time; he helped me lean against the tree trunk. The rough bark irritated my back, but I didn't want to lie down on the ground again, so I didn't mention it. "What's your name anyway," I asked.
    "Stephen. We moved in to the house next door. We finally got the rest of our boxes yesterday."
    "I was wondering if they would ever sell that house. How do you like it there?"
    He shrugged, "It’s not bad, I guess. I mean the view is great of course, but there's not many people up here to see it." He looked at me, and his expression changed. "What?"
    "Nothing," I lied. He seemed to think the same way I did. "How long was I out?"
    "Only about fifteen minutes. The ambulance should be here soon."
    Almost by magic, sirens started in the distance. "Well, I should probably go tell them where you are." Stephen stood up, seemingly reluctant. "By the way, what's your name?"
    "Mackenzie."
    He nodded, and jogged over to the street, waving down the ambulance. I saw him pointing towards me, and I vaguely heard my name "Mackenzie". They came towards me with a stretcher, and I was forced to lie down again. I sighed; maybe calling an ambulance was not the best thing in the world.
    As I was loaded into the back of the van, Stephen leaned against the door. "Get well soon."
    "I'll try my best," I said, and I managed a small laugh. Then the doors closed and I was driven away.