July 1, 2008  10:00 pm
Zodiac Family Private Forest, Malison
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▫️Enzo

It was late at night and like every stupid teenager in the world, my cousins and I all decided to go for a hike, just a short one right outside in our backyard through the forest. Our family owned the entire forest, but we allowed anyone to go adventure off into it. Over the years my cousins and I have all played in the woods and explored places to claim as our own in our games.

It's very quiet out here, especially at night. Not even the animals who live here made noises. Everything was peaceful. Our shoes barely kicked up any dust as we walked along the path to a place we found long ago. We called it our place.

This was a spot only we knew about, where we could go anytime... and pretend to be normal and not some high class family of the universe.

"Heard you got expelled again," Jake says as he walks by me along the thick dirt trail.

"Yes... again. I think getting expelled is my new hobby," I sigh.

"Hey." Jake put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't be down about this, I'm sure there is a reason for all this. Maybe your next school will have a cute girl or something."

"There is a reason, it's because of who my dad is... he is all anyone ever sees in me," I state.

"That's not it," Jake objects.

I look at him. He had recently dyed his hair all rainbow colors, he didn't even look like a Zodiac anymore. Sometimes I wish I could dye my hair and cover up my identity. "Like you would have that problem... you aren't like me... you aren't a screw up! You are a normal person, not a monster like me."

"Hey!" Jake laughed and nudged me. "Do I look normal, I mean- I have rainbow hair for crying out loud."

"You look like every other person on Malison with that." I glance at the woods around me, the white trees have black accents on them, most look like eyes watching you. Like someone's eyes are always watching me wherever I go and judging me for every choice I make.

"Believe me, no one has this hair except strippers," Jake says. "And it's not good to be normal. Enzo... you are strange and weird and different-"

"Jee- thanks." I sass.

"That's why you are my favorite cousin..." he whispers, "don't tell the others," He giggles quietly.

"I wish I could just change my looks and run away!" I sigh.

"Why would you change?" He grabbed a leaf that was dying from a tree and broke it up in his hand and let the particles fall into the wind, being swept off into the woods.

"Why did you change your hair?" I throw the questions back at him.

"Why would I be normal, when there is so many other colors to explore to find who you are?" Jake smiles. "Besides, normal is a myth."

"Well if you are weird you are just weak." I state as I kick a rock somewhere off the path into the dark trees surrounding us, blocking out all form of life from the moon and stars.

"That's incorrect." Jake states and grabs a small rock off the ground and hands it to me. "It's the things that make you different from the rest of society are the things that make you stronger Enzo. It's like Luke always says, he hated English and the rest of the world wanted him to take English since it was a standard class. He changed the rules and only enrolled in science, math, and medical based classes. Because he spent his time there he discovered a cure for the great disease of cancer that's been plaguing our universe. You are destined for great things too Enzo. You will see someday."

"If I can live another day!" I huff. I remember that story, I had been told it a million times. That's why we only learn standard educational stuff until the sixth grade, unless you fail, then you continue on another year, like me.

Jake laughs and brushes his rainbow hair out of his face and looked over at me. "So what if you can't focus and if you suck at everything you try at in school. At least you tried. Enzo... I didn't try. I dropped out of school when things got tough, and I was only ten back then and nobody stopped me from quitting. Now I can't go back to school... I'm too old and way behind. I regret now that I didn't care enough to get a standard education. The fact that you are trying really let's me see how special you are."

"Like your rainbow hair... it makes you, you," I smile at my cousin. We were almost the same heigh dispite him being three years older then me.

"Yeah... Like my rainbow hair. You will find something that makes your different then your father. You do you... but you become who you want to be."

I stare at him in confusion. "What the heck does that mean?"

"You will figure it out someday. It makes sense to me," Jake smiles to himself.

I sighed and looked ahead, we were almost to our place. Jay and Mason were walking together ahead of us, talking about something sporty, probably football or wrestling. Torrent was behind us isolating himself from socializing and making something with some twigs and wire.

In a couple of minutes we arrived at our destination. Our place. It was a hill, filled with green grass, trees lining the perimeter, and the most beautiful flowers known in creation. They looked like lilies, but were pure white and glowed in the dark, lighting up the hill like one giant night light. The sky was dark, with stars dancing across telling a story, the moon was a small crescent cutting through the deep purple of the sky.

In the distance we could see the city lights and hear the traffic. But that was just background noise and when we laid down and looked at the night sky... it was like all of Malison disappeared and we were away from the busy world surrounding the forest, it was just us for forever.

This place was beautiful... and it was all ours.

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