Fishing Trip

The sky was a clear bright blue today, the clouds all white with the sun shining down. I was laid out on a blanket stretched across the sandy shore of Crystal Lake, a book in my hand getting almost all of my focus. What remained was focused on the fishing rod I had stuck up in the sand. The lure remained still, I wondered if I would actually manage to catch something today after the last week of failure.

Brant held the bare hook in front of his face and frowned. For the third time this morning it was painfully devoid of a fish, or even an eel. His stomach grumbled, reminding him of his failure once more. He flopped backwards and tossed his rod away, cursing loudly. "Where the hell are the fish!" He yelled a bit more for good measure and pounded his fists on the grass, leaving dimples in the ground. Panting he jumped back to his feet and picked up the discarded rod. he reached into his bait bag and pulled a wriggling worm out. With his tongue between his teeth Brant carefully placed it on, the buggers had a bad habit of wriggling off the hook if not placed right. He cast the lone back out and sat back down, rod grasped firmly in his hands and a determined look on his face.

I hadn't noticed anyone else in the area so when another kid starting yelling about his poor luck with the fish I almost dropped my book on my face. Sitting up I took a look around and about two hundred feet down the shore was a boy with orange hair sticking his tongue out as he re-baited his line. My book would wait for now, it wasn't often I got to see other people out here so I put my hand in the air and waved at him.

Brant gave the girl a flat stare as she sat down next to him. He didn't much appreciate being told that he was doing it wrong, it was even worse she told him he'd go hungry again. How did she know he'd spent all his money again? "I don't think fish are really smart enough to get scared. The ones I've seen are all pretty blank faced." He studied the girl's face for a moment trying to determine if he knew her, she'd certainly acted as if she knew him. He thought he'd seen her a few times at the academy over the years but couldn't put a name to her face. "Who are you anyway?"

Brant couldn't really help it and he didn't mean for it to happen, but his mouth dropped open as the girl started speaking and stayed open after she finished. He closed it and opened it again searching for something to say. She'd shaken his hand, who even did that? Adults did that. Old people did that. Eventually he managed to find his voice, for all the good it did him. "What?" He scratched his head and ruffled his hair, he did have manners. Sometimes. "I'm Brant. i think i saw you at the academy a few times." he may have seen her but he was sure he would have remembered a girl who knew so much about fish.

As I walked over I couldnt help but chuckle a little at how dumbfounded the boy seemed with his dropped jaw. By the time I managed to finally fold my blanket into my backpack and store my book the introductions were already made so I went ahead and announced myself. "And my name is Gil, nice to meet ya. And I'd hope you recognize her, our classes shared the same room just at different times." I'd offer my hand out to the girl with a smile on my face, "you're knowledge of fish is amazing, doesn't sound like anything in my books."

Brant was very, very lost. He didn't think he understood a single thing that was happening. Now there was another boy here who seemed to know him and he still had no idea who anyone was. They would probably think worse of him if he told them his days in the academy were spent with his head in the clouds. Imaging dangerous adventures on a cursed land were much more entertaining than anything the instructors taught. But, the girl had offered to help him catch fish and for Brant that was enough to make him pull his A game. He flashed her a bright smile and took her hand again. "Of course, i remember you now Rue! How could i forget? You always sat in that er...that chair by the window, you not liking being the center of attention and all" He grinned and ruffled his hair once more. Suave wasn't really his strong point but by gosh he'd give it a try if it got him a meal tonight. "So catching fish? What am i doing wrong?" he paused for effect and squeezed her hand ever so slightly. "Do i need to be more, gentle?" The last was said with what he hoped was a smoldering look. he'd seen others do it before and thought he pulled it off alright. Chances were he was squinting at her though. The things he did for a meal.

The other boy's attempt to be smooth was just terrible, when he asked about being more gentle I just sighed and placed my hand over my face. But Rue had managed to remind me of something I had forgotten, the crystals of crystal lake. "I'd be more than happy to look at the lights. Never actually seen them myself before so it should be fun." I would then start setting my things out again, not bothering with the blanket since we were standing on grass rather than sand.