YOU'LL NEVER KNOW , (tagged: ben~)

Joshua hadn't been up on the less amateur hiking trails for some years, now. As a native of the Hollow Joshua had spent years of his childhood like that of many others--familiarizing himself with the easier, softer trails that simply wound up and over the gently sloping foothills. He stood now facing a much more craggy and jagged looking mountain trail that looked like it hadn't been wandered up recently. Shouldering the bag that he usually used for school, but which was now filled with an assortment of things that might be useful to him up here like food and first aid, Joshua kicked aside a rock in his immediate path and started up it. It wasn't really as bad as it looked and as it sloped up and up, higher onto the mountainside, the sprawling but remote city of Maple Hollow opened out in front of him. In the distance he could see the long road that wound away from the main city ("Mansion Country", they called it) dotted with widely spaced and elaborate homes. It wasn't hard to spot his own, but the graduate glanced away as quickly as his gaze had passed over the huge white house. Would his mother be home right now, his father? He knew that Annabel would likely be still in school, but it was a day off for the Academy students. Being a boarding school that was year round and had limited vacation time compared to a lot of the public schools, the Academy had a couple of days where they allowed their students to do as they wished. Josh had taken advantage of this class-free day to do a bit of exploring. He thought that this trail seemed a bit familiar and wondered if he'd ever come up here with his Dad before, but then thoughts of Donovan repulsed him and he directed his attentions elsewhere.

The trail levelled off unexpectedly onto a semi-flat surface dotted with sparse mountain growth and a couple rocky boulders. Compared to the beautiful landscaping he could see in the distance of forests and lakes (he could spot the Academy, too, up on a slight hill as it was, it's huge shape looming up on the horizon) it wasn't much, but it was enough to keep him content and, as he'd been walking for quite some time, a good place to stop and rest. Owing to the fact that it seemed reckless to off-road an expensive Lamborghini and incredibly stupid to just park it at the roadside and hope no one tried to break into it, Joshua had left his car at Nell's place. He had grabbed a taxi to the edge of town (thank goodness for his mother's financial aide--he didn't think he could have lasted on a city bus) and then walked from there. He had his cellphone on him charged at full battery and with plenty of credit just in case. He was in the middle of nowhere and didn't know whether he'd get a signal--I'm fucked if I don't, he thought wryly, I'll have to find my way back somehow--and so he just hoped that everything worked out for the best and he returned back to the Hollow, and subsequently the Academy, with no injury and a day's worth of hiking experience to chat about to Nell or Harlow or one of the other people who could stand to be in his presence and hold a conversation with him. That number wasn't much, but at least he was faring better than he had with the gang. They'd been a horrible choice of friends, he thought. Well, if you could even call them that. Friends don't make habits of trying to kill you.

Allowing a slight snort in amused exasperation, he shrugged the bag from his shoulder and placed it down beside one of the rough ledges that could serve as a makeshift bench. Sitting down, Josh rifled through the contents of the bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a sub sandwich that he'd picked up before hailing the cab. ("Vegetarian, easy on the cucumber, extra cheese.") It tasted pretty good, but after downing half of it he decided that he would leave the other half for later and stowed the rest of the water back into the bag as well. His hiking boots were laced up on his feet and he almost smiled at the thought. He'd not bought them for this purpose--no, Joshua merely had a liking for them as a fashion statement. It seemed fitting that after owning the pair for a while (they were his favourites) he should really have gone about using them for their true purpose. He had a pair of sunglasses as well (for when did he ever leave those behind?) but the sunlight was neither hot nor glaring into his eyes, and he didn't want the view of the surroundings to be shaded with black. So he left them where they were. He had a few books (merely to occupy himself if he felt like taking an overly long break), the first aid, and the normal sorts of things one would take on a trip such as this. He had, however, left out the investment of a flashlight. After all, why would I need a flashlight if I can just make a torch to light my path? With this thought in mind, a stunted and twisted tree nearby burst into flames. He watched the fire flicker and dance with a mildly entertained expression, but at the same time he was practising his powers. This was a good place for it, after all, being so remote. Though the branches appeared to be burning, Joshua was assuming exact control of what burned and what didn't. It was draining, but he wouldn't keep it up for too long--he had no desire to pass out, after all.