Page 10 of Yellow
“Wake up, Chloe, you’re dreaming.”
Onava’s deep voice finally broke through and saved me from a nightmare that had me panting with fear.
“What it is?” Onava asked, concerned.
“Niko… He… He…” I could hardly say the word.
“Did he shoot you again?”
“No.” I shook my head. “He was on top of me, holding me down. He wanted to rape me.” Tears fell from my eyes.
“It felt so real,” I cried.
Onava opened her arms like a mother to a child and although I had known her for less than a day, I didn’t hesitate to hide in her embrace and let her stroke my back. “It’s okay,” she whispered calmingly and hummed a soothing tune. “You’re safe now, Chloe. Go back to sleep.”
?∞?
Thursday morning, Onava took me hiking after a quick breakfast. We walked for about an hour at a relaxed pace and made it up to a beautiful view point.
“You like it?” she asked and stepped to the edge of the cliff overlooking millions of trees in all directions and a large lake in the distance.
“It’s beautiful,” I agreed. “So lush and tranquil.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She sighed. “I’ll never get tired of this view. See that tree down there? The one that’s taller than all the other trees.” She pointed.
I squinted my eyes. “Which one?”
“Just look for the biggest, most beautiful tree. Do you see it?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“You’re a bit like that tree.”
“Excuse me?” I shifted my balance and leaned forward to see the tree clearer. “How am I a tree?”
She squatted down and pulled her backpack around to fish out two granola bars. “You’re a star, aren’t you?”
“A movie star,” I clarified.
“Which means that among your peers, you’re the best of the best and everyone looks up to you.”
I nodded.
“That tree is thestaramong trees. It’s the biggest and most beautiful of its kind, and you could argue that it’s really good at being a tree. Superior almost.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And yet, I worry about that tree,” she said solemnly.
“Why?” I asked with a frown. “You just said it was the best tree.”
Onava took time to unwrap her bar and chew a bite before she took a long thoughtful glance down over the treetops. “A tree must grow not only up but down as well. The stronger the root net, the better survival chances for the tree when winter storms tear through the forest or summer droughts come around.
“You really care about the trees, don’t you?”
“I do.” Onava nodded. “But I hope you know we’re talking about you.”
“Me?”
