Rescued.

Even after thirty minutes, our little fort was turning out pretty good. “Okay, we need like…a little thingy majigitt.” I said, motioning a shape I couldn’t even describe.

“And what’s that supposed to be?” Alex smirked, copying my motion, “Are you coming onto me?”

“No, loser, we need a thing to prop up the center of the blankets.”

“More boxes?” Jack offered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which…it really was.

“Riiiiight.” I laughed at my own stupidity and continued pining the blanket together, “You three can get on that.”

“Hey!” Jack suddenly exclaimed loudly, “We can even make separate rooms and stuff!” Jack discovered, hopping around, so excited for some reason. “I call one with KK!” He said, stacking boxes of his own volition into rooms.

“You’re such a dork, Jack.” Makahla shook her head, “Hey, Matt, you can sleep with Sara’s Mickey blanket. She has Mickey pajamas, but I don’t think you’re allowed to wear those.”

“Do you like Mickey as much as I do? Because, I saw the collection you had in the basement, pretty impressive.” Matt started conversationally.

“Uhhhhhhh, you could say that.” I nodded, smiling and turning away from the looks Makahla, Alex and Jack were giving me. Like I was just going to crack and tell him. “It’s a hobby.”

Soon enough, the whole fort was made spanning the entirety of the living room and part of the kitchen, up until the fridge at least. “Wooooooooooow.” I tried to whistle, but failing, “This is a pretty epic fort.”

“I’m going to take pictures with my phone!” Jack cheered. Goodness, he does everything so happily, it’s easy to be jealous of that. “Then we can make a buzznet video for this sweet baby...”

“We can do like…a ‘Cribz’ but call it ‘Fortz’” Makahla suggested, getting excited once again.

“Yeah!” Alex agreed, taking out his own phone. “We don’t have the buzznet phone, or an internet connection, so we’ll have to upload it later, but yeah.”

“You could also do like a mock survivor video.” I put in, yawning slightly.

“This is also a good idea.” Alex nodded, rubbing his chin in thought.

I giggled, leaning my head on his shoulder, “I didn’t know people actually did that when they thought…you’re cute.”

“I’m not cute!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, is that not ‘manly’ enough for you?” I lifted an eyebrow at him, “Fine…you’re hunky manliness astounds me.”

“Darn tootin’”

“I haven’t heard that phrase since my grandpa.” Makahla pointed out, “Anyway, hurry up, Jack. I want to get this thing started.”

“I’ll film it!” I volunteered, raising my hand.

“Aw, you don’t want to be in our video.”

“I look like crap on camera.” I shrugged.

“Matt’s recording.” Jack tossed Matt his phone, “Because I said so. We have to show off our amazing girlfriends somehow.”

“Grrr. Fine.” I begrudgingly agreed. Having a fort big enough so that you could stand in was pretty cool, separate rooms in it was just too mind blowing. “I think,” I started, looking around the fort. “If there was a prize for epic forts, we’d have no competition.”

“True dat, mah sista.” Makahla imitated a gangster, but she’s a bit too pale and white in general to pull that off. “So what are we doing first, guys?”

“I think we should definitely do the Fortz thing, and then maybe the survivor thing, if we can come up with something good.” Matt settled, switching Jack’s phone to video mode. “Sara, Makahla, you two go hang out in a random room and…do something…”

“You got it, dude!” I gave him a thumbs up, rushing into the back of the fort.

We could hear Alex and Jack goofing off and go through the video. “Fortz, coming at you from our girlfriends’ living room. They’re moving, so we’re helping. One thing led to another and we ended up making this fort.” Alex greeted.

“Let’s go see where the ladies are, shall we?” Jack announced. There was more random chatter as they came closer to us, explaining how the whole thing was set up with straight pins, safety pins, tape, blankets, and a ton boxes.

“There are the beautiful ladies!” Jack exclaimed, falling onto Makahla as we sat and played a game of Go Fish! Matt laughed while holding the camera, zooming in as Jack started licking Makahla’s face. Unexpectedly, Alex lifted me up off the ground to my feet and enveloped me in a bear hug. From the corner of my eye, I could see Matt switch the camera on us.

I tried to push Alex out of my face as he started to try and kiss me all over. “Haha, stop it, Alex.” I giggled, but accepting a kiss before he let me go.

“Party pooper.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that…not even the first today.” I pointed out, smiling.

“This is the last room in the fort, and in my opinion, it hold the best things.” Jack smiled, looking down at Makahla. “This is Makahla, my geeeeeee-effffffff.” He said kissing Makahla’s cheek.

“I think I liked it better the other day when I had high heels on.” I mumbled, in between Jack and Alex as we stood in a line. “I was taller then.” I lifted up on my tippy toes, still too short.

“And this cutie is mine, Sara.” Alex rubbed his cheek against mine while I again laughed.

“You’re such a dork.” I said right before Matt stopped the video.

“I love it.” Matt smiled, his little eye wrinkles popping up. I thought they were cute.

“Well…I love you!” Alex said with an insulting tone, taking a page out of my book.

“Now what?” Makahla sighed as we sat back down to get back to our Go Fish game.

“I don’t want to do the survivor thing anymore, I just want to chill out now.” Jack sighed, falling down next to Makahla and resting his head on her lap.

“I'm thirsty.” I sighed, standing up again and going to the kitchen. As I walked from the corner of the living room through the fort into the little area of the kitchen we had included, it all hit me.

Tomorrow we would pack up the rest of this house, the house Makahla and I have spent nearly three years in isolation together, and probably never step foot in it again. California is nice, but it's not this place. I spent one of the darkest points in my life here, and now I was leaving.

Instead of going back to the group, I exited the fort and headed upstairs into my now mostly empty room. There were still a box's worth of paint and paper, but I wasn't focus on that. The room had a window, a window that, at night, you could watch the sun go down, like it was doing now.

I sat against the opposite side of the room and just stared at that wall and the window. It was also the wall I had started painting my mural on. It was mostly finished, except for a few minor details, and it took me all three years.

Over the swirls and random moments of my life captured and put on the wall in paint, was a quote. “Don't cry for what might of been, don't live in the past. It was supposed to be forever, well, forever never lasts.”

Over the realistic drawings of my memories, I put the reminder of why I even came here to Idaho. Sure, running away isn't ever really the answer, but at least I never forgot. I never forgot that, though you can promise and promise over and over that things will last forever, they really don't.

Like love, care, most friendships.

It may be a little overdone, but I was honestly afraid of falling in love. I didn't have any kind of relationship until college, because I was afraid, though I used to excuse I was just focusing on my studies.

I thought about love, and all I saw was my father and how abusive he was. How I cowered from him, and how even after he had hit me, he still smiled and said 'I love you'. I know it doesn't always turn out the way it did then...but it's still scary.

Love leaves you open to being hurt, and I don't want to hurt anymore.

The door creaked open, and I turned to look at Alex. “Hey, what are you doing here all alone?”

“Thinking.”

“About what?”

“Why I put that stupid quote over the mural.” I motioned as Alex sat cross-legged beside me.

“And why is that?” Alex's eyebrows were together as he read over the quote, “It seems a little negative for you. I would suspect something like, 'Here comes the sun do-do do-do.'” Alex sang.

I just shrugged, “Why are you up here?”

“Do you want me to leave?” Alex asked, sensing the mood I was in. But, contrary to that, I didn't actually want to be alone. Because when I was alone, I thought too much and thinking about things always makes me sad.

“No. It's just...I thought you'd be downstairs having fun.”

“Nope. Jack and Makahla started cuddling and making out and stuff, so Matt left to...wherever...and I was bored. So I went to find you since you never came back from getting something to drink.”

“Sorry.” I mumbled.

“It's okay.” Alex smiled, looking at me, “You look a little gloomy, smile.” He said, poking my cheeks, “You okay?” He said when I didn't smile.

“Just...” I shrugged again, “I kind of don't want to leave this place anymore.” I finally smiled, rolling my eyes at myself when I felt the tell-tale lump start in my throat. Alex threw an arm over my shoulder, pulling me close. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

My eyelids started to droop once he started running his thin fingers through my long hair. “Sara, oh Sara, so easy to look at, so hard to define.” Alex sang Bob Dylan suddenly and stopped.

“What was that for? Are you making fun of me?” I didn't smile to give away that I was teasing.

“What? No.” Alex backtracked, “I was just listening to that song earlier while packing and--”

“Sweet virgin angel” I quoted from later in the song.

“I wasn't making fun of you, honest!” Alex chuckled nervously, pulling away and putting up his 'I surrender' arms.

At this point, my smile couldn't be contained, “I'm just kidding, Lexi.” I hugged him, kissing his cheek.

“Oh...good.” Alex sighed, wrapping his arms around me as well.

We sat like that for a while as I started to yawn and drift to sleep. Alex was warm and cuddly, not to mention he smelled terrific, and it had been a long day. I deserved some sleepy cuddle time with my boyfriend.

Behind my eyelids, there was a flash. I opened one eye to see Makahla and Jack giggling over our digital camera. “Did you just take a picture of us?” I asked, voice mumbled against Alex's chest.

“Well, we were hoping to catch you doing something naughty, but this works too.” Makahla laughed.

“Why are you even here, weren't you making out like two minutes ago?” Alex groaned, apparently he had been falling asleep as well.

“We got bored of making out and wanted to come wreck all your fun.” Jack said proudly.