These Little Wonders

There was a break in the normal Las Vegas weather, proving Sin City actually had its good days.

Brendon took this opportunity to take a walk through his neighborhood, something he hadn't done in a long time.

The kids he had seen playing in the lawns as children had already grown up into adolescents with budding angst.

Even the trees in the park had gotten bigger.

Maybe it was being locked in his house for so long and being away on tour for even longer, but the world around him had changed overnight practically.

It was similar to going back to your elementary school or a place you grew up in a long time ago and trying to get over how small it had become.

Brendon's feet led him to the park a block away, where, on a day like today, people and families were scattered here and there.

He figured from experience to avoid them; being stared down my parents afraid their kids would turn into dark shirt wearing, tight jeaned music addicts wasn't how he wanted to spend this nice day.

Instead he wandered over to the patch of shaded old oaks like they were umbrellas in a downpour.

The largest tree there had long draping limbs and a twisted trunk that created the illusion it was small while in retrospect it was rather imposing.

Yeah, Brendon had a habit of studying trees.

As he walked under its shade he began studying the limbs, just aching to climb them.

Just as he caught a glimpse of deep red, a bright green sphere grew larger and larger with each second in his eyes as it fell closer and closer to him till all he knew was darkness and a throbbing pain.

"Geez Brenny, you're supposed to catch it!" A voice he didn't expect to hear laugh.

Rubbing his forehead, Brendon looked up, trying to confirm his suspicions via site.

Even with the different hair, something he was getting used to, Brendon recognized her.

Felix.

"Do you feel like Sir Isaac Newton?" She asked, grinning from a few branches above his head.

Brendon was too distracted by her long hennaed locks to pay attention.

She had an ethereal fairy-like quality to her, with the light streaming through the trees just right.

He would've mistaken her for one if it hadn't been for her bright blue rain boot clad feet swinging lazily over the tree branch.

On top of that, with her blue plaid school girl skirt and lightly faded Care Bears tee, she was like some Elvin inner city being that strayed too far from LA and ended up in Las Vegas.

"Bren? Did gravity hit you so hard you lost your voice?" She called down, a bit more worried than before.

He shook himself out of his trance and glanced up at her with his hand shielding his eyes.

"How did you get up there in a skirt?"

Felix grinned, straddling the tree branch.

"Very carefully." She laughed. "Now get your butt up here like I know you've been dying to do."

With a chuckle Brendon jumped and swung himself onto the nearest branch.

It was a struggle for him, obviously being out of practice, something Felix picked up on as she helped him up.

"Brenny boy we need to work on your tree climbing, its like your inner child is in time out or something."

He chuckled and surveyed where she sat.

There seemed to be a small pile of candy green apples balanced just behind Felix, and folded over book, and a faded orange messenger bag hanging over the branch by the stump of another.

"It's like you moved in or something." He observed with a grin.

With a wide grin Felix replied.

"Oh I wish. Trees are so much nicer than any maxi pad or inner city loft."

Brendon attempted to suppress his laugh as he phrased his next question.

"What exactly is a maxi pad? Uh, I mean... I don't think you're referring to the um..."

The fairy like quality of Felix flew out the window as she let out a snort.

It looked like something of a struggle for her to regain her composure.

"Oh you're so innocent Brendon, and no I wasn't talking about that. Maxi pads; maxi as in big and pad as in slang for house. Jeez now the whole joke got ruined!" She pouted overdramatically, swinging her legs on either side of the tree branch.

"I'm sorry is there anything I can do to make it up?"

Felix thought deeply, letting her eyes wander from leaf to leaf above her.

By the time she looked back at him there was a diabolical grin on her face.

"Wanna go streaking?"

Brendon didn't say anything.

The look on his face said it for him.

"You're not serious are you?"

Felix giggled and swept her long red locks to the side.

"You seem skeptical in my lack of shame." She smiled, reaching over to muss his hair. "But you Bren might have to abstain. I mean, what would Buzznet say?"

His gaze fell at her words, wishing more and more that he was just another face in the crowd instead of a rockstar in Teen Beat magazine.

He wanted to be spontaneous and unashamed and able to let loose like Felix.

While he thought she stared at him, almost as if she was able to read his thoughts.

"Its no biggie Bren, be that quirky adolescent rockstar you are." She assured him while tossing her book and many apples into her bag.

Brendon watched, not really sure what to say; she had stunned him to silence.

"Bye sweetie, I'll see you around." Felix smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

Brendon reached up to where her lips had been as she jumped straight down from the tree branch onto the ground.

Felix had barely taken a step forward when Brendon found his voice.

"Felix wait!"

Slowly and shakily Brendon climbed down, slipping and falling at the end.

Still, Felix watched and waited patiently for him, even when he came up running in all his scraped and bruised glory.

"Come to my place at seven tomorrow. I'm not going to wait around to run into you and if I have to go door to door through the entire neighborhood to find you I will."

Her eyes went wide like saucers, like her smile.

"And what if some teeny bopper recognizes you and tries to kidnap you?"

He grinned.

"Well then you should show up because if you don't it'll be your fault if I go missing."

Felix bit her lip nervously and excitedly, looking like she was ready to pounce him.

Instead she held back and pulled and apple out of her bag.

"I'll be there at seven." She replied.

As she walked away backwards facing him, Felix tossed him the apple in her hand before sending him a wink and disappearing through the playground.