The Climb

Bethel: "Where do you think you're going, Trey?" He stares daggers into him. "You're not going anywhere until you've climbed this mountain and conquered the wizards tower." He stands as absolute as his words.

Trey smiles and laughs psychotically, grabbing Lea's shoulders, "We're going to die out here!" he gasps for air.

Lea: "No, we're not!" She shoves him off. "We can do this! We're adults now, remember?"

Trey slaps himself out of it. "Right! But how do we get up this mountain? It's way to big, and this isn't getting us anywhere," he pouts.

Lea looks at the incline hard for a moment. She studies every possible foot hold or even a hand hold if crawling would be viable, but she quickly looks back to Trey hoping he has an idea. "So...maybe if we crabwalk?..."

Trey: "Could work...lets try it!"

Both of them turn sideways and begin to shimmy up the incline. However, that doesn't go very far as they slide down the incline.

Trey: "No, crabwalk. We can't just walk up...we've tried everything!" He huffs and stomps his foot.

Lea: "We could always...crawl up the mountain," she shrugs, "I'm just saying."

Trey: "Couldn't hurt to try that." He starts to crawl up the incline. The hot sand would burn his hands if he wasn't wearing gloves, which of course he is, his mother never lets him leave home without them. Trey digs deep into the sand and finally reaches the top. He throws down his gloves to Lea who than puts them on and climbs up the incline as well. Before either could celebrate...

Bethel: *Smiles* "Good job reaching the top." He pauses barely holding his laugh back, "Of the first slope that is! Now, do the rest. I'll be waiting at the tower for you two, so do hurry."

He teleported away leaving the two already tired 'adults' alone.

Trey: *Takes a deep breath and screams* "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! This mountain is huge, we'll never be able to get to the top...at least not today."

Lea rolls her eyes and quickly continues up the mountain. "Not with that attitude we're not!" She turns back and smiles, "Come on. Last one up has to do the dishes for the other one for a week!" She scurries ahead.

Trey is left standing in confusion for only a second. "H, hey! Wait up!" He runs after her almost tripping over his own feet, "Y, you stole my gloves too!"

Lea cackles like a happy fox. Frolicking up the trail with a sizable lead over Trey. Trey just can't keep up with her. She's far too nimble for a man to compete with her. Her mother likes to say she's one third mountain goat on her fathers side. After only thirty minutes Lea arrives at a resting point. It was rather small, only a single log near an unlit fire place with a tree for shade.

Lea: "Who built this up here, and why?" She turns to see Trey leagues farther down the mountain. She sighs and rubs the temples on her forehead before going to sit on the log under the shade. "Guess I should wait for him...knowing how terrible he is with directions. He's surely get lost with out me!" She proclaims proudly to no one.

After a moment of silence she becomes bored and looks ahead on the trail. It looks a lot nicer, much more greenery and shade indicates the hard part of the mountain is over. It also indicates that someone must be here often to take care of it all as it seems very well maintained.

Lea yells down to Trey who is about fifty feet behind her, "Hurry up slowpoke. We're almost at the tower! It should be right up this hill." She leads the way, leaving no time at all for Trey to rest as he finally catches up to her.

Trey: "Can't you slow down a bit?" He says between breaths, "I'm dying here!" He wipes the sweat from his face.

Lea" *Shrugs and continues on* "Stop crying you big baby. It's nice and shaded now anyway."

Trey takes a deep breath and sits in the shade, "I need a break..."

Lea sighs in annoyance and joining him sitting down. "Fine! Only for five minutes...max! We have to be home for supper." She crosses her arms.

Trey lays out on the cool grass to feel the nice breeze over his skin. It feels great compared to the burning sand he had climbed through moments ago. After five minutes Lea lightly taps his nose with a piece of grass making it itch.

Trey: "Hey cut that out!" He rubs his nose and huffs. "Fine, lets go. Wouldn't wanna miss supper." He stands up and begins to move forward up the hill. To his surprise it's much easier than he was expecting.

Lea smirks deviously behind him laughing to herself, until Trey becomes incredibility nervous and looks over his shoulder with extreme caution.

Trey: "Uh...what are you laughing about?" He huffs nervously.

Lea: "Well...I was up the mountain first and all. You know that means?"

Trey: "Rats! That means I have to do double dishes for a week! That's so crumby..." He looks down as they finally reach the wizards tower.

The tower is huge. It casts a shadow over everything around it. It's mostly grey with the exception of two hanging banners near the entrance, both of which are red. Bethel stands at the entrance looking disappointed.

Bethel: "You two are by and far the slowest to ever actually reach the tower."

Trey: "What do you mean 'actually' reach the tower? Did someone not reach the tower?" He sounds a little confused and a little disappointed.

Bethel: "Of course not! No one ever reaches the tower on their first try!" He bellows out in laughter. "It's a fake test to show kids that they're not really adults yet...but sense you both made it, you should try the tower regardless."

Trey looks as though his entire world was a lie but Lea looks proud of herself.

Lea: "Oh we will!" She grabs Trey's arm, "Come on we have a tower to conquer!"

She proudly marches in with Trey, who's still shocked. Right before the door closed, Bethel smirks devilishly.