Morgan's bunk

"Whoa, hey!"

The vines had wrapped around my waist, not hard enough to hurt but I could still feel them after he had removed them. I watched him close his eyes and playfully put my hands on my knees, touching my index with my thumbs so they'd form a circle.

"Open your chakras, Derek," I said in a yoga-professor-like voice.

"Okay, what did she tell you this time?" I asked.

I had already seen him talking to trees, which I found quite impressive -- I could only talk to trees when the dryads decided to show themselves. Dryads were cute but most of the ones I knew were pretty touchy, and they had no notion of time.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "When I have to practice my kissing I just grab some random stranger."

The thought to do it on bark though was quite disturbing -- would it even feel good, I mean... Bark is kinda rough and I understand the people who use pillows rather than trees.

"Oh it's quite easy," I said, waiting for him to realize I had been joking the whole time. "I just walk up without saying hi and kiss them full on the mouth. And then I drag them into some dark alley and make out. Any other tips I can give you?"

Then he suddenly sat up asking me to guess what. "Wut?"

"No! School is Tartarus! Stay with us, we have cookies."

I put both my hands behind my neck and tilted my head. "Where are you gonna go to though? Mortal world... or New Rome?"

"I thought your dad lived in Tennessee -- or would he be okay with paying you a boarding school in New York?"

I was actually pretty clueless on Derek's family situation, I knew he was originally from South Africa, but that was it.

"Fair enough," I nodded. Living in Berlin, I could understand his position on wanting to stay near Camp Half-Blood -- I'd do the same, if it weren't for my family. Adoptive family. Whatever. My real family, not the biological one. When he asked wy life was so confusing, I put my shades on the tip of my nose teacher-style and started talking with the voice of professor McGonagall. "And that, son, is a very good philosophical question. Write a dissertation on that topic, you have four hours."

"The Valentine dance? Probably, yeah," I said.

I just had to get a nice outfit...and should I ask him? I don't know, we were pretty new friends but after all, we had fought together and had shared strong moments.

"I don't know yet. I'm probably going to ask someone," I elusively replied.

I was sometimes a bit uncomfortable discussing my crushes...especially if it was a pretty new one, like now.

"I will end you if you tell anyone," I glared him down.

Then I saw he was still eating his apple and grinned. "Hey can you grow me a pepper? Yellow or red, I don't care."

"Whatever?" I quoted him. "I know who your crush is. Watch me stick love notes signed Derek Vinyl in his weapon locker."

I was joking of course; I wasn't that cruel. Then he put his hand over the branch and a sprout started to develop from the bark, first the soft green stem then the fruit started to form, an unripe green at first then developing, growing, thickening into a ripe red pepper.

"... Okay. How did you make a pepper grow on a tree?" I asked. "Bro, your tricks are sick."

"Wow you know his habits too? You're such a stalker!"

JK? Who was that? Oooh yes, his sister. Half-sister. Anyway. Yeah, the girl who did my hair today. A skinny ball of energy and optimism, I adored her. She was always hanging out with her friends Penny, Coral and Liza but I sometimes caught glimpses of her and her boyfriend James.

"Yeah, getchu. I'm learning some tricks from Lou too."