"Maddie are you alright?" asked Matt as he looked at Maddie as she filled some water in their water bottles from the stream.
"Mhmm, I am alright, why do you ask?" asked Maddie as she turned to look at Matt.
"No reason…" said Matt as his voice trailed off.
"Hmmm, I don't believe you Matt, it's not for no reason, why did you ask if I am alright?" asked Maddie as she kept eye contact with Matt, she knew him well, and he would not just ask her a question out of nothing, he must have been thinking of something.
"Well…" said Matt as he hesitated, he did not want to upset her seeing as she was alright.
"Well spit it out Matt, we don't have all day" said Maddie.
"Well I mean, Prince Oliver mentioned your mother and…" said Matt as he was not able to finish his sentence when Maddie cut him off.
"No just stop right there Matt" said Maddie.
"That woman is not my mother, don't call her that" said Maddie.
"But Maddie…" said Matt as he was cut off.
"But nothing, don't mention her, I don't want to think about that woman right now, it's making me upset" said Maddie as she shook her head, she blamed Ollie for bringing subject up, she had not thought about that woman called her mother in such a long time, she never, but now that Ollie started mentioning mothers, she could not help but just feel angry.
"That woman is not my mother, she only gave birth to me and nothing more" said Maddie.
"It takes so much more to be a mother than just brining a child into the world, why bring a child when you can't take care of it, it's just sheer wickedness, it's selfishness, it's horrible" said Maddie as Matt was concerned, he had never heard Maddie speak with such hate before, in the dim white light of the torch light, he could see the way her face contorted with nothing but pure hate.
"I'm glad that she died, she deserved it, and as for me, I don't have a mother, or a father, I am just Maddie, I am on my own" said Maddie as this subject just made her so upset, so very upset, she felt like punching someone, punching something right now, to find a way to vent out this anger within her.
Matt did not know what to say, he could tell that Maddie was boiling in anger right now, and it would take some time for her to calm down.
"You know Maddie… you are not on your own" said Matt as he managed to say that as Maddie took a deep breath.
"You have us… you have me, Annie and Curtis, we all care about you, our family is your family as well" said Matt.
"*Sigh*" said Maddie as she sighed, and she took two more deep breaths, she just needed to calm down.
"I know Matt… I know" said Maddie as she sighed once more.
"And thank you… thank you Matt" said Maddie as she smiled.
"And I'm sorry, it's just that… talking about this matter just makes me so angry, so I would rather not talk about it… I know that I must sound like a brat, but… I…" said Maddie.
"You don't have to explain yourself Maddie, I understand" said Matt.
"And you are allowed to feel anyway that you want to feel about something" said Matt.
"Just don't forget that you have people who love you, and if you need someone to talk to, you always have us" said Matt as he smiled.
"Thanks Matt, I know" said Maddie as she smiled.
"Well alright, that's enough emotion for one night, let's go back" said Maddie as Matt laughed and he shook his head, Maddie was just, Maddie.
"Okay, okay" said Matt as he laughed.
"Lead the way" said Maddie as she smiled and she followed after Matt.
…
Quietness, that was what filled the air, well now Maddie could believe Curtis when he said that there were no animals here, it was just so quiet, too quiet even.
"So…" said Ollie as he smiled and he broke the silence, nothing had been awkward, everyone was just busy in their own thoughts.
"Oh what is it now blondie?" asked Maddie as she groaned whenever this guy opened his big mouth, nothing good came out of it, believe her, she knew from experience.
"Well since it's too quiet" said Ollie.
"No one was complaining" said Maddie as Ollie ignored her.
"How about we tell scary stories, don't humans do that?" asked Ollie as he smiled.
"Well what do you know about humans?" asked Maddie as she scoffed.
"Well don't they tell scary stories in circumstances such as this?" asked Ollie as Maddie just shook her head and Annie could not help but laugh, she found Ollie's curiosity cute, and the way he spoke about humans as if they were some sort of strange beings, while it was supposed to be the other way around.
"What's so funny?" asked Ollie as he looked at Annie.
"You" said Annie as she laughed.
"How exactly do you know that humans tell scary stories in circumstances such as this?" asked Annie as she was curious.
"Well it's a known fact that humans don't believe that we exist, and instead we have become a folklore for them, in fact, we are famous in their horror stories" said Ollie as Annie laughed again, she was human, she did consider herself a human even though she was a witch.
"Alright then, I agree with Prince Oliver" said Annie as she stopped laughing.
"Ollie" corrected Ollie once again.
"Yes, sorry Ollie" said Annie.
"I agree with him, let's tell scary stories, it will be fun" said Annie as she laughed.
"Of course Annie, of course" said Maddie as she scoffed, she did not blame Annie, she blamed that annoying prince with the big mouth, he always had such great ideas.
"Come on Maddie, it will be fun" said Annie as she laughed.
"Don't tell me that you are afraid of a scary story?" asked Annie.
"No, of course not!" said Maddie as she shone her torchlight in Annie's eyes and Matt laughed, the way she got to defensive was just so funny.
"You see, so let's tell scary stories" said Annie as she smiled.
"Fine, fine" said Maddie as she sighed and she shook her head, everyone was always against her, Matt did not refuse, and well Curtis, he just stayed quiet.
"Great" said Annie as she smiled and she shone her torchlight at Ollie.
"Alright, alright, so I will tell a scary story" said Ollie as he smiled.
"This is the story of de coboli" said Ollie with a smile as Curtis stopped being quiet and he looked at Ollie.
"Don't tell that story" said Curtis as he shook his head, he did not know about Ollie, but he would like to stay sane without people being scared.
"Why not?" asked Annie as she turned to look at Curtis.
"Yeah, why Curtis?" asked Maddie.
"What's de coboli?" asked Matt as he was confused.
"Witch folklore, terrible creature that eats disobedient children and adults, horrific grim, likes to tear off it's victim limb by limb as it likes the victim to watch itself die, travels through matter and can teleport into your dreams, where is likes to haunt its victim first in order to prepare it for him as it likes the smell of fear" said Curtis as he gave his explanation while Annie, Maddie and Matt were taken by surprise, and also a little bit creeped out.
"Umm…." Said Maddie as she was speechless, that thing whatever it was sounded terrifying, she did not even want to dare imagine what It looked like.
"Umm is right…" said Annie as she was just as surprised as Maddie was.
"Umm… wait, that thing isn't real right?" asked Matt as he looked at Curtis.
"It isn't…. or so we think, it's hard to know for sure" said Ollie as he replied and Maddie felt shivers run down her spine.
"Are you crazy or what? Why would you want to tell us a story about that horrific monster, whatever it's called" said Maddie as she shone her torchlight directly in Ollie's eyes, she wished that he would go blind, she was never one to be scared, but after Curtis's detailed explanation, she was starting to get goosebumps, just great, they were on this foreign dangerous mountain, and now she had to add a terrifying monster that may or may not be real to that list.
"Well I don't find it scary at all" said Ollie as all he wanted was to tell the scariest story ever, and well de coboli was the only creature that came to mind.
"That is because you are obviously insane, what if that thing appears whenever you call its name or something?" asked Maddie as now Annie was starting to get a bit scared.
"No, no it doesn't do that, only the…" said Ollie as he was cut off.
"Don't say its name alright, you know what nope, I am not going to die here and watch myself get eaten alive" said Maddie as she stood up, she was more than freaked out right now.
"Umm… I think that we should all go to sleep right now" said Annie as she was also a bit freaked out.
"I knew that this scary story thing was not going to turn out good, thanks for giving me nightmares Blondie" said Maddie.
"You are welcome, although I thought that you are a nightmare so you don't get nightmares" said Ollie.
"Don't test me blondie, I hope that whatever that creature is, comes for you" said Maddie.
"Highly unlikely, de coboli, doesn't go for people who have Royal blood in them, or else it would burn up" said Ollie as he smiled.
"Oh geez, gosh, lucky you" said Maddie as she scoffed no wonder he wasn't scared, what a selfish person he was.
"I am going to sleep with one eye open that is" said Maddie as she walked to her sleeping bag.
"I am going to sleep as well" said Annie as she just could not shake off the horror Curtis had told them about.
"Hey, it's only a folktale" said Ollie as he could not help but laugh.
"Not funny" said Matt as he stood up and he shook his head as Ollie turned to look at Curtis.
"Prince, your choice of story was just not suitable right now" said Curtis as he shook his head and Ollie just tried to stop himself from laughing, who knew that they could all be scared that easily?