"What's happening?"
She whispered to Leo.
"I don't know, " he whispered back.
"Is he going crazy?"
Leo looked at her with shock.
"No. I'm sure there's an explanation to this."
Jamie shrugged. She was telling what she knew.
"Grab the vines. We are going to distribute these in different places."
"Oh, okay. This is a good idea, boss."
Sawyer looked at her.
"Huh, I thought you said I was mad, huh!"
Ah, so he listened to her. Even when he was still talking to the tree.
Jamie nodded.
"Like Leo got his lightning powers, I can now talk to some mutant plants. Keep it secret, okay!"
Jamie understood. Wow. So like he said, there was a rain of superpowers. She wondered what superpower she could get. Something cool like flying. Or teleporting. Jamie could use her space powers to travel ten feet before. She hadn't used those powers in this world so she didn't know if they were the same.
Leo walked to the vines that were entangled on the floor and slowly reached for them. He hesitantly looked at Sawyer.
"See, like this."
Sawyer had a knife on his lapel. He took it out cut a vine and then pulled it out. After getting a five-foot part of the vine, he cut it again.
"See, we take then of these. Now, get to chopping."
The tree danced. It wasn't observable to others but Sawyer noticed it. He had a little smile.
He always felt that the mutant plants were just murderous but now, he felt that they were cute. Really cute.
His little vine kept jumping before him and showing him the best part to cut.
Jamie and Leo on the other side didn't notice this. They kept tripping trying to get hold of the vine so their progress was pitiful.
In the end, both of them managed to cut three vines but Sawyer cut seven.
"Let's leave here."
Leo volunteered to drag the vines out and Jamie went to help him.
"Are you not hurt by this?"
The tree shook.
"My vines can grow outside and this way, no one can find me. I want to save myself. If I can maintain this state, I can get my form someday. My vines are parts of me so I wish they could grow here. And they could go outside."
"You think, they will be alive if someone took them out of here as a reward?"
"My vines can become a plant as soon as they find favorable conditions."
"And are they dangerous?"
The tree shook violently now.
"No, no, we mutant plants fight because we feel that you have bad intentions for us. If you don't see any threat, why would we fight?"
Made sense.
"I am doing this because my little vine vouched for you."
The little vine stepped on his shoulder and looked at the tree with a proud expression.
"Yeah, if only I met you earlier."
The vine jumped up and landed on the trunk of the tree trying to hit it with its tendril.
"No, no, it itches. Go away."
Sawyer picked up the angry vine.
"I'm leaving. Be well."
He got his reward anyway.
He lifted the five parts of their vine collection and gave three to Leo. Jamie carried the last two.
"How are we going to climb up?"
Sawyer and Leo both looked up and then looked at each other.
Jamie looked around. She knew that forests were unpredictable.
"I think there should be a way out here. There cannot be only a clearing."
"Yes, but which way?"
Sawyer looked at the plants and had an idea.
He kneeled and touched the grass.
He was sending a feeler for an intelligent plant. If there was none, they were going to climb up somehow.
Jamie and Leo both looked at him with fascination. Seeing someone communicate with plants was so cool.
"I don't think I can get any response here."
Sawyer stood up with exhaustion.
"Try once more. Maybe the plant didn't wake up yet."
Jamie added.
Sawyer tried once more. He knew there wouldn't be a reply.
"Whaaat?"
"There's a little guy answering my question. Hold on."
Sawyer then communicated with the plants again.
"Is there a way out of here?"
"Where?"
"Out of this clearing!"
"What is clearing?"
Listening to the doubtful tone, Sawyer understood that this was a young plant who didn't know much.
He relayed it to his team.
"You should talk like you are talking to a kid. A kid won't know these things too."
Leo answered.
"Yes, you can ask if the plant knows where its friends live?"
Jamie suggested. She felt that the plant should know some birds.
"Do you have bird friends?"
"Yes, Caw meets me every day."
Caw- a crow?
"Where is Caw's home?"
"In the sky!"
"Any other birds?"
"Chee chee!"
Which bird was Chee Chee?
"I think we should find some other way. Out of here!"
"Can we tie our ropes together?" Leo suggested.
"Even then, it will be a little short."
"How about adding the vines?"
Jamie suggested looking at Sawyer. Sawyer felt it could work. The vines weren't weak by any means and they could climb up.
"Let's eat some before going up. We need energy."
They had compressed food but Jamie was craving sandwiches. She had a thought of giving them some but then she remembered, how was she going to justify their origin? Wasn't her space the reason she got betrayed? She was going to keep it silent.
"I'll be back."
She walked ahead and took a sandwich out of her space. She didn't go in because that was dangerous here.
"Caw!"
Maybe because she had heard Sawyer talking about the crow, she was hearing sounds. She continues eating.
Wait a minute?
Why was it sounding like the crow was above her? She looked at the shadow and hesitantly looked above.
This wasn't a crow! This was a five-foot crow. What!
Sawyer appeared before her and Jamie quickly put the half-bitten sandwich in her mouth.
"Caw!"
The crow swooped down.