Firewatch

[Lioness075]

It was an unusual job and she had never imagined she’d pick something like this up over the summer. Slamming her car door shut and wincing at the echoing sound after birds burst from some bushes nearby in surprise, Lana let out her breath and sighed. Looking just over the hilltop nearby, Lana could see the sun shining from behind a drifting cloud. Quickly looking away since too much brightness could really hurt her eyes, Lana moved to the trunk of her car and pulled out her backpack before putting it on and adjusting it a bit on her back. Backpacks never were perfectly comfortable for her, but Lana made it work since there wasn’t exactly another option for moving into that lookout tower with cardboard boxes instead.


With her red-brown hair shining in the sunlight, Lana shut the trunk of her car and pressed the lock button to hear the signature sound of her car locking itself. Moving away from her car, Lana sighted a cliché board set up just before the trail beyond. Walking over, she scratched at the side of her head, her newly cut short hair a bit itchy lately. It oddly felt a lot like a guy's cut, but Lana liked it because it didn't fly in her face anymore when she was flying. Reaching the board, Lana eyed the pinned map and briefly wondered if she should take a picture to save it on her phone, but decided against it. Likely, there’d be a map waiting for her in the tower. Looking over at the few posted notices, Lana raised an eyebrow at the mention of bears. No matter how enhanced of a human she was, Lana wanted nothing to do with bears. A shiver rolled down her spine at the mere thought of one charging through the forest at her, resulting in Lana’s wings ruffling a bit. Not at all a comfortable thought.


Leaving the board behind, Lana set out on the trail with her destination in mind, though her thoughts soon went elsewhere. Growing up, Lana didn’t exactly have things easy. While mutants were normal now, they were still seen a bit as outcasts and having physical attributes only meant one was even more so an outcast. Thus, growing up with a pair of wings on her back that she couldn’t conceal under any clothes meant that Lana was an easy target. She could always hear the laughter in the back of her mind, the way the other children, teens, and even university students all taunted her. She had a doting family back home, but the problem was that they were in another country while she was studying abroad here in the States. While she enjoyed the sense of independence in being here, it seemed mutants were under a lot of scrutinization and it left Lana questioning her decision quite often.


Suddenly, a noise startled Lana back into the present and she froze in place, her eyes wide. While her heart raced, Lana’s face broke out into a smile, as she saw the moose staring right back at her from about ten meters away. Instead of running away like it would to most humans, the moose paused uncertainly and sniffed at the air. While Lana had a human body, her wings gave off the scent of a Ross’s Turaco and so she was far less threatening in that sense. Sure enough, as it had happened many times before, the moose relaxed in Lana’s presence and went back to snacking on the twigs before him. Relaxing as well, Lana stepped forward until she was inches from the moose’s side and gingerly placed her hand against his side, grinning when he flinched, but remained where he was. Patting him, Lana turned to continue forward along her trail, but paused when the moose looked up and turned his head so he was looking right at her. Facing him, Lana shakily raised her hand, knowing fully well just how dangerous the moose’s antlers were, but was mildly surprised when the moose pushed his nose against her head instead and snorted.


Giggling lightly, Lana pet the moose’s forehead a bit before saying softly, “Hey, buddy. Good boy…” Her eyes shined with delight at this little moment that most would likely forget in a week, but Lana loved to keep a journal of all the animals she befriended and it was getting quite full these days. The moose soon lost interest, like it was because Lana offered no snack to the poor moose, but all was well since Lana really needed to get to the tower before nightfall. With a grin on her face now, Lana walked away from the moose and continued her trek onwards.


Soon enough, Lana arrived at her new, temporary home: the lookout tower. The tower had clearly seen better days and the wood was looking a bit rotten in some places, but it looked sturdy enough Lana knew a bed was awaiting her along with the heavier things that she’d had a friend help get here a week or so ago. Climbing the rickety steps, Lana could smell the heavy scent of pine in the air and felt almost giddy because the lookout tower was rather high up. For someone with the ability to fly, Lana sure was happy that she didn’t have a fear of heights. There’d be so much irony behind that, it wouldn’t even be funny.


At the top, Lana faintly smiled, as she slowly walked alongside the wooden railings, approaching the entrance to her new, temporary home. The view was unbelievable from up here with the setting sun shining down on the forest and mountains surrounding Lana’s little, old lookout tower. It was short-lived, though, as Lana felt a yawn creeping up on her, forcing her to turn away and head into her little tower finally. The door creaked open and Lana stepped inside before letting the door slowly swing shut behind her with a soft click. The setting sun’s rays shone through one set of her windows, which covered all of the walls of this tower, both giving it zero privacy and the most amazing view of all-time. Luckily, there were some small curtains for each set of windows so if she needed to change her clothes, she could still get the privacy she so desired.


Bzzk! Startled, Lana jumped back a step and stared wide-eyed at a radio that was calmly charging moments ago, but was now making a bit of noise. “Hey, newbie, you there? I saw the light come on in your tower.” The voice sounded young and masculine enough for Lana to figure it was a male, but it took her a moment to realize he was likely her firewatch boss for while she was here. Gingerly, Lana picked up the radio and then pressed down on its button to respond, “H-hey, yeah, it’s, uh, it’s me. The newbie...or whatever.” It goes to show that Lana really wasn’t the best when it came to socializing in general. It wasn’t like she grew up with a lot of experience in making friends outside of home.


Inwardly face palming, Lana waited for a response and nearly jumped when the radio came back to life. “Right then, well, I’m sure the hike was enough to make you just want to sleep right now so we can do an intro course tomorrow. It’s all pretty straightforward, but you’ll no doubt hear half of what I say right now.” Lana nodded at this, only to realize that she was nowhere near this guy so he logically couldn’t see her nodding. Duh. Pressing down on the radio to respond, Lana said, “Yeah, you’re probably right. G’night…I guess.” “Goodnight.”


As Lana lay down in her bed for the night, thankful that her friend had so kindly made her bed for her since she rarely wanted to do so herself, she found her thoughts wandering. Despite the bad memories in her life as a mutant, Lana felt as if the good outweighed the bad by now. For one instance, she suffered from her own set of mental health disorders for varying reasons. Yet, she could still find a reason to smile at the end of the day or even during the day. It wasn’t always easy, but Lana saw no definitive reason for wanting to give up on life in spite of the hardships she’d endured thus far.


Closing her eyes and listening to the soft sound of the wind blowing through the trees outside, the leaves rustling and the faint hooting of owls, Lana knew she’d already fallen in love with this place. Maybe she’d never leave. After all, there were no people around her out here, not physically or most of the time anyways. That one thought left Lana feeling safer and happier than she’d ever felt before.

 

[Literary Revenant]

Do go on...

 

[Lioness075]

Waking up, Lana blinked a few times before her vision finally came into focus, noting the wooden ceiling above her that had some faint white paint peeling away here and there. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position at the side of her bed while she let out a soft moan of protest. Getting up in the morning would always be the hardest part of her day, especially when she had several warm blankets begging for her to stay wrapped up in them for days. Standing up, she moved away from her bed and pushed aside the small blinds to her many small windows in her lookout tower. Just yesterday, she’d spent hours hiking to this tower to get settled and ready for her new summer job as a fire lookout in a national park. It was a simple job, really, and she might have to ensure rules are being followed by visitors, but it was nothing too difficult for her to do.


Hearing a soft ‘click’ behind her, she turned away from the foggy window and approached her Keurig, picking up her favorite mug that was now filled to the brim with coffee. On the mug was several birds flying together in a curved line, a simple design, yet meaningful for her in several ways. Putting on a light jacket and stepping just outside of her tower to the wooden railing beyond, she leaned up against it with her mug in hand and her eyes on the rising sun in the distance. The colors of orange and yellow splashed against the forest surrounding her, giving it an autumn-like color, even though it wasn’t quite autumn yet. In the distance, she watched several morning birds flying about over the forest and she yearned to join them, but knew better than to wander off right now. After all, her job started today.


Returning inside once her mug was empty and there was no longer any steam rising from it, she set down her mug on her desk before retrieving the radio. She hadn’t heard from her boss yet, but felt like it was late enough in the morning by now for there to be some kinda news. Or anything, really. Pausing with her finger hovering over the button on her radio, which would allow her to reach out to her boss, Lana frowned slightly and then set the radio back down on her desk. While it might look good on her part to reach out to him, Lana really didn’t want to start her day. Who knew what it held for her?

 

[Literary Revenant]

Generally I like it so far, there are some writing things (paragraph and sentence structure) that bug me but overall I like Lana. My only complaint so far is a lack of more content. This is like the taste of a story and I just want more in it, but that's just me and I'm used to reading 800 plus page books.

 

[Lioness075]

Generally I like it so far, there are some writing things (paragraph and sentence structure) that bug me but overall I like Lana. My only complaint so far is a lack of more content. This is like the taste of a story and I just want more in it, but that's just me and I'm used to reading 800 plus page books.

I've got a lot going on IRL and am just coming up with spurts at a time in between things. I can't offer huge portions at a time, sorry. 


Also, I'd be more than willing to hear you out on grammatical things that are bothering you in my writing. I always strive to better my writing skills and style.

 

[Lioness075]

With the sun beating down on her back and the tall grass brushing against her jeans, Lana made her way through the valley towards the outcropping just beyond. She hadn’t really wanted to come out here, though flying down that small hill she was told to rappel down was a nice relief since she hadn’t gotten to spread her wings in nearly two days. If there was one thing Lana truly hated, it was socializing with others, especially when she had no idea if they were a mutant or human. Humans always gave her that critical look. She used to get sympathetic looks when she was younger, but it’s far from that now. Nobody bothers to ask how she feels about it, they just assume and judge her based on their own beliefs and understandings of the world around them. In short, it sucked ass for Lana to have to interact with humans.


Brushing some sweat off her forehead, Lana muttered, “Of bloody course it’s got to be nearly thirty-five degrees out here, leaving me sweating to death. Of course, boss, I can go find these childish teenagers and confiscate their illegal fireworks. Do I want to? No, of course not. Am I going to tell my boss this?” Sighing, Lana added under her breath, “Of course not.”


As she continued wading her way through the waving grass, Lana paused when her radio came to life, signaling that her boss was making his verbal appearance since Lana had yet to actually meet him in person. “Lana, you there?” “Hello?” Scowling while she neared the outcropping, Lana finally pulled out her radio and responded, “Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” There was a pause before he responded, “Well, you sound like you’re having a truly wonderful time out there, yeah?” Shaking her head at this all-too-smart ass of a comment, Lana sighed before replying in a matching tone, “Oh yeah, it’s truly amazing out here.” She rolled her eyes after saying this, even though her boss had no way of seeing her do so. If anything, it was a bit relieving for her to do.


Not a moment too soon, Lana finally arrived at the teenagers’ campsite and her first sight was the many empty beer cans lying about. Clearly, these teens were not going green. Scowling at the sight before her, Lana first picked up all of the empty beer cans and put them in her knapsack, figuring she could properly dispose of them later. Once this was done, she approached the campsite of those offending teenagers and raised an eyebrow at the still-burning campfire in the center and just below the large rock outcropping above her. It wasn't really burning so much as the embers were still alive, but Lana went ahead and stomped it out to be safe. She wasn't too keen on calling in a fire this soon into her job. Looking around, Lana paused and pulled out her radio to report what she'd found so far, "Hey, I cleaned up some empty beer cans scattered about their campsite. I also stomped out their little fire. These teens are rather careless and ignorant." As she went to pick up the fireworks that she'd spied on a rock not far from the campsite, Lana heard her radio come to life at her hip. "Yeah, well, considering they think it's okay to set off fireworks here, I doubt they see anything wrong with their campsite, eh?"


With a raise of her eyebrows and a sigh, Lana silently agreed with her boss before picking up the extra fireworks the teens had likely been planning on setting off later. No more illegal acts for these rebellious teens. Adding the fireworks to her beer can collection, Lana soon spotted two sets of clothes left out to dry on a boulder closer to a trail leading on to the lake hidden by the tall bushes lining it. Gulping at what this implied, Lana pulled out her radio to add, "Okay, so...uh, there's two sets of clothes out here." There was a brief pause before she got a response, "And?" Rolling her eyes at this unhelpful response, Lana said, "And this means they're both probably naked, dude." Chuckling over the radio, Lana's boss responded, "Do please share why this of importance when you're the female here." Cheeks red at his implication, Lana sputtered, "N-nothing! It's just...I mean..." His laughter continued in the background when Lana stopped pressing on the radio's button and she placed her hand on her face in an embarrassed manner. This was not going to end well for her.

 

[Lioness075]

As Lana approached the lake beyond the teens' campsite, she found herself thinking back to a memory, triggered by the many empty beer cans now in her knapsack. It had been only a year or so ago when it happened, but humans all around the States had celebrated as if they'd won World War III. Not that it had begun yet, but it sure felt like that to Lana. With several rebellious groups of mutants rising here and there, Lana feared that the States would one day be at war with itself. A new civil war between humans and mutants. Letting out a soft sigh, Lana closed her eyes briefly and felt herself transport back to her memory briefly.


In the noisy bar with clinking glasses and laughter filling the air, a lone girl sat at on a stool, her eyes downcast and her expression far from happy. Unbeknownst to those around her, she hid her wings underneath a leather jacket, the lump slightly noticeable, but likely to be overlooked in this setting. While she soberly looked at her glass filled to the brim with whiskey, she could overhear a conversation between a human couple near her. “Can you believe it, Lisa? They finally passed that law!” The man said in excitement, his eyes shining with a happiness Lana felt she may never feel again. The woman, with her blonde hair and green eyes, smiled in a flirtatious manner back at the man. “Of course, I believe it, darling. Those freaks are finally given the same laws as us, but with far worse consequences. They deserve it.” Hiding her tear from any potential onlookers, Lana quickly swiped it away and sipped at her drink, the frothy texture swirling in her mouth for a moment. She could feel the faint dizzy spell slowly encumbering her, but she didn’t fight it. This was not the time for celebration. Not for Lana and not for any mutants.


Opening her eyes, Lana blinked away some tears and wiped at her face before she turned the corner to see the teens out in the lake, pretty far out and on some flat rocks. They had a boombox blaring music on the shore and Lana tried to look calm on the outside while her heart raced on the inside. Leaning over, Lana turned the music off and quickly was met by protests from the girls in the distance. "What the hell? Who are you?" "Who gave you permission to touch our stuff?" Rubbing the back of her neck, Lana took a breath before shouting back, "You two have been shooting off fireworks illegally. I've confiscated what you had left." While she had a hard time making out their expressions from here, Lana could only imagine how pissed they looked. "Screw you! We can do what we want, lady!" Raising her eyebrows at this and muttering, "Wow" under her breath, Lana merely shrugged before turning away from the two girls. She didn't want to stay any longer than necessary and definitely didn't want to cause any trouble here.


Of course, though, things were to be that simple and Lana realized too late that she hadn't hidden her wings before she'd left her tower. "Shit, are those wings?" "Yeah, they are." Thanks to her bird genes, Lana had gained enhanced hearing among other things so she had no problem hearing the two conversing. Crap. Bracing for what might come next, Lana was surprised when she was merely met by silence. Turning back to see what may be wrong, Lana blinked when she saw that the girls were no longer present. Groaning, Lana said to herself, "Well, that's just great." Hearing her radio suddenly come to life, Lana flinched before hearing her boss speaking, "Lana, you there? How'd things go?" Thinking over how she could respond, Lana held up her radio and pressed down the button before saying calmly, "I warned them and they left." There was a pause before her boss responded, "Just like that? Two troublesome teens just accepted your warning and left?" Irked by his challenge, Lana responded sharply, "Yeah, just like that. I did what I needed to do and now it's done, okay?" Huffing over the radio, her boss replied, "Wow, okay, Lana. Chill. I was just surprised is all." Rolling her eyes at this, Lana held up her radio again, "Yeah, whatever. Look, I'd really just like to return to my tower. Is that all for now?" Hearing him sigh over the radio, Lana briefly wondered if she could get herself fired if she gave too much attitude, but his response suggested otherwise. "Yeah, that's all, Lana. Look, I don't know if you missed your coffee or whatever this morning, but this job can get hard sometimes since you spend so much time alone. Uh...so, you know you can, like, talk to me if you want, right?" Rather surprised by this response, Lana took a moment to compose herself before she said, "Uh, yeah. Sure thing, Boss." "I already told you, Lana. Just call me Sam."


At this point, Lana really had no idea how to respond. Was Sam trying to flirt with her here or genuinely trying to show concern? Either way, Lana had never encountered such a situation. At least, not in many years. She'd gotten plenty of concern and sympathy given to her at home, but not so much beyond that. Lana didn't even know right now if Sam was a mutant or a human. Would his care disappear if he knew what she really was? Would he still want to be friendly towards her if he knew she could fly like a bird? Or if he knew that she had wings that would always show and she could never walk a street with humans without getting those looks? Lana highly doubted it. After all, she'd already gotten the usual response from those two girls. No, she was safer going radio silent for now. Spreading her wings to their full fifteen-foot wingspan, Lana then folded them slightly before she sprinted at a small boulder nearby and used it to boost herself into the sky. Once airborne, her wings carried her higher until she was circling the lake and banking towards her lookout tower in the distance.

 

[Lioness075]

Leaving the lake behind her and hoping Sam kept to himself for a bit, Lana followed a different trail out, curious to find what lay beyond while also not wanting to wander through the teens' camp and possibly run into them again. Walking along, Lana heard ducks squawking not far away and looked towards the lake in time to see a flock flying away. What was it like to belong in a flock like that, she wondered while watching the ducks with a longing expression. Continuing away from the lake and now towards what appeared to be a canyon in the distance, Lana wondered what those teens were up to now. Were they going to press charges against the company? Or maybe call and file a complaint against her, even though Lana was literally working her first day right now?


Standing at the top of a small cliff, Lana gazed across the canyon before her, the water in the stream below moving steadily along while Lana felt stuck in place. Closing her eyes briefly, she listened and heard the faint sound of metal against leather. Next thing she knew, she opened her eyes to see she was back in Georgia. A faint mountain breeze carried over the hills beyond where she was, highlighting the rolling hills of the stables. She had a horse here, a palomino, and he was with her. Neighing at her, Trouble nickered soon after to get her attention again while Lana smiled at him and pat his nose softly. Laughing lightly when Trouble nibbled at her hair, Lana said, “Trouble, for once, stop being trouble!” 


Hearing a young, calm male’s voice from behind her, Lana jumped slightly. “Well, you named him appropriately, Lana.” A faint smile on her face, Lana turned slightly to see him standing behind her with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, a faint hole forming in one of the knees. Giving her a half smile, James took a step towards Lana before adding, “Beautiful day, eh?” Smiling, Lana nodded and looked sideways at the mountains in the distance, horses neighing in the distance, and James with her.


Flash forward, and they were horseback riding together, James on his horse and Lana on her own. Galloping through the forests beyond, the two laughed and teased throughout their brief journey, butterflies bursting from bushes and birds chirping from the canopy above their heads. Sunlight peeked through and a doe was startled by their approach, prancing away and back to its herd hidden among the foliage. Slowing to a trot, the two neared a stream, the water trickling between the rocks and forest life surrounding them. As their horses leaned over to drink their fill, Lana’s eyes met James and she looked away with a faint smile and flushed cheeks.


Blinking, Lana was back at the edge of the canyon and a lone tear rolled down her cheek before she wiped it away. The first love was always the hardest and Lana knew she’d never forget him. No matter how hard she tried to move forward, she still saw him. Every love song she heard made her think of him. Every book she read, he was the love interest. Every movie she saw, he was the one saving the day. If there was one regret one could truly and deeply feel, it was losing love and still having words to say to the other. Now, these words were left on her lips and she’d never get the chance to speak them, to tell them to the one who truly mattered to her. She made that mistake all those years ago and there was no going back, no changing things, no forgiveness to be given. With the wind ruffling her feathers against her shoulders, Lana thought with her gaze skyward and tears rolling down her cheeks, ‘If I’m not entirely human, am I allowed to make mistakes like humans and be forgiven?’