All was silent in the vast fields and forests of the Noob Crew. It was the middle of August; the sun still beat down and the cicadas still chirped, but every now and then, when you paid close enough attention, you'd notice the coolness the wind brought, or the slight tinge of brown on each leaf. Autumn was coming.
Suddenly, a disturbance; stray leaves are kicked up into the air, riding the breeze made by a boy running down a grassy hill. Finally, school is over, Erickson thought, racing through a meadow and into an expanse of trees. He'd been staring at the clock all day, waiting until he could get back to his Noob Reject friends and celebrate his 15th birthday.
He ran through the forest, black hair swinging, backpack swung over one shoulder, past the portal adjoining the Noob Crew with Mapleology and the gateway to the rest of the internet. Finally, he skidded to a stop, walking into the long clearing the rest of the Noob Rejects usually hung out in...
He stopped. It was empty.
Are they all busy? He checked his watch. There are usually at least a few people here by now. They didn't even have school; they'd be awake by now, right?
Thoroughly disappointed, Erick decided to wander. He threw his backpack to the ground on a nearby stump, walking back through the forest and out toward the cliff where Bella's willow tree stood. Looking out toward the sea, he heard a rustle behind him.
Head snapping back, he surveyed the berry bushes framing the forest behind him, searching for the source of the noise. His gaze wandered to the willow tree, which seemed to stare back at him with a bored expression.
I'm being stupid, Erick thought. It's just a squirrel or something. As he turned back to the sea, another louder rustle sounded, and he twitched into a fighting position.
No disguising it. That was definitely human. He took a few steps toward the bushes, now rustling freely. Alarm spread through Erick as he stopped, then started toward it again, faster, his hand moving to his weapon...
Suddenly a branch snapped, and something leapt out of the bush to his right, knocking him over. He yelled, and several voices yelled back:
"Happy birthday Erick!"
He blinked, startled. As he watched the forest in front of him, all of his friends began to materialize, walking out into the open, grinning. Bryan stood over Erick, the backpack in his hands.
Then he realized his little sister from the chat, Chelsea, had glomped him.
"Okay okay.. Getoffmeee..."
Chelly grinned, getting up and brushing herself off. "Happy 15th!"
"Right.. Thanks.." Erick sat up, scratching his head.
Bryan dropped the backpack on Erick's legs. "We have cake waiting for us in the clearing, courtesy of Chelsea. We've been waiting for you."
Bella popped her head out of the hole in the willow tree. "Actually, I put it in here so Harry didn't get at it. Come on in."
"Cake?" Erick smiled. "All right, but next time, try not to scare the shit out of me."
"But then it's no fun!" Emily said.
Amy ran up toward the willow tree. "Stop talking, I want cake!"
And so, the rest followed, and Erick's 15th birthday was a much better day than it had first appeared to be.
THE {LAME} END.
Subject: Happy Birthday Erick! 
2011-08-18, 11:22 pm
