Longing for a Friend [private]

Mat turned the page of his book, completely immersed in it. Although it was basically a text book, the boy had picked it up for some good reading. Entitled Understanding Humans, it was an introduction to physical anthropology and archaeology, two of Mathieu's favorite subjects. The boy had decided that, in order to escape the ruckus and overly perfumed cabin that he was forced to live in, he would benefit from a little bit of fresh air. He sat, not necessarily by the lake, but a few yards away. His back leaned against the trunk of one of the bordering trees. His knees were propped up, and the book sat comfortably in his lap at the same incline as his femurs.

The pages of Mathieu's book were not as illuminated as he would have liked. This mere fact caused him to look up. He saw the sun slowly seeping down beyond the trees. He could hear the occasional cricket begin to stir, and the blue of the sky was beginning to fade to a deeper and darker color. Mat knew that soon he would have to forfeit the serenity and stomach the nauseating scents that floated within the Aphrodite cabin. If he thought about it, it was kind of ironic that he despised the many perfumes, since he himself gave of a natural sort of scent. But, hey, sometimes he couldn't help it. And the annoying siblings who would not lay off the perfume could definitely help it.

Just as Mat began to shut his book, his eyes dropped from the sky to the edge of the lake. Squinting, he saw that a girl who, to his knowledge, had not been there before. Perhaps she was a nymph, but he had not seen many nymphs with her striking red hair. Quickly, Mat reopened his book and feigned reading. His logic was that perhaps if she did happen to catch sight of him, she would not approach. He did not want to stand up and leave because if she caught sight of him, well, that was annoying enough just being watched. So, he stayed still as he could and strained his eyes on the pages of his book.