Why didn't she do this sooner?

Castille had set the kids free with another one of the counselors, leaving her to enjoy the sunshine in the afternoon forest. She spent some time gathering a small pack with some water and snacks. Then she put her sunglasses on her head and exited Hemlock Cabin, inhaling deeply. A couple days of the sunshine and trees had left her refreshed, and she went out towards the soccer field, listening as children screamed and laughed while chasing the checkered ball. She stood and watched them for a few minutes, laughing at their attempts to create teams. It all seemed so disorganized, by there were two counselors in red shirts and shorts chasing the kids around with whistles. The forest stretched out like a wall behind the soccer field. It was into this forest, off the beaten path that Castille went.

The silence that followed was slow to appear. At first there were muffled cries of the kids and the trill of the whistles. They slowly faded away into nothing, leaving Castille with golden silence. And the dappled sunlight felt good on her face. Her freckles would be coming out quick this summer.

It was nice to get away from the stress of being a senshi. Granted, she figured others have been senshi WAY longer than her, but it took a toll on ones body.

She walked for a while, admiring the solitude and then paused when the path started to incline. She found a tree trunk and sat on it, pulling out her water and setting the bottle against her face to cool it before uncapping the bottle and taking a swing. Five minutes later, and she was walking slowly up the incline, taking a multitude of pictures.

She had almost decided to leave the SLR behind, but the thought of being in all of this without her camera made her sad. So she had tucked it away in her backpack and now withdrew it, focusing on a bird with bright red feathers that sat on a branch nearby.

The bird flew away, and she smiled, continuing on until she saw a break in the trees. Curious, Castille climbed over the fallen tree trunks and stared down in awe.

She had climbed high enough to see the whole lake, fringed in trees in the crystal clear air. An eagle was circling overhead, and the water sparkled in the sunlight. The shutter on her camera went crazy as she began to rapidly take pictures. Everything about this place just seemed..peaceful.

Until the screaming and laughter floated upwards to her ears. She smiled, listening to the kids far below enjoying themselves. Those innocent kids. If they only knew what she and many other teens and adults were up to in their off time... If they only knew how much work went into protecting their city and homes from Negaverse...She knew she should be down there helping out, and with a sigh and a look back to the scene before her, she began to trek back down to the camp.

WORD COUNT: 513