I sputtered with indignation. “That idiot can’t make me do anything. I’m honestly curious about the Wild Fruit.”

Her mouth tightened, not convinced but not about to argue. Willow did tend to drag me along on his exploits, but deep down, I counted on it. Without him, I’d be too afraid to do anything.

We reached the corner of the alley, and she scanned our surroundings for wandering eyes. “Okay, you should hide. Make sure you stay by my side.”

“I know.”

“Try not to say anything.”

“Got it.” I mimed zipping my lips.

And then I was gone, at least to the human eye. I was still physically there, so my body could be detected by any of the other senses. When we reentered the crowd, I had to dodge a barrage of market goers. A gaggle of children nearly trampled me, their hands full of sweets and mouths full of laughter.

The man running the fruit stand was stocky, hunched, and his straw-blond dreadlocks reached his shoulders. A long earring with a red apple charm dangled from his left ear. His face was locked in a frown, but it brightened as he saw Sharp approaching in her glistening armor. People across the continent respected Warriors like her, especially the ones with suns engraved on their chest plates and uncut black hair.

“Heya! A girl from the City, huh?” He gestured her over, smiling wide and squinting. “If you like, I have some fancy truffles at a reasonable price! I sense a sophisticated palette.”

She bought three and traded them for a gold flat. This gave the man a reason to trust her despite our mischievous intentions. Her usually abrupt tone became sweet like the cotton candy being sold around the corner. “Sir, do you have any Wild Fruit?”

A sinister smile curled away the frown. “Do you dare eat the Wild Fruit?” He ducked out of sight, unaware I watched from the other side, and opened a hidden drawer containing a bizarre looking plant, like a neon blue artichoke with smooth flat petals. It was small enough to eat in one bite.

“How pretty!” Sharp chirped, her eyes fixed. “How much for four?”

He gestured towards her ear, but it was clear he wasn’t fooled. She pushed her hair back and sighed with defeat. “Worth a shot. Thanks for the truffles anyway! Godspeed!”

She made a quick and pointed exit. With impeccable timing, Willow flew above the crowd, his movement creating a light breeze. Piranha shot an arrow in his direction, and to the chagrin of the onlookers, the flying nomad caught it with his teeth. The two singers joined in harmonious chatter, which transitioned into a beautiful little song:

“Can you meet me for a minute

In the magic meadow blue?

Can we dance just for a moment

In the starlight, me and you?”

THE CROWD APPLAUDED. They were used to this type of tomfoolery, lived for it even. Most of them knew me, but everyone knew Willow Of-the-Mountains and his characteristic acts of whimsy. He wanted nothing more than to travel across the V.U.C. as a musician, so impromptu performances like this had become something of a specialty. The four of us together made an impressive band, if I do say so myself.

The vendor was happy to step away and enjoy a momentary distraction from his sweltering stand. I swooped down and put four of the Fruit in the pocket of my jacket, leaving behind a little more money than necessary.

After weaving my invisible way through the market, I headed for the edge of the trees near town, where a wide pathway opened to a meadow on the hill. For a moment I was alone, my power fading away, my bare feet cooled by the long, dewy grass. I pulled the four strange fruits from my satchel and twirled them in my hand. The words of the vendor flashed in my head.

Do you dare eat the Wild Fruit?

I think back to this moment all the time. I suppose it’s the reason I’m telling this story in the first place. I should've heeded his words. I should’ve listened. If I wasn’t so curious, I might have remembered the other warning I was given as a kid:

Wild Fruit is dangerous for people like you.

Sharp ambled up the hill next, inspecting the quality of the truffles, her nose scrunched. Willow and Piranha bounded close behind, flourishing and shouting.

“Quiet down!” I demanded, showing off the results of the victorious heist. “Save your energy for the wildest hike ever!”

With utmost grace, Willow landed next to me, blue eyes burning and legs bouncing with excitement. “I don’t know what we’d do without you, Badger. Whatta ya say? Should we start this party?”

I pulled my hand away as he reached for it, laughing at his childish jittering. “Don’t you ever stop to take a breath? You’re a freak of nature.”

He wiggled his fingers and eyebrows. “Yeah, yeah. Just hand it over Valley-boy.”

The long, soft grass of the small meadow connected to a narrow pathway, peppered with tall green and yellow trees. As we began our walk, I gave the illicit fruit to each of them.

Sharp held the strange thing up to the light and murmured, “Do you know what these things can do?”

Piranha laughed aloud, tossing their own fruit back and forth. “No, but I bet you’re going to tell us, huh?"

She glared. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It just means what it means.”

“I think Pir is trying to say you’re a bit of a know-it-all,” I snarked.

“Well at least I know something,” she responded, and it wasn’t far from the truth. Sharp was the smartest, and always took twice as many courses during the education season. We tried our best to keep her ego in check.

Willow juggled the Fruit with his feet and broke into a cackle. “No bickering! Try to keep up!”

Off he flew, Piranha hopping after him, leaving Sharp and I behind to exhale a long-suffering sigh.

The clearing of trees formed a perfect circle. Willow flew to the top of the tallest in less than a minute, then fluttered back down like a feather. “Let me go first,” he insisted. “I think it will turn me into a god!”

“We’ll have to race to the top!” suggested Piranha. “And maybe a footrace, to keep things fair.”

“You’re on!” He snapped a finger theatrically. “What about you Badger? What do you think you’ll be able to do?”

I shrugged and twisted a finger through my hair. “Stay invisible longer, I guess.”

With a wild clap of his hands, he exclaimed, “Oh! Oh! Oh! That just gave me an idea! After we eat the Fruit, let's have a game of advanced hide and seek!”

The summer-swelling sun peeked from behind a cloud to watch the event unfold. When the four of us were younger, and I had learned to use Lucent, we invented a game called advanced hide and seek. I would hide, and the other three had to find me within the time limit. We played hundreds of times, and I lost only once. A technicality.

“Now we’re talking.” I concentrated Lucent in my hand, making both it and the glowing fruit invisible. “This time, I’ll give you an entire hour to find me.”

Willow flipped backwards and landed on a low tree branch. “You’ve got a deal! First, Pir and I will see how it works. After that, it's Sharp's turn. We should save Badger for last, and as soon as it takes effect, the game begins!”

Piranha joined him, gripping the wood on all four limbs. “Enough stalling! Let’s get wild!”

With that, they tapped their fruits together in a toast and put the entire thing in their mouths.

“How’s it taste?” I asked.

Sharp smirked. “I hear it's supposed to taste like death.”