Part 11 - The Tree

 For the first obstacle course we came to, which is built for people half our height, we split into teams to reach the finish first. It was a maze, which, given that the last time I'd been here was only a couple of years ago, I remembered the route through. It's boundaries were constructed of thin blue rope which scratched you if your skin slid along it at all. James and I were disqualified, since we both remembered how to get through. We took opposite edges of the maze and scuttled back and forth, yelling help to the people within.

"Eliphia!" James called, "Left! Go left!"

"Dead end, Hanien," I warned.

 Annisa and Tom were the first to reach the end, quickly followed by Eliphia and Isaac. James gave Annisa a high-five and I saw her legs almost turn to jelly. I noticed abruptly that John Green was standing beside me.

"James told me about Paul," John mumbled.

"Oh," I whispered.

"I know you're all having fun and I think that's great but I do not think James should have brought you all. I can understand him bringing Michael and Benedict and, to an extent, myself. But you're all just kids. You shouldn't have to be part of this," John shook his head.

"He asked us if we wanted to come!" I countered.

"Oh, yeah, like anyone's going to say no to spending the day with their idol," John rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't see that. He doesn't understand how we feel about him. It's part of what makes him so great," I explained.

"Look, I get that. I have idols too. I have crushes. I don't, however, follow them into the traps of people who have kidnapped two innocent women!" John exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, that's another thing. Me, Eliphia, Pearl and Lucía were all friends with the two women, Jan and Tara," I added.

"Oh, what site?" John asked.

"Facebook."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What?!"

"Nothing. I have nothing against Facebook. I just think that Tumblr is way, way better," John giggled.

 I spotted James calling us back over and signalled to John that we should rejoin the group.

As we walked, I turned back to John. "Did James tell you about ... Paul's views?"

"Yes. He is clearly insane," John decided, "I mean, I can understand why he might be averse to certain ship fanfiction but ... to abhor the genre altogether? For some people it's the only way they like to write. You can't just stop whole fandoms from writing. And the idea that books are the property of their writers? Pah!"

"Books belong to their readers," I stated.

"Did you just quote me?" John grinned.

"You're an excellent person to quote!" I retorted. We rejoined the group and I could have sworn that John whispered 'DFTBA', the nerdfighter catchphrase, as he left.

 "Alright, then." James rubbed his hands together. He was standing at the far edge of the circle to John and I. "And the winners are ... Annisa and Tom! Well done, guys. Right, before we move on to the next play-park, Michael was suggesting we have some lunch."

 There came a chorus of 'yes' and 'definitely' and 'I'm starving!'. Michael pointed to a spot beside a tree a few metres away. We flocked towards it and formed a semi-circle around the stout trunk. Michael, Tom and Isaac were immediately locked into a 'Noughts and Crosses' battle. James leant right up against the tree and the rest of us sat facing him.

"Okay," James began, "One time only, ask me whatever you want and I will answer. Oh, except nothing about my wife or my son."

"What's your favourite song?"

"'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen."

"Who's the most annoying character you've ever played?"

"Tom LeFroy's a bit of an arse at times."

"Can you do any impressions?"

James smirked and then slipped into Patrick Stewart mode, "Engage."

"What are you going to do when you see Paul?"

 I'm still not sure who asked that question. Even later, nobody owned up to it.

James inhaled deeply, "I'm going to try to persuade him to stop this. I'm going to ask him to give back Jan and Tara. Actually, speaking of which, could everyone who has them as Facebook friends give them a message. If they get loads, maybe Paul will let them reply to one."

 Eliphia, Pearl, Lucía and I whipped out our phones and strolled around the bottom of the tree, trying to find some signal. Below us, Michael, Tom and Isaac looked up from their tournament and suggested we climb the tree. James and Michael stood at the foot of the tree and hoisted us one after the other onto the bottom two branches. We slithered around the branches and eventually we were all high up enough to gain two bars of signal each.

"What are we saying?" Eliphia called down to James.

"Just say something hopeful about maybe getting to meet them today," James replied with a shrug.

 I opened the JMFC and typed in a message: Hey there Jan, Tara! We're all really excited that we might finally meet you in the flesh today!

 Once I'd finished, I closed the window on my phone and glanced around below me. I think Tom was winning because he kept doing little 'happy dances' every few minutes, with John Green teaching him new techniques for this. Michael, John and James kept smiling at each other and then at all of us, as if they were proud of us. James had slipped his heavy jacket back on, thrust his hands in his pockets and was now jogging around the tree to keep warm.

 Shattering the feeling of calm that had been cultivated, their came a shriek from the branch below me. It seemed that Lucìa had been trying to reach forward for better signal but had leant to far. Whatever had happened, she was now hanging by one hand from my own branch. I scuttled forward and grabbed her hand, pressing it into the branch.

"Give me the other one!" I yelled.

 Lucía wiggled her left arm through the air, urging it toward the branch. I reached over the edge of the branch, with one leg on either side of it for stability. I snatched at her hand and helped her reach the branch.

"James, can you help us please?" I shouted.

 He was already on his way. He had whipped off the jacket and the fleece - giving way to a gold 'Lord of the Rings' t-shirt below - and was holding them in his arms like a basket. His eyes were focussed with a steely gaze on Lucìa's struggling figure.

"Lucía, it's a very small drop to me, about the length of your shin. What I need you to do is keep your legs forward, so that you land in my arms in a sitting position. Michael, could you give me a little support?" James's voice was calm and level, as if he'd trained for this.

 Michael zipped over to James and, with feet planted in a tennis 'ready' position, he pressed his hands into James's back and let James lean back into him. Lucía wiggled her hands into a firmer position, then dropped gratefully into James's arms. James stumbled backwards into Michael who, with the help of Tom and Isaac, kept James on his feet. James lowered Lucía into a standing position.

"M'lady," he grinned.

"Thank you, kind sir," Lucía returned.

 I smiled at them from my branch, with my feet locked in a ring around the branch so I could avoid a similar problem. Despite this precaution, I nearly fell from my branch when Benedict Cumberbatch's voice emanated from my phone. I'd forgotten that my text alert was a line from 'A Scandal in Belgravia', the first episode of Series Two of BBC Sherlock: Sherlock saying "It's a text alert. It means I've got a text."

"What was that?!" James exclaimed.

"What did it sound like?" I retorted. I gripped the edge of the branch and swung my head round the side to meet James's eyes. "I have a reply."

 I clambered around the branches to the other side of the trunk, where the ground was soft. The area that Lucía had almost fallen onto was webbed with the roots of the tree. On this side, the hill extended upwards so the roots were buried under the surface. As I dropped to the ground, the soft floor of pine needless compressed with me and bounced me into a sitting position. I shook my head to clear it and zipped in a circle around the tree.

"Who was it?" James asked once I reached him. His eyes had widened and his voice was urgent.

"I haven't actually checked yet," I admitted. I swiped my lock screen to the side and opened Facebook.

"So it could be anyone? Like, your network provider?" James chucked.

"Yes, I guess. Oh, maybe TalkTalk got kidnapped," I muttered, "A-hah! Here it is. It's from Jan!"

 Hi, Joanne, so glad to hear from you. We're not quite there yet but somebody keeps saying to tell all of you to meet at the top of the 3-D maze. See you soon :)

"So I take it 'somebody' means Paul?" James ventured.

"Yeah, probably," I mumbled, "I put it in the JMFC so he probably didn't want to let them tell everyone what was going on."

"So what should we do until it's time to go meet them?" Michael asked.

"I have an idea," came a deep, rumbling voice from the tunnel that led to the next section of the park. We craned our necks to peer into the murky depths of the tunnel and spotted a lone figure strolling towards us.

"Who's that?" Lucía asked, bewildered.

"It sounded like Smaug to me... " James mumbled, "Oh! Hi, Ben!"

 Benedict emerged lazily from the gloom with his hands in his pockets and a bemused grin on his face. His auburn hair curled in a smooth flick away from his forehead and his slightly gangly limbs moved with grace. He wore a thin grey hoodie and a blue body-warmer, with black walking trousers. As he neared us, he picked up his speed and jogged toward us.

"So what's your idea?" James asked when he reached us.

"Come on." Benedict gestured towards the tunnel. "I'll show you."

Part 10 - Cream 'o' Galloway

The clanging sounded through the canvas walls of the tent like a syren rising from the water, beckoning us to it's call. A few feet away I spotted the worm-like figure of Tom in his sleeping bag as he wriggled into a sitting position. I took a deep breath and followed suit. Tom smiled at me as I groaned with the effort and seemed to be stifling a giggle.
"What was that clanging?" I grumbled.
"It was your wake-up call!" called James's voice, which I would have recognised anywhere.
Tom dragged the zip of our compartment toward the tent floor and struggled out into the main living area.
"Morning, Tom," greeted Michael, whose voice sounded like it was curling around every syllable.
Tom yawned and beckoned with his left hand - which was still dragging behind in the sleeping compartment - for me to follow him. We staggered out of the tent and spotted James at a large metal camping table, pouring plate after plate of cereal. I selected a bowl of cornflakes and pulled up a folding chair beside Annisa and Hanien.
"So how did you two sleep last night?" I asked.
"Not bad," Hanien replied, "But I was in the compartment next to James and Michael and James kept sleep-talking about X-men."
"No way!" Annisa exclaimed, "What did he say?"
"He kept mumbling about how he wanted Cyclops to 'beam him up'."
"That sounds more like Star Tr- Ohhhh," I realised, "Cyclops is Scott Summers. It's Scotty that beams people up in Star Trek. He must have been having a great dream."
"Yeah, he sounded pretty happy," Hanien agreed.
James whirled around to lean on the other side of the table
"So, Cream 'o' Galloway, today," James announced.

"Yep," I agreed, "I've not been in ages."

"Do they still have that big barrack full of hay?" James asked hopefully.

"I think so. But I think I was too old for it last time I was there. Or too tall. I can't remember," I shook my head, "Oh! But have you been since they added that hatch chute?"

"No... ?"

"Oh, it's great. You'll love it," I smiled.

"Yahoo!" James cried as he sped away from us down the chute. He was couped up in a cylindrical container only slightly longer than himself and was now plummeting toward the go-kart track at the bottom of a small ravine. The tube that the cylinder hurtled down was almost vertical for most of the journey but levelled out sharply at the bottom. There was then a long, flat section that James was now rumbling to a halt on.

"Alright, who's next?" Fraser, the hatch chute controller, asked.

"I'll go!" Eliphia shouted excitedly.

Fraser hauled the next cylinder up and clicked open the hatch. Eliphia clambered up onto the step and hopped into the tube. Fraser smiled and gracefully set the hatch back into place.

"What's your name?" he called.

"Eliphia."

"Okay, Eliphia. Are you feeling scared?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'm going to count to three. One, two-"

Fraser calmly let go of the rope that had restrained Eliphia and she zipped towards the ground. Fraser winked at us - Hanien, Annisa, Isaac, Tom and I - and leaned against the frame of the bridge that led to the other side of the ravine.

"That guy I sent down before her," Fraser tilted his head to the side, "Was he James McAvoy?"

"Yeah," Annisa replied.

"And the guy before?" Fraser continued, "Michael Fassbender?"

"Yep," Tom confirmed.

"Cool," Fraser smiled, "Alright, who's up next."

"Me, I think," I mumbled and hopped up to the hatch.

 I sidled into the cylinder and snuggled into its depths, happy in the knowledge that the tube's last occupant had been James. It was slightly less thrilling than the last time I had been there, maybe because I'd grown about half a foot since my last visit. What really got my pulse racing, however, was the sight of James smiling down at me as he lifted the hatch of my cylinder.

"You coming up to the flying fox?" he grinned.

"Sure," I smiled.

 James gestured toward Eliphia, who had already started up the thin, bouncy wooden bridge. We jogged to catch up with her. What we hadn't noticed, however, was that Eliphia was wrapped in conversation with a woman in the middle of the bridge.

"James!" Eliphia called as we neared, "Come and meet someone!"

James crept forward hesitantly towards Eliphia and the woman.

"This is Pearl. She's in your fan club," Eliphia gestured towards the woman, who looked as if she was about to faint into a puddle of jelly, "Pearl, meet James McAvoy."

Pearl extended a hand, which James took warmly. His arm was tense but relaxed quickly. Clearly he still hadn't got used to people recognising him.

"Hi, Pearl," James smiled, "How are you?"

"Well now I'm having the best day of my life."

"Um, thanks," James stuttered, "I'm - uh - glad to be of service. Listen, um, we're heading up to the flying fox. Do you want to come with us?"

Pearl's eyes were bright and sparkling with glee. "Yes, please."

 James nodded and sprinted past her, waving with his hand for us to follow. We thundered up the bridge, our legs hell-bent on catching us up with James. It was odd to be chasing after him this way, since doing this in any other situation could probably qualify as stalking. His form began to slip away and I called out to him.

"Hey! Slow down!" I yelled.

James deccelerated gradually and looked for a moment as if he might stop completely. He then looked over his shoulder and grinned. He winked and whipped his head back around, kicking his heels back up to full speed.

"So long, suckers!"
We didn't catch James until the queue for the flying fox, where he was standing at the back talking to a young girl. James was leaning on the frame of a fence that guarded the edge of the ravine.

"Finally!" James grinned when we reached him, "This is Lucìa. She's in Benedict Cumberbatch and John Green's group. I didn't even know they were here!"

His mouth was smiling but his eyes were panicked. With a jolt, I remembered why it was that we were at Cream 'o' Galloway. It wasn't just a nostalgic day out for James and myself. This was the day for us to rescue Jan and Tara. With a second jolt, I realised whose group James had just said Lucìa was in.

"Wait, did you say John Green?!" I exclaimed.

Lucìa nodded.

"He and his brother are the leaders of my Major Fandom!"

"Cool," Lucìa smiled.

"Oh, I'm up," James realised, shuffling forward to the platform that led to the flying fox, now that the queue in front of us had run out.

The face of the woman who was strapping him into the harness was scarlet with blush as she reached around his back and tightened the straps of the harness. James seemed caught between finding this awkward and hilarious because he kept emitting this strange, giggle, cough sound. Soon, he was in the air and zipping over the mountain bike course. By the time he'd dismounted, our entire group had been reunited in the flying fox queue.

 I was next in line. I nipped up the steps and stared unashamedly at the back of James's head as he shouted to someone beyond the barrier of the flying fox area. He seemed to come to an agreement with someone, then jogged out of the area and leant on the outside of the barrier, looking back towards me. Even from this distance, his smile switched on an amplifier inside me and everything was suddenly better in every way. The dull grey sky was suddenly a pure, clear white and, as I hurtled towards him through the air, the sensation of flying had never felt so real. Once I was dismounted and had sent the harness back up to the platform, I darted out of the area and wrapped James into a tight hug. He felt shocked at first and I could feel that he was tense but then he softened and patted me on the back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

 James didn't ask what for. He held the hug for a few seconds longer then we disengaged and watched Pearl shoot towards us. I saw the smile on her face and glanced towards James. He must have known, mustn't he? He must've been aware of the fact that my hug was not just because I was happy, it was because he had made me happy. He must have known that Pearl was smiling because of him. He had to know that at least six people here thought he was one of the greatest human beings on the planet. And yet, I honestly don't think he did. If he did, he certainly handled it very well.

 James glanced towards me and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach do forward-flips. I thought I'd got used to him being around. I thought he was just another friend. He placed a caring hand on my shoulder and I knew then that while I still saw him this way, still thought of him as flawless and incredible and talented and inspiring, then we could never be on level pegging.

"Joanne?" James asked, and I got the feeling he'd been calling my name for a while.

"Huh?" I replied, snapping out of my daze.

"I said there's someone I'd like you to meet." James used his hand on my shoulder to swivel me around.

 John Green! He might not be of interest to you, but he was the man who made me proud to be a nerd. Without him, I wouldn't read or write as much as I do. I would be a totally different person without the Youtuber who was standing in front of me. He shaped my first year as a teenager, when I was just beginning my true exam courses at high school. And now, three years later, he's responsible for who I am now, about to sit my Higher exams.

 I slid my hands into the nerdfighter salute - hands crossed over like Wolverine except with Mr Spock 'live long and prosper' hand signs instead of adamantium claws. My head was bursting with happiness as he returned the gesture.

"What is that?" James exclaimed, his hands fumbling as they tried to arrange themselves into the shape of the salute.

"It's the sign that me, my brother and our fans do," John explained.

"Okay," James shrugged, as he finally got it. I had to exercise extreme willpower to stop myself from hugging him again. James was doing the nerdfighter sign!

"So are you all going to the next bit of the park?" John asked, pointing toward the tunnel that led to the start of the obstacle courses.

"Yeah," James nodded, "Oh, wait. Pearl, you don't go to the school so I don't know. Do you want to come with us?"

"Definitely!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Alright then," James slapped his thighs with his palms and began to walk towards the tunnel.

 I followed behind him. He had taken off his heavy waterproof jacket and tied it around his waist. I stared at the fibres of the pale blue fleece he wore underneath. To me, it shone with the enhanced azure of Leto's eyes in 'Children of Dune'.