Mason and Indiana sped up when I caught up to them. They were heading into the back part of our property line, behind the arena, where the massive trees were.
“Go home, Aubri,” my twin brother Mason told me.
“I want to come with you. Are you going to climb the big one?
“Yes, but you can’t come.”
“Why?”
“It’s not for girls. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m older than you are!”
Mason turned his head and scoffed. “By six minutes.”
Running a little faster, I got in front of the boys and walked backwards. Speaking while looking at them, I said, “So what? You still don’t get to order me around. I’m just as good at climbing trees as you are.”
Mason didn’t slow down as he spoke. “Of course I get to order you around. I’m your protector; Dad told me so.”
I gave up walking backward and turned my nose in the same direction as them. “Mom said women are just as badass as men.”
“You’re ten, which means you’re a girl, Aubri, not a woman. And you can’t come.”
Shifting tactics, I turned my attention to Indiana, who was older than Mason and me by three months. “Tell Mason he’s being a jerk. I’m not a normal girl and you know it.”
Indiana had a stick in his hands that he swung through the tall grass while walking at a fast pace like Mason.
“It’s for your own good, Aubri. We don’t want you to get hurt. Mason and I shouldn’t even be climbing up the big one.”
“Then why are you?”
Indiana wrinkled his forehead as if the question were stupid. “Because it’s fun.”
“Exactly.” I had to jog to keep up with them. A year ago, I’d been taller than both Indiana and Mason, but not any longer.
When we reached the big one, we stood for a moment with our necks craned back and our eyes trying to see the top of the giant pine tree.
“We should have brought safety equipment,” Indiana mumbled, but my brother just snorted.
“Safety equipment is for pussies.”
“Dad told us not to climb this one. It’s slippery and too tall.”
Looking down his nose at me, Mason spoke in a demanding tone. “Which is why you’ll stay down here and never tell anyone that Indiana and I climbed that tree.”
“If you can do it, I can too.”
Mason pointed the way we’d come. “Go home, Aubri. It’s better that way.”
Crossing my arms, I raised my chin and gave my brother the stink-eye.
With an annoyed huff, he turned away from me and approached the tree. Mason had to jump to get a hold of the lowest branch. Pulling himself up, he did a balancing act and stood on top of the branch looking upward for his next branch to climb.
Indiana followed his example and with agile movements, the two strong boys climbed up the forbidden tree.
My body was buzzing with a combination of fear and excitement. If I accepted their bossing me around and telling me something was too dangerous, I’d end up like my boring cousin Freya. She was our age, but happy with being a spectator when the boys did all the fun things.
Realizing that the lowest branch was too high for me to reach by jumping, I narrowed my eyes and backed up enough to give me room for speed.
Accelerating as fast as I could, I ran up the trunk of the tree and jumped to grab onto the lowest branch. Hours of practicing on the agility course paid off as I managed to swing my body to the top of the thick branch.
Balancing on top, I put a supporting hand on the tree trunk and looked up to see my brother already halfway up the enormous fir.
Mason looked down at me and warned, “Don’t do it, Aubri. You could get hurt.”
“Shut up, Mason. You’re not my dad.”
“No, but if I was, I’d spank you for not following instructions.”
Ignoring his scolding, I climbed upward, wishing I had Indiana’s strength. His arms were already toned and showing bumps of muscle.
“It’s not fair that boys are stronger than girls,” I grumped while continuing to climb. “But I’m still going to show you that I can do anything you can.”
“Don’t be stupid, Aubri. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s not up to you.”
Indiana looked up to Mason above us, who was far ahead. I could tell how conflicted he was.
“You don’t have to wait for me. Just go!”
“You sure?” Indiana asked.
“I don’t need your help. I can climb a stupid tree myself. I’ve done it a