Misson to Mars: Ever red tree

I had a small jolt of energy from excitement of seeing the light change. I pulled myself forward to the rover and inspected it. I looked into the camera in the front. There was static going on behind someone talking.
"Hello? Anyone?" I said pathetically. The voice seemed to be deep; deeper than mine, anyway. The static was getting softer and I started to make out what the man was saying.
"Yes! Hello! Are you okay, son? I work for NASA." Someone said.
"Well… no I'm not okay. I've been bitten by some kind of animal and it's really bothering me." I confessed.
"Oh my, there IS life on Mars!" he said jubilee.
"That's not the point! I'm hurt!" I yelled.
"It's okay son." Man assured. We sent a rescue team to Mars months ago. Our Rovers have been going out one by one so we haven't been able to tell you until… well, now. Not to panic, there will be licensed surgeons on the shuttle that will help you with your wound and anything else. They should be there in maybe two weeks time." My eyes widened.
"Two weeks?" I asked. "I need a medic now!"  I complained.
"I'm sorry, kid. We sent them as soon as we could. It's been a while since we have had the money to do anything. Especially since the banks started failing. It almost went into the great depression again. We're just lucky it didn't."
"How long have my sister and I been gone?" I asked.
"Oh it's been about three and a half-" static cut in and silence fell again. I turned the rover to look at the light. It was back to blinking red like I found it. I began dragging myself up the hill with my left hand and rover in my right. I saw Kayla and Elijah rushing back up the hill towards me with a large hammock shaped piece of gray tree bark. They put it just to the side of me.
"Here, roll over onto that." She commanded. I did as she said. I basically threw myself onto the plank of wood. She picked up one half and Elijah supported the other side by resting it on his back as he walked with Kayla.
I drifted away to sleep or a coma or something. I know I wasn't awake for a while. When I finally did awake, it was just after dawn. I didn't see Kayla or Elijah anywhere nearby. I decided to take a small little adventure. And if I get caught by them I would just say I was looking for them. I got up and turned around. The trees were still bent inward that made our small little hut thing. However they were noticeably losing their color and shape. I walked up to them and squeezed between the two middle trunks. I took my first step and my foot caught something. I leaned forward and fell on my face.
I tried to lift myself up but it was then that it came to my attention that my right arm was getting weaker. I turned it to look at the gash. It was still growing. It was going up to about the halfway point between my shoulder and my elbow. I looked up to see a small vine wrapped around a tree to the left of me. I used my other hand to grab it and pull myself up to my feet. I turned back to see what had tripped me, a stump. That's just perfect I can't even walk over a stump anymore. I wiped the sand off of my shirt and kept walking. There seemed to be a small trail weaving in and out of trees.
I followed the trail deep into the forest. The trees began to change as I got further and further. The trees way back here were not yet dying. Maybe it was like Mars evergreen trees. Only they're red. The tree trunks had a very deep sense of maroon in them. The kind of red velvet cake maroon color. The leaves were a very soft dye of pink. The path curved around to the left. I couldn't see what lied ahead. But there was only one way to find out. I turned with the path and there was just a straightaway path for who knows how long. The trees were perfectly aligned on the sides and the sun was shining through the tops casting thin beautiful rays of sunlight. For a second, just a split little second, I felt like I was on Earth again. Just the way, the breeze blew. The way the trees stood. The way the leaves flew.  Just like Kayla and I thought we could.
"The way the breeze blew and trees stood… the way the leaves flew just like you and I thought we could…" I repeated. I fell to my knees and covered my face. I burst into millions of tears at once just from that little rhyming phrase. Nobody had ever said that before until I did. Why did that phrase mean so much to me? I asked myself that and I had an answer for it right away. It described how things used to be between Kayla and I. She and I were never fighting until we were teenagers. I began to think to a very specific time that this phrase fits. One of my best memories that I share with her.