The Sprinter

Chapter 22

Eloise bolted upright, gasping for breath. Her eyes shot open as she panted desperately. A dream. It was just a dream. She shook her head, and tried to calm her breathing. Slowly, she began to take notice of her surroundings. She was at the edge of the forest. She remembered arriving there, after a day of walking - after the incident. Trees towered over her, the sun flitting between the leaves, enhancing the perfect green of the forest. Sun. She looked up. The sun was high in the sky. Eloise cursed under her breath, and got up. She had a large distance to make up.

After what had happened, she had walked for the entire day, refusing to stop. Her mind had been in turmoil; she had barely been aware of where she was going. Night had fallen before she realised it, and it was only then that she discovered she had left without a tent or any kind of provisions. That was fine. She had made do in the months before - after her escape.

She pushed on, batting branches out of her way, and then stumbling forward as they caught her on the back until she emerged from the forest. The sun streamed down, unhindered by the canopy. She covered her eyes with the back of her hand, squinting through gaps in her fingers. The terrain ahead was - hilly. Endless climbs and grassy slopes; even the river had the good sense to veer away after a few mounds. Soon, she would have to find her way without it.

Eloise sighed and, shielding her eyes, began her long march across the hills of Hardelorn.

By the time the sun had reached the top of it’s cycle, Eloise was hot, tired, and terribly, terribly hungry. She tripped on a clump of dirt, and ended up crawling the remaining two feet to the summit of the hill. She scrambled to her feet. So many. There were so many hills. Eloise sighed. She was never going to make it - especially if she had to run. She flopped down, not caring if she got muddy. She needed to rest.

Then she saw it. At the bottom of the slope - a house. Built next to the curve of the river Brylonne, exactly where it turned away. Eloise shuffled closer. It had a water wheel, and it stood on a wooden support, just above the ground. She squinted. The wheel was turning. Someone was there. She stood up.

She knew it was a risk. Knew that it was very possible - probable, even - that the person down there would not be friendly, that they might even be willing to keep her captive until the yenaki arrived, but she had to risk it. She wasn’t going to last long without food, or water, and by the looks of it, they had both.

Tripping and stumbling, Eloise made her way down the hill. The grass came away on her hands, ripped from the ground by the force of her slide. It clung to her, glued by dirt and natural resin. Eventually, she reached the foot of the slope. The house was only twenty feet away.

From her new vantage point, she could see it wasn’t so much a house, but a farm. Before she had a chance to get a better look, the door opened. Eloise scrambled to her feet, hurriedly brushing grass off her as a girl emerged from the wooden farm, carrying a bucket. She saw Eloise almost immediately, and began to come over.

She was pretty - the exact stereotype of pretty. She had short brown bunches that swung by her shoulders, and she wore a dungarees, with a brightly coloured shirt underneath. Her eyes were a pale, innocent blue, and her cheeks were dotted with cute freckles. She wore a straw hat to keep off the sun, probably necessary if she were working in the farm.

“Hey,” she called, her voice travelling easily over the grassy plain. Eloise moved to come closer.

“Hey!” she called again, louder this time. She wrinkled her nose, her freckles dancing across her face.

“Who are you?”

Eloise said nothing, and stayed still.

“What are you doing on our farm?” The girl stopped walking, only a few feet away from her. Eloise took a deep breath.

“My name is Eloise. I - I’ve been on the run for a while. I need -”
“From the Hardelornian Guard?”
“No, I-”
“That’s ok. We don’t really care here. We’re so far away from everything. What was it you needed?”

Eloise paused, slightly overwhelmed by this girl’s easy torrent of speech.

“Uh, I would be extremely grateful if you could provide me with water, and - maybe some food?”

The girl smiled.

“No problem. I’m Mirae, by the way. Welcome to Tinaeco Farm."

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