The Sprinter

Chapter 23

Mirae reached forward and took Eloise’s hand. She turned on her heel, and started jogging towards the farm, dragging Eloise along with her. She stumbled, clinging to Mirae’s hand, too tired to protest.

“Father, father!” she called across the field, her voice projecting across the distance without seeming loud. A short, rather large man emerged from the house. He wore a similar attire to Mirae, but despite that, they looked nothing alike. He had shiny, red cheeks, and brown eyes that just peeked out of his face - swallowed up by his enormous smile. His wispy, black hair swept over his forehead, escaping from his straw hat with ease.

“Oh?” he called back, his voice rough, used to shouting, “Who’s this?”
“This is Eloise. She needs food and water.”

Her father nodded, and turned to go back inside the house. Mirae arrived at the door, and let go of Eloise’s hand. She hammered up the steps, and disappeared into the house. Eloise looked around. The building was made of a dark, weathered wood, and was raised above the ground by a support made of the same material. There was a water wheel that rose a full metre above the roof. It turned slowly, dumping water back into the river with large splashes. The windows were clean, and revealed brightly coloured rooms, a stark contrast to the dark exterior.

Mirae appeared in the window to the right of the door, and gestured fervently for Eloise to come in. It surprised her - that they were so welcoming. She nervously approached the steps. They croaked and creaked under her feet, complaining at the weight.

She stepped over the threshold, jumping at every splash of water. Mirae came out into the hallway, and shoved her into the kitchen. She pulled out a chair, and practically pushed Eloise down into it. Stunned, Eloise let her. The girl’s father stood in the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards. He turned around to smile at his daughter’s behaviour, a kind and amused twinkle in his eyes.

“Mirae, run and get a glass of milk, will you?”

Mirae obeyed, running out of the house with the speed and sound of stampeding elephants.

“Don’t mind her,” Mirae’s father explained, “we don’t get a lot of people coming around here, and a young girl like her needs friends. More than just animals,”

Eloise nodded as he brought over a plate of sandwiches, and a container full of water.

“For your journey,” he added, just as Mirae hurtled back in the room. She flopped down in the chair next to Eloise, placing a large glass of milk on the table in front of her. Her father smiled.

“I’ll leave you two girls to it,” he announced, before leaving the room, bumping into the table as he went, his clumsiness mimicking his daughter’s hurried manner.

“Hi,” Mirae said, her voice perfectly still, strange for someone who had just been running at full speed, “I’m sorry it’s so hectic around here. There’s always something that’s broken, or some creature that’s got out,”

Eloise nodded.

“That’s fine. I’m used to chaos.”

More than you know, she thought.

“Well, you’ll get a lot of that at Tinaeco Farm,” she stated, almost proudly.
“Tinaeco - is that your family name?”
“No, that’s a creature, silly,”

Eloise stared at her, puzzled. Mirae laughed.

“You were travelling along the Brylonne river, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, I hope you didn’t drink from it. It’s home to a swarm of creatures called Tinaecoes. They’re vicious little things, and they bite. They look like fire under the water, but only if they’re upside down. Otherwise, they’re virtually impossible to spot. Unless,” she added with a knowing glance, tapping her chest, “you have a trained eye. They secrete a special type of poison when they feel threatened or surprised. It acts quickly, and painfully.”

Eloise frowned, eyes wide. Mirae laughed again.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s fine. We take them out of the water here, with the wheel. We can either keep them, or neutralise them. Father does most of the work involving them - he says he doesn’t want them to hurt me. I don’t care. I pulled one out of the water myself last month, with my bare hands,” she stated, eyes gleaming with rebellion and pride, “I keep it in my room, as a pet. I can make sure it has everything it wants, and father doesn’t need to know.”

Eloise nodded slowly.

“What about you? What are you doing on the run? You don’t look that much older than me,” the young girl stated. Indeed, she was right. Mirae looked like she was fourteen - Eloise was only three years older than her. She thought about how different their lives were, how different they had been. She was glad. Glad that not everyone was like this, glad that she had her father, her Tinaecoes.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” she brushed off, and when Mirae opened her mouth to protest, quickly added, “it’s so easy to get arrested around the Guard nowadays,”

They smiled wickedly at each other, Mirae swallowing the lie easily. Then, she got up. Eloise moved to rise too, but Mirae held her finger to her lips.

Shh.

Eloise frowned. Mirae walked over to the window, and jerked back the curtain in one quick movement. Eloise got up, and peered out. She gasped.

“Who is that?” Mirae asked. She was clearly trying to act nonchalant, but the tremors in her voice gave her away. No-one ever came to Tinaeco Farm. Two in one day - that was unsettling. Eloise stared out the window. The Commander smiled back at her.

“It’s them.”

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