Beyond Borders

Chapter 1

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"IZABEL! STOP THAT!" Mum's stressed voice hollers from downstairs.

Poor mum, never gets a break.

Mum works at the Dewdale Rural Clinic, and a recent Covid outbreak has brought her to a state of constant worry. Me and Izy try our best to be kind to her, but almost anything we do sets her off. I sigh sympathetically at the thought of it.

Before screaming at my sister, I compose myself and instead do what Mum would want.

"Yes, Iz?" I ask as calmly as possible, despite the fact she had practically made my door collapse.

"Daddy said to go get you because he made your breakfast." Izy swings the door open and plops down onto my bed, admiring, as usual, my array of hand-picked seashells scattered in various places across my room. She has long, blonde hair and near-black eyes. Today she was wearing a pale pink t-shirt with overalls on top.

I groan to myself and say: "Cool."

Apparently, Izy gets bored of my room, and bounds out, presumably towards the kitchen, without another word.

Before following her, I pause at my mirror. I'm 15, although quite small for my age. I have short choppy blonde hair, brown eyes and reasonably pale skin. I was wearing my favourite pajamas: White with a sunflower pattern. My ears were adorned with multiple dangling piercings, and although I had begged my parents for a nose ring, my round nose was jewellery-free.

A distant bird call stops me from getting lost in my reflection, and I hurry through the hallway, past crusty old portraits, and into the warm, egg-scented kitchen. Our house was atop a small mountain with views of the bay that surrounded Dewdale, our small little town. Because of this, the kitchen (usually) has gorgeous views of the bay, but due to today's dismal, cloudy weather it was quite a disappointment as I entered the kitchen.

A noise from the neighbouring living room caught my attention. I walk into the living room to find this mornings' news blasting at full volume.

"Hello and welcome to your daily dose of Breakfast Buzz. Today we have more concerning news around the bombs in Thornbush Thi-" The booming T.V was abruptly halted, and I turn to spot Dad holding the remote.

Explosions? In... Thornbush Thicket? I think worriedly.

"...Dad, what was that about?" I ask.

Thornbush Thicket is the wild, "dangerous" forest beyond Dewdale's borders. It's practically forbidden to mention it, so I can't imagine the punishment for being caught blowing it up. But, more to the point, the border is just behind our mountain. Any explosions there could affect us, and whoever is committing these crimes may decide to move closer towards the city... I bite my lip as I ponder over this.

Cough! Cough! "Oh, nothing for you to worry about, Irene. Anyways, I made you a sunny side up for your first day back! I can't believe you're a year 10 now! And Izy, my sweet little year 6. Last year of primary, aye?" Dad smiles fondly down at the two of us. I roll my eyes, trying to show I was carefree about the bombing as well, but Izy grins up at him. She then proceeds to blabber about exclusive unicorn dolls or something.

I seat myself at the long, antique dining table. Mum had salvaged it from her Grandma's house when she was 20 or so. She said it was 'The Wilsons most prized possession.' I disagreed. Most of the time, everyone acted like Izy was the prized possession.

I quickly scoff the breakfast that had been placed at my spot at the table. I then return to my room to get changed into my uniform.

How come Dad doesn't care about these 'explosions'? He should be more concerned about our house blowing up, not about Izy getting scared.

I worry about the Thornbush Thicket explosions as I rummage my drawers for my Dewdale High uniform.

Ahah!

My hand drifts over a burgundy woolen jumper. I pull it out and chuck it to the clutches of my fluffy, pastel yellow rug.

I soon find my white blouse and burgundy & cream pleated skirt.

Once in my uniform, I slip on my plain black sneakers, sling my satchel over my shoulder and rush to the bathroom.

On the way there, I glance up at the massive grandfather clock in our hallway.

8:37?! Where did all the time go?!

My bus picks me and Izy at 8:40, meaning I only had 3 minutes to put my hair up and brush my teeth.

I grab my toothbrush, smother it with toothpaste, chuck it into my mouth, and start tugging a comb through my light, messy hair. I then grab an ebony-black headband, slide it over my forehead, dispose of my toothbrush as fast as possible and rush back into the kitchen.

"Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad! I love you guys! Cya!" I say in one mouthful, slamming the front door behind me.

I find Izy waiting for me on the front steps. I let out a relieved sigh- I hadn't missed the bus.

Screech! The massive, blue-and-white bus pulls to a stop in front of us.

As I enter the bus, my eyes search the seats for a familiar face- Samara, my best friend. I soon spot trademark space buns and a sparkling nose ring, and I know it must be her.

¨Hey, girl! How was your weekend?¨ Samara asks, gesturing for me to sit next to her.

"Eh, pretty boring. Gran came over on Saturday, and on Sunday I mostly just watched T.V. How about you?"

" Oh, my weekend was awesome. On Saturday morning we went to watch Blakes' ice hockey game. After that, Kleo came over for a sleepover and we spent most of Sunday on a shopping spree."

"Oh my gosh, Samara, you are so LUCKY! I wish my parents would at least let me get a nose ring... Let alone all-day shopping sprees without adult supervision!"

Samara laughs. "Oh, chill. They'll let you eventually."

"...Hey, Samara? Did you hear the news this morning?" I ask.

"Yeah. Apparently criminals have been planting explosives in the thicket- Blake turned it off before they got to the juicy details. The police are after them, but the explosions only hit at night and there are more each time. Blake said I shouldn't worry, but-" Samara sighs. "I don't know what to think."