All Lost Promises

Chapter 1: I'm A Tree Now

A/N: Italics is flashbacks.

Chapter 1: I'm A Tree Now

"Just once, I would like to be the poem. Not the poet" - Vincent Van Gough 

5 years later: Browning's boarding school, Year 12

The moon is a bitterly lonely planet, it is always sat in the sky, looking and watching over us. It accompanies us all the way through the night and through the day. Yet the sun shines over it blinding everyone with its light and, alas, the moon is forgotten. The sun leaves, the moon can shine. Then it happens all over again. The sun comes back to beg for forgiveness. And the naïve heartless creatures we are, allow it to bask in its selfish glory all day.

I have always felt like the moon.

The twigs cracked beneath my feet as the sweat beads drip relentlessly down my face. I can feel the large wet circle on my back expanding from where my camping bag is and I cringe at the feeling.

"God, I'm so tired." I groaned bending over and placing my hands on my knees.

"Me too," charlotte groaned looking at her nails and moving her pin straight hair behind her shoulders. "This was such a bad idea to go camping, I'm surprised we even lasted the night." She sat down in a huff, even though she hasn't been carrying anything for the past 2 hours we had been walking. 

"I thought it was pretty good," I spoke breathing hard from the sudden stop of movement. "Just a bloody shame it had to rain; that's British weather for you though." I muttered rubbing the mud on my wellies onto a log.

"Yeah, come on though guys we have to keep moving." Amber said looking up to the rumbling sky. "I doubt the rain will hold back much longer, and its going to get dark soon." 

We trudged through the thick forest boarding the school, it was the first week back at school and we thought that it would be a good idea to have a little 'outing.' Thinking about it now, it probably wasn't the best idea to bring charlotte along. She has a heart of gold, but she just wasn't fond of the outdoors - she was more of a partier, shopper, netflixer type of girl.

Whereas Amber was a full on Yorkshire girl, she loved fishing, hiking, camping and everything. Growing up with two brothers didn't help her case, now she try's to convince us to go into the woods and set traps and put up rope swings with her.

I'm proud to say I'm a balance of both, I'm not shy to get my hands dirty, but you would never catch me voluntarily going on a walk. I also immensely respect my coach potato side. 

I let out a puff of air my thighs aching, "I think we are close, I can smell the pumpkin soup from here."

Amber fake gaged, screwing up her nose. "Honestly I hate Sunday dinners, they're gross. Like who even came up with pumpkin soup? Its gross."

I nodded eyeing the tendrils of smoke I could see above the trees they dances through the leaves, smelling like roasted chicken and earl gray tea. I rubbed my arms, "I don't know about you, but that soup doesn't sound to bad. I'm freezing my but off even though I'm sweating."

"Watch it be Ms. Wilson who makes the food today, I swear to god she lets the food sit on the side for like an hour before she serves it, its bloody awful," charlotte suddenly pipes up.