Cruel by nature

Chapter 2

"Do you really have to go?" Elisa is staring up at me with tearfilled eyes, her small arms hugging me tightly, afraid to let go. Although the night felt endless, the morning came far too soon for my liking. I've never liked saying goodbyes. You'd think practice makes perfect, but that's not true.

"I-I..." I stutter, my voice breaking as I look down at the crying girl. "I do."

Elisa shakes her head in frustration. "Then let me come with you."

I kneel down to her level and look her straight in the eyes.

"I wish I could", I say, forcing a weak smile onto my chapped lips, "but I can't."

"Why not?" she pouts at me, her brows knitted together in confusion. I draw in a sharp breath of air before speaking again, quickly throwing a glance at her mother who's quietly watching us with a sad expression.

"Because your mother needs you", I finally speak, "you need to take care of her, alright? You're strong, and she and Aldo need someone like you by their side."

Elisa seems to be deep in thought, but somehow, my words seem to have gotten to her.

"But what about you?" she asks. "Will you be okay?"

I ruffle her hair playfully before answering. "I'll be fine, I've done this a thousand times before, remember?"

The eight year old girl doesn't seem satisfied, but she stops arguing. I take that as my que to grab my backpack and say farewell to the rest of our group. As Gaia embraces me in a motherly hug, I lean in to the touch, knowing that it might be the last display of love and comfort I'll have for a long, long time. Her face is a mix of two emotions; sadness and guilt.

She's sad because I'm forced to leave, and guilty because she holds the one thing I need in order to stay in her possession. I know exactly where they are, and I also know that they'll last her at least another two years, if not more. It's irrelevant, though. She never offered me any of them, despite knowing it might save me from a life in slavery, and I never asked her. I could never find it in me to take them from her, not while maintaining a clean conscience..

"It's okay", I reassure her, "you need them more than I do." I nod towards her daughter, and she slowly nods as my words sink in.

"Well", I say, "I better get going, I want to get as far as possible before the sun sets." Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I merely spare Aldo a glance before turning around. I barely make it two steps into the forest before a high-pitched voice shouts after me.

"Wait!"

I slowly come to a halt, but remain faced to the forest. It's already hard as it is, and seeing Elisa's face will only make it worse.

"Will I see you again?" Elisa asks from behind my back, and I swallow a lump of tears. It takes me a while to come up with a good answer.

"If we're lucky."

With those words left hanging in the air, I disappear into the forest.

As soon as the camp is out of sight, I pull out my map and search for the small circle I've made around my next destination. Once I find it, I reach into my jacket and take out the small compass I usually have hanging loosely around my neck. It's a small pocket compass. It's a miracle it's still working after all those years, but I've made sure to handle it with care. Opening it up, I quickly find the direction I'm heading towards; south.

Drawing in a sharp breath of air, I stare at the endless road ahead of me and sigh.

Here we go.

*