Fighting Back

Chapter 6 - Awaking

Noah woke up the next morning to the sound of chirping birds in the trees. The pain in his foot was so extreme that he had not registered it until he had fully woken up, about 3 minutes later. He clung onto his ankle, digging his nails deep into his leg, and tried not to make a sound. The pain subsided slightly after a few deep, steady breathes.

A quick peek at his alarm clock told him that it was 5 o'clock, which was at least an hour early for him, but he didn't really care; he loved getting up before the rest of the family as it meant he had time by himself without developing an earache. The boy successfully slid himself out of bed without making a noise, not even a single creak.

He tip-toed quietly around his bedroom. It wasn't much of a room: there was hardly any space to decorate and make his own, so all that was there was a bed, a chest of drawers, a mirror, and a small number of his favourite possessions in a wooden box. He would happily live on the streets as long as he had this box with him at all times. In fact, the things that were stashed away there meant so much to him that he had listed them, and regularly reorganised the box to make sure everything was still there.

Noah walked towards the box and crouched down, again making no noise whatsoever. He decided that now was the time to reorganise it's properties. He carefully emptied the wooden object, placing the contents to the right hand side, and found the list tucked safely right at the bottom of the box. It read:

Deer Noah,

I gues if your readin this you are re orgenisin evrything. Hear is teh list:

Photo of Mam & Pa

He picked his way through the pile and found the faded photograph of his parents at the seaside, with him in the middle, holding their hands. He remembered this day at the beach vividly, even though he was only 5 at the time.

He remembered his mother lifting him up when his feet were sore from all the walking. He pictured the ice creams that Pa had bought for the family, which was the first one he'd ever had in his life. He could feel the waves crashing against his skinny legs, and his mother pretending to run away from a deadly shark somewhere in the deep ocean.

How different his new mother was. She was strict, always making Noah follow her orders, yet she let herself be bossed about by her husband. She always tied back her jet black hair in a tight bun, and her wrinkled forehead showed how many years were behind her. Noah longed to be reunited with his old Mam and Pa every day and every night.

With a sigh, he placed the photo at the bottom of the box, as this was the safest place, and it was the last thing he wanted stolen.

Dukky Toy from Bournemouth

Funny leter from Iaiain (he never knew how many 'a's or 'i's there were in 'Iain').

Stone what you found at the old Tempell in China

That is all.

He placed the last few items in the box. What if... what if he ran away? As long as he had the box, he would be happy, right? He pondered over this thought before being interrupted by a scream coming from Katrina's room...