OVER THE MARA

Hi everyone!

This is my entry for Leigh's one-shot competition for 'Camp Runaway' which I absolutely loved. Seb and Ellie are probably among the most realistically developed characters I have encountered on Wattpad so I hope I haven't messed up their personalities.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

***

''Seb, what the hell are we doing here?''

The grogginess I'd felt a mere five seconds ago at having been prodded awake by Seb had evaporated like a cube of ice on a hot summer day. The last thing I could remember was us getting into a taxi outside Addis Ababa's famous Lion Park heading to the National Museum of Ethiopia. Feeling happy and content, I'd dozed off on Seb's shoulder. And yet again, Seb had made a hotchpotch of the plan.

''Seb,'' I started, tugging at his fingers as he alighted the taxi, ''why are we at the airport?''

Seb flashed me one of his signature grins and held his hand out to me. ''You up for an adventure, Ellie?'' He asked winking slyly at me.

''Ugh Seb!'' I groaned inwardly as I tried my best to understand what was going on despite the fact that half of my brain was only just starting to wake up. ''I thought we'd been through this! No more rash...''

''Shh, Ellie,'' Seb cut me short by yanking me out of the taxi by the hand, and helping me steady myself. I shrugged him off in disdain, adjusted my backpack shoulder straps and stretched a little as he whipped out his wallet to pay the taxi driver. The driver gave us a toothy smile and a nod before driving off, leaving us to make our way into the right terminal.

''Care to explain what your adventurous mind has cooked up this time?'' I asked as I followed Seb into the thong of passengers scurrying about, luggage in the tow.

''Is that a compliment I hear?'' He turned to smile at me, wiggling his eyebrows as he did.

I rolled my eyes at him. ''Oh please!'' My phone buzzed in my pocket but I ignored it. ''You still haven't answered.''

We were fast approaching the departure check in desk by now and I held Seb's hand tight as he manoeuvred us through a particularly enthusiastic and rowdy group of tourists.

''Relax, Ellie,'' I could hear him say loudly over the din the brochure-exchanging sunhat-wearing tourists were creating, ''I promise you, you will absolutely love this.'' His reassuring tone relaxed my scepticism a little. Of course I trusted Seb. However, not once in our hundred and fifty something days on the road, had Seb given me the satisfaction of seeing even a single one of our ambitious tour plans fall into place. It was starting to get a little infuriating.

For instance, having started out in Australia and New Zealand, the next stop on our mental itinerary had been Asia, followed by Europe. However, since Seb was the goof ball he was, our entire trek had been reduced to a jumble of norths and souths, and ups and downs. We'd gone from Brisbane to Osaka, to Rome then to Mumbai, from Mexico to Dublin to Abu Dhabi, as if we were trying to encircle the world with the invisible chain our haphazard travelling had created.

Just about two weeks ago, we'd flown into a coastal town in Spain where Seb thought it wise to take a boat across the Mediterranean, in his words 'like international fugitives'. And like on every other occasion, he had convinced me to go with his flow. Like I said before, my man had a way with words.

What followed were the two most exhausting yet amazing weeks of my life, trekking across the north African dessert on camels, a hired jeep, an aeroplane or two, and at one point hitch hiking in the back seat of a good Samaritan's saloon car.