The Truth

Chapter 8

I couldn't sleep. I just stared across the dark room, my cheek pressed against the crinkled pillow, waiting for the twelve chimes from the church tower that would send me on my way. My heart hammered in my throat as I ran over the contents of my backpack. Map? Check. 7 days worth of clean clothes? Check. Food and water? Check. Knife? Check. 

Rosalynn had told me that I should walk almost completely along the coast to London, taking roughly 7 days, where it would not only be theoretically safer, but also where I could meet one of her friends who would provide me with a map and supplies for the second leg of the journey up to Ambleside. Then I would be directed to the final destination. I knew that I'd be asking a lot of myself to walk approximately 12 hours a day across the country for over a fortnight, but it would be worth the pain. Besides, she told me that I wouldn't have to walk all the way back if everything went to plan, so that was a plus.

The first reverberating chime of the bell roused me from my thoughts. Carefully, so as not to wake anyone, I dropped my feet gently onto the ground and pushed the cover from my shoulders. A huge yawn told me that I probably should have at least attempted to sleep. I had lain down in my clothes, so all I had to do was grab my backpack and pad quietly through the house to slip out the back door. I gave Bonnie a quick peck on the forehead before I left the room, but I felt her hand slip into mine.

"Where are you going?" Her half-asleep voice asked me through the blackness.

"I can't tell you," I whispered, "I'll be gone for a while, but when I get back the world will be a better place. Don't tell anyone that you know I've gone, okay? Not even mum."

She giggled a little and said, "Go change the world,"

"I love you," I said gently and kissed her forehead before tip-toeing out the house. I knew that she didn't believe me since I often snuck out to draw in Storm's stable at night, but I also knew that when she realised I actually was gone that she wouldn't tell a soul.

I flicked my torch on and walked towards the stables. Rosalynn told me that she would have left a horse tied up in the yard for me and, sure enough, there she was; a pretty grey skewbald warmblood mare watching everything alertly. Storm was dozing in his stable, seemingly unaware of the imposter, but I still stuck my head over and, my hand resting on his withers, said my goodbye. I then said hello to the mare, untied her, and swung myself up onto her back. She was a little smaller than Storm and a lot more slender but she still felt strong and powerful under my seat. Pushing down any doubts over what I was doing and the fact that I had never ridden a mare before, I pushed her on and we trotted out of the yard.

They say that you should never look back over your shoulder at a place that you want to return to. I can't remember if I looked back at the farm I had spent my life in. If I could be sure that I hadn't, maybe I could live with myself a little more.