Changing Fate

Knowing that I could never go back to what I had left behind was more daunting than knowing what lay ahead. Everything was different; there was no going back.

I swiftly moved through the trees as I followed the fresh footprints left in the white snow. I could hear the crunch of the snow underneath the feet of the soldiers ahead of me. I stopped. I was too close. I quietly shuffled closer to a tree dragging my feet across the ground to hide my prints. I waited. Then I heard the sounds of a fire being started and the loud sounds of laughter. The soldiers had set up camp. I let out my breath. I was safe for a while. 

I looked up at the tree and jumped to find a face peering down at me from above. I fell back, landing amidst the soft snow. I scrambled backwards across the forest floor. This was it. They had found me. I leaned back against the tree trunk, closed my eyes and almost squashed my face against the tree to wait for whoever it was to kill me. I waited. Nothing happened. I slowly turned away from the tree, cautiously opening my eyes. There was a face an inch away from mine. I jerked back smashing my head against the tree.

“Oww.” I moaned leaning forward and grabbing the back of my head.

As soon as the pain cleared, I turned to get a good look at the person who surprised me. It was a little boy, probably not much older than Michael.

“Oh, hello” I said, “Who are you?” I slowly inched away from the tree. The boy sat back in the snow, staring quietly at me as if he was planning what to do next.

“Okay,” I said, “You don’t have to tell me who you are. Umm, do you live near here?”

He still didn’t respond. He just sat and stared at me. So, I stayed quiet and stared back. After a while, he stood up and walked away. Once he reached a gap in the trees, he turned around and made a gesture for me to follow him. I slowly got up from the ground. I kept my eyes on him and I cautiously walked towards the gap in the trees. When he saw that I was following him, he disappeared into the gap. I looked around quickly before I stepped through the opening.

We walked silently in the darkness for quite some time before I saw a fire ahead in a clearing. I stopped. Was it the soldiers? Had they found me? Was I wrong to trust the boy? I listened for the boisterous sounds of the soldiers. Nothing. I couldn’t hear anything. I sighed with relief. Maybe I would be safe tonight. I slowly walked forward following the boy into the camp.

When we entered the camp, the first thing I saw was a group of children sitting around the fire listening to an older boy telling a story. He looked up as we walked into the clearing. I waited quietly for the boy to finish the story. It was about a pirate who had lost his hand in a crocodile accident. I smiled at the theatrics that this boy was putting into telling the tale. It reminded me of when I would read to my little brothers John and Michael. A tear ran down my cheek. I would never see them again

I jolted in surprise as I felt something on my elbow. I tensed and turned read to fight if I needed to. It was the older boy.

“Sorry.” He said softly taking a step back with his hands up.

I relaxed slightly and took a step away from him.

“I’m Charlie.” He said cautiously.

“I’m Emmaline.” I said looking around. The boys were all laughing and playing together around the fire.

“Well Emmaline, welcome to the Lost Boys.”

“The Lost Boys?”

“Yes,” He said gesturing around the camp. “ These boys don’t really have a home, so the city pushes them into the forest.”