Lightning

Chapter 4

The next few months were amazing but dreadfully difficult. I have never been camping before, let alone living in the wild and all this 'surviving' stuff. I had to learn stuff about what to eat, what not to eat, how to make a fire,  (That was... Simple enough though with the whole lightning thing) a whole bunch of other stuff you probably don't really care to hear about.

One of the conversations I remember having with Nyla was something like this. It was pretty late. And only about a day or two after I met her and found out all that crazy stuff about the peculiars that I only decided to believe in because.. Hadn't I just set a house on fire while controlling lightning, injured (I refused to believe they were dead, even now, I try to keep those thoughts away) loads of people and been attacked by a monstrous shadow?

"Why do we have to trek this whole way through forests and half-way through England to get to Ms. Dove's loop? Isn't it easier to just get a train or plane or something?"

Nyla looked at me strangely "There are other peculiars around this area I was told to look for.. So unfortunately we have to go the very, very... Very long way."

"Are you suuuure? Isn't there a way to find them? The ymbrynes or adult peculiars should be looking for them, not us"

"I'm afraid I have to do it, and it's harder to find people than it sounds, I don't know anyone with the peculiarity to find people yet"

"Mm, okay then" I remember answering. 

I should have asked more persistently.

We stopped at a road. I was so hungry and tired. I had pretty much lost track of time. I mean, I can hardly keep track of it on the summer holidays even though I can check whenever I want, not like anything is gonna change when we've been hiking through a bunch of forests and little towns. Who knew England was this huge??

"Are we there yet?" I asked sleepily, leaves crackling under my feet, I stepped on an especially dry one hearing a satisfying 'crunch' noise. 

"Not yet, Ella, there's still a long way to the loop, plus, remember I said about finding peculiars? I know there's someone in this area.. Maybe even following us or something" I heard a twig snap and jumped, spinning around "Look!! There they are!" There was no one. "That was me." Nyla answered dryly. "Oh, right.. I was joking" I muttered, grinning slightly. "Can we get food or something? If I eat another berry-" "I offered you rabbit, you wouldn't eat it" "I'm not eating rabbit! Rabbits are cute pets, not food." Nyla sighed, exasperated. "Fine, whatever, but we can't waste money when we get to the next food place" My eyes widened. "You mean steal??" "Well what else do we do if you won't shut up?" Then she smiled. "Joke. I only steal in extreme circumstances. I have some money left over in case I need it." "Okay.."

We continued walking. The air was cold but I got used to it pretty fast. I realised I got used to most things as things went on. I couldn't wait to get to Ms. Dove. I wanted things to go back to being normal most of all.. But since that wasn't an option, I wanted to at least be safe. To be able to sit in a warm house with company. To read or something. To not be worried about your next meal or being attacked. I wonder if her loop is new? And if so, does she have tech? And wifi? I suddenly felt guilty for thinking like that. My mother was gone. My friends (Or at least classmates) were most likely gone. And here I was thinking about wifi and things being normal. Nothing would ever be normal.

The smile slid off my face. "Agh!" I tripped over a stray, fallen branch, grabbing onto Nyla's coat quickly to stop myself from falling. "Ow, what are you doing?!" Nyla shouted from beside me, I realised I had accidently pulled her down. "Umm.. Oops I tripped" I muttered sheepishly. "It's fine, kiddo" She said quickly, realising it was an accident. 

"Hey, did you see the brown leaves. It's autumn already" she said changing the subject. I looked up at the trees, huge branches swaying in the wind. No way, it felt like only yesterday had been May. My birthday. "Wow.." 

"Come on, I'm pretty sure I know this road, we'll get to a town in a few hours at least" I nodded, picking myself up. She got up after me, brushing herself off. "Do I have any leaves in my hair?" I pointed at a twig already knotted into her dark hair. She cursed, grinning again. "It'll take ages to get out.. Oh well, not like we're fashion models or something" "Nowhere near" I looked down at my tattered old now grey-brown dress. I had borrowed a coat off Nyla as she seemed to have brought loads of clothes. She had left most of the stuff in that shack though. "Oh well!" She shouted at me from the front, she was already heading further up the hill into the woods. "I'll find something for you to wear" I ran after her, catching up.

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We had been walking for about two or maybe three hours now. My feet were absolutely killing me, as if someone was sticking knives or something wherever I walk on the ground like in 'The Little Mermaid' story. (The original one of course. Disney wasn't as cruel to mermaid girl.)

Soon we heard the sound of trickling water, and Nyla told me to follow her because it sounded like a river where we could get water or at least sit down and take a break. Another few minutes and the water became louder, less of a trickle more of a gushing noise. "Do you think it's a waterfall?" I said excitedly. "Might be" She answered, talking louder to be heard over the noise.

Finally we came in sight of the river, then the river went straight down, and as I had guessed, to a waterfall. "Cool" I exclaimed, running down to try touch it, and drink out of the small river. "Be careful!" The girl shouted after me, collapsing down on the bank, smiling at my excitement. I had gotten quite far from Nyla, sitting near the bottom of the waterfall, getting sprayed. 

I didn't care that I was hungry, and my exhaustion went away. I was having fun in the first time in ages. I think that, and the loud roaring of the waterfall made me not notice a small figure  appear near me, staring at me and the waterfall. 

Then I turned around. And saw.