Threads

7, Arrogance and Aggravation

He passed her by with another nod and on impulse Britta asked, "Who are you?" Even her seemingly built in fear of The Strange Man could not temper her new curiosity.

"Micah." He said curtly. "I oversee things here."

Britta nodded. "I'm Bren." She held out her hand to shake.

Micah ignored it and stepped past. "Who said I wanted to know who you are?"

Britta wrinkled her nose. "It's a courtesy. I don't expect you to remember."

He walked away silently and Britta hoped her mouth hadn't just gotten her into a whole lot of trouble. Despite this, she rejoiced at her newfound bravery. She turned and followed the path down at a swift pace and came to the cliffs. They were so tall she could hardly see the top, but she wasn't scared of heights as Diana was and didn't expect to fall.

With sure footsteps she began climbing, looking for holds in the rock. She slipped a few times but managed to regain her hold and keep going. She had climbed trees many times which gave her an advantage. The ivy of the Abbey wall was also similar and she had climbed that often enough. The cliff was much bigger, and relief shot through her when she got to the top. She spent a few minutes panting on the grass before sitting up, massaging her hands where the rock had dug in. Dissatisfied with her lack of fitness, she scanned the area under the brightening sky. She would need to gather herbs for her breathing on the way back.

She could see the training camp from where she stood, surrounded by a huge expanse of trees. The group of buildings was a single patch of grey surrounded by the evergreen forest. If she leaned forwards she could almost touch the treetops. Not far away, where the mountains started, pine trees began to climb their slopes. She noted the suns rising position and knew that soon most other people would be awake. With a sigh, she made up her mind to run here every morning and climb the cliff. She needed the exercise. Instead of climbing down the cliff she leaned out and grabbed one of the trees. She scaled down that quickly and easily, ignoring the needles which stuck into her hair.

On her run back she noticed the sound of running water and moved to that instead. She noticed a small stream immediately and wondered if it was far enough from the trail that she could bathe. She followed the stream upriver until she came to the clear spring which fed it. Pushing her sweaty hair from her brow she decided she could do with a quick rinse and looked around for any signs of anyone else. When she could see nothing, she pulled off her clothes and was immediately glad she'd be getting something to replace them. They were frayed where she had cut the ends of the trousers, and everything was travel-stained. She considered washing them but knew they wouldn't have time to dry, so instead got in the water and washed out her hair. She ran her fingers through the shorn locks and enjoyed its new length. It would grow fast, but she decided that when it got long enough, she would put it in the same ponytail at the nape of her neck as she had seen Micah wearing his.

She quickly dried herself off, using her hands to push most of the water droplets from her skin and the sun to dry herself. After pulling on her clothes, she hurried back to the camp.

Britta? Where are you? Diana asked just as Britta entered.

I'm just coming in now. I went for a run, and then I meet the guy who runs the camp; Micah, and he directed me to place where I could practice climbing. On the way back I had a quick swim to clean myself off.

Wake me next time, I have a feeling we won't be able to wash with everyone else! There was joking in Diana's tone.

Why are you so happy? Britta asked.

We're in a new place and we're going to be able to begin training.

You'll have to get used to heights Diana. Britta warned her.