Leave It And Run

Chapter Five, Where On Earth

HONEY

As soon as i escaped the cold, biting air of nine o'clock evening spring time and stepped through the doorway of the open heavy cream door into warmth of my new home, i was questioned immediately.

"Where on Earth have you been?" Ste and Mark were stood in the doorway of the floor landing, hands on hips and arms folded dramatically, concern sweeping across their faces.

This, is where i got my attitude from.

"Out, I did say, remember?" I mumbled through my helmet, taking off my gloves, unzipping my jacket and throwing it onto the dark wooden banister, missing by about two centre meters.

I took off my helmet and my hair clung to my sweaty face. My frozen nose was instantly reddening from the fuzzy warmth of the radiators having been on. I wandered over to the nearest radiator in the hall and placed my sweaty hands on it.

"Don't, you'll get chilblains," Mark begged for my health.

I sighed, taking my hands off the radiator and folding them across my torso, just like Ste.

They were both looking at me.

"What?" I asked impatiently. I hated being stared at for lengthy amounts of time.

Unless your name was Hunter and you had dreamily green eyes.

Even if he did steal the keys from my Brum while i was struggling to pick up all the change he had caused me to spill all over the floor, very sneaky.

"I've just turned the immersion on and let the shower run, if you want a shower? You just look stressed, that' all." 

"Thanks," i said, and pushed myself up off the heat and made my way slowly limping, upstairs.

"Hey!" Mark called, "Whats with the limpy leg?" 

"I fell, im fine," I grumbled and dragged my feet behind, hitting the front of my foot on each step as i climbed, unenthusiastic up the widely spiraled staircase.

"Do you want-"

"No!" I yelled, as politely as i could, reaching the final step and trailing my body weight toward my bedroom on the left, far side of the hall.

Neither of my fathers followed me.

As soon as i entered my bedroom, i walked over to Mark and Ste's old queen sized bed, fully equipped with oak wooden posts and thick black velvet curtains which i had never unraveled from their white satin bows, and i allowed my body to drop and sink into the memory foam mattress, relaxing into the welcoming foam.

I lay there, not quite thinking about anything in particular, just letting my brain rest, for about ten minutes, before peeling myself off the bed, leaving a Honey shaped dint in the mattress.

I limped over to the huge window which uncovered the view of the old, creepy yet fairy tale like wood, which grew slowly opposite my house on the other side of the county road.

The trees swayed to the movement of the prevailing breeze, their gnarled branches twisting and turning against the cold air, only a few leaves had returned to some of the branches after winter and they were silhouetted by the faint orange setting sun which was masked teasingly by thick grey clouds.

I reached out both arms to each side of the window and snatched the heavy curtains together, hiding myself from peering eyes which may be lurking among silver birch and oak trees deep in the wood.

I'm so paranoid about stuff like that.

I unzipped and shimmied my jeggings off, leaving them on the white rug which was positioned underneath my bed, but the long length allowed the ends to peek out about half a meter on each side of the bed.