Safe Harbor

| 6 |

I gaze out the window with a bittersweet kind of sorrow as we leave Bournemouth behind us. I try to keep track of what we've passed by, but it becomes too much for my already sleep-deprived brain. So I sit back in the backseat of my father's car and stare silently out the window, watching the town fly by. It hadn't been much, but it was almost home.

Sitting next to me, Marco doesn't say a word. I look over at him and he's doing what I am, but more intently, watching his life disappear from behind us with a forlorn kind of sadness. This was different for him. This place was more than just a temporary stop; it was his one and only home. He'd been born and raised in this town, known nothing besides its familiar streets and shops for 16 years. And now he was leaving it behind. With it, his Mum.

I couldn't imagine how that felt for him. His dad was dead, but his Mum was still very much breathing, and to leave her behind... It was like a stab to the heart. I knew he was hurting inside, but I also knew he'd never admit it. If there was one thing that would always be true about Marco Casselli, it was that sorrow wasn't an option. This was the boy that laughed when he got stung by a wasp, for heavens sake! Hoping to comfort him, I reach over and place my hand on his shoulder, and he turns; startled.

"I'm alright," he says, putting on a cheery tone that I can almost believe. If I close my eyes, it's easy to imagine that we're just on our way to school, or the park. But in reality, I might not ever see them again. "I just can't believe we're finally rid of that horrible Richard Ericson," he continues quickly, changing the subject. 

My eyes widen. I hadn't even thought of that, with everything going on... But he was right. I'd never have to see the bully again. The thought brought the smallest of smiles onto my face.

Marco grinned, this time, somewhat geniunely. "Knew that would make you happier."

And while it did, it didn't. Because even though I was leaving him behind, I knew I'd never be able to forget the pain and the hurt he'd inflicted on me. I'd remember him and his cronies from the numerous scars they'd left; both mentally and physically.

But I refused to let that affect me negatively. That chapter of my life was over, and I was on the verge of turning the page to the next, even if the thought frightened me slightly. I was going somewhere new, somewhere far, far away from Bournemouth. And I was no stranger to starting over again.

"Where are we going, Dad?" I ask, not being able to hold in my curiousity any longer. "Gran and Gramps in America?" I wonder out loud. America wasn't being bombed; at least, to my knowledge.

Dad shakes his head. "No..." He trails off, glancing at me apprehensively in the mirror. "If things continue like this, it won't be safe there either. You're going to Safe Harbor."

The words tumble around in my head, confusingly. What was Safe Harbor? My mind switched gears and focused more on the former part of his answer, which hackled my nerves. It won't be safe there either.

I was tired of being afraid. Absentmindedly, I glanced over at Marco, who was sitting straight and tall; shoulders back, and head up with a grim determination, ready for whatever was to come. He was fearless; versatile- able to take whatever life threw at him. Those were the things I admired most about him, the things I wished so fervently I could emulate. I needed those traits now most of all.

"Alex?" Dad's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. We'd come to a stop, nearby what looked to be a meadow. It was absolutely massive; endless fields of lush green and vivid yellow, richly dotted with a variety of colourful flowers all around. The grass was almost knee high; the kind movie characters run through in the most dramatic scene. It lay untouched; peacefully serene, like no one had been by in ages. It truly was an astounding sight; Mother Nature at its finest.