The (Not So) Perfect Princess

We take a long walk

We ran at a steady pace for a good twenty minutes. None of them were slowing down at all, not even Scout with his leg. I was starting to get out of breath, but I wasn’t about to show that I couldn’t even handle running. I clenched my fists and kept going.

We were pretty far in the forest, maybe a mile. I’d been much farther than this before, when I’d avoided capture for a week. I’d done basically what we were doing now—sprint as hard and far as your legs could carry you. I’d made it maybe two and a half miles before I dropped to the forest floor, completely spent. I was wondering now how long I could run before my legs failed me. Like I said before, the three of them were still jogging in perfect coordination, leading me to believe that they’d done this many times before. The forest was chilly in the middle of the night, and I wished once again I’d stopped to grab my coat and a pair of shoes. Then again, neither Eily, Scout, nor Q wore shoes, so I should be fine, right?

My mind wandered to Abarad Island. The last time I’d been there was maybe three years ago, but I still remember it clearly. Crystal clear waters, soft, white, sandy beaches, perfect weather, and beautiful mountain ranges located right smack in the middle of the Island. It was picturesque; the most magnificent place I’ve ever been to—even if I haven’t been to that many places. The first time Q mentioned its name, I could almost feel the warm water lapping at my feet, smell the salty ocean air, feel the sun on my face. He got my mind stuck on those memories. The boat-keeper was a friend, too. Well, at least he was my friend. My parents were as rude to him as they are to everyone. Mr. Gregory Taylor (he asked me to just call him Mr. Greg) was in about his seventies. He had wispy white hair, smile lines around his eyes, and was possibly the kindest person in the world. He was the only one on any of our travels who had bothered to say good morning to me. We’d struck up a conversation on the way to the Island, and I’d discovered that he had four children, seventeen grandchildren, a loyal husky named Finn, and a loving wife back home. No wonder he’d always happy. I remember thinking. He’s got everything I’ve ever wanted.

Mr. Greg had also said that if I ever needed anything, anything at all, I could come to him. He’d obviously seen I wasn’t happy with my parents. I’d thanked him politely, but I’d never thought I would actually be taking him up on his offer. Not until now, anyways.

We sprinted for another twenty-five minutes, never slowing down. My lungs were starting to burn, but I wasn’t about to complain. I couldn’t give Eily that. I was slightly surprised when she said I couldn’t come with them. I mean, I knew she didn’t like me, but I’d thought she wouldn’t care. Apparently that wasn’t so.

Finally, Eily skidded to a stop. She rested her hands on top of her knees, her breathing labored. “We can walk form this point, but we gotta move fast.” We were probably two miles deep now.  I felt like I was about to fall over, and Scout was wheezing, but Q barely looked like he’d broken a sweat. After we’d rested a few seconds, Eily hefted her brown bag and turned, quickly walking deeper into the trees. We followed her. I guessed it was only about nine o’clock, but I was ready to sleep.

“Do you usually travel through the whole night?” I asked, still trying to get my breath back.

Eily completely ignored me, so Q answered instead. “Not usually. Normally only in situations where we’re being tracked down, like now. I’d say in a couple hours we can set up camp.”