The Other Side Of Fear[1]

Chapter 5

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Saturday morning came around and I found myself arguing with my parents once again. The charade was getting boring now and I was wishing they would just leave me be to do as I pleased after they'd already destroyed my life.

'I just think it's a bit soon for you to be dating, honey,' Mom tried to reason with me nicely after I had just received a huge mouthful from my Dad about going out with Archie tonight, especially when I was grounded. Being grounded had never stuck in the past and it wasn't about to stick now.

'Mom!' I cried in annoyance. 'It's a date, not a marriage proposal! He's nice! He's popular, everyone knows him and I've already spent time with him in class.'

'You don't know him!' Dad yelled.

'I don't know anybody here!' I yelled back. 'That's the life you gave me when you tore me away from everyone and everything I did know!'

'Change the record, Bethan,' he sighed. 'We're here now so get over it.'

'I am trying to!' I threw my arms up in frustration. 'I'm trying to fit in at school and make friends and meet people I actually want to socialise with until I can get away from this damn shithole and you're trying to stop me!'

'Because we just moved here and we don't know the place we don't know the locals, it would be different if it had been a few months and you knew the area,' Mom said. 'Wherever he's planning on taking you, you don't know this town at all!'

'He could take advantage of that!' Dad shouted.

'Oh give me a break,' I almost laughed. 'I'm going! End of conversation! If you want to stop me then lock me away in my room because that's what it'll take. You'll also need to bar the windows because I will jump.'

My parent's eyeballed each other and my Mom sighed gently as my Dad shook his head angrily.

'I'm going out now,' I stood up from the sofa and headed to the hall to put on my shoes.

'Where?' Mom asked.

'For a walk!' I glared at her.

I turned away and stormed out the door.

I was so mad at them. I paced down the street back towards the little bridge and cursed at them in my mind. How dare they try and do this to me? First trying to stop me hanging out with my friends the other night and now stopping me going on a date with Archie. I understood it was a new strange place and we didn't really know anyone yet but I wasn't worried about Archie Lane and I could handle myself if I needed to.

I stopped walking when I reached the bridge and eyed the view of the town centre in the distance. I glanced down at the stream below me and my eyes followed to where it disappeared into the trees. I slowly started to pace along the grass, following the stream that eventually led me into the trees and I continued to follow the stream deeper into the woods and found myself walking for some time further and further away from my neighbourhood.

The stream seemed to go on forever and I realised my hopes of ending up at these waterfalls were not looking good. I sighed and stopped to take in my surroundings, which were basically nothing but trees and I turned looking back at where I had came from. I had been walking for some time now and there was nothing new to see so I moved to follow the stream back towards the neighbourhood when I heard a sound in the distance. I paused and listened carefully, trying to figure out the sound. It sounded far as it was very muffled and was a continuous pattern of thuds. I figured out the direction it was coming from and started to pace towards it. I felt slightly fearful venturing away from the stream as this was my only way of finding my way home easily but I told myself I wouldn't wander far.