The Girl Of Ice And Fire

Chapter 9 : Reykjavik

By the morning, I was at Reykjavik. I realised that I felt there was no room for anything but a pure sense of accomplishment in my mind, knowing that, now I'd climbed that mountain...

I could do anything.

I knew I could do whatever I wanted, prosthetic arm or not. I felt pride in Alaska too. After all, she was the one at my side the whole way, providing warmth and a homely feeling, one of safety. I felt a rush of gratefulness. Though I had had a difficult time since waking from the coma, I had help. The nurses, Alaska, all these people looked after me, they helped, they cared.

I wished that someday, I could be like them, helping people.

For now, I had to keep on task. No procrastinating, no distractions. I knew that I would never survive the blisteringly cold winters of Iceland, let alone the North Pole without some warm clothes. But there was one problem...

I had no money.

Now, I realised there was several options. To put it simply, I could die, give up or...

Steal

I realise, everyone knows that stealing is wrong. That, after all, is one of the first things most people learn. But why was I considering it then?! It was quite simple.

It was too late to turn back

Now I'd come so far, turning back would be devastating. Really, I would rather die trying to find my father and be at peace than leave. My mind would forever be tormented with visions of what could've been if I gave up. No. Leaving wasn't an option.

The best way I decided, would be to feel as detached to this as I could. Not admit to anyone, even myself that this was me, me taking from others. I made myself look as unlike myself as I could, and waited until night. Well night in an Icelandic winter isn't exactly the same as night as many people know it. I waited through the 4 hours of full daylight, until the sun began to set at 2pm.

I knew that, although stealing from smaller shops would be harder to detect, it felt so morally wrong. These people, they had never done anything to me. All they did was work hard all day for food and shelter, and warmth in the icy winters.

And really, to many people Iceland was not the land of Ice and Fire, but just of ice. Only the people who really understood Iceland saw under the surface, the volcanoes, geysers and hot springs that burst out from under the cold ground. Nevertheless, this didn't change the fact that the winters were bitingly cold, that people relied on these shops for survival.

I found the biggest shop I could. I saw the cameras, and realised how easily I would be detected, but I didn't care at this point. This was not me stealing, it was someone else...

Wasn't it.

Please. Please can I get through this with little guilt. I would, I promised, repay my debts someday. How? I didnt know, but I knew that I would finally be happy and at peace when I could relieve myself from this feeling.

My black clothes covered me in the blanket of nightfall, it would be difficult to see me unless you knew I was there. Which of course, the cameras did. The bloodshot eye swiveled round, locking in on my body. As all alarms resounded with gusto, I froze. "Quick!" As I grabbed the clothes, an arm reached in and pulled me out of the shop. People filled the shop with flashlights, but found nothing.

I had the clothes. But someone had me.