Winter Jackets

Chapter 17 - The Preparation Stage

Jack had told me that he would be leaving in 4 days, so I had time to prepare.

As you could probably tell, I was going to go with him - what if he needs help, and there is no one else? And besides that, I had a voice in my head telling me that I had to go - the same one that told me he wasn't...that told me he was still alive, only it was stronger this time.

The first thing was to get a walkie-talkie thing - I was pretty sure I had seen two of them while helping him unpack. I snuck into his room and, sure enough, found both of them on his bedside table, because he wasn't really a neat freak - though not what you'd expect from someone who was disciplined harshly...

One of them seemed to be working fine, while the other didn't turn on. I took the one which wasn't working, mainly because Jack would keep that one close to him for any future messages from Reid.

Walking to the shop, I thought over my plan, that I had listed as steps in my mind:

Fix the walkie-talkie

Pack a bag: clothes, snacks, toiletries, map(?), phone

Write the note to mum and dad

Follow Jack

Would I need a map? People didn't use maps these days, but my phone's battery wouldn't last forever. Speaking of that, another addition to my list:

Battery pack

Oh yes, a water bottle too. And a sleeping bag, easy-cook food...

Water bottle

Ramen noodles, biscuits, juice packs

Sleeping bag + inflatable cushion

Luckily for me, we had most of the things on the list, except for ramen noodles, but I could buy that.

Rain gear, jackets

Anything else? I should probably check Jack's backpack.

Okay, fine, I know I'm not the best packer, but it's not like I've had much experience - I haven't been on a lot of rescue missions, surprisingly enough. But the least I could do is to pack enough for myself, because I didn't want to be a burden on Jack!

And I just have a feeling that I should carry the following item:

Rope

Oh well, I'll have to borrow some from Myra, whose family used to go rock-climbing. And Alfie had an inflatable cushion that he had given to...oh, that's right, I had it. Perfect!

*****

At the electronics repair shop (I wasn't really sure where to go, this would have to do.), I placed the device on the counter and asked, 'Could you take a look at this, please?' The elderly man standing there smiled kindly at me, and I was reminded of Dumbledore, with his twinkling eyes, and white hair, and...

Okay, I'm getting off track.

He took the walkie talkie, picked up a screwdriver from his toolbelt and unscrewed a metal plate from the bottom. He hummed to himself, deeply, and then said that he would look for a battery. He walked into a room behind the counter, and came out a few mins later, holding the device out to me. I took it and tried to turn in on, but nothing happened. He sighed and said, 'I'm afraid I will need some time to look at it. Could you give me your phone number so that I can call you when it's ready?'

He pushed a log book towards me, and I wrote a fake name (Millie Grace), phone number, and the date.

The elderly man smiled at me once more, and then I left.