Within

FIFTEEN

I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw the dark shadow ahead of us. It was huge, dark green and almost like a recognisable shape. But Lawrie seemed little less than his usual alert self. Maybe even less alert and focused than I've ever seen him. He quickened the pace to a steady jog, and I had no choice but to follow. I jumped over roots and rocks and branches, my dress proving to be more inconvenient than ever.

My thoughts were brought back to the shadow - more of a real thing than just a trick of the light. It got bigger the closer we got. I could make out a pentagonal shape, and soon after a small hut.

It was overgrown with ivy, lacy spiderwebs jewelled with raindrops hiding in the eaves. Lawrie stopped just a few metres away from the door, not even puffing. He walked slowly towards the hut. I wanted to ask him where we were, how he again knew where to take us. But my breaths were ragged and I could hardly make a word. My throat felt like it was coated in sandpaper and I couldn't suck in a deep enough breath. I leaned on my knees as I watched Lawrie.

He tentatively crept up to the door, slowly extending his hand and pulling on the doorknob. It was open. The door creaked open with a sigh and I could instantly smell a feint waft of Jasmine tea coming from inside. Lawrie walked in. With one foot over the threshold, he looked back at me. I was met with lost eyes and a look of indifference on the rest of his face.

'Are you coming or what? It is safe, you know. I now what I'm doing, Hadley.'

He crept inside.

I swallowed my surprise of Lawrie using my name, straightened up and squared my shoulders and walked forward. If I were to get home, I thought, I need to forget about Lawrie. He's just my guide, taking me right to the hunters. I hope.

Inside the small hut, The air was cold and fairly thin. Little light was coming through the door or the dusty, cobwebbed window on the opposite wall. Lawrie lit a lantern and paced around the room - he only needed to take three average steps to reach one side of the hut from the opposite. There was a bed to my right, the dirt - green covers spotted with mould and velvety dust. A bookshelf covered the other wall, and a desk stood under the small window. It was tight with us two in there as well.

Lawrie dug under the rusty bedframe and produced a jar of purple liquid, and a folded bundle of cotton.

'My guess is you're hungry?' He asked, opening the jar with ease and poking a finger in there, dragging out some sort of jam. I was sure I could see a flicker of a smile. Then he handed me the cloth bundle. 'Better get changed into this - that frock of yours looks awfully uncomfortable.'

*

The dress Lawrie gave me fit perfectly - my thin frame was small enough for the dress to be down to my knees. The dress was dusty - like everything in the hut - and it smelt damp, but it was far more comfortable than the multi - layered gown I had on before.

I was perched on the creaky bed, watching Lawrie look through every book on the bookshelf when my mind came to wonder about the hut. How did he know about this place?

I added up the dress, the jam, the ivy camouflage. My best guess was that Lawrie was here before, long ago, with his sister maybe. This was their space, where they could just be kids - not heirs to the throne with duties and rules.

Why Lawrie didn't live here instead of roaming the forest puzzled me, but after watching Lawrie go through half the shelf with grumbly sighs and searching eyes, I saddened. Maybe the memory of his sister was too much for him. I knew he acted tough, strong, indifferent, but I had an inkling of an idea of who he really was.

Where was Lawrie's sister now? Was she safe? Had she gotten over the border into Caeli and safety? Or had she..... Maybe that was enough to keep Lawrie away from this place? But why had he taken me to the hut if he didn't like it so much? That much guesswork was making my head hurt a bit.