FALLEN | rowan whitethorn x oc

CHAPTER ONE - a new life full of walking and hunger

PART I  -   take me with you

She had been running, trying to escape, trying to make them lose track of her. She had been exhausted, her breath coming in unsteady breaths, her body covered in sweat and her heart beating too fast; at its own rhythm. And yet, she didn't stop running. She couldn't have stopped even if she had wanted to, the adrenaline running heavily through her veins did not allow her to stop. It commanded her to keep running, to keep moving. Her whole body had been moving on pure instinct.

Survive. Escape.

Those had been the only thoughts on her mind. The only she allowed herself to think of. So she kept running. She ran until her lungs were burning, until every breath was a struggle, until her pounding heart was an ache, until her own limbs felt like an external part of herself. So, of course, she hadn't noticed when her surroundings had changed. She didn't notice the moment the trees around her became bigger and broader, she didn't notice when the grass under her feet became longer and turned into a richer green, she didn't notice the subtle change in the air; a gentle touch caressing her skin, the electricity around her. She didn't feel the magic that lived in that place. Unlike where she had been moments before, where magic had never taken roots and had left before any living thing could remember its existence. A place where magic was only real in books.

No, she didn't. She didn't notice anything. She didn't notice the moment she walked through another world.

She only allowed herself to stop the moment she was absolutely reassured they had lost her. She had stopped hearing their steps behind her a long time ago, but she hadn't permitted herself to stop. She couldn't have taken risks. So she had kept running. But her body was weak. She was weak and the length she had run that day had been too much for her. Too much for her weakened body which had been left to rot by those monsters who had taken her. Her shock, instinct and adrenaline had given her that extra strength she had needed to actually escape. And now that she was remotely safe, her energy had abandoned her, and her body had given up. She had collapsed, full spasms running through every part of her, exhaustion felt almost like a living thing. So she was now lying on the grass, breathing hard, trying to catch her breath while she covered her eyes with her right forearm.

There was a strong feeling in her chest. It was a combination of pain and pleasure; worry and relief. And, for the first time in the last three years, she was finally breathing. Truly breathing.

Alive. She was alive.

When had been the last time she had allowed herself to just breathe? When had been the last time she had felt free? She couldn't remember. The last years of her life had been a blur of pain and desperation. She had wanted to run away for so long, but the opportunity had never been there. Until tonight. The moment she saw the open tent, the bodies lying on the floor and the knife in her hand, she hadn't even thought twice about it. She had run. She had known they would notice her absence, that they would see her escaping but it was a chance that only emerged once in a lifetime; so she had taken it.

She hadn't even cared about her clothes, or the lack of them. She hadn't even cared about the fact that she was barefoot, that her ripped jeans were beyond dirty or that her t-shirt was broken on the front –proof of her fight. A fight for her life-. Nothing could be seen, but even if it could, there was nothing she could have done about it. Her long dark brown hair was loose, dirty and wholly entangled. It would be easier to cut it all off instead of trying to brush it. Almost like all of her. Would it even be possible for her to recover from her current state?

At least she looked better on the outside than she felt on the inside. She had escaped, yes, but where to go now? She had no money, no acquaintances and no remote idea of where she currently was. She recalled hearing two soldiers talking about the Bolivian border; they had crossed it approximately five days ago. They had travelled non-stop and based on her surroundings, she was in a forest. Isabella wished in that moment she had paid more attention in geography class. There should be a small town or a small community somewhere, maybe even close to her but she had no real concept of her location. She did know that a small part of the Amazonas was in the North of Bolivia. Maybe she could go there; at least she was sure that there would be other people there. But, even if she did get there, what would she do? There were native communities in the jungle, but would they accept her? She wouldn't even be able to communicate with them. Isabella remembered that many companies sent people to cut trees down close to that zone, maybe she could try to talk with them. Since there was a bigger possibility of actually being able to communicate with them instead.