Footprints At Dawn (Book 2)

Chapter Sixteen

Waking up at the crack of dawn the next morning proved difficult. I felt like I had just managed to fall asleep before Nicholas was nudging me to wake me up.

I grunted at him, burying my head under the cloak that was keeping me warm. I heard him chuckle at my annoyance and I grunted once more.

"Sleep well, darling?" he asked me, and I knew very well he was being sarcastic.

It was all right for him, he had slept well. But I hadn't slept well at all. Teddy was restless all night; whether he had pain in his legs, needed to go do his business, or if it was just different surroundings, I wasn't sure. I had taken him outside three times, all of which he had no interest in his task, but instead casually sniffed at various objects, not in the least bit concerned that it was freezing outside and in the middle of the night.

We were relieved when we realised Teddy's legs weren't broken, after all. However, we could tell he was in pain by the limp he had in his back legs, and the sudden yelp he would let out if he twisted or moved too fast. But Nicholas and I were sure after a few days rest, he would feel much better.

I rolled onto my back, face still covered, and was instantly reminded of where I was laying.

Teddy wasn't the only thing that had kept me awake. Nicholas and I had to sleep on top of a blanket on the cold, hard floor. Nicholas hadn't seemed to mind, going by the consistent soft snores I heard throughout the night, but I, however, found it impossible to get comfortable. And not to mention the various other noises I heard both inside and outside the house, which made my mind jump to all sorts of conclusions.

"Ten more minutes," I grumbled like a child who refused to get out of bed to get ready for school.

"But we have to leave as soon as possible so we can pass through town without being seen by our stalker." I was barely listening to him and could feel myself drifting back off to sleep. "All right, ten more minutes. I'll get Ace and the buggy ready." I had fallen asleep before I even heard him walk away. "Matilda? Matilda?" I awoke with a jolt and for a moment I was disorientated. It was pitch black and I couldn't remember where I was. A panicked noise escaped my mouth and then something covering my face was abruptly removed. It was still dark but my eyes adjusted to a figure leaning over me. "Matilda, it's Nicholas. You fell asleep with your cloak across your face." More awake now, my memory came back, avoiding a panic attack.

"Oh. What time is it?" I asked, looking over at the window searching for signs of daylight. There were none.

"Just before dawn. Ace and the buggy are ready to go. I gave you twenty minutes to sleep instead of ten. I'm sorry, but we really need to go now."

"I know, I know," I said, groaning, and as I sat up, I felt something weighing down my legs. "Now he falls asleep?" Teddy had made himself comfortable by curling up between my shins.

"I gave him some breakfast earlier, took him to do his business, then he limped back in here and plopped down right there. He's been there since."

"Aww, he's too cute to stay mad at. Seems a shame to disturb him."

"He can sleep in the buggy. Now we must go."

* * *

Since leaving the haunted house, we had made good progress, reaching the halfway mark to Launceston. Apart from the brief stops to stretch our legs, toilet breaks or have a snack, we had travelled most of the day non-stop. We wanted to keep as much distance from our stalker as possible, and we were pretty certain we had achieved it.

We still had a few hours of light left, and could possibly make it a lot further, but I was sore, uncomfortable, tired and hungry, and was in desperate need of a wash.