The Inheritance Book 1

Ch 29 Don't Run: Hannah Frost [Monday, Week 3]

"I was hoping we would be able to see the castle from here." Hannah followed Mirabelle around a pine tree that oozed sticky amber-colored sap. "You know, since we're still so high up on the mountain. But I can't see anything through the trees."

"Trust me," Mirabelle said impatiently. "It's there." She pushed aside a bush branch dotted with small white flowers.

"I am just saying I would have a better sense of where we're at if I could see it."

Mirabelle let go of the branch. It swung back and hit Hannah in the thighs. It didn't really hurt physically, but was just so rude.

"Well, I know exactly where we are," Mirabelle said. "All we have to do is keep going straight, and eventually we will run into the creek. We will just follow it down to the waterfall. There's no way we can miss it. Then we'll find the boys."

Hannah wasn't quite following the logic since if the timing was off, they would miss the boys entirely. She was angry at herself for not standing up to Mirabelle before they set out on this wild goose chase. She should have stuck to her guns and gone back to the castle, even if she had to go alone. It wasn't too late to change course. She should just speak up.

But she couldn't. What was wrong with her? Instead she mentally crossed her fingers and hoped it would work out just as Mirabelle said it would. Miss Sarah and Kellyn were counting on them.

Mirabelle was still talking. "My mom was really into hiking after one of her rehabs. We went every weekend for like two years. Now that was some real hiking. This right here is nothing compared to that."

How was Hannah supposed to respond to that? She decided to say nothing.

They plodded through the forest in silence for another half an hour or so, around trees and bushes, through tall grasses and small clearings where blue and pink flowers grew wild. They encountered another steep spot that they had to climb up and over. But the further they went, the more concerned Hannah became.

It was nearly impossible to find someone at Walmart if you got separated, how would they ever find the boys in this vast wilderness? And meanwhile, Kellyn and Miss Sarah lay injured and helpless.

"Do you hear that?" Mirabelle said triumphantly.

Hannah strained her ears. Among the buzzing insects, chattering chipmunks and whistling pines, sure enough, in the distance, Hannah could faintly hear the sound of rushing water. Finally! The creek, and also the waterfall could not be too far away!

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't out of the woods yet, literally. They still had to actually find the water, and then the boys.

Through the trees several yards away, Hannah spotted two adorable brown deer munching grass. "Look! How cute!"

"Oh, please. That's nothing," Mirabelle laughed scornfully. "Deer and elk come right into my yard back home."

The deer suddenly bolted deeper into the forest, probably startled by Mirabelle's cackle.

Hannah and Mirabelle plowed ahead through the tall grasses and pines. The chill of the morning air dissolved in the warm, bright rays of sunlight that sifted down through the thick branches of the tree cover. Hannah wiped the sweat from her forehead with the inside of her t-shirt.

After another couple of minutes, a vague sense of uneasiness stirred inside Hannah. Something wasn't right. The forest was deadly still. She could barely hear the water anymore. She was about to say something when Mirabelle turned to her, a look of sheer terror in her eyes.

"What? What is it?"

"Run!" she breathed. "Ruuunnn!"

Up ahead, not more than ten yards, was a huge, sleek, sandy-brown cat. It was staring directly at them, with its head hunched down between its shoulders. Hannah's heart stopped.

Mirabelle swiveled, about to run.

"No!" she grabbed Mirabelle's arm. "Don't! It will chase us. Back away slowly. Make noise."

Though the urge to flee was almost irresistible, Hannah fought it. She took a careful step backward, then another, pulling Mirabelle with her.

"AAAAHHHH! GO AWAY LION!" she shouted.

Mirabelle joined in, yelling, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! GO!"

The mountain lion took another cautious step toward them.

"Oh my gosh. We're dead!" Mirabelle cried. "We're so dead!"

Hannah prayed silently that they would get out of this. Sharp shards of fear cut through her lungs with every breath, but somehow she held her grip on Mirabelle and they kept moving slowly backward.

The lion loped forward a few paces, shortening the gap to just a few feet. It growled, showing its teeth. Hannah's throat started to close up.

Mirabelle screamed at the top of her lungs. "HELP! SOMEONE!"

Hannah forced herself to inhale and heard herself roaring and shouting at the lion too. It stopped, lowered its head, and growled again.

Mirabelle tripped backward over some rocks, but Hannah managed to keep her on her feet. Without taking her eyes off the mountain lion, Hannah reached down behind her, felt around on the ground and picked up a good size rock. She threw it as hard as she could. Whether she hit it or not, Hannah couldn't tell, but miracle of miracles, it flinched and hurtled straight up the mountain.

Hannah and Mirabelle raced ahead, over the grass, between the trees, through another little clearing, all the while throwing glances behind them. Thank goodness, the lion was nowhere to be seen. When they got to a large boulder, Hannah doubled over to catch her breath.

She was scared for the other girls. The animal went upward, but it was angling west, the same direction from which they had come. She prayed it wouldn't find them. But in any case, there was absolutely nothing she could do about that right now. They were lucky enough to have escaped its razor claws and teeth, now they had to regroup and carry on.

"Where are we?" Hannah said. "I don't hear the water anymore."

"I don't either!" Mirabelle admitted. "But we can't go back that way. What if it was a mother lion protecting her cubs? We do not want to risk running into it again! Instead of trying to find the boys, I say we just head back to the castle. By the time we figure out how to get back on course, the boys will be coming around the lake. If we go straight down, I think we'll get to the castle about the same time as them."

"Yes, let's do that." For once, Hannah actually agreed with her. She was done running around in the woods. All she wanted was for everyone to be okay and get back to safety.