Escape from Cirices Part 1

Chapter 7

Abigail felt relieved when she could smell the pine leaves and sap coming from the forest which was only twenty metres away. Now that they had jumped over the fence separating the woods from Cirices, they had to go over a small stretch of dirt where are farm once was. Only now, no Cirician resident lived outside the fence. Those people were called outsiders, wild peoples (or just wildties) and woodinhabs (short for wood inhabiters). The Ciricians had made up plenty of words for those people. Those people were not residents of Cirices.

Abigail looked around the group. Lokeyia looked happy to be in the woods, however Magda was a completely different story. She knew that Lokeyia and Abigail were studying her face closely, so she deliberately made no eye contact with them. Soon, however Magda found the stare of Abigail's forest green eyes unbearable. Magda looked up at her. Abigail immediately noticed her dark blue eyes with tears strung through her eyelashes.

"What's wrong?"

"Sja. I hope she won't be hurt. She's so young to be such a brave person."

Abigail paused. She had no siblings but she felt bad for her parents.

"So are we. We're young to be living in the wilderness by ourselves. But we have to. We have no choice. Nobody has any choice."

That statement seemed to calm Magda down. Abigail knew Lokeyia was on the brink of tears too however she hid them. Lokeyia was worried about her older sister, Emerilla and her younger sister, Ferne. Sometimes, Abigail thought Lokeyia was ignored a lot in her family and more attention went to Ferne and Emerilla, however she knew that Lokeyia liked being alone. Ferne would probably stay inside and Emerilla would probably go and fight. They continued in silence. A dawn sun had appeared at the East and spread a violet tinge in the sky. Abigail thought of those almost endless hours in the forest, where she came across a patch of violets and smell them.

"Does anyone have a watch?" asked Magda.

"Nope. I hardly wear watches you know that, Magda." Abigail replied.

"Yes I have one. I brought a compass too. It's umm... four o'clock." said Lokeyia.

"Damn that's early. I generally don't get up until eight. And, Magda I don't think I have anything." Abigail replied and yawned.

"Are you mad?! Look at your horse and the bags he's got attached to him!"

"Oh what, I didn't notice! Oh, well I'm relieved! I bet I'm still in my pajamas though."

"You'll have a look when we stop."

Lokeyia joined in and Abigail dropped off the conversation and instead looked around the ground and canopy.