I'm On My Way

Chapter 28

Okay so this is where things start to get more..."tense" (I don't know how good this plot is to be honest but if you find it good then yay!) I'm aiming at 30 chapters with this, but I'm thinking the 30th will be some kind of epilogue, with no drama and just a conclusion so you can see this as the penultimate chapter of excitement. How good the "thrilling tense" chapter I've got planned for the next one, I have no clue.

Right okay stop rambling! This is a longer chapter, enjoy!

After staring helplessly at Maddy, Jana just shook her head, sighing. No one knew the answer to that question.

"I guess we wait for the others to find us, then...what time do you think it is?"

Jana glanced at the sky; the sun had long set, yet by the position of the stars she could somehow tell how many hours had been taken by the night.

"I'd say about one..."

Maddy groaned, throwing her head back; she found herself looking through the trees at the sky. Strings of grey cloud, outlined by the glow of the moon - nearly at its fullest after yesterday's full moon - were stretched across the inky blanket. Maddy always thought the sky was a bit like a dark piece of paper sprinkled with glitter; the stars sometimes changed, and that was when someone had shook it. Maddy hoped her friends were also looking at the sky - that would mean they were out looking for her.

"So they surely would've noticed we were gone, right?" Jana prompted, and Maddy realised Jana had been staring at her for a while. Perhaps she shouldn't get so lost in her thoughts.

"My parents, maybe...or not. I didn't exactly tell them I was going..."

"So, they wouldn't notice you were gone?"

"Maybe?"

"Maddy."

"They were asleep." She confessed, flopping back down. Burying her face in her hands, her hair falling around as she hated herself for her stupidity.

"But Shan, Rhydian and Tom know, don't they?"

"Yes, but they won't realise I'm gone until school!" She exclaimed slightly petulantly, clenching and unclenching her fists. Her breathing had sped up, air rushing from her mouth erratically; she was panicking. And she needed to stop.

"It'll be okay, Maddy. We'll just have to wait until then."

"Maybe, but it's still my fault." She peered through her hair to see Jana's pitying eyes searching hers. She noticed that Jana was biting her lip; if Jana was concerned, then this was definitely disastrous.

"You told me not to trust them, and I completely ignored you."

"That's not your fault though, Mads,"

"How is it not?!"

"You had every right not to believe me. I didn't exactly have much proof." Maddy shook her head stubbornly.

"Plus, this would've happened either way. You were still going to go."

"True. But I still could've told someone. Me Ma; I should've told her." She sighed again.

Jana wrapped her arm around Maddy and pulled her into a hug.

"Should we sleep now?"

"Probably." Maddy whispered sleepily, leaning her head against Jana's shoulder. Her eyes snapped open again.

"If you don't mind..."

"Not at all." Jana placed her head on top of Maddy's; she could smell the herbal shampoo.