~Rain~

Chapter Eleven

 A/N - This chapter took me a long time, belive it or not. And you WILL be surprised. So, read on, enjoy, and then comment with some theories on...everything. Thanks for reading!

-Lilly

Chapter eleven

 

Alice was more than glad to be out of the house were silence hung, thick as honey, in the air, and the smell of rotting flesh filled every corner. Outside was far nicer.

‘It’s almost nightfall.’ Tyron pointed out lightly, wondering where they would head that night. It would have to be somewhere safe – they hadn’t slept in so long that there was no point trying to keep watch.

‘Can we make it back to the forest?’ Alice asked, remembering that not so long ago she would have turned her nose up at spending the night in the forest. Now, she saw it as somewhere safe, and considerably drier and warmer that the open air.

Tyron glanced up at the hill. The sun still hung low in the sky, and there was more than enough light to make out the tiny shape of the boarding school on the hill. Beside that, only a little way to the right, was the forest, streaching down the hill and into the valley.

‘I guess, if we’re quick. It’s raining, though.’

Turning her head to look up at the sky, Alice realized that it was, indeed raining. She had gotten so used to the constant patter of the heavy raindrops of the roof while they were inside that now, standing on the doorstep underneath the shelter of the overhang, she barely noticed the sound.

‘It’s always raining.’ She replied with a shrug.

‘This place used to be in drought, you know. Years and years ago.’

‘I know,’ Alice snapped, ‘I was alive when it ended.’

‘You were three.’

‘I remember.’ Alice’s voice had suddenly gone cold, as if Tyron had touched a nerve. He changed the subject.

‘Should I go back and see what Miles is doing?’ Tyron asked, ‘He’s taking ages.’

‘I don’t really care.’ Alice shrugged, ‘but if we don’t leave soon it will be dark before we get there.’ What she really meant was, if we don’t leave soon, we’ll have to face the Nelia again. And this time, we won’t make it.

Tyron nodded, understanding.

‘Miles?’ Tyron called back into the house, quietly tucking his pile of paper underneath his jacket.

‘Just a second,’ Miles called back, right away.

Second later, Miles appeared at the door, pulling a small wagon, stacked high with things. Clothes, small packets of mints and sweets, a torch, and books. Piles and piles of books.

‘You can’t pull that all the way!’ Alice exclaimed as a woolen jumper hit her in the face, along with a t-shirt, a pair of trainers and some jeans.

‘Put them on!’ Miles instructed, pulling another jumped over his own head and passing Tyron a bag of his father’s old hiking gear.

‘I’m not getting changed here,’ Alice said, tossing the clothes back into the cart.

‘Later.’

‘Alright.’

Tyron dutifully pulled on the clothes, which were several sizes to big for him but were warm and dry all the same.

Then they set off into the dimming town in a bid to reach the other side before night fell and they were trapped.