Before I'd realised it, I'd fallen asleep. When I come to, it's already about mid-afternoon. I sit up, and the first thing I notice is-
The compass.
I'd been too tired to bother about that- with all the negative thoughts, panic attacks and breathless moments, I had stumbled into the tent without a thought. But now, after a refreshing-but-not-really-refreshing nap, I feel that my panic is back.
Seeing the compass means:
•Abby doesn't have the compass;
•The four will have a smaller chance of coming back alive;
•I will be all alone and I don't know how to drive a car;
•I will lose all my best friends.
I really don't know if I should cry or die. Seriously. I draw my legs towards my chest, and I hug them, because they're the only ones keeping me company right now, the only ones providing warmth from the chilling wind. Loneliness takes over and suddenly I wonder if I should be sitting here when my best friends are being slaughtered-
No.
Bored, I pluck grass around me and rip them into shreds. I think about life in the city. Did Mum miss the party yesterday? I yawn. Hungry. I open a can of food taken from the bag on the ground and eat hungrily. Mmm, it was good. I licked my lips in pleasure.
Time to search for my friends, I think. They'd been gone for way too long. I make my way to the trees. Tweet tweet tweet goes the birds, and the crackling of the dead branches below my shoes are loud. I look around, and I walk, and I walk, and I walk and I walk and walk and walk and walk and walk.
I reach for my pocket to ensure that the compass was still there. Fingers touching cold metal, I breathe a sigh of relief. Hownver's forests are extremely big, they say- but with a compass, there is hope.
Hope.
