Walk Through Thorns

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I had coffee ready for Auntie when she got home from work that evening. After a taste, she poured a shot of whiskey into it.

"Rough day?"

Auntie stole my cereal box and poured it into her own bowl. "Another accident."

Oh. That explained why she had gone for the alcohol.

She asked, "Do you want to come visit the hospital this weekend?"

I broke eye contact and stared down into my milk. "Not this weekend," I said, "I made plans with a friend." Avery's game book was waiting for me on my bed stand.

"You, Celeste VanDela, made a friend?"

I blinked in surprise. "Is that okay?"

"It is wonderful," Auntie said. Some life had come back into her voice. "I am just surprised. Last week, my little birdy told me you were being standoffish."

Which of the teachers would her little birdy have been?

"Well, I don't like them. The principal is using me as an excuse to make Friday's the literal worst. It's awful."

Auntie slurped the last of the milk from her bowl. She had started eating after me, but finished before I was halfway done. I wished there was a way I could gift her a good night's sleep.

Auntie said, "I know. I told them we should keep it like Toronto. I don't think the faculty is as good with computers here."

I swirled my cereal. "Whatever, it's just for the rest of the semester anyway."

Auntie touched me on the hand and said, "You're the toughest girl I know."

That was a sweet lie. "So it's okay if I hang out with my friends tomorrow night?"

Auntie raised eyebrow.

Feeling the heat in my cheeks, I said, "They invited me to play a board game."

"You may, but there are two rules: first, no alcohol. And second, no boys."

Yeah, like anyone would invite me to do anything cool.

The following night I rode out, with Auntie's two rules burned into my subconscious. The chill wind cut through my sweater. With it, heavy clouds were floating past above the forest. The puffy blanket was so thick I didn't need to wear sunglasses, even though it was only the late afternoon.

My wheels kicked up dust as I peddled for speed. Most nights I would take my time to explore around town, but something possessed me today. I had spent the whole night by the fireplace, reading through the rulebook Avery gave me. The art awakened my imagination. As I penned the notes into my character sheet, I kept flipping between two images. First, a painting of a knight, deflecting dragonfire with his shield. Second, a elven woman riding her horse without a saddle, bow pulled back and eyes focused like a predator. Just before sunrise, my mind aflame, I penned in the last box to complete my character.

She was brave, and agile, and so silent that no one could hear her coming. A loyal wolf, Greymane, accompanied her. They hunted together through the elder forests. She with her bow, and he with his feral senses.

Her character sheet was tucked into the book in my backpack. I wasn't sure I had done all the math right, but Avery hadn't seem too concerned about me knowing the rules.

My tires skidded over the gravel as I turned from Old Creighton road onto Sixth avenue. I teetered dangerously close to wiping out, but found my balance and kept my momentum. My heart pumped harder than it had in weeks. I only gained more speed down Sixth, gaining on the slight downward slant, coming from between the trees to the expanse of flat golf course on either side of me.