It’s the beginning. Should i keep going? Am i on the right track?
The forest was unforgiving, just like it should be. Ellis didn’t deserve forgiveness.
Each time the wind whistled through the trees, she couldn’t help but to glance over to the huddled shape on the ground beside her. It was all well and good for her to subject herself to the harsh cold and desolate night, but Luca shouldn’t have to share her pain. Were she in his position, she wasn’t sure she’d have come this far north, away from everything they knew. Away from where they knew it was safe, but now the danger had come with them. And it was her. She’d never forgive herself, as long as she lived for what she had done that night.
Pulling her thin coat tighter around her, she drew her knees closer to her chest and began to rock back and forth. The night was surprisingly cold for summer, but then it wasn’t just a normal summer’s night. It was Midsummer’s Eve, when all things magical in the world came out in numbers and strength. It seemed the earth itself was guarding against the power of those magical creatures, the witches and the goblins and the spirits that for all other days remained silent in these parts. Ellis wished they could have lit a fire, but it was sure to attract those they had left behind, the screaming mob of people with their pitchforks and flaming torches. The memory burned behind her eyelids, making her shiver from something entirely different to cold. After a long moment, she turned to the boy lying with his back to her.
“Luca,” she said softly. “Are you awake?”
He raised a fist to give her a thumbs up but he didn’t say anything, which was unusual. Normally Luca had plenty of words for her. Words of encouragement, of friendship. Ellis wondered if that had all changed with her actions tonight.
“You should get off the ground,” she continued. “It’ll be colder there than being in the wind.”
The boy shook his blond head, still refusing to speak. His body was tightly curled into a ball, and shivers racked his body every few seconds. Ellis turned away, unable to look at the suffering of her best friend knowing she had caused it. She even had the power to stop it, but was afraid to do anything except sit there and suffer in silence along with him.
The forest was perfectly quiet, except for the wind that whistled through the leaves and the birds that occasionally chirped down from their perches. She wondered if they were cold, too, or if they’d learnt to weather such nights out until the sun rose. It could only be a few hours until sunrise now, and then she and Luca would have to head out again – to where? – she didn’t know. All she knew was they had to get as far from Penbryn Valley as fast as they could, far from the angry villagers and certain death they had left behind. And in the meantime, they may as well stay warm.
Ellis shifted to her hands and knees and crawled over to where Luca lay on his side. He heard her come over, and rolled over to look at her face, barely visible in the few rays of moonlight that streamed through the restless tree tops. Still, he didn’t say anything, he just looked at her. She retaliated by not speaking to him either, and simply lay down beside him, pressing her back against his side and breathing a sigh of relief when she started to feel warmer straight away. Luca was always a few degrees hotter than she was.
The minutes passed by slowly, and both boy and girl’s shivers slowly started to slow although they never went away. Just as Ellis thought she might be able to fall asleep, she felt Luca roll over so that his chest and stomach were against her back, just as they used to sleep when they were children. She bit her lip, fighting back the tears that had been threatening to overtake her since they’d left the village.
“I’m so sorry, Luca,” she whispered to the ground, not sure he could ever hear her.
She heard him sigh and felt the warm breath on the back of her neck, then he lifted him arm and let it rest on her waist. It was as much forgiveness as she was likely to get until morning, when they could talk properly without fear of being overheard or their teeth chattering. With warmth finally beginning to spread from her back to other parts of her frozen body, Ellis closed her eyes to sleep, visions of flowers and fire quick to take over her dreaming mind.
I think you should definitely continue on. It’s a very good beginning; descriptive, emotional, and question provoking. If you continue on I know I would be very interested to hear how it goes.