Page 26 of Polar Destiny
I can't let him see me cry. I don't want to give him that power overme.
I barge past him and run down the corridor, my barefoot feet loud on the wooden floor, hurting my head, but I keep running, out of the house, into the snow, away from the men that I thought were myfriends.
* * *
For once,I don’t feel the cold. In contrary, the running makes me warm and I revel in the feeling of my hot skin on the snow. It isn’t fresh snow and a thin layer of ice has formed on the top which cracks whenever I step on it. Most of the times, I sink in, making running more difficult. But my mind isn’t focussed on my surroundings. In my head I see Torben, Finn, Húnn and Ràn, staring at me, at my new eyes, at myclaws.
The claws on my toes have retracted at some point, but they are still very much present on my hands. I keep my gaze away from them. They are proof that I am different and that everything has changed. I thought I had found people I could trust. On Salvation Island, I’d always been alone, had always fought for myself. I had a single friend, and when she left, I felt even more alone than I had before. Finding the bears had awoken something in me that I had kept buried for a long time. Ever since my parents died and I moved in with my uncle. I gave myself hope to finally have friends. People who actually cared for me. Who wanted me to be around not as a bargaining chip, but because they likedme.
I should have known it wasn’t real. That it wouldn’tlast.
I should never have opened my heart to them. Now it’s hurting, bleeding, and there’s nobody to catchme.
I stop and wipe away the hot tears on my cheeks. I have no idea how long I’ve been running for. I can’t see anything but low hills covered in snow. I must be far inland, and I’m realising I have no idea how big this island is. When we arrived, we’d been travelling for days and I was too tired to look around properly. Now I wish that I had. My new claws won’t help me survive out here. I may no longer feel cold but that doesn’t mean it will stay that way. I’m wearing nothing but my nightie and I’m barefoot. Talk about being ill-prepared.
There is no shelter out here. Not even a single tree. The only plants are a few bushes, the rest is covered insnow.
The weather has changed so much in the past few years. Everyone thought the sea levels would increase further, but at some point, it just stopped. Then it became colder. Not ice-age kind of cold, but the seasons became more pronounced. In Scotland, there had never been much difference between the seasons. It was windy and wet most months, with a bit more sun in the summer and a bit more cold in the winter. But now, our winters are really cold. We get snow for months in a row, something that only happened in the Highlands before. And it’s getting colder every year. Maybe it is the beginning of an ice age, but without scientists or a global communications network, I doubt I will findout.
As a child, snow amazed me. I spent hours playing with the white fluffy stuff falling from the sky. Now, it’s threatening my survival. And I am going to survive, bears or not. I owe that to myself. I’ve fought for most of my life and I’m not going to stop now. Not because of a fewclaws.
This won’t beatme.
I smile at my resolution. The old Isla is back. The young woman who doesn’t cry, who doesn’t get carried around by men. I am not weak. I’m going to make it throughthis.
I look up at the sun. It’s almost reached its zenith, which means I’ve been running for at least three hours. It felt more like minutes than hours to me. I will need to get used to these new senses and feelings. I seem to be a lot stronger now as well. I’ve never been particularly sporty, and running for more than ten minutes made me out of breath. Now, I just ran for several hours. My body has definitely changed. A lot. Once I find shelter, I will investigate further. I’m a trained healer and my mind has always been methodical. If there’s a question, I will figure out ananswer.
But first things first. What I need is a tree, or cave, or even just a hollow where I can make my base. Our hosts said that everyone on the island had left, so maybe there are other abandoned houses away from the village. That would be ideal. A little cottage for myself. But how am I supposed to findone?
Mmmhm. If I was to build a house, I’d want it to be near water. Not exposed. Space around it for fields or pastures. And not too far away from the sea. Which still doesn’t help. I have no idea where the sea is and I haven’t seen any small streams orrivers.
I sigh and begin running again, straight on. Maybe I’ll finally have some luck and miraculously find a place ofshelter.
And if not, I’ll just have to spend the night outside and continue my search tomorrow. But it’s only midday, I still have time. And despite running for hours, I’m not exhausted at all. In contrary, I feel more alive than I ever have. Energy is running through my veins, looking for an outlet. I’d love to have a punching bag rightnow.
Totally weird. I’ve never boxed in my life. Why the hell am I thinking of punchingsomething?
I smirk. It might have something to do with four bear shifters. Oh how I’d love to punch them all. Between the legs, preferably. Especially Torben. He betrayed my trust and I’m going to make him suffer for that. Not now. I’ve got other priorities now. But I’m going to lock up this rage for the future. It will be ready for when I confront Torben and his bears, and he’s not going to know what hithim.
Nine
Inever likedthe name Salvation Island. But right now, I’m tempted to call the little house beckoning to me in the distance SalvationCottage.
It’s almost nightfall and I’ve been running all day, but I still feel only a tiny bit exhausted. I could likely run for another few hours. It will take some time to get used to this unlimitedenergy.
I slide down the slope of the hill I’m on, getting ever closer to the cottage. It’s tiny, probably just a room or two, but it’s perfect. It’s got a roof and a door, what else does a girl want. Maybe there’s even a fireplace, although I doubt that there’s a peat supply left. With no trees on this island, they’re using peat as their source of fuel. Arnold and Bertrand had a big stack of it in a hut in their garden, but this cottage might not have that. Oh well, I’ll make do with whatever I find inthere.
Five minutes later, I enter my new home. The door is askew and a layer of snow has gathered in the entrance hall. The house is just as cold as the outside, but at least it’s dry. There’s a coat rack at the end of the tiny hallway, and a door on either side. I open the one on the left first and enter the kitchen. An old fashioned stove is surrounded by a sink and a few dust-covered cabinets, and a wooden table and two chairs complete the room. It’s small but quaint. I imagine an old grandmother living here, making porridge in the large rusty pot still standing on thestove.
I rummage through the cupboard and squeal in delight when I find a lonely tin of baked beans. It’s a pre-Drowning delicacy that I’ve only had once in my life. I’ll feast like a queentonight.
There’s no other food to be found in the cupboards, this one tin must have been left by mistake when the previous occupants left. I’m about to go explore the other room when I notice a small door at the far end of the kitchen. Curiously I open it and… laugh. Morefood!
Dozens of tins are waiting for their new home – my stomach. It’s mostly soups and stews, but I find one more can of baked beans and two of sugared peaches. I remember my mother putting those on pancakes, together with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, and my stomachgrowls.
I’m tempted to open one immediately and devour all the sugary goodness in one go, but my mind wins the fight with my stomach. Let’s explore the house first before Ieat.
The other room is a small bedroom with an old-fashioned double bed. It looks like one of those creaking beds where you can feel every single spring whenever you turn. There is no bedding left on it, but I find a scratchy blanket in the wardrobe – together with some clothes. Granted, they’re twice my size and stuff that was in fashion fifty years ago, but it’ll do. Better than walking around in a nightie. I choose some leggings and a large fluffy jumper and immediately feel more comfortable. I even find a scarf to wrap around my waist like a belt to keep the jumper from getting in the way. The only shoes though are high heels which are at least two sizes too small, and a pair of felt slippers. I will need to find an alternative for outside, but for now, the slippers will do. The floor is covered in dust and my bare feet already have a grey shine tothem.
