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No, I need to keep my head clear and focus on my surroundings. I’m horse riding with Ivy but decide to test my limits and push harder today. The only problem is I now have no idea where anyone has gone. We entered the trees that dot one side of Padstow Academy and I can’t hear a single thing, aside from Winnie’s hooves hitting the dirt and the occasional sound of a twig snapping.
We’re moving slowly as I try to find the safest place to get her turned around so we can get back to the field, but I can hear more twigs snapping and her ears have pulled back.
She’s lifting her hooves and putting them back down over and over again, what am I supposed to do. I stroke down her mane and whisper a nonsensical string of words and it does seem to be soothing her slightly, but it only lasts as long as it takes for a loud bang to go off. She freaks and tears up; I wasn’t prepared so I’m not holding onto the reins tightly. I’m sent flying backwards as she stampedes away and all I can do is hope that she makes it back to the others safely.
I can’t even think about myself right now, my back is throbbing, and I hurt more than I expected. What on earth caused that noise it almost sounded like a... gunshot.
Another twig snaps and I’m swivelling my head in all directions that it can turn to when I see it, the barrel of a gun pointed right at my chest.
I don’t care what anyone says, my life has not flashed before my eyes and my fight and flight response has me frozen to the spot. I’m lying here on the dirt floor, propped up by my elbows with a gun aimed right at me. Mr. Terrifying is the one with his finger on the trigger and I can’t believe it is all going to end right here and now.
“Can you run?” he asks and my mouth just falls open, I think I’m in shock.
“Come on pretty girl, don’t keep me waiting. I’m not a patient man and I am holding a gun, it’s in your best interest to keep me happy,” there is still no inflection in his tone and his face is blank.
He’s threatening to end my life right here and now, yet it’s not affecting him in the slightest. That isn’t normal.
“I don’t know,” I say, my voice is hoarse with fear and it’s taking all my effort not to unload my lunch across the dirt floor.
“Try to get up, it’s no fun if you don’t try and preserve your life. Make it a challenge for me Henleigh, same rules as before. I’ll count to ten and if you make it out of the trees before I capture or shoot you, then you get to live for another day.”
I’m on my hands and knees, trying to push myself up. I don’t care what happens, I won’t just lie down and die. I get up onto shaky legs and my back won’t stop twinging, it’s making my breath falter, but I need to focus on the objective at hand. Make it out of here at all costs, do not die today Henleigh. Elliott will not want to see you like this.
“The timer starts now, ten, nine, eight.”
That’s it, I’m out of here. I will push through the pain if I have too, I won’t lose my life to a scumbag like him.
I can hear the twigs snapping but I can also hear the echo, meaning he’s not as far away as I’d like.
“Seven, six, five.”
No, I can’t stop I’m almost there.
“Four, three, two.”
Just go away you psycho, this isn’t funny it never has been. Tears are streaming down my face and I’ve bitten my tongue so many times just to draw my mind away from my back. My chest is tight and I’m struggling to breathe. I don’t think I’ve heard anything that is as loud as my frantically beating heart.
“One, ready or not, here I come.”
His voice travels across the wind and straight to me, he’s too close but maybe not close enough to hit me.
Crack, thud.
My head swings to the left and I can see whe
re the bullet hit the tree, too close for comfort. It’s okay, it’s going to be fine. I’m zigzagging now, trying to make myself a harder target as another bullet whizzes past me and I can feel it graze my cheek. I don’t think I just leap, throwing myself forward until I hit the ground hard and hear soft neighs coming from the Academy's horses. I’ve made it and he’s nowhere to be found.
It doesn’t take long for someone to find me and the police are at the school quicker than I thought possible. They take my statement and I tell them everything he has done to me, they admonished me for keeping it to myself but they are going to place officers within the Academy grounds to make sure he doesn’t get close to me again.
The guys won’t let me out of their sights, apart from when Elijah spotted Amias and chased him around a corner. He was gone for a few minutes and when he came back his knuckles were torn and bleeding. When I see Amias, he had bruises covering the left side of his face.
“Eli, what did you do?” I don’t want him to get hurt, and I hate that I’m sick to my stomach that Amias is now injured because of me.
“Nothing more than he deserved, I won’t apologise for hitting him Hen. What he’s doing with Octavia is wrong and he hasn’t even been to check on you after what happened. He said he didn’t know, but has he approached since I let my fists do the talking and gave him a few new bruises?” He asks, getting worked up. He’s shuffling his feet, wringing his hands, and he keeps cracking his knuckles and his neck.
“No, he hasn’t. I won’t lie it does hurt, but I’m okay. Let him do what he wants, I won’t let it affect me,” I say as I give him a kiss that warms my heart.
“Henleigh, skip class with me?” he asks as his excitement pushes into my stomach and it only takes a quick nod of the head before we walk into my room.
