In, out. In, out. In, out.

Just breathe Tessa. Breathe.

In, out. In, out.

Her heart pounded frantically within her ears, as if trying to out-beat the thrum of her feet on the solid earth below.

In, out. In, out. In, out

"No!"

Her knees crumpled just in time as flames licked hungrily right above her ears; sending her body sprawling across the forest floor. A bundle of bruised sinew and battered bones. How easy it would be to just lie here. To just give up.

No.

She was stronger than this. She had to be.

Dragging her feet up and over the leaf litter threatening to suck her back down, she scrambled her way up the bank. A network of tree roots doing their best to entrap her already struggling limbs.

*BOOM*

"AHHH!" Hot cinders and burning branches rained down upon her back as the tree beside her went up in a blaze. The fireball having only just missed her shoulder.

"AHHH! AHAHAAA!" Tessa whimpered as burning debris cut through the thin material covering her thigh and left a burning trail of sparking ash across her skin.

Please, please just make it stop

She would have cried if there were time. Instead all she could do was tumble down the other side of the bank as the roots finally succeeded in bringing her down.

Please, please. Nate I miss you, please make it stop.

She couldn't afford to waste time so it was straight back up as she regained control of her tumbling body. Dodging another ball of fire she headed further down towards the faint sound of rushing water making it past the noise of the thick blood rushing through her veins.

Water, yes! If I can just make it to the water…

Bubbles rushed up her nose as she fell head first into the bliss-filled depths

Cold, so cold. So lovely and cold.

"Tessa! Tessa!"

Nate's anxious calls came drifting through the wall of leaves that surrounded Tessa's little den, interrupting her Tennyson-induced reverie. She sighed, a happy smile playing along her usually solemn features. Not even Mr spoilt-rotten could ruin her good mood today. A splintering noise split the heavy air to her right and Tessa leant sideways to turn dreamy eyes to the golden-haired, rather cross looking boy that was struggling to push his head through the tangled twigs.

"Oh Nate I'm glad you've come, do listen to this:

Flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea, Thy tribute wave deliver: No more by thee my steps shall be, For ever and for ever. Flow, softly flow, by lawn and lea, A rivulet then a river: Nowhere by thee my steps shall be For ever and for ever. But here will sigh thine alder tre - -"

"ENOUGH!" Cried a flustered Nate, hands flailing uselessly amongst the claw-like branches that protected his sister's sun-drenched hide-away. "I didn't come out here to listen to your silly poetry!"

Caught between amusement and annoyance Tessa chose simply to sit and watch her brother's doomed struggle. She had decided at a very young age that it was extremely rude to interrupt someone whilst they were reciting; however she had long known that Nate paid very little attention to her rules of good behaviour so she had learnt not to expect any more of him.

"You do realise that there is actually an entrance" Tessa remarked looking down upon her brother's fruitless struggle.

All motion ceased as Nate turned a grim expression upon the vision of serenity that was his younger sibling.

"A what?" He asked, in icy tones.

"Entrance" replied Tessa, unperturbed by his stony glare. "But don't mind that, you're doing a wonderful job of opening a new one up for me. I could even use it as an escape route in case a forest fire blocked up the original" she mused. "Could be quite handy"

Looking up through the twigs into Tessa's devilish smile Nate simply huffed and slumped down against the small flattened area he had created in the side of her bush-wall of all things scratchy.

"Honestly Tessa couldn't you be a little mo—"

"Sympathetic?" she finished for him, her forehead creasing slightly. "You want me to help you?"

"Yes that's exactly what I'd like" He replied! His tone brightening at her apparent change of heart. "What would be even nicer is if you'd go out hunting sometime soon! My foot's aching again and I haven't had a decent meal in days" His voice took on a slightly accusing note as he further pondered the injustice of his situation. "In fact it must have been at least a week since I've had any proper meat, all you've caught is some stringy hare or rabbit."

Tessa let her breath slide slowly out as her head fell back against the familiar bark of an ash tree. And to think that she'd had such high hopes for today. One more look at her brother's plaintive expression and she closed her book in resignation.

"Oh all right then"