Michael watched intrigued by the girl that was crouched down. She was waiting. But for what was the question. The she sprung like a rabbit from her den, she darted out from the shrubbery she was hid behind, to look at her catch. She cut the rabbit that was strung in the air down and snapped its neck with ease. Most girls her age would cry and refuse to do it, their little eyes filled with sorrow. But this girls eyes were filled with nothing of the sort. In fact she seemed calm as she started to gut the rabbit with the greatest of ease, she tossed away the innards and skinned it. Carefully dividing the meat up. She placed it in a plastic bag and walked back towards thee bush, she opened the cooler and threw the rabbit in. Michael made sure that he was well out of view from this somewhat intriguing and captivating girl. She took out a bottle of water from the cooler and took great swigs from it, some of the cool liquid escaped her mouth and trickled down her shirt. She didn't seem to bothered about it as the weather was fairly warm and she had spent the day hunting. Michael wondered why a girl would have to hunt for food in this day and age of supermarkets and takeaways. The girl threw her black hair back and smiled putting one leg on the blue lid of the cooler. A look of pride was across her face as she looked around the wood, light shone behind her from the large gap between one side of the wood and the other that created a path that lead towards the river bank. She wiped the sweat from her brow, using the sweatband on her left wrist. She stood like this for a few minutes before she placed her leg back on the ground and picked up the cooler. She began to walk the path towards town with a reluctance about her. She walked slowly and almost like a zombie. The skip in her step that she had had throughout the day had vanished. Michael didn't know why but he felt drawn to follow her, he didn't want to kill her though. There was just something about her, something different. Something most girls and in fact boys her age lacked. He didn't know what though. But whatever it was, he felt compelled to find out no matter what the cost. He began to sulk through the trees keeping her in his sites but himself out of hers. This was a difficult task as throughout the whole day he had spent watching her , she had shown she had the ears of a fox and the eyes of a hawk. Something most people these days lacked. She looked around her shoulder now and again and he would stop. When she walked, he walked. It was almost as if she knew he was there, waiting and walking behind her and she was playing a game with him. The trees started to get thinner and less of them around. Must be close to town. He thought with a frown. He watched as she stepped out into a patch of light up ahead . He started to walk a little faster not wanting to lose her. He could see her again. She had stopped just a few centimetres away from the border between the woods and the small village. He got a little closer so he could get a better view. He managed to move himself into a position were he could see everything. There was four women and one man stood around her. Their eyes full of glee. The first to speak was one of the women, she was rather plump in a pink flowered dress. Her blonde hair in a high beehive style.
"How much for two rabbit legs?" She asked, she sounded very impatient as if she had been waiting ages for the answer to this question."I could cut you a deal, as the Rabbits aren't breeding very well at the moment." The girl lied. Michael sniggered under his mask knowing the truth, she had caught a lot of rabbit today, but she had released a few of the baby ones. He figured she wanted stock for the future and they wouldn't sell for much. This girl to him seemed sly and cunning, she was different.
"And what would this deal be Coraline?" The fat woman asked the girl. The girl clearly known as Coraline smirked a little and smiled sweetly.
"A bunch of your apples and I'll give you the two rabbit legs for a mere $3?" She smiled again, Michael sniggered again. She's cunning I give her that, He thought. The plump woman sighed before whipping out a notepad and he purse from her bright yellow bag.
"You drive a hard bargain Coraline." She muttered scribbling down on the notepad furiously. When finished she ripped the note off the pad and thrust it into Coraline's open hand. She then rummaged around her purse and slapped the money into her hand. Coraline smiled slipping the money into one of her pockets. Michael found himself taking in all of her appearance. She wasn't tall nether small, she wasn't thin but she wasn't fat, her hair fell to just above her shoulders and was a ebony colour. Her jeans looked old and tattered and were ripped in various places, her shirt was a simple red t-shirt. It seemed that she was from a not so well of family. Whilst Michael had been studying her, Coraline had rummaged in the colour and passed some of the rabbit to the plump woman. She snatched it out of her hand and walked off mumbling. The other two women left were inquiring about what she had in stock, one wanted some mushrooms to which Coraline must not have had in stock as the woman nodded and walked off empty handed. The next woman wanted to put a request in. Coraline looked up, the sun was beating down on her hard and she wiped some more sweat away from her brow pushing her fringe from it.
"You want some cod?" She asked the woman again making sure she had heard her correctly.
"Yes will you be able to get some?" She asked hoping that she would. Coraline bit her lip and thought about it. "I could try not promising anything Mrs Miggins." She smiled and the woman smiled back. Mrs Miggins thanked her and walked off up the road, the same way as the other two women. That left the old man stood in front of her. He smiled and she smiled back, the widest she had smiled all day. She rummaged around the cooler and dug out a bag. It contained a lot of meat, much more than any of the other bags. She handed it to the man who smiled and ruffled her hair messing it up.
"Squirrel my favourite, don't know how you catch them their crafty, how much do I owe you?" The man asked digging his wallet out, to which Coraline declined and waved her hand."No charge Mr Tyson, you know I don't mind catching them its no trouble please don't." She smiled. He smiled back and straightened his jacket out. The man was a picture of old. His white hair to match his white beard, the wrinkles in his face a story of time gone by. He looked like he was wise and trust worthy in his little hat and brown pants and jacket.
"You're a good kid you know that, now be safe on the way home." He smiled, she nodded and smiled back. She watched as one of the only people to show her kindness walked back towards his cottage in the woods. She waved and he waved back, he whistled a merry tune as he walked. He walked like he was back in his youth. But his face begged to differ. Coraline smiled then looked at her watch and then her smile faded. She picked up the cooler and ran to the left. Michael wondered what that was about, he had to run after her. He didn't know why he just had to for some reason. There was something about her, something different.