Okay, I'd like to thank my two reviewers and my wonderful readers for … well, reading XD
Here's chapter two :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and any OC used for the purpose of this story.
Natasha ran past the big oak and turned a sharp left. The landscape changed drastically, turning rockier, the wind picking up. She started to shiver and picked up her pace and soon she reached the edge of the wood, stepping out towards the top of a cliff that had a straight drop to the sea.
The edge of the island, the edge of the cliff. The edge of her world, and the start of the foreign outside world full of mystery.
She surveyed the sea beneath the cliff. It was a dangerous dark blue and scattered with protruding rocks. Waves attacked the base of the cliff and a chill darted up her spine from just staring at it.
'You can be the raven forever …' Maria's words rang through her head and she stepped closer to the edge.
She didn't hear the footsteps behind her over the crash of the water.
The chance to be a raven forever, even in her last moments, to be immortalized forever in one moment of true bliss, to finally fly …
What a chance.
Who could resist?
'Someone sane.' her mind told her, but she brushed that thought aside. She was perfectly sane.
She was about to take the final trembling step that would send her off the cliff when a pair of arms snaked round her waist and pulled her back into reality and safe ground again. Her chance to fly was turned into ashes
"Let me go," she grunted, struggling against the strong arms of her captor.
"No." said Maria. "I won't let you jump."
"I was trying to fly." protested Natasha.
"Another day, maybe, but not today. Not without me. Don't leave me alone, Tasha." Maria whispered the last part.
"But I want to fly now." Natasha protested like a child, her thoughts still jumbled from the drama of the last hour. "I want to get away from everyone."
Maria recoiled slightly, and that was when Natasha realised what she'd said.
"You really know how to make friends." Maria snapped, getting ready to stand up.
"No! I want to get away from everyone- with you, Just- just stay … Please?" Natasha's voice broke on purpose at that last word. Maria rolled her eyes, but turned around, going back to her best friend's arms, and they listened to the sea while talking- formulating a plan.
A plan to fly away together, properly.
It was starting to get light, dawn breaking and throwing light on the dark sea. It didn't look so menacing in the daytime, Natasha observed.
At the large oak they parted ways, promising to meet at the usual time, and then Maria had kissed Natasha on the cheek. Before she could respond the brunette had slipped off into the shadows of the trees silently.
Natasha was blushing all the way home.
Her parents were fighting again, in their room- as if Natasha couldn't hear every word from her attic bedroom anyway. They hadn't even noticed she was gone. Or maybe they had and they just didn't care, like Maria's foster parents.
She packed.
At five p.m. it was a strange duo that met at the big oak. Natasha had a basket, carrier bag and a suitcase, while Maria had a big backpack filled with camping equipment, a sleeping bag and ground mat plus an air rifle.
"Ready to fly away?" smiled Maria.
"Like the raven and owl we really are." was Natasha's answer.
They hiked.
Meanwhile their parents screamed, the island's small police department got involved and an airplane was sent flying low, trying to get a glimpse of two troubled runaway girls.
Natasha saw all this through her binoculars and reported back to Maria, who had set up a tent and made a campfire that was waiting to be lit.
"What did you bring? I can make an inventory if you tell me." Maria explained, getting out a flip notebook and a pen.
"These are my lucky scissors, because I'm left-handed. This is my mum's old record player. I borrowed it without asking. This is my favourite record. My aunt gave it to me- that's why it's in Russian and not English. She doesn't like me speaking English, you see." Natasha emptied out her bags as Maria obediently made notes. Natasha clicked open the suitcase to reveal rows of books.
"These are my books. As you know, I prefer spy novels, preferably with a female heroine or interesting villain. Most of the best characters are orphans. I wish I was an orphan. Your lives are more interesting.
Maria stopped writing and stared for a moment.
"I love you, but you have no idea what you're talking about." she stated.
Natasha tried to control her blush at this declaration, but Maria seemed perfectly calm, stopping her writing to pick up one of Natasha's books.
"You can read them if you like." she pointed out, trying to stay cool despite the fact that Maria had just told her she loved her, and that she wanted to tell her she loved her too but didn't know how.
"Most of these are library books. Some are overdue. Do you steal?" Maria asked, her right eyebrow arched.
Natasha shrugged. "I plan to return some of them. Others, I don't know. Yeah, I guess I steal." she concluded somewhat proudly.
"Why? You're not poor." inquired Maria.
Natasha stayed silent.
"Are you depressed?" Maria asked quietly.
She shrugged and carefully opened her basket, taking out a book.
'Dealing With A Troubled Child.' Maria mouthed the title.
"I found this on top of the refrigerator. Do you think I'm the troubled child?" she asked.
"I don't know." said Maria truthfully. "I don't think so. Maybe that's because we're both troubled children. I suppose there could be different definitions of a troubled child though."
There was silence for a while. Finally Natasha spoke.
"Last night, on the cliff …" she had a horrifying flashback of the rough water and shook her head to get back into the present. "How did you know to come looking for me" she tentatively asked.
Maria thought for a moment. "I just knew you were in trouble, so I came." she answered.
And that was the end of conversation for the night, as they slept with their arms around each other in the too-large sleeping bag, their leftie scissors and air rifle keeping a careful eye on the two friends- though 'friends' was stretching it a bit tight now.
The next day they covered their tracks and set off again, over rock and forest floor, trading stories, jokes, wilderness survival tips and dreams.
"I hope they don't send my ex-school class after us. They're all horrible people. You're a much better person and you're supposed to be a troubled child." Natasha mused as Maria helped her down a rock. They held each other for a moment.
"Maybe we're the normal ones. Did you ever think of that?" Maria said.
"That's an interesting way to look at it … I like it."
"Thanks."
They continued on in silence until Natasha spotted something with her binoculars and grabbed Maria's hand.
It was Natasha's ex-school class, and leading the group was Clarissa. She didn't care about getting Natasha home- she just wanted to embarrass her.
They got caught. Everyone does eventually.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Romanoff and her little sidekick." Clarissa sneered.
Maria's brow furrowed; she was easily the tallest there.
"What do you want, Clarissa?" Natasha asked tiredly. Noticing how everyone had a weapon, she gripped her scissors and Maria loaded her rifle.
"I'm here to take you plus Daddy Long-Legs over there back home." Clarissa said.
"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen." Maria stated.
"We've been authorized legally, so you and pint-size better move your asses or things are going to get nasty. We might even harm your precious little girlfriend before moving on to you." grinned, Molly, another ex-class mate.
Maria rolled a fat, fallen twig forwards with her foot at the mention of harming Natasha.
"Do not. Cross. This. Line." she said angrily.
Clarissa snarled up at the girl and crossed the line defiantly.
The screams and yells of fleeing schoolgirls were deafening.
The search party's base was the pier, where the lonely police station stood, now surrounded by people and schoolgirls. One of them lay on a stretcher, a bloody bandage round her middle.
"That Maria Hill is one messed up kid." remarked Sergeant Foxton sadly. He had always liked Maria Hill. She had spark.
"Oh no, sir. It was the other girl that did it. Natasha Romanoff. With a pair of left-handed scissors, sir." said Leah, a schoolgirl, as she passed by.
He was left alone, bewildered, staring at the dark grey clouds in the sky.
Maria and Natasha were left staring at the pair of scissors, now covered in blood.
"I guess Clarissa was right. I really am dysfunctional." Natasha said in shock, wiping the blood off on her trousers.
"Dysfunctional works for me." Maria said with a small smile, shouldering her rifle.
"We have to move- fast."
I'm currently wallowing in a small pool of feels due to last night's Doctor Who episode, but I managed to spew out another chapter for you lovely folks. I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review, if it's not too much trouble. I like this story and I wanna see if you do too.
