The next morning Erica woke and grabbed her axe from its place on the wall. She quietly climbed out through the opening of the roof, making sure not to wake up her sister. She didn't want anyone finding out that she was planning to leave the island.

She sneaked into the forest and started looking for branches to cut down. Erica needed a mode of transportation and decided that a raft would be the best. She didn't want to steal a rowboat since she knew they would notice it missing. Plus, she knew that the fishermen would use it to fish.

She placed the wood next to each other and smiled. She liked how it was turning out. Now she needed something to tie them together and she new where to get it. Erica made sure no one would find the wood and her axe before heading back to the village.

She stopped by her house to grab a quick snack before heading to where they kept all their ship supplies. She walked around, looking through all the ship supplies. She finally spotted the rope hanging on a hook. She reached to grab it but wasn't tall enough. She pushed a crate against the wall and climbed on it to reach the rope. She made her way towards the exit and spotted a white cloth that was used to protect cargo. She walked over to it and saw that it would make a good sail for her raft. She tucked it under her arm and grabbed the rope which she had set down.

Erica ran back to where she left the wood and started tying the branches together. She cut the extra rope off with her dagger that she kept hidden in her boot. The girl stood back to admire her work, glad that she learned how to build rafts when she was younger.

Next, she had to test it if it floated. She pulled it through the trees and onto the beach. She pushed it into the water and a smile crept on her lips when she saw it floating. She hoisted herself on top of her raft, glad that it didn't sink. She jumped off and pulled it back onto the beach, wondering where she was going to hide it. She glanced around and spotted a small cave.

She ran towards it, inspecting the outside first. Then she crept inside, wondering if anything was living inside. "There could be a dragon in here," she thought, tightening her grip on her axe. She moved slowly, just in case there was some beast in there. Luckily, no dragon or anything was living in the cave. She ran back to where she left her raft and hauled it through the sand and into the cave.

Once Erica made sure it was well hidden, she went back into the forest and brought back some more wood. Erica started to work on the sail, attaching the cloth and mast with the remaining rope. Building and attaching the mast took most of the afternoon. Once she was done, she sat down and thought of what else she would need for her journey.

"I need food, water, something to store all those thing in, and a pair of oars." she thought, feeling exhausted. "I can deal with those tomorrow." She headed home, the sun getting ready to set. She held her axe in her hand, feeling pleased with what she accomplished that day.

She pushed the door open, her mother in the kitchen. "Erica, where have you been all day?" her mother asked as Erica set her axe down.

"Out in the woods." she answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering since you left before any of us were awake. Plus, your father was very worried." Erica sat down at the table, her mother placing a bowl of stew in front of her. "What were you doing out in the forest so early anyway? We thought something happened to you."

"Enjoying myself," Erica said between mouthfuls. "And don't worry, I can take care of myself.

Once Erica finished eating, she went up to her bedroom and pulled out her journal. She flipped to the page where she had drawn the map and thought about how long it would take to arrive at Berk. "Probably a week at the most," she thought, which was interrupted by her sister.

"Where were you?" Heather asked.

"I was out in the forest." Erica told her, putting away her journal. "Where else would I be."

"Why did you leave so early?" she questioned.

"I couldn't sleep," Erica lied. "So I decided to take walk into the forest."

"And you were there the whole day?"

"Yea. Why all these questions?" Erica asked

"Erica, we were worried." Heather explained. "We thought something bad happened to you."

"I can take care of myself, you know?" Erica told her.

"What were you doing out in the forest anyway?" Heather questioned, ignoring Erica's statement.

"Exploring, alright? Can I sleep now?"

"Fine!" Heather shrieked and slammed the door behind her. Erica felt guilty for getting her sister angry and wanted to go after her. She wanted to tell her everything but she had to make sure she kept everything a secret.

"If this is how worried they are when I'm gone for a day, they will be panicking when I'm gone for weeks." she thought.