PART SIX
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Hilde stuffed the rest of her things into her bag and slowly zipped it up. She fought back the tears in her eyes as she looked around the room she'd slept in her entire life. She didn't know when she would sleep in it again. But she had to go. She wasn't about to turn back now.
Hilde pulled on her windbreaker and zipped it up. She sighed as she picked up her bag and pulled the strap around her shoulder.
"Here we go..." she whispered to herself, opening the door.
The hallway was calm and empty. The window at the end of the hall was open and sunlight splashed across the carpet. It seemed so peaceful. She wondered if she would ever see this kind of peace again.
She slowly walked down the steps, one at a time, stopping for a few seconds at every one. The last time she would walk down these stairs. She remembered all the times she'd gone up and down these stairs. All the times she'd stumbled and slipped going up or down them. The time she was 6 years old and tripped on a stair near the top, falling all the way to the bottom and breaking her right arm. Hilde sighed as she hit the landing.
Hilde looked around at her home. The home she'd lived in her entire life. The home with 3 small bedrooms and 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. The home whose floors were covered in ugly sea green carpet her mother loved. The home that was made of red bricks. The one that had a small front and back yard and a gray, weather-worn picket fence around the back.
Hilde soaked in everything she saw around her, trying to memorize it in case she never saw it again. She stood for almost ten minutes in the front hallway. Sunlight splashed in through the side windows. The house was so quiet. Nicole was off at school, and her mom wouldn't be home from work for at least 3 hours. That was probably just enough time.
She wished they were home so she could say goodbye to them. But she knew she couldn't. They would never let her go. She was off to enlist in OZ.
The last Monday, the OZ recruiting team had come to town. She went and picked up the forms. She had to forge a lot of it though. She was still 13, but realized she couldn't wait another year. The war was worse than ever, and it looked like it would never end. She really couldn't explain anymore why she wanted to join OZ, but something was driving her. Something told her she HAD to join them. She didn't know if she still believed her father was alive, but she was going anyway.
She knew they wouldn't notice, or if they did, care, that she had forged a lot of the forms. They just needed people. She was only a few months from turning 14, the legal age, anyway. She laughed softly remembering her history lesson the day before, when her teacher told them that only 250 years ago, the legal age was EIGHTEEN. She couldn't imagine having to wait that long.
So this was it. In less than 3 hours, she'd leave her home for who knows how long, and go risk her life to free the colonies.
Last night she'd called Nicole and talked to her for 3 hours. They talked about everything, from how their social and school lives were going, to things in the past. Nicole told Hilde about their dad. Hilde could barely even remember him anymore.
Then Hilde went and spent some quality time with her mom. They baked cookies. She loved baking cookies with her mom. They talked a lot about some of the same things.
Hilde told them both how much she loved them. They reciprocated.
Hilde felt bad about leaving her mom all alone, but Nicole would be graduating in less than a month, then she was moving back to town to be a teacher. Hilde promised herself she would call them as much as possible though. Just like her dad had promised.
Hilde couldn't take it anymore. If she stayed any longer she'd end up changing her mind. She had to go. Hilde pulled open the front door and ran across the lawn. She stopped at the sidewalk and took one last glance at her house. She swallowed to supress the tears welling up inside her. There was a tennis ball-sized lump in her throat and a pit in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. She tightened her grip on her bag.
"Goodbye," she whispered to her home, as she ran off, leaving it behind.
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Sorry! I tried to make it longer! Just hang tight cuz this story's gonna get *really* interesting! Promise! In the meantime, R/R!!!
-----
Hilde stuffed the rest of her things into her bag and slowly zipped it up. She fought back the tears in her eyes as she looked around the room she'd slept in her entire life. She didn't know when she would sleep in it again. But she had to go. She wasn't about to turn back now.
Hilde pulled on her windbreaker and zipped it up. She sighed as she picked up her bag and pulled the strap around her shoulder.
"Here we go..." she whispered to herself, opening the door.
The hallway was calm and empty. The window at the end of the hall was open and sunlight splashed across the carpet. It seemed so peaceful. She wondered if she would ever see this kind of peace again.
She slowly walked down the steps, one at a time, stopping for a few seconds at every one. The last time she would walk down these stairs. She remembered all the times she'd gone up and down these stairs. All the times she'd stumbled and slipped going up or down them. The time she was 6 years old and tripped on a stair near the top, falling all the way to the bottom and breaking her right arm. Hilde sighed as she hit the landing.
Hilde looked around at her home. The home she'd lived in her entire life. The home with 3 small bedrooms and 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. The home whose floors were covered in ugly sea green carpet her mother loved. The home that was made of red bricks. The one that had a small front and back yard and a gray, weather-worn picket fence around the back.
Hilde soaked in everything she saw around her, trying to memorize it in case she never saw it again. She stood for almost ten minutes in the front hallway. Sunlight splashed in through the side windows. The house was so quiet. Nicole was off at school, and her mom wouldn't be home from work for at least 3 hours. That was probably just enough time.
She wished they were home so she could say goodbye to them. But she knew she couldn't. They would never let her go. She was off to enlist in OZ.
The last Monday, the OZ recruiting team had come to town. She went and picked up the forms. She had to forge a lot of it though. She was still 13, but realized she couldn't wait another year. The war was worse than ever, and it looked like it would never end. She really couldn't explain anymore why she wanted to join OZ, but something was driving her. Something told her she HAD to join them. She didn't know if she still believed her father was alive, but she was going anyway.
She knew they wouldn't notice, or if they did, care, that she had forged a lot of the forms. They just needed people. She was only a few months from turning 14, the legal age, anyway. She laughed softly remembering her history lesson the day before, when her teacher told them that only 250 years ago, the legal age was EIGHTEEN. She couldn't imagine having to wait that long.
So this was it. In less than 3 hours, she'd leave her home for who knows how long, and go risk her life to free the colonies.
Last night she'd called Nicole and talked to her for 3 hours. They talked about everything, from how their social and school lives were going, to things in the past. Nicole told Hilde about their dad. Hilde could barely even remember him anymore.
Then Hilde went and spent some quality time with her mom. They baked cookies. She loved baking cookies with her mom. They talked a lot about some of the same things.
Hilde told them both how much she loved them. They reciprocated.
Hilde felt bad about leaving her mom all alone, but Nicole would be graduating in less than a month, then she was moving back to town to be a teacher. Hilde promised herself she would call them as much as possible though. Just like her dad had promised.
Hilde couldn't take it anymore. If she stayed any longer she'd end up changing her mind. She had to go. Hilde pulled open the front door and ran across the lawn. She stopped at the sidewalk and took one last glance at her house. She swallowed to supress the tears welling up inside her. There was a tennis ball-sized lump in her throat and a pit in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. She tightened her grip on her bag.
"Goodbye," she whispered to her home, as she ran off, leaving it behind.
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Sorry! I tried to make it longer! Just hang tight cuz this story's gonna get *really* interesting! Promise! In the meantime, R/R!!!
