‘Did you find anything strange in the forest?’ I asked him.
Hawthorne arched his neck and looked over his shoulder, a worrisome expression in his eyes.
‘What is it?’ I asked. I could tell something was bothering him.
Hawthorne had been acting strange ever since we’d returned to Mortlock. I couldn’t help but feel that something was plaguing his mind, yet I couldn’t guess what it might be.
‘Don’t leave me alone, okay?’ I said, feeling rather selfish.
I was scared of the forest, and I did not want to wake up to find myself alone once again.
I huddled against Hawthorne but was not able to fall asleep again. Instead, I waited for the sun to rise, watching the sky turn from black, to midnight blue, and finally, a pinkish hue.
When the last of the stars had faded against the sky, I stretched and rubbed my head, where I had hit it hours before. It was a little bit sore, but there didn’t appear to be any lasting damage.
At a guess, I assumed it to be around four o’clock in the morning. If Hawthorne and I left now, we would be able to make it home to Mortlock before the sun had fully risen. Would it be wise to return home in daylight?
I wasn’t sure, but I had to ensure my family was all right. Chances were that they would not be at the house, for the villagers would have forced entry the night before.
My stomach grumbling loudly, I poked Hawthorne awake, and watched as he groaned and rolled onto his side.
‘Come on,’ I urged him, throwing my back against his side, trying to shove him into an upright position. ‘We have to get going.’
Moodily, Hawthorne stretched and stood up, giving a great yawn. Our stomachs growled in unison.
Grabbing my rucksack, I rummaged through the miscellaneous items I had thrown into my bag, and was pleased to find I had packed an apple and a bread roll.
Hawthorne slunk away to hunt while I ate my breakfast. He returned only minutes later with a dead rabbit hanging from his mouth. I congratulated him on his catch and began to pack while he ate it, crunching noisily on the bones.
When it was time to leave, Hawthorne seemed hesitant, listening intently for sounds and movement in the trees. Finally, after much urging, he allowed me to climb up on his back, and we were airborne within minutes.
I was glad that Hawthorne had an excellent sense of direction because I had no idea where we were.
Villages and forestry whizzed underneath us, all of it looking extremely uniform, yet Hawthorne seemed to know where we were going because we were above Mortlock within the hour.
‘Land in the woods,’ I told him.
The sun was fully up now, and we would require some cover if we were to return home undetected.
Landing in our usual clearing near the house, I dismounted Hawthorne and wound my way through the trees that led to my house.
Hiding amongst the bushes, I watched the house for several minutes, looking for any signs of noise or movement. No one left, or entered, the premises, and no sound could be heard from inside. But that didn’t mean anything.
The odds of my family being in the house were slim. I was sure they would have fled after I had. The villagers would have made sure of that.
Taking a deep breath, I emerged from the bushes and crept towards the house. I kept low, moving quickly up to the front door. Trying the handle, I found that it was locked.
That was a good sign, I thought. I was sure that trespassers would not lock the door behind themselves. Perhaps this meant that my parents and Jack had been able to leave the house in an orderly fashion, without too much hassle. I knocked twice, just in case someone was home. I was not surprised when there was no answer.
The locked door did not present a problem for me. Though I did not have a key in my bag, I knew my mother left a key hidden at the front of the house.
I walked to the garden beds beside the front porch and picked up the third stone from the left. It was hollow, and inside was a key to the front door. Rushing back, I shoved the key in the hole, and turned it easily. I heard the click to signify that the door was now unlocked.
I opened the door and crossed the threshold immediately, my foot catching on something before I was even a few feet into the house.
As I stumbled, the sound of a small bell tinkling filled the room. I looked around for the source of the noise and saw a little golden bell next to the door frame. It was attached to a piece of wire.
That was what I had tripped on.
The wire stretched across the floor so anyone that entered would set off the bell.
But who had set up this alarm?
My question was answered before I had even finished thinking it. Suddenly, I was hoisted by one foot and turned upside down so I was dangling in mid air, hovering with my head only a foot above the floor.