1 Prologue I

She opened her eyes, tentatively looking around her. No, she was not in the forest, though she could still feel the wind on her face and hear the whispers carried by it.

She was in her room. The room was rather cosy. She was wondering whether she should have cleaned it up a little. Her notes from A levels were still on her desk, right next to the applications for university she never submitted. Stack of fresh clothes was still on her chair where her mum left it. Looking at her alarm clock, it was 2 am. Almost time to wake up. Yet, maybe it was better to slip out early. She reluctantly left her warm bed and changed into day clothes. She decided to put her notes simply into the bin. No need to keep them, after all. Then, she took a bag from under her bed and put in some clothes. Was it enough? She considered if there was anything she wanted to take but decided against it. This was about a fresh start. New life.