Long Way Home

2. Theo

Chapter 2.

Theo.

"Theo. Honey, you're going to be late for work." I heard a soft voice by my door getting closer to me. Gentle hands shook my shoulder, trying to wake me from my sleep.

"Mhmmsaa..." I mumbled something illegible and rolled over to get back to sleep.

"Theo, work." My mum said, shaking me again. "Maybe after work we can do something together? Just me and you."

I rubbed my eyes and looked up at her, flashing a small smile. "Alright then." I yawned, stretching as I sat up. "What have you got planned?" My voice still sounded sleepy.

"Well, when you get back from work if the weather's alright we can take the sled out for a run." She offered, sitting on the bed beside me.

My mum had lived in this small town in Alaska for her whole life. When she was younger she met my dad when he came looking for work. Their relationship didn't last too long because dad had to move again for his job. He offered to take mum with him but she refused, saying that her heart belonged in this town. She gave birth to me a few months later and we lived in a small house on the outskirts of the town.

I grinned and nodded quickly, climbing out of my bed and heading over to the curtains, taking a look outside. "It's a bit snowy right now. But maybe it'll calm down during the day?"

My mum smiled and stood up, walking over to the door. "You want a drink of anything before you head off?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No thanks, I'll get something at work." I began to get dressed as she left the room, piling on layer after layer of clothing. Two T-shirts, thermals, a hoodie, a jacket and a thick coat later, I was downstairs, ready to leave. "Bye mum!" I called and pulled open the door, kicking the small snow drift away with my boots and walking out into the cold.

I pulled my hat out of my pocket and pulled it down over my ears, walking through the bustling early morning havoc.

People were walking quickly down the pavements, keeping their heads down, pulling their collars up to stay as warm as possible.

I breathed out slowly, the freezing air steaming up in front of me. Snow fell like thousands of tiny bombs. Not the nice Christmas card scene snow that took its time to reach the ground as it danced through the air, but a harsh, rapid snowfall that could cover a car in seconds.

I battled through the biting wind and the thumping of snow that kept whacking against my face to the café on the other side of town. I opened the door, hearing the tinkling of the little bell that signalled whenever anyone new walked in.

Pulling off my coat, I shook the snow off and hung it up on a peg in the back room along with my hat and my jacket. "Boy, it's really coming down out there." I said to my boss, Karl.

"We'll see how business goes, if no one comes in you can leave early if you want." He smiled and rubbed his thick chin.

"Thanks." I walked into the kitchen to make myself a cocoa to warm me up before I started working.

My mum had found me this job so I could earn some money at the weekends when I wasn't at school. She was big friends with Karl as they had known each other for years. He was more like an uncle than a boss really.

The cocoa warmed me up from the inside, heating my stomach back to normal temperatures instead of being stuck at sub-zero.

I put the mug in the dishwasher and wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve, pulling on an apron over my hoodie as I started flipping pancakes for the fishermen and oil workers that stayed in the town.