A small abandoned farmhouse, high up on a hill beside Loch Eriboll in the Highlands of Scotland. Snow piled up two feet deep, covering this barren and desolate but undeniably beautiful part of the world. Inside the long disused farmhouse, the room is scattered with broken furniture, old books, and in the corner the most interesting feature of all; a pair of sleeping bags inside of which were two 19 year old sleeping women, cuddled together for warmth as the bitter winds blew, snow continuing to fall in the cold black night. Jane and Eleanor could have never imagined being in this situation, especially not with each other, but how did they get here? Well, we will have to go back to explain that, dear reader.
Jane and Eleanor were both students at Oxford University, studying History, but they couldn't have been more different. Jane had a modest upbringing with a path of hardship and graft, whereas Eleanor had always had everything handed to her. The best schools, the best clothes, the best connections, the best, well, everything. Eleanor had instantly identified Jane as the weakest member of her class, bullying her relentlessly along with her "bestie" Astrid. Jane had fantasized countless times about getting even with her bullies for their relentless mocking of her accent, clothes, and social background but she knew she would have to choose her moment carefully.
Our story begins during a lecture, led by the intelligent, calm, and kind Mr Bell. His class had been told that they would be expected to pair up and submit a project which would go towards their final grade. As he looked out over the tiered seats of the lecture hall he told everyone in his thick Scottish accent that the pairs would be chosen at random. Horror struck the hearts of both Jane and Eleanor when he read out their names together as he methodically went through his list. They eyed each other from across the room and, if looks could kill, there would have been two corpses where they once sat.
This was how these two young ladies found themselves at Loch Eriboll, dropped off by the friendly receptionist from their hotel in his big four by four. As he prepared to leave them to their work, he leant out of the car window. "Remember girls, there's a forecast for heavy snow, so don't stay out here too late, ok?" He advised in his heavy Scottish accent.
"Yes Tim, thanks for the lift!" Jane replied warmly as Eleanor searched through one of the three bags she had brought with her. "Are you sure you don't mind picking us up later?"
"No bother lass!" He responded, tipping his cap to her, "just send me a text when you want me to head over. Stay safe girls!" He gave them both a friendly wave before pulling the car around and heading off down the lonely road back towards civilization. As Jane took a moment to breathe in the clean country air, Eleanor continued to rummage through her bag.
"Damn it, where the hell is it?" She mumbled to herself.
"What are you looking for? A map or something, because I've brought one for us to use y'know?"
"Ah, here it is!" Eleanor announced triumphantly, pulling out a small metal cylinder.
"Lipstick?" Jane asked in an exasperated tone. "Why do you need lipstick, we're in the middle of nowhere! Did you bring anything useful in those bags of yours?"
"Don't you dare speak to me like that!" Eleanor responded with an icy tone. "Some of us care about our appearance, unlike some!"
Jane looked down at her choice of attire. Hiking boots, waterproof trousers and jacket, a thick warm hat and gloves. She was dressed perfectly for such an occasion, unlike her unwanted research partner. Eleanor looked like she had just walked off of the catwalk, in a short white skirt, pink crop top and fur jacket. Jane thought she looked ridiculous and she would probably end up freezing to death, but she had warned her. It wasn't her fault if Eleanor was too stupid and stubborn to listen. "Come on Eleanor, we agreed we'd do our best to get along, didn't we?" Jane asked, giving her a cheery smile. "Why don't we start by hiking up to the Hood Stones to get some pictures?"
"Urgh, fine!" Eleanor responded as she looked at her nails, making sure her manicure was still looking pristine. "Why couldn't you have chosen somewhere more fashionable like Notting Hill or Soho or something?" Jane rubbed her brow, already growing tired of Eleanor's attitude.
"Like I told you, the navy used Eileen Choraidh, the island in the middle of the Loch, to substitute for a German battleship during World War II. They used to drop bombs on it. My granddad was stationed here during the war and as Mr Bell is Scottish, I think he'll be more interested in the subject and maybe give us a higher mark." She turned to eye the various hills surrounding them, trying to spot her intended destination. "You said you just wanted a good grade and that it was my job to do all the work, right?" Eleanor only pouted and nodded in response. "So, I've done all the work. I researched the location, booked our travel, I've already done most of the project, so now we just need to get pictures and any other interesting stuff we can find to bulk it out, ok?"
"OK," Eleanor replied reluctantly, "But it better not take too long!" Jane sighed before pointing out their path as the two young women started on their journey. The day went by quickly with Jane leading a begrudging Eleanor up and down the hillsides, taking pictures and making notes to help with the final presentation of their project. Eleanor spent most of the day either complaining or on her phone, but Jane managed to keep her composure and focused on the work at hand, rather than the irritating companion she had been forced to spend time with.
Eleanor only perked up when they came across a long abandoned farmhouse. "Look at this, so cute!" She squealed as she pulled out her phone, starting to take pictures after picture. Snow had already started to fall by this point, covering the ground on a thin white layer, but it was gradually getting thicker and thicker. Jane sat down on an old rock wall which was slowly crumbling away, an indicator of just how long it had been here. "Come on, we need to go, before the hills get too treacherous for us to walk down." She said as she worriedly looked up to the sky.
"Oh leave me alone will you 'plain Jane,' I've been up and down these bloody hills all day with you, now there's finally something worth my time and you want to leave!" She scowled, "I don't think so! No wonder the navy men called this place 'Loch 'orrible!" Jane grumbled, checking her bag to make sure she had all her essentials. Sleeping bag, food, water, all the basics they would need if they were going to be stuck here overnight, which was looking increasingly likely as Eleanor continued to snap her pictures. After ten minutes of this, Jane had finally had enough.
"OK Eleanor, we need to leave, now!"
Eleanor spun round to face Jane, face covered in anger and disgust. "Oh alright, let's go then, it is snowing pretty hard. It's not like I can even post the photos, seeing as there's not even any internet round here!"
Eleanor wasn't wrong about the weather worsening as the snow continued to come down heavily, a few inches now laying on the ground and getting deeper seemingly by the second. As they made their way towards the edge of the hill, Jane looked down and realized how screwed they were. The entire hillside was covered in a blanket of thick snow. There was no way they would be able to get to the bottom without breaking their necks, especially Eleanor in her sparkly trainers. Jane sighed heavily before turning to her 'study buddy' raising her hand to stop her advancing forwards. "The snow is way too thick, we're going to have to stay the night." She sighed heavily.
"No way!" Eleanor responded indignantly, "I've been out here all day, it's freezing and I want to go back to the hotel!" She pouted and marched forwards in a determined manner, pushing past Jane and heading for the edge of the hill. She didn't realize there were several rocks buried under the fresh snow and as she walked forwards her shoe collided with one of them and she tripped, teetering forwards towards the edge of the steep drop below. If Jane hadn't lunged forwards and grabbed her wrist, Eleanor would have tumbled into the void, crashing down the slope over and over again and most likely wouldn't have made it back to the hotel in one piece. Jane pulled her body back from the brink, before spinning Eleanor round to look her in the eyes.
She had finally had enough.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU COME OUT HERE COMPLETELY UNPREPARED, GET US STUCK IN THE SNOW AND NEARLY GET YOURSELF KILLED! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU TO TURN YOU INTO SUCH A MISERABLE, UNLIKEABLE BITCH?"
For the first time since she had known her, Eleanor looked shocked and taken aback, unable to process what had just happened. Her face flushed red, eyes starting to well up as she tried to think of what to say.
"Screw you, Jane!" She replied weakly as tears started to roll down her cheeks. She pushed past her fellow student again for the second time in as many minutes, storming her way to the farmhouse and shoving open the door disappearing into the darkness inside. Jane stood there for a moment as the snow cascaded around her. Even she was shocked by her outburst, but she couldn't deny it needed to be said. She grabbed the various bags that Eleanor had left behind and walked towards the empty building, wondering what would await her inside. As she stepped through the door, her eyes had to take a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. She scanned the room spotting Eleanor sitting in the corner, head buried in her arms, gently sobbing. Jane was going to have to deal with this, but first, she needed to sort out the light situation. She could barely even see a few meters in front of herself without squinting.
She dug around in her bag and after a few seconds found the firelighters she was looking for. There was a fireplace on the other side of the room and Jane went about finding firewood. There were plenty of options available, old chairs, cabinets and even some wooden cooking utensils. She quickly made a pile of wood next to the fire and put a few on the bare stones of the fireplace. Looking up the chimney, it didn't seem to be blocked, so she got to work with the firelighters and pretty soon there was a roaring flame, finally bringing a little heat and light into the room. She looked over at Eleanor, who still hadn't moved while she had been working away. This was going to be tough but it had to be faced. Before she could even make the short walk across the room, Eleanor spoke. She didn't raise her head from her crossed arms, so her voice was muffled, but Jane could still make out every word.
"When I was 14, my mum caught my dad fucking the maid. Stupid fucking Sylvia." She raised her head to look at Jane, tears still streaming down her face. "She raised me since I was a kid, y'know?" She used her sleeve to wipe away the tears, embarrassed to be so vulnerable in front of someone she had always considered beneath her. "Mum and Dad split up, I never saw Sylvia again. My entire family ripped apart in one fell swoop." She let out a loud sob, "It's like I lost two Mums, y'know?" Her face grew serious, finding a new resolve. "Dad got custody of me and my brothers, so I had to live with that piece of shit. THAT HOMEWRECKER!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "He doesn't even deserve to be called 'Dad' anymore. Fucking 'Sebastian,' that's all he is to me." She looked across the room at Jane, sadness and anger burning in her eyes. "So now you know, that's what happened to me. That's why I'm such a bitch!" Her eyes drifted to the floor, pulling her knees closer to her chest, as if cuddling herself for support.
Jane didn't know what she was expecting, but she wasn't expecting that. She stood glued to the spot, unsure of what to do, what to say. Eventually she walked over to the opposite side of the room, taking her own seat on the floor. "I'm sorry Eleanor, I didn't know." She said earnestly. Eleanor looked up at her, giving her a gentle smile, before silence fell between them for the next few minutes, each going over their own thoughts, unsure how to proceed.
The fire had warmed the room up a little, but it was still very cold, even for Jane in her suitable attire. She looked across the room at Eleanor, who had stopped crying and cleaned up her face, but was visibly shivering in her skimpy outfit. Jane dug into her bag, pulling out one of the sleeping bags she had brought with her. She crossed the room and offered it to Eleanor, who smiled at the gesture, wrapping it around her shoulders. "Thanks."
"No problem, are you hungry?" Jane asked softly.
