I awoke to the sun shining brightly in the alley, giving light to the darkness. I watched at the end of the alley, squinting my eyes in the brightness. "I think today is Saturday. Hmm, maybe I will go to that school today," I talked to myself. I watched the strangers, all of them wearing their own face. Some wearing an emotional mask, some letting the world see how they feel just by their body language. I wondered where each of their destinations were, if any of them had the same destination. I got up quickly and stretched. It hurt horribly as my bones cracked as I moved them. I made my way to the end of the ally, kicking small rocks with my foot. When I got to the end, some people would glance at me as they walked by. I probably looked terrible, but that's okay, I want people to leave me alone. I've been described as emancipated and dull, which is interesting. I haven't looked in the mirror for quite a while. I refuse to look in one because instead of my own face, I see the merged faces of my mother and father. I terrified myself. People have said that I am an introvert and a quiet reculse that wants to hide from the world. But, they have that a little skewed. I enjoy the world, I don't want to hide from it. I just want to hide from what it does, and how it feels. I hate it in that sense. I push myself from off the wall I was leaning on and make my way towards the nearby high school. It was a Christian high school that always left their locker rooms unlocked.
***
Once I arrive at the door, I push through hesitantly, worried that someone may be on the other side. The door was easily opened, and opened without a creak. I quickly make my way into the back-left shower and take off my odd clothes. I hang them over the bar protruding horizontally from the wall. I then turn the water on high heat and stand in the cool water, waiting for it to turn warm. I've always loved water. It's quite amazing, actually. Without it, there would be no life. The water finally begins to warm up and I soak myself in it. I have no soap so I just scrub my hair and body in scorching water. I take out my old tootbrush and brush my teeth with it. Once I am finished, I stand in the cool air, letting the water run off of me. Then, I ring out my hair the best I can and put it up in a hairtie. I use the blanket I sleep on to dry myself off. I cover my face with the blanket and suddenly I find myself dreaming. The blanket begins to suffocate me as it holds on to me in a suction-cup like way. My hands begin to melt, the finger tips running down the blanket as liquid. I cannot save myself from being suffocated. The grip I once had melted away so quickly. My daydream was cut off suddenly as I began to fall backwards after tripping. I spun around quicker than I thought I could and caught myself before I fell. "Oh.. Well, then," I said, awestruck. I took my clothes off of the bar and put them on. I decided to not put on my jacket, so I stuffed it in my backpack along with my blanket. Rushing, I walked towards the door keeping my eyes focused on the floor. As I made my way to the door, something caught my eye on the right and I snapped my head up to see. It was just the normal mirror, but it had two human figures in it. One was me, and the other was an adult woman who stood baffling at my appearance in this locker room. Surprised, I spun myself around to face this woman. I looked her in the eyes, but looked down seconds after. I can never look at someone in the eyes for long. As I began to think about my situation, my heartbeat quickened and the palms of my hands began to sweat. Unsure of what to do, I turned and walked towards the door. Once I had my hand on it, ready to push it open and make my escape, I heard, "Wait!" Suddenly I froze and stayed in my current position, listening intently. The woman asked curiously, "Who are you?" I remain silent for a moment then say, "Not even I know the answer to that question. To me, I am no one. If you are asking for my name, you must ask, 'what do you call yourself?' Then, I shall answer." I stay frozen at the door and listen to the woman breathe and then ask, "What do you call yourself?" I grin slightly at the fact of me controlling her words and reply, "I have been given the name Rayne by my biological parents. But the parents that take care of me now are called alleys and streets, and they have named me several names. Such as trash and bum. But anyway, I must be leaving now, good bye." "No! Wait," she said quickly. I turn around slowly and stand up straight, then glance into her eyes quickly, then look down. "Ma'am, am I in trouble?" I asked in a sudden wave of concern, but asked unemotionally. "No," she simply replied. I looked her in the eyes and then pushed myself out the door backwards, sprinting towards the back gate. It was locked, so I searched for broken metal. I searched in a hurry, I was worried about that woman. I finally found a hole near the bottom of the fence, and squeezed myself through. As I stood up on the other side, I felt my oversized shirt rip and I sighed. I look down and hold my shirt out, seeing that is ripped from my ribcage down to the bottom. I walk over to a tree and sit down next to it, setting my backpack beside me. I remember I have a small sewing kit in my backpack and rush to get it out. Once I get it out, I look down at my torn shirt again to see it has been stained with blood. I murmur in frustration as I inspect the wound. It was a shallow cut, caused by the same metal that tore my shirt. I sighed again to myself and laid my head back against the rough bark.
