➊ 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 - 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨, ᵗᵐʳ

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐: 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨

As I began to regain consciousness, panic kicked in.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Why can't I remember anything?

My mind was blank. Completely. Like I'd just been born.

I heard a voice nearby—a boy's voice. Teenager, maybe. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but he seemed calm. I wanted answers. I didn't know what was happening, but maybe he did. Maybe he could help.

I opened my eyes and immediately locked eyes with him. He was staring at me, really staring, like he was trying to see through me. Okay. New plan.
Instant fear took over.

The second he realized I was awake, I swung my fist and hit him square in the face before he could react. He groaned, stumbling back and clutching his nose.

"What is wrong with you, girl?!" he shouted, his voice deep with shock.

I didn't wait for a response. I bolted out of the building before he could stop me.

Where did that strength even come from?
Where am I supposed to go?!

I ran, glancing around as I moved. To my right were wooden buildings and what looked like a garden. People, only boys, were tending to the plants. In front of me were towering stone walls, at least twenty meters high, covered in ivy. They stretched on for what looked like forever. We were trapped, and no one seemed to do a thing about it.

To my left: a dense forest. I ran straight into it, desperate to hide.

My mind didn't know what to do, but my body did. It moved like it had a plan. I couldn't explain the feeling, it was instinct.

Once deep in the woods, I looked for a place to hide and think. The boy I punched was definitely going to come after me, and probably not alone. What if they try something against me?

Then an idea hit me: I could climb a tree.

I scanned for one sturdy enough, with enough branches to help me climb. I found one and reached up with my left hand, gripping a low branch. I pushed myself off the ground with my right foot and started climbing.

It was going well until my foot slipped.

I lost my balance and fell. Hard.

I landed on a rock with a painful thud. My head barely missed it, but my right side slammed down hard. My arm was twisted under my back, and my wrist landed right against the rock's sharp edge. I groaned as pain shot through my body.

I shifted, trying to free my arm. Blood oozed from a fresh cut, thin, straight, but deep. Pain radiated from the wound up my arm, making me curse under my breath.

I wanted to try again, but voices echoed through the trees. I scrambled behind the thickest tree I could find, hiding myself completely.

"She ran into the woods!" the same boy shouted. Yep, he'd brought backup.

I clutched my bleeding wrist, trying to stop the blood with my hand. Nothing was working. I applied pressure, pressing it in different ways, but it only stung worse.

Then... something flashed in my mind. A name.
Ben.

Was it mine? Was it someone I knew? I couldn't picture the face. But it felt familiar. At least I remember something, I told myself.

The voices were getting closer. All of them were boys. I needed a plan. Fast.

Looking around, I saw nothing but sticks, rocks, and leaves. My options were limited. I gathered three sharp rocks and crouched, ready to defend myself even with a bleeding wrist..

"You sure she ran this way?" one of them asked, his voice edged with a British accent.

"I'm telling you, Newt!" the deep voice replied—probably the boy I punched..