Sleeping with Sirens

Chapter 4

On my way home I stopped at the GrayWay park near the woods. I like to come here its peaceful. I'm pretty much the only person who actually comes here anymore. It's a simple little place. One slide, two swings and a sand less sandbox which now seems more of a weed bed.

The brand new park atracts way more people. It's closer to the neighborhoods and bigger and probably alot more fun. But I've been coming to GrayWay since I was about four years old.

Every now and then Penelope would push me a little to hard and I'd need a place to escape to.

I loved to watch the birds sing to one another, and see the monarchs chase each other in circles. I'd even close my eyes and turn in circles, and in my mind, I'd float up there with them.

When I was five, I made my mind up to run away. I ran strait to GrayWay park, but it didn't seem far enough. So I just kept going...past the park into the thick trees.

Branches whacked my skinny little arms and legs, that refused to stop going. In fact, I might have never stopped. Only... I came to a  lake.

It was so beautiful. The water was blue...bluer than I ever thought water could be. And it sparkled. There I was a tattered and crazed tired little girl, and this beautiful body of water surrounded by pink and white flowers.

There were 3 girls swimming in the water. I tried to call out to them, but they couldn't hear me.

They were playing and laughing in the water.

They all looked about my age. They were beautiful, just like the lake, they seemed to sparkle and their laughter....it..it sounded like song.

The little blonde girl had wavy hair and it was amazingly long it looked like gold, because it was more yellow.

The red headed girl's hair was almost as long, but not quite. It was strait and shiny. It lit up like fire that butned in the night. And the girl with the brown hair, her hair was in a hight pony tail with just her bangs loose.

They all had different bracelets and rings and necklaces on that shined really bright.

I tried calling out again. Maybe they'd hear me this time. "Hey!!" I yelled, "Over here!!" The red head turned around. Soon they were all looking at me. "Can I play with you!" I asked loudly. "Mahti!!!" They yelled in unison. Then they just disappeared under the water.

I sat down by the bank, and waited for them to come back up...and waited...and waited, but they didn't. I looked down at my torn shorts and moth eaten shirt. The branches took a toll on my elbows.

Everything stung really bad. The sun started coming down and thats when I decided I ran away for long enough.

When I got home, Penelope didn't I was gone. She was passed out on the couch with a martini glass in one hand and a cigarette butt in the other. At five years old I knew better than her already. I took the fire hazard and ran it through some water before throwing it away. 

I sat in the bath tub that night. I was finally cleaned up with no more dirt on me. I looked at my smoky hair.

"Darker than than night" Penelope called it. My hair was pitch black and never got tears or tangles no matter what.

This made Penelope mad because her hair was always in tangles and frizzy messes.

******

As I thought about that day, that I ran away from home and saw the three girls in the water, I was sitting on the swing with my head down.

"Hey Love," a voice said. I smiled, I knew it was her, but I didn't look up. "Missed you." She said softly. I looked up and giggled, "I missed you too Ky." She gave me a big hug and sat int e swing next to me.

Kyra Emes...my best friend and the only other soul that comes to GrayWay.

She just got back from "searching" or whatever. Fact is she just ran away she's only 16, like me, still in custody of her foster parents who are just as bad as Penelope. We were 5 when we met.

Another "run away" attempt when I had only made it to Grayway. Ky was playing alone by herself. so I decided to sit with her instead of running away. We've been together ever since.