Outcast, Car Crash

The red leaves crackled and crunched, a light breeze brushed past me - carrying the smell of rain - as I walked through the park. Something about this place, it made me feel at peace. There was a chill to the morning air; it was starting to get colder the further into autumn we went.

I stopped and sat down on a bench, admiring its grace. Its wooden surface was worn and fading, but I didn't care. To me, it was one of the most beautiful features of this park; ever since I woke up, I have thought that all of life's simple things are beautiful. Even just thinking about it made a chill run down my spine, and suddenly the dawn wasn't as appealing to me as it had been just seconds ago.

Somehow, the thoughts of that day reminded me of another unpleasant memory. It was the day I returned to school. Nothing was familiar, everything had changed. Other students avoided me like I was a murderer, teachers told me I was mentally unstable, and I was called a 'hopeless fool' more times than I could count. 

 The worst part was the blame. I hated it. Anyone who I apparently knew before the accident told me it was all my fault. A girl I supposedly dated for months screamed at me that I messed up. I have no idea what's wrong with her, but even if I did know, I don't remember. 

Suddenly, a young voice crying out in fear caught my attention. I stood and followed the sound to a large tree in the centre of the park. It had massive, twisting roots. But what really caught my attention was a young girl clutching onto a tree branch about ten metres off the ground. Her eyes were shut tight with terror, and her long hair flowed from her head towards the ground in a river of red blood.

I froze, a sharp pain exploded behind my eyes. Images flashed through my mind. It was raining heavily. The wheel in my hands was hard to control. A screeching of tyres; a flash of silver; screams; so much blood. A dying girl covered in blood; then darkness.

 The girl looked just like the one in my memory – maybe she was my sister? This girl's feet scrambled on the bark of the trunk, unable to find purchase. I stood below the girl, ready to catch her if she fell.

"It's ok," I called up to her, determined not to fail her like I did my sister. "I'll catch you, you're ok!"

The girl looked down at me, her young eyes so clear and innocent.

"Do you promise?" she asked, her voice wobbling and weak in fear.

I nodded. Holding my arms out, I told her she could trust me. She took a deep breath, before letting go. She gave a short scream before I pulled her into my arms. 

She looked up at me, her green eyes were a pale, pastel green. They held so much curiosity and ignorance to the cruel world around her. 

"I'm Sam. What's your name?" she asked, her head tilting slightly to the side. She was smiling up at me, but for some reason she looked to my left slightly. I turned to follow her gaze but there was nothing there. 

 Turning back to her, I said, "I'm Leo."

"Hello Leo. Will you be my friend?" Sam asked. 

I was shocked. She wanted to be my friend? Even with my hideously scarred face? 

"Sure." I said, at a loss for words. 

"Yay!" she cried in joy. "We're going to be best friends!" 

"But why," I said, finally finding my voice, "I'm ugly, and people think I'm stupid." 

She tilted her head to the side. "Why?" 

I sighed, my life must be bad if I'm talking about it to a girl that looks no older than seven. "I have no memory." I told her. 

Sam frowned up at me, "That doesn't make you stupid!"

I felt slightly comforted, but there was still that small worm of doubt in my head. 

"How can you bear to look at me?" I had to ask. 

"I can't," she said simply, "I'm blind." 

AN: So there it is! I hope you enjoyed it. I will gladly welcome any feedback about it, but please don't be rude about it. 

I am working on my other stories at the moment, and they are both likely to under-go some major editing and changes, so when they are next updated, it will most likely just be changing the current chapters. Please read them again; they will probably be different.

Thank you.