On The Run

Prologue

[I like to dedicated this first chapter to betrayingeyes, who made this perfect beautiful cover for me! Feel free to thank her from me and follow her, she's an amazing writer!]

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"Sometimes I wonder if I'm born in the right world. What if there's something else out there? Maybe there's something better. Of course 'what if' questions are the most dangerous ones, perhaps that's the reason I like asking them. They stay unanswered and all that they accomplish are speculations, more questions, more wondering. And I remain here, empty.. alone.

Daydreaming about other worlds isn't a very responsible way to spend my time, or waste it like my mother would say. Right now though, it's the only thing that keeps me going. Clinging onto desperate hope of finding something better.

I've heard once that if you don't like the way things are you need to change them. Do not wait for something to happen, because It might never. Wasn't it Ghandy who said: 'be the change you want to see in the world.' The thing is.. I have no idea what change I want to see, therefore I have no clue what change I should be. Complicated. I know."

As a deep sigh escapes my lips I close my eyes, listening to the birds singing their hearts out. My journal resting on my lap as I lay stretched out over the adjoining bench against the side of my house. For a moment I let my mind wander, to a different time, a different place as I slowly start to drift off.

"I see you're not doing anything. Pro usual."

I almost jump at the unexpected voice. My eyes wide with surprise, only for a second as I give the disturber of my peace a glare. Flinging my diary close I pretend it's nothing of importance. Knowing that as soon as Phil sets his interests on it, there's no hiding it.

"Didn't your mother teach you it's not nice to sneak up on people?" I retort, still mourning the loss of my daydream.

"I wasn't sneaking up on no one. Just came to greet my lovely neighbors." His eyes so innocent I almost believe him. Almost.

"Anyone."

"What?"

"You weren't sneaking up on anyone."

"That's what I said." He grins at me. Crap, I can't believe I fell for that.

"Whatever. Don't you have something to do? Other people to bother?" I waved him off, rolling my eyes as if I couldn't care less. Of course that wasn't true at all. Phil and I had been friends for almost three years now we constantly nagged each other, but we loved each other, like a brother and sister.

An expression of hurt crossed his face, but I knew it was a faux one. His brown eyes gave away everything he felt. It's one of the things I like about him. Even if it makes him a bad liar. He can still get away with a lot of things, it's probably that baby face of his. Those slightly rounder cheeks, his half long brown hair, the freckles on his nose and those dimples when he smiles. People often mistake us for siblings, because the only obvious difference between us is that my hair is slightly longer. We play along of course, because who would pass up an opportunity to fool people?

"Uhm Teira?" Phil tilts his head to the side as he studies my face.

"Hm?"

"Are you alright? You were staring at me.." His eyebrows knit together in a frown and I quickly shake my head.

"Oh yeah.. sorry." I mumble in reply. When I see his joyful smile and his eyes twinkling with mischief I know he's up to no good.

"That's okay. Now let's do something you can't sleep in the middle of the day. You're not even eighteen yet, you're not old enough for naps yet."

I wrinkle my nose, but swing my legs over the bench I was sitting on anyway.

"So what you're saying is that in another three weeks you'll let me sleep during daytime?" Slowly I get up. Setting my notebook and pen on the wooden bench during the process.

"No." He states and I can't help but laugh at his reply. Phil can be so childishly stubborn sometimes. Not that it matters I can match his behaviour perfectly.

"Let's go you pea brain." Nudging him with my elbow I take off in a sprint, hearing him yell after me as he sets in his pursuit. We run after each other, dodging people and other obstacles in our way. When I'm out of breath I turn around to face Phil, seeing him slowly catching up to me. I wave at him and he waves back with a smile, when suddenly his eyes roll back in his head and a deep colour of red stains his shirt. He falls to his knees and onto his stomach, the smile on his face no longer visible as the crocodile of time took him away far too soon.

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I claps my head for my mouth in order to keep in a cry. As if in a dream I find myself running to him, kneeling beside him and rolling him over. I stare into his eyes, they are cold, staring into the distance. Tears stream down my face and angrily I wipe them from my cheeks. Big girls don't cry, that's what Phil said when we were younger, playing Hide and Seek and I had cut myself on a tree branch. So I had refused to cry ever since.

"Phil!" I whimpered, shaking his shoulders even though I knew it was useless. He had gone. Sucking in a deep breath I closed his eyes and finally started to think more clearly. The fog of shock that had clouded my mind slowly started to fade and I looked around. People had scattered away. They looked frightened and I followed their gazes. What I saw made me shudder in fear as well. But it didn't paralyze me like I noticed it had with some of the others. Instead I stood. Whispered an 'I'm sorry' to Phil, giving him one last longing look, before turning around. And I begin to run.

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[So this is the beginning.. Please let me know what you think. Tips are always welcome! 

Fun fact: Phil comes from Philotes, in the Greek mythology he is the spirit of friendship and affection. ]