A night in the Forest

Me, Miranda, Kalyn, and Kyler all sat around a glowing fire. The night around us was quiet and un-moving. It was a warm spring day, and the wind was softly blowing a cold breeze that made the trees sing. The initial fear of what we have done had already settled over us like an uncomfortable blanket. We sat in silence, thinking about where we were....and why. Kyler's face was pale and scared. Her eyes were blank as the only light of our camp was dancing across them. Miranda was curled in a hoodie that she had recently gotten. She too just sat un-moving, Miranda was the oldest of the group. But seeing her sitting there like a helpless pup made me feel even worse about our decision. Kalyn was shifting in the soft green grass. Her face covered the anxiety she was feeling, but her eyes didn't. They were broken, she didn't even want to come with us, but we dragged her along thinking it was going to be fun. and me? I was holding back the tears that stung my eyes. My bow sat next to Miranda's. We brought them along so we can hunt. But I don't think any of us had the heart to do it.

What had we done???

we have ran away. we all packed a small bag, and left the comfort of our homes. Our warmth, and food and shelter, our family. We all met up at a park nearby, then fled to the mountains.

"I wonder when our parents will come looking for us......or maybe they won't, I mean maybe they wanted us to run away?" Miranda grimly spoke, breaking the silence. when I first heard her speak I was happy that the awkward wall was broken, but as she continued her sentence, an anger swelled up inside me.

"NOW WHY WOULD YOU EVER SAY THAT," I yelled back. The out burst was a mix of rage, and a release of tension. Whatever it was we were all talking.

"I am personally glad we did this," Kyler started. "I mean we did do this for a reason: to escape the pressure of school and parents and bullies...and that is what we are doing," Nobody answered, but there was a silent agreement between us.

"I don't think we should have done it at all," Kalyn spoke.

"But I am kinda glad to go on a tiny vacation," Those few words gave us a new hope. There was something positive coming out of this experience, we were getting rid of stress! With the awkward wall broken, we all started talking. about everything. nothing got too personal, but, we felt that we were at our second home...that maybe, just maybe, we were meant to run away. after an hour and a half of just talking, my stomach growled and turned. I looked through my bag that I packed and pulled out a granola bar, and munched on it quietly.

"Our road ahed of us is a hard one, full of mystery, but one thing is for certain," I stopped and finished off the last of my snack.

"We're together, and this experience will change us for the better!" I finished. a chours of "whoos," and yeahs," echoed in my ears. With that last statement we all decided it was time to rest for the night. we set up a small tent we brought and put out some sleeping bags, and Crammed inside the shelter we he for the next few weeks.

"Better get comfortable," I thought.

"It's gonna be a Long three weeks.

my dreams that night were filled with horror. I was alone in the forrest, surrounded by trees that peered at me with red eyes. The wind flushed causing my eyes to sting, and nip at my bare chest and nose. I looked down and spiders crawled around the ground and over my feet.

I tried to scream but all that escaped was a stressed breath. my feet were stuck in the ground, and ached at the thought of the spiders. I turned to look through the trees, and I saw my friends, the sight wasn't particularly comforting.

Miranda was surrounded by bears. her feet had chains attached, and she had cuts and scratches all over her body. As I stared, Miranda screamed, and try to run but the chains kept making her trip, and, eventually fall. she through her arms up to protect herself, and the bears growled and looked at me.

Their eyes were black. And their teeth showed to be razor sharp and smudged with red dots.

I started crying and turned away to see Kyler thrashing around in a lake, She was in the middle of the body of water. sharks surrounded her, and her head was struggling to stay above the wave. I tried to run towards her but my feet were stuck in spider infested ground. my mouth formed her name but that's it. Her head went under. I shut my eyes as hard as I could.

next thing I knew I was outside of the tent and under a tree in a cold sweat, with my phone ringing next to me.

my vision was blurry, and stilled filled with sleep but I could make out the name and the time;

Caitlyn and 3:30am.

I rubbed my eyes and answered the phone.

"Hello, Caitlyn?" I listened to the other side of the line, and heard muffling and crying.

"Jacob?" She said in reply.

"I need to tell you something," She started crying.

Caitlyn is my best friend. I met her in fifth grade when she transferred over to my elementary school. I didn't really know who she was but I decided to talk to her at lunch. we were instantly friends, and besides a few tussles, and a new girl, me the girl and Caitlyn were best friend by sixth grade. The girls name was savannah, and we were all one big family.

we spent all of our time together, at school after school, at lunch. my life was finally complete, and everything was perfect, until, savannah broke the news.

"Ya, okay, tell me anything," I replied, suddenly worried.

"I was out late with Katleynn," she started. "We were walking home from her house. It was like 2:00 when we arrived and I snuck in to my house, but my mom was waiting for me, an-and," Cailtyn started crying once again.

"And she was drunk, and mad, and she started hitting me and," She stopped but I understood Immediately. I first debated wheatear or not I should wake up the others but, decided against it. I missed Caitlyn, I am going alone.

As I walked, the forest was an orchestra of mysterious noises. Owls flew above seeking prey, and raccoons rustled in the trees. As I walked, all I could think about was how mad my dad was going to act. but I didn't have to worry anymore. if I ever went back, I would un-doubtly be beat. I would be grounded for years, and would -

I stopped myself.

"I don't have to worry about any of it anymore," I said out loud. I stood in the middle of the forest un-moving. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I imagined my home and my church, and my school, and I was here. Regret started coming in waves, stronger with each douse. I won't have food, or education. my family will be worried and the police would question my friends ruthlessly. I will not have my warm bed or my room, or my books.

I opened my eyes, and continued walking hoping that the remorse would go away. I soon was jogging, but the thoughts kept coming.

"What if I was found"

"How will we live"

"What if one of us get hurt,"

Dizziness was overwhelming me, as these statements stamped my mind, and I sprinted.

"I just need to get to Caitlyn, that all," I almost screamed between breaths. I squeezed my eyes, and when I opened them I was laying on the ground, with cuts on my knees and chin, but with the tumble I took the regret went away. I wiped myself off and walked to the city I could see from where I was standing on the Mountain. Caitlyn would be at our secret spot, the place we always went to, to calm down hang out or think.

The elementary school. I took another deep breath and started jogging.

"Why not?" I thought.

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