Chasing Monsters

Chapter 1

I pull out one of my earbuds and stare hard into the darkness of the forest. My first instinct is to run, especially after I hear a twig snap even through my usually loud Dubstep, but a small part of me wants to know what is in the forest. No matter who...or what...I find. Once I leave my safe and bright street and venture into the dark unknown of the forest, something tells me there will be no going back.

No, I think. Not today. I stop staring into the trees and turn back towards my house on the other side of the street. Once inside, my adopted mother asks if I had a nice walk. I smile and nod, but say nothing. She nods, not expecting me to say anything, and walks back into the kitchen. I breathe a sigh of relief, glad she quit looking hopeful every time she asks a question, believing that this will be the time I answer her in anything besides body movement.

Let me clarify something, in case you are confused. When I was five, I lost my parents and four brothers in a fire. I was the only one who survived. The sad thing is that I don't remember them at all. I don't remember their names or birthdays. hell, I don't even remember what they look like. Any time I try to think that far back, a force in my head seems to push my thoughts back to the present, like a parent pulling their child's hand away from a dangerous object. It also gives me a "killer" headache.

I ponder this again as I climb the stairs and walk down the hallway to my room. Why can't I access my memories? Is it because there's something dangerous or valuable hidden deep in the recesses of my brain? Or maybe someone is trying to hide my memories from someone else...or they're hiding something from me. And who is this mystery person? Maybe I have superpowers and they are waiting for them to mature enough to ship me off to wherever I came from so I can save the world just like Green Lantern. Yeah, that's totally it! With these thoughts whirling around my mind I change into a pair of black sweatpants and a white tanktop and dive under the blankets like superman, curling up in them like a cat and falling asleep quickly.