SECRETS

Chapter 6

My life is falling apart, before it has even started. I know I'm different. I can sense it, but how?

I have no idea. I need to remember what's happened before, why these men want me and how Aaron fits in to all this. I look around me. I was sitting on a small bench on the far side of a big park.

On my right, I could see little kids running around the playground, while mother chat among themselves, occasionally yelling at their kids. I could spot some dog-walkers, with all kinds of dogs.

I love dogs, I thought.

I sigh, then reach out and lifted the short sleeve of my black t-shirt and examine the cut more closely.

It  stopped bleeding, which was weird, since I never did do anything to it. The sleeve of my shirt was stained with blood, but it didn't show a lot from the dark color. The cut wasn't that bad. It didn't hurt much so I pull the sleeve back down and lean back, calming my pounding heart.

The smells of the park envelope me, dirt and fresh cut grass. I love it here, just sitting on a bench, watching normal people go on with their normal daily lives.

Everyone is fighting a battle of their own, but some battles are tougher and longer than others, I think.

I sit up straighter when I glimpse blue clear eyes staring at me from across the park. I start to panic  as Aaron makes his way toward me.

I told that guy to leave me alone, the angry voice in my head says.

I stand up and start walking fast toward the woods that circle the park from the back. As soon as I'm a few steps inside, I break into a run.

I run faster than I thought was possible, I didn't think I was capable of running with that kind of speed but sure enough, I'm already deep inside the forest when I finally stop, panting, but not as tired as I assumed I would be.

I look around ,slowly taking in my surroundings. All I could see was tall trees, blocking out the sun.

I walk some more then, thinking I was far enough away, I sit down on the floor, leaning against the trunk of a tree. I close my eyes and try once again to search the depths of my mind, frowning in concentration.

I sigh as I come out with nothing again. I keep my eyes closed nevertheless and try to enjoy the silence of the nature.

Startled by the hooting of an owl, I open my eyes. What is an owl doing here in the middle of the day?

I get a bad feeling about this. I stand up quickly and look around, making sure my ears weren't playing tricks on me.

Ears don't play tricks on you, I think, for the second time today..

I look around one more time, my eyes searching the trees before giving up and starting to walk back to the park, guessing that Aaron must have given up the search for me by now.

I only manage to take 4 steps before I hear it again. The hooting, but this time I knew where it was from. I look up, to the tree closest to me and right there on the top left of it, was the most majestic thing I've ever seen.

It was a huge Snowy Owl. It had the whitest fur I'd ever seen with specks of black all over it, it's s sharp eyes were focused on me. A shiver runs down my back as I stand still, staring at those haunting eyes. Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, the owl swoops down and lands neatly on a trunk on the floor beside me.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I blink several times, trying to make sense of this. But I never do wake up. I was still standing with an owl right in front of me. I take a step closer, careful not to scare it away. As I come closer, I notice how blue its eyes were. Almost as blue as Aaron's.