The Longest Escape ((on hold))

A New Addition to the Family

We run. And run. And run until we can't breathe. I don't know how far we go, but I'm sure it's far enough away from the two beasts, dead or alive.

Finally slowing to a stop in a shaded clearing, all five of us collapse on the ground, the coolness of the grass feeling wonderful on my bare skin. Beads of sweat roll down my forehead, but I'm too tired to wipe them away. It takes a couple of minutes for my breathing to slow down to a normal, steady pace, along with my heartbeat. I close my eyes and focus on cooling my body down.

"Bri, what should we do now? We are all exhausted, I doubt any of us want to go anywhere," an accented voice asks, not too far away. Thomas.

"I think we all deserve a rest. Take a nap, sit up against a tree, read a book, eat a snack. I don't care what you do as long as it's in this clearing. We can leave in a few hours." I reply. No one says anything. All I get in return are a few heavy, relieved sighs. I wonder why all of them trust me as their leader... I think as I turn my head to the other side. Cooper and Melissa are the closest to me, Thomas and Zak not far from them; every single one of them are laying on the ground, their eyes closed. I allow a small smile to creep its way to my lips before I close my eyes as well.

One last thought enters my mind before I drift off to sleep: When am I ever going to stop running?

~<->~

I blink open my eyes to see my brother staring down at me. "Ugh, get off of me you big lump!" I grunt as I push him off of my bed. He lands on the floor with a muffled 'oof' before jumping to his feet.

"Come on Sis! It's Christmas morning! Get out of bed so we can open presents!" He yells. I totally forgot it was Christmas already.

"Five more minutes, Ollie. I went to bed late last night." I mumble, remembering the night before. I'd been working on getting my presents for friends and family done, and I didn't crawl into bed until probably 3 in the morning. I hear a sigh before Oliver moves closer to whisper in my ear.

"Hurry up before I go get Max to come get you up." With that, my eyes snap open and I jolt upright.

"Wait, Max is already here? Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Oliver throws me an annoyed glare before skipping to my door.

"Be down in five minutes or I'm getting Maxy up here." he says in an exaggerated singsong voice before disappearing from my room.

"Don't let him hear you call him that, you know he hates it!" I call after him before pushing myself out of bed. I quickly get dressed in a beautiful red dress that my mom bought me for Christmas this year before swiftly dragging a brush through my long brown hair.

Glancing at my appearance in my standup mirror before leaving my room, I'm glad my hair is naturally wavy. I smile at my reflection and slip on a pair of light brown wedged boots that only go a few inches above my ankle, a perfect addition to my glimmering red dress. Taking a deep breath, I turn away and head downstairs.

About halfway down, I can see that my family's living room bustling with life. My mom is standing by the Christmas tree talking to our neighbor that has become a great family friend. My dad sits on the couch catching up with an old friend of his from high-school. Oliver is laughing with my Aunt on the floor in front of the couch. And Max is sitting off to the side in our gray loveseat, smiling slightly as he watches everyone else talk amongst each other.

I smile happily as I reach the bottom of the stairs. Mom stops mid-conversation to look over, a huge smile on her face. Oliver and my Aunt follow suit, along with my dad and his friend. Max blinks in confusion when the room becomes quiet before turning to look over at me, the smile fading from his face as his mouth drops open slightly. I meet his brilliant blue gaze, heat rising in my cheeks as I blush.