Being gifted...[ON HOLD]

Kidnapped by a panther

COMMENT!!!

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Saturday, September 13th, 2011

Phoenix, Arizona

USA

ZAK'S POV

I am sitting in the snow holding mom by one hand and Luci by the other. I am quite strong for my age- being able to hold 40 year old women from falling off a cliff with only one hand.

"Take Lucie" my Mom said. "I love you both very much. Good bye, sweethearts." Mom let go of my hand and falls from the cliff and with her she takes all my happiness. I quickly pull Lucie up. She is panting and sweating.

I feel hot tears running down my cheeks. I was to scream. I want to shout. But the words wont form in my mind and I have lost my voice. I am burning inside. The pain is unbearable. I have just lost all that was ever mine. My parents. My childhood. I should just jump off the cliffe. Why shouldnt I? Whats there to live for?

"I saw it. Right there. It was...It was....It was....a bird. A big black bird. It---" Suddenly she starts sobbing. "Mom and Dad. They are gone now. The big black bird can't get them anymore."

I cant abandon my sister. I can't.

I wont.

I wake up covered in sweat and panting. It over. For now.

I go into the bathroom and take a shower. The cold water takes away my helpless self. My memories. My pain.

I have to be brave. For her.

I get out of the shower and get ready for work.

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"Hey, Carmel. How are you doing today?" I ask as I enter the greenhouse. She looks up from behind some exotic plants.

"The same, hun. How are you doing?"

"Great." I reply as I put my backpack and jacket at the front. I make my way toward her through a maze of plants.

"How is Lucie doing?"

"The same. She is taking a nap at the outhouse."

"Good. I'll wake her up when it is time for breakfast."

"Thank you for taking care of us so well, Carmel. I have no idea how I could repay you." I say as I reach her. I find her planting some new plants and decide to help her out.

"You know, you have been saying that to me every morning for that past 2 years. You can stop it now. I have been thanked enough. And it is not like you are going to let me do it much longer."

I smile at her and nod. "Still. I will always owe you."

"No you won't. You are a very brave child, you know that? But are you sure you want to move out this year? I think you should study further. I can take care of you both."After the accident with my parents, Lucie and I were living on our own. Lucie is supposed to be my guardian now since she is 20 years old. But because of the accident, Lucie has become mentally unstable. But I can't let them put my sister into a mental asylum somewhere and make me go to a foster home. I can't let that happen. So I got a job at the green house to pay the rent. But when Carmel saw our condition she made us move to her outhouse and she started cooking for us. However, when I refused to take such a huge favour from her, she said that she would do all of this in exchange of me working at her green house for at least 3 hours a day for free. We both knew that this wasn't anything compared to what she was doing for us, but for Lucie's sake, I agreed. Every day when I go to school, she is then one who takes care of Lucie. But I can't let this go on any longer. I don't like being a burden on people. I am going to be eighteen in 8 months and by then I will have gotten my diploma as well. I will then be able to support myself and Lucie. Just eight more months.

"I will study Carmel. After I become a little financially stable I will start taking night classes. Don't worry about it. Okay?" She just nods looking not at all satisfied.

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"Yo, Zak! Good shot!" My friend Richard high-fived me.

"No kidding." I reply. We are in the third game of the season. The score right now is 3-30 with us in the lead. I don't usually bloat but I am the only one who has scored from my team. Almost everyone on my team thinks that I should be the Captain instead of Richard. I disagree though. Being the Captain means talking to the team. And I am not exactly the biggest fan of talking. I talk only when necessary. However, with Richard, it is different. He is the only one who knows everything that has happened with me. He has even met Lucie and Carmel. I don't need to hide anything from him. He was my best friend even before any of this happened. His family were good friends with mine so they let Lucie and I stay at their house for a while after the accident until we could handle ourselves. "Yeah, and it was my last one. I am not shooting for the rest of the game."

"What? Why?" Richard asks as his grin leaves his face. "We will lose if you stop shooting."

"We need to let the rest of our team play. If I keep shooting, they will never learn. I will guide them. They are good. They can handle it."

"Okay. If you say so. It is the last quarter of the game anyway." He says, shrugging.

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"Awesome game, man. Are you coming to the celebration party?" one of the team players asks me.

"He's got to go somewhere." Richard says for me.

"Dude, you never come to any of the parties. Even the ones that are held in your honour."

"Maybe next time." I say as I leave the locker room and make my way home. I can't afford a car so I am going to take the bus home.

On my way to the bus stop, I take a short cut through the park. On my way through I see my favourite tree and I decide to go and sit under it for a while. This willow holds a lot of memories of when I was little. When my parents were alive.

After a while I hear some rustling from the tree. But before I could look up something really heavy falls on me and I nearly break my neck. It is really heavy. Is it a panther? Panther sightings are common in this town. And this thing was pretty fast as well. I barely had a chance to see it. But I know it was black.

"Did you kill him or something? Why isn't he screaming or even moving?" I hear the voice of a young man from the tree.

"No, he isn't dead yet. I can hear his aura." This voice can from the thing right above me. It is also of a young man- but it is a bit deeper. THERE IS A MAN ON ME??!

"You can sense his aura?? YOU CAN SENSE HIS AURA?!! Would it kill you to talk like a normal person? Could you just tell me if he is breathing or not?" The man from the tree is sounding very frustrated and a bit annoyed- as if he has gone through this routine enough times already.

"Uhh....yeah. He's breathing and his eyes are open too."

"Thanks. Let's get this right next time. Okay?"

I hear a thud and feel a sharp pain on my leg and I pass out.............

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