Together

Chapter 1: Escape

I woke up with my hair a mess, my room a mess and my mind a mess. I reached for my phone to check the time, 9am. I had slept in again, but a bit of extra rest couldn't do any harm when most of my nights were spent crying myself to sleep. Slowly and reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, rubbing my knuckles against my eyes. Sitting on the edge of my mattress, I watched my legs as they dangled over the pale carpet.

Yes, I should introduce myself. I'm Amy, I'm 15, and I live in England. Also, I'm a lesbian; yes, I like girls. Now to the more important things. I love music and running. It's crazy how far a deafening beat and a rhythmic thud of footsteps can pull you away from reality. That's why I enjoy it so much I guess. Back to Saturday morning.

The sky was mostly cloud, deep steel-blue greys that matched the hue of the tarmac below.  A cold sun cast chilling rays through my window. However, this weather seemed to capture my mood. I decided to go out. Pulling on some clothes, my jacket and my favourite pair of trainers, I left my house.

I ran, feet kissing the concrete. Perhaps a little while ago I would have balked at the idea of running so far, so fast, now I relish the prospect. The buildings, the trees, the people, all seemed to blend into one.  A vast landscape of obscured structures, blurred into a dull grey, stretched endlessly before me. The further I run, the more distance I put between myself and reality. That's why I do it; not to get to places, not to improve my fitness, but to escape because sometimes this world gets too fucking much and feeling the rough ground beneath my feet is better then the sharp edge of a blade against my skin.

The wind cut through me, spreading a pleasant pain through my fingers. After miles of hearing only the familiar sound of my footsteps and my raging heartbeat, I slowed down my pace to a halt. The jagged rasp of my breath filled the empty silence. I had not noticed the girl standing a few meters away until I lifted my gaze from the forest floor. Silence once again consumed as my breath was stolen from me.

I stood there, unable to move, studying the way her eyelashes, thick and dark, swept over her eyelid. I noticed the way they were not unnaturally clumped, free from mascara; the way they cast shadows, like threads of silk, across her cheeks. Strikingly dark, her hair fell in loose curls to her shoulders, beautiful in contrast to her pale skin. I could not look away.

Her eyes were pale, like moonlight, filled with hidden depth and unperceived beauty, captivating me with every turn of her head, every breath. Chalky pink lips, tinted slightly blue from the cold, twitched into a smile as she noticed me staring. I tried to smile back, but I was already too lost in her sight...