The Runaway

Sandra Mcvean

" Sandra! Get up, your going to be late for the bus!"

         Four weeks, 31 days, 744 hours 'til I'm out. Out of this place, and away at Stanford University.  I rolled over and out of my bed, and put my slippers on. 

" Sandra Mcvean, I mean it, do you want me to come up there!" 

I slowly walked down the steps of are log house. I reached the kitchen just as my mother was about to call me again.

" Don't bother mom, I'm here."  I said tiredly 

" Oh! Sandra good your here, have some breakfast." Mother said cheerfully

" I thought you said I was going to be late for the b- Hey! Its only 7:30. The bus comes at 9:30! And Its a Saturday. In the middle of the summer!"

" What, How else was I supposed to get you up. You don't listen to anything else I say. For the 3 years that you have been here you only listen to me when I tell you your late for something."

" Ha ha, very funny. So why did I need to get up." 

" Listen, this morning I need you to go to the market for me. But we'll talk about that later, so how did you sleep."

" Same as normal, bad dreams."

" The same dream?" Mom asked curiosity

" Ya, the same dream, where I hear a scream in the distance and am running through the woods from something, but I never know what."

" Mm- ah, hot coffee!"

       I have been having the same dream ever since I can remember. But they have been getting worse. It started about three years ago. When I was adopted. I don't remember a lot but mom helps me as best as she can. I was in an adoptive home in the middle of the city, we were treated badly so we all tried to escape, but never made it very far. I did how ever. And they were chasing me, so I went to the woods. I was in there for days, with no food or water. I was finally so exhausted i collapsed and went into a coma and it permanently erased my memory. Know when ever I go to town I have to wear a hood so they don't know that its me, the run away orphan. I don't know what happened to my Biological parents other then they are dead. That's all my mom could find out.

       Now, back to the dream. Like I said it ends the same way. I am running away like I was running for my life. At first I thought it was about me running away from the care takers. But later on I realized that couldn't be right because I felt like I was running to protect myself and my family, but I didn't have a family when I ran away. Then there is that lady's scream, it haunts me every minute of everyday. It's so long and sad. Yet so familiar, and close. Like if I reached out my hand I could touch her shoulder and comfort her. But I can't because its just a dream. Its always, just a dream.

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As I got closer to the middle of the town I pulled up my hood as far as I could. I hated the city. That's why I am glad I live in the forest and am going to college in the fall. The city is over run by tyrants. They let us learn in school how they became powerful just so we fear them more. Apparently, one day about 3 years ago they broke into the palace and killed the guards and the queen and the princess. The king had died 8 years before of a heart attack. I don't really care, all I care about is the fact that are town is run by Levi Maneroy. The creep who had spent years planning on taking over the kingdom. He is know are so called king, or as he likes to be called our Emperor. He and his 13 men had spent there young-adult to adult life planning and training to be a super killers. When they broke into the palace and killed half of the guards, 34 of the guards still living, surrendered to Levi, and 15 of them got away. Levi Maneroy hadn't killed any of the 15 who had gotten away. But he killed the 34 for being weak to their city. Know he and his 13 men rule this town. So why do I hate the city exactly....um,  maybe because there is no jail. Minor criminals get let go and the people who break in to places or kill others, well they ' die ' as they tell us, but a lot of us students know whats really going on. Levi takes them and turns them into his personal army. 13 is what they tell us, more like 100 is what we know.