My Number

Chapter 1

29, 38, 65, 34, 456, 98, 71, 0.....

These numbers I see describe the people around me. This is the only thing I know about these people because all of us are strangers to the other. Here I sit in a smelly seat upon a creaky, gross, and slightly falling apart bus. Living in New York has its down sides and the horrible transportation is one of the top ones.

Glancing out of the window I stare at the rain drops that slowly glide down the glass that separates me from the storm outside. My mind wanders to when I first realized what the numbers meant.

-Flashback-

"Sydney get down from there!" I yelled as I look at my best friend climb the highest point of Old Peak Creak. Old Creak Peak is where all the 'drugies', as the older people call us, come to have some fun.

Usually we just chill and talk about new music we heard or new clothes we got. Some of us were cheering her on and some were concerned like me and told her to get down. I mean I would let a few chuckles escape just at her sheer stupidity.

"Watch Alice! Stop being a spoil sport!" She shouted back at me as she jumped to the next rock. I gasped as she safely made the jump.

"Sydney you're going to get hurt! Please... just come down please!"

She just laughs at me and continues on climbing.

Out of curiosity I slowly look up at the digits hanging above her head and gasped at the shocking sight.

Sydney's number soon started to rapidly decrease as she climbed higher and higher on the cliff. The numbers had never done this before! I don't know if this a bad thing or not.

I glance back at Sydney to see her struggling on one piece of rock. "Sydney hold on! We'll get some help!"

"No don't! I have this" She yelled back. The suddenly she dropped down a few feet.

Gasps sound off around us and everyone rushed forward to help her.

Then relief spreads throughout me as she grabs the rock again and pulls herself back up. She turns to us and gives us this huge shit eating grin as she continued to climb.

Rachel, my other friend, yelled at Sydney to get down because it was too dangerous. As she said this the number was getting quicker as it decreased ever more rapidly.

My breath caught in my throat as it got to ten.

9, 8, 7, 6, 5

"Sydney please get down from there!"

I scream at her as the number gets to three.

2, 1

Sydney's screams echo through the forest as she descends down to the ground.

A sickening crack echoes and then silence. I know I shouldn't but I have to. My eyes drift to the top of Sydney's head and gasp as all I see is a remaining zero.

-End of flashback-

Years, months, days, hours, minuets, seconds. That's what the numbers represent.

And that was the day my best friend died and the day I realized that the numbers were a curse and that I can never get close to anyone.