Innocence

Secrecy

December 16th, Saturday. 9:04am.

I was all alone.
In this forest, and in my head.

I was sat up against a tree, tending to my sprained ankle, thinking about everything.
I had no ways to get home, I was in a part of the forest I've never been to.
I didn't know what to do with myself.

Before I knew it, I hear car tires pulling up.
I scan the area quickly, and a black minivan pulls up behind a bunch of bushes.
It was my mother's car.

"Shit" I say to myself.

Her and my father step out of the front of the van, looking around for me.
I try my best to be out of sight, but then that's when I hear "Tracey! There's Tracey! Up there!"

I look down and see my father running up the hill with my mom just behind him.
I try to make it seem like I'm uninjured.

When they make it to the top and run over to me, my mom completely bursts out and yells, "Tracey, what the hell!"
"We missed our flight because we were looking for you! What were you thinking coming here when you KNEW we had a flight?! We were searching for you for HOURS!"

There was no way I was going to tell them anything.
Why I came here.

"I'm sorry. Just give me my punishment." I said, looking down at my lap.
"I guess I deserve it." I added.
"Get up, we're taking you home!" She says, grabbing my arm in attempt to get me up. I make it onto my legs before I instantly fall back onto the tree.

"What is wrong with you? Why aren't you getting up?" Mom says, looking back at me.

"M..my ankle.." I say.
"I think it's sprained-"

"What the hell, why is your ankle sprained?!" She says.

Looking down at my ankle, then the hill, I say "I fell down the hill..it was dark out and I slipped-"

"You were here for the whole night!? What? Why?!" She says, my father standing behind her.

Hesitating to say anything, I had to lie.
"I wanted to go for a walk. I came here and-"

"I've heard enough, we're taking you to the hospital for your ankle. We will give you your punishment later." My father sternly says.
He grabs and lifts me up, making me stand against the tree.

"I'm going to carry you down the hill, here." He says, picking me up and carrying me down.
They open the van door and I slowly hop in.
___________________________
Venus Hospital, 12:37pm.

I was admitted in, had my foot looked at, and given treatment. I was restricted to a cast and crutches.

Making my way out of the hospital, slowly, the crutches were hard to get used to, my mom and father were in front of me walking to the van, and my father turns around to me and says, "Grounded. Three months." Then turns back around.

I stopped.
And then I sighed.

I didn't want to tell them what happened with Aunt Jade and me...I felt as if it would cause a huge fight between the family..

I just wanted to keep it in secrecy.