Difference

Chapter 4

We walk out of the bathroom. Everyone stares. Carrie just ignores them, but I can't. I know they're judging me. I even walk past a little boy who's looking at me and his mother pulls him towards her. She glares at me. I guess she thinks it's my fault that he had to watch me go crazy. If she knew why, though, I think she would reconsider who's fault it really is.

Joe ties my hands to the arms rests and throws a blanket over me so the other passengers can't see my restraints. I scowl at him. He smiles coldly at me, and my scowl becomes even bigger.

I end up falling asleep. I wake up after about half an hour, or at least that's what Carrie tells me.

Joe is now sporting a small bruise on his forehead. That makes me happy in a weird way, mainly because after all they've done to me and all they've told me they're going to do to me, at least I can say I got them back a little.

We land thirty minutes later. Carrie unties my hands with an apologetic look. I scowl at her, too.

We leave the airport and head towards the parking lot. We approach a black pickup truck. These people seem to like pickup trucks. 

Carrie holds the door open for me while Joe and Peter take the front seats. I look at her. My body reacts before my brain even processes what I'm about to do.

I run away. I simply turn my back on Carrie and the truck and I run. I hear Carrie shout for Joe and Peter, but I've already put a lot of distance between us.

This time, I can tell I'm running fast. People actually get out of their cars to watch me shoot by. I'm going so fast, I don't even see their faces. It's all a blur.

I race to the street and turn onto the sidewalk. Cars stop to watch me speed past them. I run and I run and I run.

After an hour, I'm still running. I'm not even tired. Even though I don't want to accept it, I have to. I know I'm different. No normal human can sprint for one hour straight and not be tired at all.

I finally stop. I look around, and I realize I have no idea where I am. I know I'm in Georgia, but I've never been to Georgia before. There are hotels to my left and right. There's so many hotels, I realize I must be close to the ocean.

I walk now. Hopefully my speed bought me a little time. Probably not that much, though. I walk until I reach the hotels lined on the shore. I can see the ocean now, a huge mass of blue. The ocean has always made me feel good. Carrie would take me to some tropical place every summer since we only had to pay for the two of us. Last year we went to Hawaii. It was one of the best times of my life.

My feet hit the sand, and it feels wonderful. I want to stay here forever. I probably could, if I had money and if I didn't have people searching for me. I do have my wallet, though. I search through it and come up with a couple twenties. I don't know what I'll be able to buy with it, but at least it's something.

I walk up and down the shore, trying to clear my head. It doesn't work very well. I guess I somehow stupidly end up falling asleep in the sand, because the next thing I know, someone is talking to me through my grogginess.

"Can I get a picture with you?" I jump up, and I see a girl, around the age of ten or eleven. She is smiling sweetly at me.

"Why do you want a picture with me?" I ask, quickly brushing the sand out of my hair and smoothing my clothes.

"You're famous. You know, you're that really fast girl. I want to take a picture with you because if I don't, none of my friends will believe I met you," She explains slowly, like I'm the eleven year old.

"How do you know that?" I question. She sighs.

"I saw that video of you sprinting down the street really fast and everyone is talking about you. Can I please have a picture?"

"Um, yeah, sure," I agree. She pulls out her phone and holds it out in front of us.

"Can you hold it?" She asks me. I nod and take her phone in my hand. Then she wraps her arms around me and smiles. I try to smile. She seems satisfied when she looks at the picture. I start to give her phone back to her, but she stops me.

"Wait! One more. Do a funny face," She giggles. So I stick my tongue out, just to entertain her. I'd give anything to be a kid again. I take the picture and hand her phone to her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She gives me another hug, and then skips away. I have to grin at that, even though it makes my face hurt from not smiling in so long. It'd be so great to be that young again and not have to worry about everything that I'm worrying about now.

I end up walking along the shore again. I eventually find a boardwalk. I decide to go on it, since I've always loved boardwalks and I can get something to eat.

When I'm on it, I just look at everything. There are people everywhere. I search for the three faces that I'm dreading, but I don't find them yet and I breathe a small sigh of relief.

I pass a hot dog stand and that's when I realize I'm starving. I look at my watch on my right wrist. It's 12:27. I pull out a twenty. I might as well get something to eat. There are only two other people in line, so it's a short wait.

When I get to the window, a woman pokes her head out.

"Hello, hon. What can I get for you?" She smiles, and it's a kind smile.

"Could I have one hot dog with ketchup?"

"Sure thing, hon. I'll be done in a minute," She moves around inside the small stand, and her curly hair bounces with every step. She finishes making my hot dog a few minutes later and hands it to me.

"That'll be three dollars," She tells me. I give her a twenty.

"No five?" I shake my head. She shrugs and gives me my change. I take my hot dog to a bench and sit down. I eat it in three bites, which is a record for me. I'm still hungry, but I figure I'll be fine for now.

I just stare at the waves after that. Something about them calms me. They're so graceful when they curve up into a loop, and then slide back down. Some crash down, of course, but the sound is soothing. The light from the Sun glints off of them, making it seem like they're almost glowing.

I've always thought the ocean was one of the most beautiful things on Earth. When I was little, I imagined what life underwater must be like. I was pretty sure all the fish were friends, and people just made up the stories about bigger fish eating the smaller fish and all that natural stuff.

I know that's not true now. Underwater is just like above water. There will always be the bad guys, the ones who can't help themselves.

Underwater has to be more peaceful, though. The only thing surrounding you is clear, salty water. You can't hear the roar of cars or smell the smoke of factories. I don't think fish have "differences" either, so they don't have to worry about "killing someone".

I know I can't stay here forever. I know I should keep moving. I need to get out of Georgia, but I have no idea how. I could always get a ride from a random stranger, hoping they'll take me back to Ohio. Ha. Yeah, I don't think so.

I get up and throw my trash away, then turn to go on the beach and figure out what I need to do next. I've taken two steps when I feel a small pain in my arm, just a little prick, and everything blurs. The world is falling around me, and soon it's just black.