My heart is racing, all I hear is my heavy breathing. My lungs feel as if they are going to burst. I want to scream but that would just be a waste of air. The leaves of the forest floor crunch loudly. My steps are heavy and make a loud 'thud' as I race through the trees. Why oh, why do I not work out more??
They are catching up. I feel it, I cannot turn to look and see just how close They are to getting me. Suddenly my foot finds a tree root and the ground is all I see. I crawl to my knees. My eyes become warm and I feel the wetness behind them.
"There is no time to cry," I think.
There's no time to do anything as I turn and find They are already here.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
The clock beside my bed reads 7:00 a.m. I groan and turn off the alarm, snuggling under the covers.
Five more minutes. I'll be good in five more minutes.
My mind is already far too awake so I decide to get up anyways; whatever dreams I had during the night long forgotten. I dress and get ready to go to school.
Ah, school. It's different now that I'm on my own. Being in college means I get to decide whether I want to get up in the morning but it also means I have to pay for my own stuff and live alone. Not completely alone, I suppose. I have a roommate but she doesn't come home often.
I quickly mix a protein shake and grab my backpack before heading out the door. I start to leave but pause to go through my mental checklist.
Keys? Yup. Phone? Check. Wallet? I'm on a roll today.
I arrive at my first class and take a seat. Most people wouldn't voluntarily take a morning class but I don't mind so much. I say that but we're only a couple weeks in to the first semester. It's already pretty chilly outside which is a change from where I used to live. I start to get a teensy bit homesick.
Soon it's lunch so I head over to the student union building for food. I sit down at a table by the window after getting something to eat. I start scrolling through headlines when someone sits across from me.
"Hey Sassy!" chirps my friend Alexis.
She's a gorgeous tall blonde. She has one of the best figures I've ever seen from a combination of doing dance classes and softball throughout high school. She likes to call me "Sassy" though my name is Cassandra and I primarily go by Cassie.
"Have you heard about the party?" She startles me out of my thoughts.
I raise an eyebrow. "Of course, I'm one of the biggest socialites of the year."
Alexis rolls her eyes.
"You really need to get out more. The top fraternity is throwing a huge Halloween bash tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow? It's a school night." I point out, mouth full of sub sandwich.
"School night? What are we, twelve?"
"You know, some people go to college to learn" I reply, smacking her hand away from my chips. "What fraternity is it anyway?"
"I don't know, Beta Sigma something or other. I just need you to go with me." She says, stealing a swig of my soda, only to grimace when she realizes it's diet.
"Fine. Your powers of persuasion are just too much for me"
Alexis grins and steals a chip.
