Her Pride

The Begining

I run as fast as my legs will carry me as I stumble blindly though the underbrush of the forest behind the house. I push the branches back so I don't get hit in the face. I hear giggling up ahead and I skid to a stop. I can't lead them home, not again.

I turn a different way and the crashing behind me continues. I run as fast as I can until I reach the cliff face that marks the end of our property with a large red sandstone wall. I turn around and glance at the large house through the trees.

I look up and decide it's my best option, I start climbing. I pull myself a few feet off the ground when I hear a small voice call my name and I glance down and see the little girl below me. I climb back down and pull the little brunette onto my back. I can't get home in time so it's best to take her up with me.

"Hold on to sissy okay?" I ask her. She smiles and claps as I grab and pull at the rocks as I propel myself upwards to avoid the jaws of the beast below. I hear a growl and and something snapping. Three of them burst into the clearing followed by my parents in their best form.

I climb higher to get my sister to safety. I hear a hiss and then a cry and I glance over my shoulder to see my mothers limp body in the jaws of two of the now blood covered monsters.

"Mom!" I call to her as I feel tears well up in my eyes. I look back up and spot a ledge. I scramble towards it and hoist myself up onto it.

"High up! High up!" my sister cries with glee. I try to pull her close but she wriggles out of my grasp.

"Yes now shhh" I say trying to keep her quiet and close so they forget we're here.

She squeals thinking it's a game and runs off. I try to grab her but I am a fraction of a second too late. She disappears over the edge as I-

"Ember Scott, get your head out of the clouds and tell the class the answer to question six" my teacher yells, effectively pulling me from my memory. I stand and look around the room for help.

"Umm" I say as I read the question quickly "well maybe the guy wanted to be different?" I offer. The teacher looks unimpressed.

"And does anyone know why Wilhelm wanted to be something different?" the teacher asks the class. I sit down and pull my hair from behind my ear so it will hide my red face from the rest of the class.

As the history lesson drags on I look outside and wish I could be out there running or climbing or exploring this new territory I'm hiding in until it is safe to go back, which I don't think will ever happen.

Many deaths were my fault that day because I was careless. I lead the monsters home. I shake my head to remove the horrible memories that try to push forward.

I hear people mumbling behind me and focus in on their conversation. I know they are talking about me. I scribbled down the rest of the note on the board and shoved it in my bag as the bell rang.

I jumped out of my seat and pulled the bag over my shoulder and followed the crowd out of the class and into the hall. I walk to my next class ignoring the people bumping into me in the overly crowded hallways of my school.

Something inside me says to get out of the school. I look around and spot no sign of impending doom so I brush it off. I'm not used to this crowded of a hallway. I hear a scream and everyone looks towards the blond girl that just collapsed. Some one yells for us all to clear out and I don't hesitate. I smell the blood and I begin to panic.

They're after me. The students start to file out of the hallway and I push into the on coming students. I have to see the body.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" I hear a teacher yell as they try to stop the bleeding.