Maria

Chapter 2

I was running, not knowing from who though. Dipping into the woods and into the dark night and I heard gunshots. 3 gunshots shot up in the air. I hear footsteps chasing after me, I pant heavily as I start to loose my breath and my hip starts to hurt. Tripping over a twig and I fell down and skid my knees. Before I was able to get up, my eyes stung with salty tears, the man yanked my hair and pulled me up.

"This is how I killed your father" he whispers in my ear and I shudder at his touch. He puts the gun up to my head, touching my temple.

I woke up crying and shaking, tears stained down my face - hyperventilating. I turn on my phone to check the time, it was 10:46 am. I forced myself out of bed  and put my feet on the cold wood floor. My luggage was in the corner and I decide to start unpacking. I fixed my bedding and put my luggage on the mattress. I stop myself for a second, coming to the realization that I've had that type of dream about 3 times. Every dream is slightly different however but they all end the same. Me getting killed.

He's still out there, I thought to myself. I shake my head and pick up my bathroom supplies and head to my bathroom. I lay everything down. Once I was done organizing my bathroom supplies out, I decide to take a shower. Turning on the the water, I hop in the cold shower, I shaved my legs and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I washed my hair and exfoliated my body. When I was done I walked out of the bathroom with my hair and body wrapped in a towel. It felt good to take a shower. After the long taxi drive here, I was exhausted to the fullest extent.

I walked towards my bed and rummaged through my luggage in search of my undergarments. I drop my towel and changed into a pair of panties, red track shorts, and white tee. I pick up the towel and my dirty clothes in the bathroom and throw them into my white hamper in the corner of my room. I walk back into the bathroom and moisturized my face.  

I put on a vanilla scented lotion my mom recommended to me on my body and began to rub. When I was done, I combed my wet long brown almost black hair and put some chapstick on my plump lips. I walk towards my bed and began to unpack and organize my clothes

An hour passes by and I finish unpacking. I jumped onto my bed and gazed at the moving ceiling fan.

Why do I keep having this dream? What does it mean? I know I'm scared and I know it has to do with my dad but I'm so over it. I'm tired of waking up sweaty and breathless. I'm tired of being scared of all the times

An old friend once told me in order to get over bad memories is to make new good ones. That's exactly what I'm going to do.

"Maria, I'm going to apply to some jobs" my mom announced.

"Okay mom, I love you!" I yell back.

Once I heard the door close, I went to the kitchen. Due to the fact that I forgot to eat breakfast, I was starving, I cut up some strawberries and made my way next to Nonna on the couch.

"Hey Nonna, what's there to do in Jersey, that's like fun?" I asked.

"Umm well you can go to the boardwalk, uhh beach, mall, carnival, plenty of things really." She answers with a slight grin.

I bit into a strawberry and nod.

"Why?" She asks.

"Oh well, I was just wondering cause I was bored and I was in the mood to go out" I shrug while biting into another strawberry.

She nods as she reaches over to my lap to pick a strawberry.

Where should I go? I don't have that much money so I can't really go to the mall without getting sad by the fact I can't buy anything and I've been to the beach plenty of times this past spring and I'm honestly tired of it, but at the same time I'm pretty sure there is a big difference between a beach with a lake then there is with a beach with a ocean. Then I realized, I've never walked down a boardwalk before.