Escape

The Nightmare

Running through the woods all, holding my ribcage right under my left breast with my right hand. The ache that was coursing through my body as I tried to escape.

My breathing got heavier with every stride that I took, and other than my breathing all that was heard was the sound of twigs snapping under my feet. Since all I could see are little twinkles from the sky up above, I made the choice to stop running and lean against a tree to apply more pressure to my side that ached more and more with every breath that I took.

I hear footsteps and from what sounds to be an army at a distance I take a deep breath and continue to run. Leaves and branches keep hitting my face, arms and my legs, and I don't stop. I keep running and dodge as many branches as I can, pushing the ones that are in arm's length with one hand and still holding my side with the other.

A stigning ache enters my right foot as my arms shoot forward. I got a face full of dirt and leaves. I look back to see a rock on the path. As I struggle to stand back up and dust myself off roughly, I notice all these small lights and the footsteps getting a little louder. I panic and start to run. I don't know how big the forest is but I know that I need to keep running. I look back to see that they were getting closer. In a panic I run faster still looking back at those lights. Faster and faster I felt my legs take me until I was falling, the sky getting further and further away, leading me into a complete black whole. I had gone over a cliff.

In a gasp, I open my eyes to find myself lying on my bed, in my room. Trying to sit up, I feel a pounding in my head and it hurts to even move my limbs. Feeling worse than ever before I manage to sit up and I check my arms and legs. Running my hands over all the bruises and scrapes from the dream. I slowly stand up and go to stretch. A stabbing pain enters my body from the left side of my ribcage. I put my hand over the area under my shirt to see if I was bleeding, but I was not. I managed to get to my mirror, which hung from the wall by my dresser. Staring at my reflection I get a better look at the cuts and bruises that run up and down my arms and legs. I lift my shirt to reveal a dark bruise. I slowly press on it and a familiar pain enters my body and tears build up in my eyes. With no recollection as to how it got there I yank my shirt and walk slowly to my night stand. I look down at my phone and see that it is 6 in the morning and I know I am running late for another day at school, but I don't care. I throw my head up in a messy bun, since I won't have time to wash it, and go look out to the balcony of my room that looks over "The Forbidden Wood". Seeing the haunting woods that we live next door too makes me wonder, why can't we go there?. I know they are forbidden but every night for the past 4, almost 5, years I have been having the same nightmare. What am I running from though? And Why do I keep waking up with these bruises?

I step away from my balcony and go back inside to the mirror, I lift my shirt one more time to watch the bruise slowly fade, and the pain starts to fade. I walk into my bathroom and turn on the shower. I undress and step in. As the water hits my body the markings wash away as if they were never there to begin with. I run my hands over my body and feel noting but my skin. I wash myself and then step out, wrap myself in a towel, and stare at the girl standing in the mirror, staring back at me, I brush my teeth, then my face, brush my hair, the same things I have been doing since I moved to this school. I get dressed in my schools uniform and start to gather my things so that I can head downstairs to meet up with my friends at the breakfast hall. As I am putting my homework and my books in my school bag, I come a cross a picture of my parents and me when I was 12...

It's a picture from the the day that I moved here. I was 12 and I was only in 6th grade, but this school starts at that age and goes on till you are 18 years old, well not in my case. I am now 16, my birthday is in a few weeks I will be 17, and officially the youngest junior at Meyers Prep Academy (MPA), I will be a month from turning 18 when I graduate this school, since I am a September baby. Holding this picture I remember the way my mom hugged me and told me that I would be alright and she would see me during Christmas break. I only get to see my parents during Christmas, those are the rules. MPA is a year long school, we get two weeks in the summer and that is it, but it's too much money for me to go home during those two weeks so I stay on campus. The school pays for all the students to go home over winter break since that is when they set back up for the spring semester. Over the summer weeks I normally stay in the library reading while talking to friend Kat since she also stays here. We see all the things get done for the fall semester.

I was brought back into reality by my phone wringing. It was a text from Kat. She's wondering where I am, that's when I notice that it was 6:45. I needed to get downstairs for breakfast.