The Run

CHAPTER 1

   As I walk toward the woods, I look up at the stars. They are small diamonds embedded in the dark blue velvet of the night sky. I stop just before entering the woods, place one hand on the rough trunk of a tree in front of me and take a deep breath.

   Then I start running. My long black hair streams behind me like a ribbon and my feet hit the ground so fast that I feel like I might grow wings and fly. As I run, my feet start to build a rhythm that matches my heart, beat for beat. All of a sudden I hear laughter ring out. I skid to a stop and drop quietly beside a tree. After a few seconds I conclude that the source of the sound is coming from two people about 20 feet ahead of me.

   As I walk toward the sounds, I realize that I recognize the voices. I peer through the branches of a tree, and see a short blond girl talking to a tall brunette in the middle of a clearing. I count down to three in my head and then charge in, tackling the short blond girl.

   "Got you Lily!" Pinning her arms to her sides, I laugh.

   "Are you just going to stand there?" Lily looks up at Diana who is doubled over laughing so hard that her brown hair is covering all of her face. Diana's laugh is so contagious I start laughing again.

   "Yes. You should have seen your face!" Diana falls backward laughing. Lily shoves me off, and stands up, her dark brown eyes glaring at me.

   "Oh real mature Eve." She starts picking leaves and twigs off of her short blond hair and sighs when she looks down at her black shirt, which is now covered in dirt and leaves. Lily is the kind of girl, who even if she's in the middle of a fight, makes sure her lipstick hasn't smudged. Lilly's not a snob, or empty headed, she's smart too. She just wants to look nice.

   "Hey, you shouldn't let your guard down Lily," I say as I dust my palms off on my pants. "Anyways, it's been a few weeks since we were out here. I have a lot of energy."

   "Hey Eve, do you have a scrunchie or a hair tie?" Diana asks, holding her long brown hair in one hand and extending the other toward me.

   "Yeah hold on..." I grab the extra scrunchie from my back pocket and toss it to her.

   "Is Aria here yet?" A husky voice asks from behind us.

   We all turn to see Senna leaning against a tree, her black hair braided tightly, and her jade eyes as always taking careful note of everything. Senna always seems to appear out of thin air.

   "Not yet, it's just Eve, Lily and I..." Diana trails off and cocks her head to the side listening for a moment, "...and Sky."

   A second later a girl crashes noisily into the clearing and comes running to us. She smiles and sits down on the ground, breathing hard. Her cheeks are almost as red as her hair, and she has a white powder all over her dark clothes.

   "Am I late?" Sky wipes her forehead with her arm and manages to huff out a few words. "I was baking when I remembered what tonight was, and then halfway here I remembered I left the oven on, so I ran back." Sky laughs and starts to brush off what I guess must be flour.

   "No, Aria isn't here yet," Senna explains as she pushes away from the tree trunk and starts walking to the center of the clearing.

   "Kayla is here! And so is J!" Lily shouts, pointing to the far edge of the clearing where two girls appear.

   "Well, I think we should sit and start. I'm sure Aria will be here soon." Senna sits down on the grass in the middle of the clearing and gestures for all of us to join her.

   As we all sit down in a circle, I notice that I'm not the only one who is fidgeting. Kayla drums her fingers on her leg, Lily keeps rolling her shoulders and J tightens her ponytail every other minute. Everyone seems anxious to start. Senna clears her throat, and immediately everyone quiets down and looks at her for direction. The role of Second fits her so perfectly.