Run (#Wattys2016)

Revision of Chapter 1

A/N- Okay, so I've decided to do this. I'm just going to post the chapters with the updates. That way, you can see how bad the old writing was compared to the new writing! Thank you all so much for sticking with it and having a lot of patience with me.

They're telling me to run. Over and over again. But what are they telling me to run from? I can’t see anything. Just darkness. I try to move my legs. They won’t have it. Invisible chains hold me down. Screams echo off of unseen walls. Over the screams, I hear them again. Whispers of the same word. "Run!"

I sat up, reality hitting me like a ton of bricks. My hands found my temples and started moving in comforting circles. That was the third time the dream had woken me up like that. I laid back down, breathing heavily. Three times. It had to mean something, right? There was about one second of silence left to my pondering before a shriek filled the air. I groaned. That was the other thing I’d been waking up to. My two-year old sister yelling for me. 

Sighing, I rolled out of my bed, arching my back as I stretched. The fresh Hawaiian breeze blew in from my open window, tickling my skin. That was my favorite part of the morning. In my mind, it was God letting me know that he was there. It helped calm me down. If I wait a bit longer, I thought hopefully, she might fall back asleep. I cringed as she yelled impossibly louder. 

"I'm coming," I sighed to the empty room. My feet padded silently on the carpet as I took off at a light jog down the hallway. I arrived at Ali’s door. What I saw was her tiny body curled into the fetal position on her equally small bed. She wasn't yelling anymore, so that was good.

"Oh, Ali," I mumbled, picking her up and putting her on my hip.

“Li-kay-a," she knew my name but still couldn’t pronounce it. 

"No. Leh-key-ya," I told her, "Lekia." She remained quiet. It was worth a try, I thought tiredly.

“Ali, why don’t you just come down to my room when you wake up?” I scolded her, carrying her out of the room.

“I’m afraid of Aaron toming to get me,” she buried her head in my shoulder. I hugged her tighter, “I won’t let that happen. Aaron will never get you as long as I’m here. Okay?” She nodded, keeping her head buried. I kissed her blonde hair as we started going down the stairs to the kitchen.

Ali wasn’t what I would call heavy. But that’s coming from a girl who can bench two-fifty. She was probably twenty-five  pounds tops. 

“Li-kay-a?” Ali asked as I stepped into the kitchen.

“Yeah?”

“Tan you teat me to punt the bag today?” she asked. I smiled at this. She had been asking me to do this for a while now. I didn’t know if it was her fear of Aaron or not, but she was determined to learn. She’d even followed me out one time when I was practicing. Unfortunately, she’d decided to slip between the bag and the tree the bag was hung on when my back was turned. I’d been preparing to do my spin kick. Needless to say, that didn’t end very well.

“Maybe after breakfast," I told her. “Speaking of which…” I put Ali in her buckle chair and started over to the pantry.

“What should we do for breakfast?” I asked the pantry. Ali answered for it. 

"Frent toes!" she yelled happily. I laughed and grabbed the loaf of bread. I’d have to go to the store today.

"Okay, French toast it is," I smiled at her. Mom would definitely appreciate a nice hot meal after almost a week of cereal. I nodded in approval and started grabbing the other ingredients.