The Parallel Laws

Chapter One

School was a bore today. The teachers droned on and on about being sensible during the holidays. No drugs, no sex, no alcohol, no smoking, no fighting, basically, nothing that will make the school look bad. Pearl didn't care. She always got straight A's and everybody was constantly praising her about how she was so smart and confident. Pearl couldn't understand why people thought she had confidence; she had none. She was just the shy, nerd who stayed away from everyone and everyone stayed away from her. It was hard being the odd one out, but it was easier when she didn't even have to attempt to fit in with everyone else. She had something special. It flowed through her veins and nourished her. Yet she had no idea what it was, she simply felt it. She glowed with a radiant beauty that made people envious. Yet still, nobody approached her. It was what she wanted. On the first day, Pearl had made it extremely clear that if anyone spoke to her she would not be impressed and they would regret it. After her 'speech' she had gotten isolation for threatening her peers. She hadn't cared and it had worked. Nobody ever talked to her and if she was walking down the hall people would scatter, like the rats in Ratatouille or parted like the Red Sea for Moses. These were the times when Pearl would smile, at least one thing in her life was going right. She slammed out the front doors open with a laugh. Everyone stared at her like she was crazy but she just stuck out her tongue and skipped away from school. When she got to the park that she spent a lot of time in. Wind swept through the park and she grinned wildly. This would be fun. 

Pearl came to the edge of the woods and slipped off her backpack, hung it on a tree and did the same with her shoes and socks. Her bare feet flattened the wet, green grass. Next, she slipped off her blazer and pulled off her tie. Now, she was just left in just her navy skirt and T-shirt. Another giggle escaped her lips as she looked into the trees. The wind blew through the trees and as she let her hair down the wind picked it up and it danced in the air. She smiled and began walking, jogging, running and then sprinting through the trees. Her lungs and heart worked together like every day, her muscles burned but she couldn't stop. She felt free and happy. She passed through a haze and it felt like everything became brighter, clearer, though she didn't know what the feeling was, she relished in it. She ran, the wind caressing her cheeks. She loved the feeling of the fresh air in her lungs. Then she noticed the air seemed very cold, she focused her eyes and realised she was running towards the edge of the cliff and was centimetres away from falling. It was too late to stop, she knew it was the end when the soft grass parted with her feet. She'd done something stupid. She wanted freedom and now she had it. Her life was flashing before her eyes, she closed them. She waited for the end knowing it was right around the corner. The wind roared in her ears as she plummeted to her death. Pearl waited and waited but nothing happened, she was still breathing, still feeling the noticeably colder air all over her. Then she stopped. Energy she had never felt before coursed through her and a familiar feeling engulfing her body  but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Water! Rejoicing that she was still alive she re-surfaced, but she couldn't help being confused. That impact should have shattered her bones, reduced her to nothing, but it didn't. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Sunlight glittered through the molecules in the water, bouncing off the waves. Pearl was so fascinated by this that it took her a while to realise something was brushing against her foot. She carefully moved back, allowing it to surface. It was a dolphin. The dolphin began to race around her, allowing more dolphins the confidence to come and play too. She laughed. This really was a miracle.

Hours later Pearl returned to her clothes and backpack. She was soaked through and shivered violently against the cold breeze. She gathered her things and began to walk home. People watched her but she couldn't care less. That was the most fun she had had in ages! She was still confused as to what had saved her, the energy she had felt before the water took her, but she didn't care. Not now anyway. She walked into the garden of a small, run-down council house and went inside. Nobody was home. Again. But as she walked into the kitchen she noticed a note. It read: Gone out. Go to the shop and get some milk, bread, cereal and nick us some cigarettes. She rolled her eyes. She was the best at stealing things and so she could get alcohol and cigarettes for her older brother when he was 'busy'. She sighed and took off all her clothes, throwing them in the wash before running upstairs. She did not want anyone to come home before she'd gotten in something decent. It would be too embarrassing. Quickly, she got dressed and jogged back downstairs. This was the most boring part of her life at home. She grabbed the list and some money and left the house. Time to go shopping. Sighing, heavily she trudged to the shop. When she got there she began picking things out. Pearl took them to the counter and then the cashier scanned them. As he did this, she slid a pack of cigarettes into her pocket and when he was done Pearl quickly gathered everything up and walked out.

"Hey!" The cashier yelled. She stopped dead. Oh no.

"Yes?" She asked nonchalantly. 

"I know you, you need to come with me," he said quietly.

~~~~
Word count: 1039.
I hope you enjoy my chapter, Author_KidGirl or Hayden! Edited and added to by LittleAuthorGirl2019.