You Make Me Beautiful

Chapter one: I like being alone

-sadie-

   I hear my alarm and I jump out of my bed. I've always been a morning person. My phone clock reads 5:30 am. I go to my closet and throw on my t-shirt and jean shorts. I put on my sneakers. I creep downstairs. The stair creaks. I freeze. Did anyone hear? I breath and keep moving. I grab my backpack on the counter, where I'd left it the night before. I put my phone in. My jacket is already in there from school yesterday. I put on the hoodie; it's supposed to be chilly this morning. I throw two granola bars in my bag and close it. I look around the dim kitchen, I'm still alone, just checking. I don't need my step- mom finding me, luckily, she's a deep sleeper. Now to get out the door, usually I do this when I'm home alone, so I'm not used to sound being a problem. I walk to the door, and I secure my bag on my back. I put my hand on the doorknob and about to turn it when,

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeeep," it's my phone. Crap, I think. But there's no sound from anywhere in the house, just my breathing. No one heard, thank goodness. Then I open the door and slip out without another sound.

♥

   I run across the street. The sun hasn't even started to rise yet, but I can still see the ocean off to my left. But I run straight across the street to some shrubs growing in a loose cluster. I push aside the bushes and step onto a dirt path. I've been here thousands of times, literally. I continue on the thin path; there's a reason I wore sneakers instead of flip-flops. I continue walking, I take in my surroundings. There're some trees surrounding me, hiding the houses on either side of me. It's peaceful. The sun has started to just barely rise above the horizon. The light filters through the trees around me, casting a warm, green glow on the path. I finally reach my destination, I check the time, it's 6 am now, not bad time I'm making, I think. I turn a corner in the path around a large boulder-rock that splits the path, hiding a secret behind it. I step around the rock and continue on the path that now clearly leads to a secluded beach. It's small, but roomy for just one person. The sun is getting to be above the horizon now and I set my backpack on a nearby rock. I've been coming here for years, and I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one who knows about it. Or at least I've never seen anyone else here. I take off my jacket, it's getting warmer. I place it on the soft, cool sand and sit. I put music on my phone. I close my eyes. I hear the waves crashing on the beach. It's calming and I need that. I let the rhythm of the music take over. And I sway with the beat, and as always (this is why I like to be alone), I start to sing.