The Girl Who Ran

November

　

************************************************November 6 One-hundred sixty-first day gone

The bed was soft. The blankets covered all but her leg. Her leg stuck out full of bandages. The blood had started to show on these bandages. The nurse walked in. a small smile on her face. Aleena looked at her with groggy eyes. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the side of thee road crying. She lifted her hand. It was blurred in her vision. A wave of weariness swept over her. She heard the nurse talking. Aleena could only make out some things. “You… lucky… not… lost… been worse… still… bad… Do…hear me?”

Aleena tried to talk. “Where I am? Caleb? Caleb!” The nurse stroked her head. What was this strange place? Aleena tried to look around. From what her eyes let her see she saw no things like a hospitable. It was plain white. A flower stood to the side by a shut window. The only other things in the room were her bed and the chair. The nurse smiled down at her. Aleena noticed something in her arm. An I.V. was pumping drugs in her. That explains why she was so calm and did not run yet. Her mind yelled at her to run. The drugs told her to stay. The nurse put something in the tube where the drugs came from. The liquid traveled into her body. Her eyes tried to shut. Aleena fought it. Her muscles stopped working. Her heartbeat slowed in to a slower beating. Aleena panicked. She tried to lift her arms and legs. Soon the panic left and so did her consciousness.

Aleena woke again. She looked to the closed window. The little light that seeped through was gone. Aleena lifted her arm. She was glad it could move. She reached to the I.V. in her arm and slowly took it out. Her eyes were still groggy. She was going to find out where she was. Her leg hurt under the pressure of her weight. Aleena opened the door. Many children her age roamed the halls. “Hello?” A boy looked at her.

“You too? They kill us!” He kept rambling on but Aleena could not hear him anymore. She looked at the room she was now in. A desk sat against the wall. No one sat at the desk. Children yelled for their parents. Aleena soon felt groggier. She fell to the floor.

A beep sounded over and over. A woman sat by the bed of a girl. The girl’s leg was covered in bandages. Her arm was in a cast. A wound on her head was bandaged as well. The woman watched the girl’s eyes as the eyelids moved. A bump was going back in forth inside. Soon a small slit appeared in the eyes. It got bigger and soon a dull grey eye showed. The girl let out a groan. “Hello Aleena.”

“Wha-wha-what happened?” Aleena asked.

“You almost got yourself killed. I found you on the side of the road. I thought you were dead. You must have been hit in the head with something. Your arm was broken to and you also had a gash in your knee. I should be asking you what happened.”

“I fell and hurt my knee. That is all I can remember other than my dream.”

“Do you remember me?”

“No.”

“We met on the bus a long time ago. I told you about my son. I am still on my own travels to him.”

“O.k.” The woman gave a small laugh. Aleena was still thinking about what she saw. If she was in the hospital now, where was she before?

“If you would like to know my name is Sarah.” Aleena gave a small nod. “Would like anything to eat or drink?”

“O.k.”

“What do you want?”

“A grilled cheese sandwich sounds really good.” Aleena remembered the times she ate at the table with her brother. Grilled cheese sandwiches were an easy meal for her to make. The other easy meal was ordering pizza.

“O.k. I did not expect that. I am going to get some for you. I will be right back.” Sarah left the room and Aleena felt that feeling of fear overtake her. She wondered about her parents and her brother. She also wondered about the mysterious place. Soon her eyes slowly sank and she fell asleep.

The next thing she knew doctors were looking in her eyes and forcing them open. Aleena woke and almost screamed. She was scared at all the doctors talking and making her room really noisy. One doctor screamed out that Aleena was awake. “What is happening?” Aleena tried to yell over the noise.

Sarah came in and yelled out the same thing. One doctor told Sarah what was happening. “She fell asleep and when we tried to wake her up she did not respond. Please keep her awake.”

“I went to go get her some food. I thought she would be fine.” Sarah looked over at Aleena. “Poor girl is scared to death. Get these doctors out of here and let Aleena be calm. I will make sure nothing happens to her.” The doctor nodded and told the other doctors to clear out. Aleena was left alone with Sarah. Her heart was still racing. Sarah came over and handed a bag to Aleena. Inside was 2 wrapped up grilled cheese sandwiches. Aleena lifted one out. She unwrapped it and started eating. After a while of silence Sarah said, “Aleena what was in your dream?”

Aleena set her sandwich down. “I was in a room. A nurse kept telling me how things would be fine. She put something in my I.V. and I fell back asleep. Then after that I went in a room where kids were crying and yelling for their parents. It was so realistic.” Just as she said that a boy walked by the door. He looked like the same boy who told her she was going to die. He looked in the room and mouthed the word die. Aleena shook her head and finished her sandwich.

　

**********************************************November 30 One-hundred eighty-fifth day gone

After 24 days in the hospital, Aleena was finally allowed to leave. Sarah had already left to Aleena go her own way. Aleena had no cast to worry about. She set out with a slight limp in her step. She was heading out to the road across from the other road. Aleena started to walk but her leg started to hurt badly. Instead she got on a bus that would take her there.

Dear Diary,

I now have an injured leg to worry about. At least I found a bus to take me there. I still think about the dream and the boy. What did he mean? Am I going to die? Who knows? Maybe my parents will murder me and pin this on my little brother. Oh how I miss him. If only he could have escaped like me. Poor little Caleb is probably getting beat right now. He can’t handle it like me. I can handle the beating. Just sometimes I had to hide. Sometimes I just had to leave. Like now. Good night.

Aleena