Whispering Madelynn

Feel the Burn (4)

I never went to sleep, so around five a.m. I decided to get ready for a run. I threw on some shorts and a longer sleeved shirt since it was the middle of November and a fuzzy headband with my socks and sneakers. I quickly put my hair up in a high ponytail and put my earbuds in and started blasting Mac Miller before leaving the room I was staying in, only to see the Mave standing outside it. I nodded at her and went down the stairs with her behind me the whole time. I went out the front door and stretched my warm up before my run. 

   I took an earbud out and looked to see Mave not stretching. "If you're going to run behind me, I would suggest stretching, or I could stay on the roads and you can drive behind me. I'm a little fast and if you aren't trained to run fifteen miles in almost record time, then I highly suggest you just drive behind me," I tell her honestly. Her face stays blank, like she is trained to have it, and she nods before getting into the black SUV with tinted windows at the end of the drive. I knew it had to be the security, but the tinted windows still creep me out. I finished stretching and started my run at a quick jog. I heard the SUV start up behind me and had to pull out quickly in order to stay a few yards behind me. 

   I put my other earbud in and turned it up before picking up the pace. I thought to myself about the speeds I should take. Levels One through Seven. I am on Three right now and I'd have to kick it up for Five before mile four. I smiled as I thought about the long run. I love running longer distances in a certain time, because it gives me a challenge. I need to be able to run ten miles in under eighty minutes in order to impress the scouts next year. I push myself harder as I think of the scouts. I will have them watching multiple of my meets if my next school has a team, because I've already drawn attention. Ten miles in under eighty. Five miles in under twenty-seven. One mile is under four. Eyes on the prize Madelynn, I think to myself. Eyes on the prize. 

When I reach my last two miles I end in a dead sprint that leave Mave to have to speed up to keep an eye on me. I grin as I feel the burn in my legs build to the point of feeling like they'll tear along the muscles. I reach the end of my run in exactly eighty-five minutes and hit a tree near me. Mave gets out and looks at me like I'm crazy, before putting her face into a clear slate. I wasn't fast enough. I need to cut down by almost six minutes in under three months. I punch the tree and hear my knuckles crack on impact and hiss at the pain. Crap. 

   Mave comes over and takes my hand to examine it before making eye contact with me. "You broke your middle and pointer knuckles and at least fractured the last two. Idiot," she rolls her eyes and I laugh. I've never seen someone so unconcerned over broken bones. "What?" she asks me. I smile at her like the maniac I'm sure I look like. 

   "I've just never seen someone so unconcerned about broken knuckles," I chuckle and she moves my hand to try to uncurl it and I hiss in pain. That can't be good. 

   "I think you broke some of your fingers too," she says in a monotone voice. I shrug. I've broke far larger bones in way grosser ways. This felt like a ruler hit in comparison. "We'll have to take you to Mrs.Dart's doctor," she says. I look at her funny at the mention of the name. I've never heard of a Mrs.Dart before now. "It's Adelynn's last name," Mave explains as she sees my expression. So that's the unfortunate last name she had to take when she got married. 

   "It was her maiden name too. Her husband took her last name so they could make sure that the name lived on. Things like that happen all the time in the-" she stops herself and puts my hand to my chest. 

   "In the what?" I ask, now curious about what she was going to say. 

   "We should get you in the car and take you to see the doctor," Mave says, completely avoiding my question all together. I shrug and tell myself I'll just ask Adelynn later. I get in the car and feel like I'm famous from the way the car looks and chuckle quietly to myself. Mave drives us back to Adelynn's house and I look at her sideways. 

   "While you were punching the tree, I texted the doctor and told him 'The dumb teen Mrs.Dart took in decided to punch a tree a few times,' and he is here now," Mave says. I give her a sideways glare. 

   "I am NOT dumb. I was just aggravated with myself," I tell her with a pout forming on my face. She laughs and shakes her head before getting out of the SUV and helping me out of my side. 

"My name is Doctor Burris," says a gorgeous red-headed tall woman in a doctors coat sitting in the chair opposite the couch I'm on. She had the brightest natural red hair I had ever seen, her face was covered in darker brown freckles, her skin was lighter than white, and her eyes were bright blue. I couldn't seem to find words when she asked what my name and age was. Adelynn came in a fell on her butt laughing when she caught the look on my face. I look at her like she is crazy and it only makes her laugh harder. 

   "My name is Madelynn Shade. I'm seventeen years old, and I run competitively," I tell the doctor without taking my eyes off of Adelynn. Out of my side view I see the doctor go stiff at the mention of my name. 

   "The Madelynn Shade? Shade as in Rachel Shade is your mother?" the doctor asked with slight fear in her voice. I looked at her funny and Adelynn suddenly was taking Doctor Burris into the next room to talk. I looked at my now red, blue and purple hand. It hurt, and I was hoping that this doctor would just get it to stop. I look up at Mave standing next to me, and she gives me a tight smile. I look in her eyes and see even she is a little scared now that she knows my last name. I thought my mother and I took my father's last name, so why would my mother be associated with the name? Maybe the doctor knew us after they were married and they were both scared because they knew my father abused us and I might be made they didn't stop him? No, I would have remembered if I knew the doctor or Mave. What is going on here?