Trying To Survive

A Long Ride

~Chapter One~

"Scarlett, you are in a hospital. You are alright."

I always found my name quite ironic actually.

Scarlett. Scar. Scars on my wrists. Scars from cutting. Blood. It is red. Scarlett means red.

"She lost a lot of blood. She is a very lucky to be alive." Dammit. I was hoping I was dead.

"I don't know what happened. When I came into her room she was passed out in a puddle of blood." She was sniffling. Nice acting mom.

"Has she ever enflicked pain to herself before this?" I hear a click of a pen and writing.

"She cuts herself." I feel my sleeve go up.

More writing. "I suggest she go to a special hospital that deals with adolescences." The man is scribbling something down and rips the paper.

"I told her about going to a hospital, she did this."

"It's the best things for her right now. I prescribe her Paxil."

Drugs. What's a better way to help the brain than using drugs?

"Thank you doctor." The door closes and the clicking stops next to me.

"You can open you eyes now." Her voice is monotone. The smell of smoke fills my lungs.

"You can't smoke in here." My eyes are closed and she starts walking away from me.

"Your point being?" I feel the smoke she blew my way on my face.

I open my eyes. She's standing right in front of the hospital bed. A cigarette dangling from her dark red lips.

"Get out or I will scream." I clench my jaw and purse my lips at the whore in front of me.

"You better enjoy all the time you get with me sweetheart. Cause tomorrow I'm shipping you to Utah." She walks out the door after flinging her cig into the trash.

I scream at her but she just laughs. And the door is closed. The room is silent. I am alone. Just how I like it.

I run my finger over the stitches on my left hand. There is one horizontal on the palm. One vertical on my knuckles and some bandage wrapped around my wrist.

"Kill me." I push my head back into the white fluffy pillow and close my eyes. Sweet nightmares come to me.

~~~~

"Have all your stuff?" My grandpa brings me into a big hug before I exit the airport to go on the plane ride to hell.

My gramps is the only living relative that cares about me -partial to my grandmother, but that's a different story- He practically raised me. When I was nine, he fell down the basement stairs and was hospitalized. During the time my mom took me and life sorta turned upside down at the age of nine. Well it started at seven but again, I'll explain later.

"I love you Gramps. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused." My throat is closing up making me squeeze him even harder.

"Don't say that. This is not your fault. Be safe, Scar." I laugh at his nickname he gave me when I was a kid. I used to always fall and scrape my knee or get a cut, so he called me scar.

"Well, I should go now. I'll try to call you when I land." I kiss his cheek and take my plane ticket and carry my bag down the hallway to the airplane.

I find my seat all the way to the back and next to the window. I guess I have my own two seats.

I drop my bag on the second seat and plop down.

"Isn't it a bit odd to be wearing a hoodie in Phoenix in the middle of July?" A boy that looks a year older than me is staring down into my eyes. They flicker to the stitches on my hand.

"I'm cold." Lie. He nods his head in disbelieve. His eyes flicker to my black duffle.

"Sorry." I pick it up and set it on my lap. "I thought I was alone."

"Nope you got me." He gives me a cheeky smile and I roll my eyes at him.

"I'm Jett." He sits next to me and offers a hand.

"Scarlett." I shake his hand and turn my attention back to my window.

"So why are you going to Utah?" He swipes his dark black hair out of his brown eyes.

"No particular reason."

Genuinely interested I ask him why he is going.

"Vacation." He murmurs to me. A sudden change in his mood.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now ready for take off. Please make sure all electronic devices are turned off and your seat belts are buckled. Next stop, Salt Lake City, Utah." The flight attendants strap up and the plane proceeds.

Jett sighs besides me and I raise an eyebrow.

"What's the matter cheeky. We are going to Utah!" I elbow his side and he shoots me a look.

"Moody much." I whisper and I look out the window.

This is going to be a long ride.

~~~~~~

RIP to the children and adults lives that were taken this morning in Newtown, Connecticut.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3