Chapter 1
I frantically searched the room for a door or an opening anywhere. The tears from my eyes made the cut on my cheek sting and my vision fuzzy. I heard the footsteps coming close to me, I had to get out of the room. My long black hair whipped me in the face when my head turned to see a window. I ran towards it across the office room and crawled over the desk, my left foot banged into the large computer screen. I winced in pain, while I was running through the forest I twisted my ankle. When I was close to the window, I stared at the reflection of myself in the window, looking nothing like I remembered two days ago. My black hair was two inches shorter than my elbows and black circles covered my light brown eyes, I was thinner than I was before all this chaos. Thump! The door wasn't strong enough to keep them from breaking it down. I tried to open the window with my shaking hands, but it was impossible. I looked around and saw a small brown stool in the corner to my left. I grabbed it, finding that it was heavier than I thought it would be. I smashed through the window with it and used it to take off the remaining glass on the edges. When I was almost done the door crashed open. "Don't move!" The woman with the short cropped red hair yelled at me. I froze than saw that her partner wasn't with her. I dropped the stool, and turned my head to face the window and saw that the roof of the building was a few foot-steps away. I stared at the woman who captured my gaze with fierce blue eyes that were glaring at me. Quickly I pulled my gaze from hers and evaluated my options. Relief was coursing through me because I knew that she wouldn't try to harm me, considering that I was only a thirteen-year old but her partner wouldn't think twice about it. I grinned thinking that my get-away wouldn't be so hard. Feeling adrenaline coursing through my body, I jumped out of the window. Right away my feet felt ground and I started limping as fast as I could.
Chapter 2
When I got onto the roof I felt the breath knocked out of me. I found myself on the ground, my arm was twisted around my back and my cheek had large scratches on it. Barely breathing because of shock, I saw that the red-head's comrade had tackled me. He was tall and bulky with black hair and scary hazel eyes that sent chills down my spine. I slowly tried to get to my feet, relying on my left hand and right foot to get to me up. I saw the red-head step in front of me and the black-haired man step behind me to cut me of. Fear made me freeze, scary thoughts took over my concentration making me hysterical. The red-head looked like she wanted to help me, but the man stopped her. I felt a swift blow to the back of my head and my knees crumpled from under me and my head hit the concrete below me. I would black out between intervals to feel my self being carried off the roof, but finally didn't wake up and dreams of my past took over me.
The tree wasn't a good cover but it would have to make due. I swiftly climbed up it, scared that the dogs would find me. I was shivering from having to go through the small river that made my clothes drenched with water. I could only go up at least four levels of branches before they got to small. Resting my back on the trunk of the tree, and setting my legs on the branch I hummed 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' over and over into the darkness. Fear was so intense I felt numb. My stomach growled and I felt like I was sick from the fear, grief and hunger. I had to force myself to stay awake while I found that my head kept nodding and jerking my body loosing my balance making my heart race. Finally I gave up. Dawn was already rising before I got so tired my body relaxed and I drifted of to total darkness.
I woke up struggling. The trunk of the vehicle made me claustrophobic. My knees were touching my face and they were squished to my body, my hands were tied around my back and my neck hurt from the strain. I attempted to move my head in a circle to work-out the pain in my neck but it throbbed from being the point of the blow. I lay ed still occasionally bumping up and down. I counted my breaths and felt the metal from the hand-cuffs digging into my wrists. The pain that was coursing through my body made tears come to my eyes. My cheek was hot. I felt rage contorting my thoughts from being rational to blunt. My hands felt the opening to the trunk, moving my foot to find the back light in a few swift movements, kicked it out. Turning my head behind me so that I could see what was out-side, pain erupted through my neck and back, but I ignored it. Light escaped through the opening, blinding me for a few seconds. When I looked out all I saw was sand. "No, no, no ,no, no!" My whimpering gradually getting louder and louder. I started thrashing around in the car and the trunk's door opened and I went flying out the back of the door. I could feel myself skidding across the sand-packed ground burning my arms, making them sting.
Chapter 3
The sand felt hard and rough. My arms were on fire. I brought my knees up to my chin and slipped my hands under my feet to the front of me. I pushed myself to my feet and saw the black jeep slow down. Thinking of what to do, I saw the man get out of the jeep and the red-head take over driving, they both turned my way. And they were both coming right for me. I did the only rational thing I could do, I ran as fast as I could. By time a minute ended, I wanted to stop and give up. My legs were jelly and my breath was shallow, and I still couldn't figure out why the jeep or the man didn't just stop me as I started running. I stopped abruptly, there was no noise behind me everything was silent. I instantly stopped running and turned around, there was no jeep and there was no man. I was stranded, my heart started pounding, and I was frozen. Sitting hard on the ground I couldn't figure out what to do, I had never had this situation come up that I could remember. Thinking of the only thing that I do when I am about to go crazy is think of names that could have been mine, while I did that I got to my feet and started walking the opposite way that I had gotten here. After about an hour of walking night was falling and it was becoming cold. I still couldn't find any evidence that a jeep had come this way. Making my way through the sand my mind wandered, and I was shivering. I could see fractions of faces that seemed vague but familiar, like they were apart of my past. While I wondered what my life could have been like before all of this, it got darker and I could barely see. The night sky was beautiful in a plain way, the stars were gone and no clouds were in the sky. My eyes widened at a thought, 'where am I?' The one thought that should have came to my mind before all the others. 'Where am I?' I laughed out loud with a cackle that sounded distant, broken and... unrecognizeable. I had heard myself speak, I knew it. Like when I sang. My mind flipped back and forth through attempts to drown the fear that was threatning to take over me. I was like this until I saw dawn, usually I would relax from all the hysterics and find a way to sleep before-. But then something made my thoughts come to a stop altogether. I felt something slither under my worn-out running shoes. There was a faint rattle and a low hiss then it stopped. My mind wasn't focusing on that though, it was focusing on the sharp pain that pierced through the skin on my leg that made it numb and feel like it was burning. I jerked my leg forward. What ever was attached to my leg let go slowly. Tears fell from my eyes making me frustrated because my vision was blurry. I already knew what happened, and I felt tired and distracted. Black dots invaded my eye sight, stoppping me from being able to see properly. The reason that was happening was because I was terrified. I was about to die.
Chapter 4
I couldn't believe it, I was going to die.
My lips trembled and the tears were soaking my face. I wanted to scream and break down right then and there, but I couldn't, something inside of me didn't want to give up. Barely crawling I made my way across the sandy grounds with my eyes blurred. My hands and knees were getting grinded down by the rough sand, also burning them because of the heat. My ankle was making me sick because of the pain, it was turning a solid black now and it hurt even more. Stopping at intervals to regain my strength and help the pain, I felt the ground slanting up.
I was climbing a small hill. I got up and stood with my back arched and my hands in front of me. The terrain up the hill was rocky, but stable. The wind would blow the sand in my eyes as I got higher up. Climbing the hill took longer than it should of. When I reached the top I stumbled and rolled down the opposite side, my arms flailed around trying to slow the fall. When I stopped rolling I didn't move I just layed on my side breathing shaky breaths.
I didn't cry this time I just stayed still while the hill's shadow covered me. Dark came and I got tired, the pain had been taken over with numbness. I kept drifting to sleep, but forced myself to stay awake until I finally just gave up.
The Barking got louder, and the foot-steps weren't more than just a rapid pounding. They could have been familiar if I listened closer, but I just ran as fast as my feet could carry me. Slowing down to swerve around trees, I could feel the breath of the dogs making my back warm. I could feel the vibrations of the dogs growling, in the air.
The chill from the air felt like it was commanding me to go faster, making my steps flow into a fast rhythm. I felt like I was being blown by wind, my senses were enhanced and my speed made the trees feel like they were speeding past me. I closed my eyes, feeling like I was invincible.
*Thwack!* My eyes snapped open. My neck went back first then the rest of me, flat on my back I looked up to see that a tree branch had whipped me in the face. As fast as I could, I got to my feet and ducked under the branch, it was long and thick and was vibrating from me running into it.
My nose was bleeding and blood was dripping on the ground, I felt pressure so badly I wanted to sit down, because it was making me nauseated.
Running slower than before, I started to stumble, I hadn't realised before that I was tired. The barking from the dogs kept me awake from the fear. I wanted to gain speed so I let out a loud breath of air and added a jump to each foot-step. Getting too close to a tree my foot got lodged into an up-routed route and made me stop. I was glad that I didn't fall flat on my face, it would have been more painfull with my nose that had stopped bleeding.
Back tracking to pull my foot out, I realised that it was painful to breath. I took my time to try and calm my breathing, finally my foot was free. My first step on it told me that I had sprained it. I rolled my eyes at my luck, the barking was so loud I was too distracted to think carefully of what to do next. Running was the only thing that seemed smart, so I jogged till I found a river.
The river's water was rushing fast as if the under current was to strong to pass through, but it would hopefully hide my scent from the dogs. I yanked my shoes and socks off my feet and held them above my head to keep them from being wet. Taking my first step into the water chills ran up my spine making the world stop around me. I put my second foot into the water and stiffly walked in until I was up to my waist.
My feet were swept from under me first, then my eyes were blurred from the muddy swamp. I was thrashed around hitting the many rocks that blocked my way. Feeling pain in my chest thinking it was going to blow from not being able to breathe, the water slowed and I re-surfaced.
My head jerked up and my breathing was furious. The dream that I had was real, as far as I could tell, but it didn't make sense.
I didn't ponder on that for long, my stomach growled and I felt like I could eat food and keep it down. I felt shade from the hill keep the sun's rays from burning me.
My mind was still wandering until I remembered my ankle. I was feeling no pain and it was a dark blue -not the black that it used to be- and the swelling was down.
Struggling to my hands, I found that the cuts that were fresh just a little bit were small scabs now. When I was planted on my feet I could stand tall and the pain that used to hound me was almost gone. I shouldn't be able to do this just after a short night, then I realised that I had been gone longer than a night, even a day. I had been in a coma, I felt hysterical, this couldn't be real I had to be dreaming. My breathing became shallow and I couldn't control myself, I was going crazy.
Chapter 5
My breathing was hard and short. What if I had imagined everything? What if this all hadn't happened? The thoughts going through my head were going so fast I couldn't think properly.
I felt something whip past my face and land on the ground beside my foot. Bending down I picked it up, realizing that it looked like a dart. It felt solid, I pricked my finger. The pain felt real enough. I smiled almost happy that I wasn't imagining all that was happening.
Two more darts hit my back. I didn't try to take them out.
I braced myself for more darts but everything was quiet. I turned around surprised.
Then unexpectedly, my fingers started to get numb, and the numbness reached all the way up my arm. Before I realized what was happening someone was wrestling me to the ground.
My face was numb and everything was fuzzy, I blacked out before I could make sense of what was happening. The last thought that passed through my head didn't fit together. Either way I couldn't remember it when I woke up.
When I woke up I felt nauseous and I still couldn't move my fingers. I could only see things that were close to my face everything around me was blurred and moving around and vibrating. Trying to move my arms, I realized that I was tied to a tree with rope that was digging into my arms giving them rashes.
I felt my fingers twitching and tried to move them. My index finger was the easiest to move, finally the rest followed. Finally able to move my neck in circles, I studied the camp more thoroughly; there was a fire to my left and odd looking tents circled around it around everything there were trees and bushes and a lake. None of this made sense, wasn't I just in a desert? Where was I?
Instantly my stomach growled, and I realized that I was hungry. I thought about the last time I ate was after I had crossed the small river. My stomach gurgled for the second time, I had to eat and drink something. I tried to wriggle my hands out of the rope. I paused, the hair sticking up on the back of my neck. I heard a noise, but it sounded like a whimper.
I looked around to the spot I thought I heard the noise. Looking around to the back of the tree I saw a boy who looked to be about 8 or 9, with sandy-blond hair and dark hazel eyes. I whipped my head around back to where the boy couldn't see me.
I was lost for words, suddenly everything clicked together, I knew that I was still drowsy from the darts. We were captured and I felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. Captured. I was awestruck, I let this happen. I was captured because of my rash thinking.
I heard a rustling from the forest, then everything was quiet. I felt my face turning red, and panic was taking over. I had to get out of here. Wriggling my hands around to free them from the rope tied around me, I got my left hand out. My arm was burning from the bark off the tree and the rope scratching it. I had given myself more space to get my other arm out. Standing up slowly, I stepped out from the rope. Careful not to trip I stretched and yawned.
*Snap* I heard a twig snap right in front of me I froze, and saw two bright yellow eyes looking strait at me. Then it crawled out of the forest, and lunged at me.
I started running towards the camp.
Chapter 6
For some odd reason my legs weren't working. Just after I started running the creature's paw captured my running shoe and pulled it off, insuring that I would slip, and I landed with my face right in a mud puddle. I quickly rolled onto my side just as the creature was going to pounce on me.
When I looked straight at the creature I realized that it was almost cat looking with dainty features, but it was stocky. Its face was different than a cat's though, it was all black with a large snout and a scar reaching from the left eye all the way to the bottom of it's face and the eyes were a fluorescent blue with brown circling it.
I got to my feet and started running, but back to the tree. When I was running, I realized that the hand-cuffs that were on my wrists had vanished. My ambushers must have taken them off, for some unknown reason, but I was glad. When I was running in the sand after I was thrown out of the vehicle, I didn't know how to get rid of them.
I did a double-take when I saw the boy. He hadn't moved, even though the rope was loose enough for him to slip through. Making a B-line towards the tree I picked up speed, hoping to have enough time to get the kid from the tree. When I got there he looked frozen with fear and wouldn't move. Begining to get frustrated I hit the tree with my fist.
I had to run. Feeling lop-sided, I ran around the large tree running aimlessly weaving. I looked back and I felt my pace slowing but I wanted to see where the 'cat' was. When I looked back I abruptly stopped. He wasn't there. I slowly jogged to kid. When I approched him I saw something flash in the tree. Stopping for a moment, I listened for sounds, but didn't hear any. Taking long rapid steps I caught up to the tree. I saw the knot that tied the rope together and tried to un-tie it. Once I was done with the knot my fingers were sore and some of my nails were bent back.
The little boy just stared at me the dashed to the left. Exasperated, tired and annoyed I rolled my eyes and sighed, all at once, and ran after him. I knew that if our kidnappers cought up to him they would, again, capture him. Finally, when I cought up to his pace, I heard a rustling noise and saw some leaves move in the tree that we were moving towards. It was young looking with claw-marks making their way down the sides.
Claw-markes. Coming to a complete stop, my eyes wide, I grabbed the kids shoulder and yanked him back. Two huge blue-green eyes stared at me looking like they were glaring at me. Realization hit me like a bullet and I turned and ran with the boy's arm in my grasp. I heard rapid thumps behind me and pushed the black haired boy infront of me, letting go of his arm. I felt a great weight on my back and tumbled to the ground, feeling like I had eight sharp knives making their way into my back.
Chapter 7
The pain deepened. The blond boy just stared at the creature, like he was so terrified he couldn't move. He probably was.
I tried to push myself off the ground, my arms were in the position of doing push-ups. Getting and inch off the ground, my arms started to wobble and, yet again, I fell flat on my face. I wracked my brain for any ideas to get out of the cats hold on me. The cat's mouth opened and the head started coming towards me- like it was ready to feast.
Everything started dissolving in white in little blocks, the weight that was bringing me down was lightened. I felt like I was being pulled from this place. The trees were dissolving in a white blend leaving nothing there. I couldn't feel anything. Suddenly everything turned black. I couldn't move and I couldn't open my eyes.
My eyes burst open. I was on a bed in a white room with a blue stripe going around the edges and there was a chair in the corner. I looked all over, I realized that something was in my mouth. It was a tube. Starting to panic, I heard beeping noises. White blotches captured my sight, leaving me blacking out, not seeing anything to being captivated with all the colours that were unfamiliar. My eyes started rolling back, and I became unconscious.
Everything was blurred and I had to concentrate to focus on what was happening. The weight on my shoulders was enormous. I tried one more time to lift myself up. I had more luck, on my right arm the cat's paw slipped off, scraping down my arm.
Straining my back and almost dislocating my shoulder, I turned my body around and looked at the creature. Turning, with my face back to the ground, I hit the cat's paw with my palm until it took it off for a brief second and I was free. Crawling forwards, I jumped back to my feet, grabbed a stick off the ground and ran towards the kid.
I yelled trying to get the boy's attention saying, "Start running toward the tree-line and head into the forest, I'm right behind you!" Turning around, the kid ran as fast as I could. I easily caught up to him. He started slowing down, I could tell that he couldn't run this fast for too long.
The trees were all clustered together. Directing the boy to the closest tree, I lifted him up to the closest branch. He was too weak to lift himself up the rest of the way so I pushed him. Jumping to reach the branch I swung my feet up to the branch and pulled myself up. Standing up, I grabbed him and lifted him onto the closest branch. I almost fell out the tree leaning so much. I continued getting us up the tree. Even though I knew that the cat was nowhere to be found, I continued up the tree.
Sitting on the thickest branch that was closest to the top we stopped climbing up the tree. Sundown was upon us and we were both tired. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Trying to start a conversation I asked him a question that startled him, "What's your name?" He looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't know why he gave me that look - neither did I care - I asked him the same question, "What's your name?"
"Jamie," was his answer, "Yours?"
I was speechless, I couldn't remember my name. It never occurred to me that I would have one- even need one. I closed my eyes. The answer was simple. I would make one up.
"Mira?" My reply came out as a question not an answer. He didn't notice anything, he just yawned and blinked. I realized that he wanted to sleep.
"We should move to the ground. Don't worry, I think the creature is gone." I think. Those were the key words. I think.
He seemed drowsy, like someone who had just woken up from a deep sleep. Realizing that he could fall out of the tree, I grabbed his arm and got us both to a lower branch and jumped.
My feet hit the ground with a sound *Thump*. The boy jumped right beside me. He leaned to one side and wobbled for a moment before he stood straighter. Still half asleep, he walked up to the tree sat down and closed his eyes. In a few short moments, I could tell that he had fallen asleep. I knew that it would have been safer to sleep during the day, but I allowed him to sleep. I didn't sleep. I didn't want to have another relapse of my dreams and I knew that it wouldn't be safe if I were to fall asleep.
A tree moved and I tensed. Realizing that it was a very stupid idea to go into the forest and not into the open, I ran my hand through my hair. I knew that there would be no point for kicking myself.
I sat hard on the ground. The tree rustled again. I didn't care though, I was almost asleep. All I remembered was falling hard of my back and not caring. I fell asleep instantly.
Chapter 8
I frantically searched the room for a door or an opening anywhere. The tears from my eyes made the cut on my cheek sting and my vision fuzzy. I heard the footsteps coming close to me, I had to get out of the room. My long black hair whipped me in the face when my head turned to see a window. I ran towards it across the office room and crawled over the desk, my left foot banged into the large computer screen. I winced in pain, while I was running through the forest I twisted my ankle. When I was close to the window, I stared at the reflection of myself in the window, looking nothing like I remembered two days ago. My black hair was two inches shorter than my elbows and black circles covered my light brown eyes, I was thinner than I was before all this chaos. Thump! The door wasn't strong enough to keep them from breaking it down. I tried to open the window with my shaking hands, but it was impossible. I looked around and saw a small brown stool in the corner to my left. I grabbed it, finding that it was heavier than I thought it would be. I smashed through the window with it and used it to take off the remaining glass on the edges. When I was almost done the door crashed open. "Don't move!" The woman with the short cropped red hair yelled at me. I froze than saw that her partner wasn't with her. I dropped the stool, and turned my head to face the window and saw that the roof of the building was a few foot-steps away. I stared at the woman who captured my gaze with fierce blue eyes that were glaring at me. Quickly I pulled my gaze from hers and evaluated my options. Relief was coursing through me because I knew that she wouldn't try to harm me, considering that I was only a thirteen-year old but her partner wouldn't think twice about it. I grinned thinking that my get-away wouldn't be so hard. Feeling adrenaline coursing through my body, I jumped out of the window. Right away my feet felt ground and I started limping as fast as I could.
Chapter 2
When I got onto the roof I felt the breath knocked out of me. I found myself on the ground, my arm was twisted around my back and my cheek had large scratches on it. Barely breathing because of shock, I saw that the red-head's comrade had tackled me. He was tall and bulky with black hair and scary hazel eyes that sent chills down my spine. I slowly tried to get to my feet, relying on my left hand and right foot to get to me up. I saw the red-head step in front of me and the black-haired man step behind me to cut me of. Fear made me freeze, scary thoughts took over my concentration making me hysterical. The red-head looked like she wanted to help me, but the man stopped her. I felt a swift blow to the back of my head and my knees crumpled from under me and my head hit the concrete below me. I would black out between intervals to feel my self being carried off the roof, but finally didn't wake up and dreams of my past took over me.
The tree wasn't a good cover but it would have to make due. I swiftly climbed up it, scared that the dogs would find me. I was shivering from having to go through the small river that made my clothes drenched with water. I could only go up at least four levels of branches before they got to small. Resting my back on the trunk of the tree, and setting my legs on the branch I hummed 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' over and over into the darkness. Fear was so intense I felt numb. My stomach growled and I felt like I was sick from the fear, grief and hunger. I had to force myself to stay awake while I found that my head kept nodding and jerking my body loosing my balance making my heart race. Finally I gave up. Dawn was already rising before I got so tired my body relaxed and I drifted of to total darkness.
I woke up struggling. The trunk of the vehicle made me claustrophobic. My knees were touching my face and they were squished to my body, my hands were tied around my back and my neck hurt from the strain. I attempted to move my head in a circle to work-out the pain in my neck but it throbbed from being the point of the blow. I lay ed still occasionally bumping up and down. I counted my breaths and felt the metal from the hand-cuffs digging into my wrists. The pain that was coursing through my body made tears come to my eyes. My cheek was hot. I felt rage contorting my thoughts from being rational to blunt. My hands felt the opening to the trunk, moving my foot to find the back light in a few swift movements, kicked it out. Turning my head behind me so that I could see what was out-side, pain erupted through my neck and back, but I ignored it. Light escaped through the opening, blinding me for a few seconds. When I looked out all I saw was sand. "No, no, no ,no, no!" My whimpering gradually getting louder and louder. I started thrashing around in the car and the trunk's door opened and I went flying out the back of the door. I could feel myself skidding across the sand-packed ground burning my arms, making them sting.
Chapter 3
The sand felt hard and rough. My arms were on fire. I brought my knees up to my chin and slipped my hands under my feet to the front of me. I pushed myself to my feet and saw the black jeep slow down. Thinking of what to do, I saw the man get out of the jeep and the red-head take over driving, they both turned my way. And they were both coming right for me. I did the only rational thing I could do, I ran as fast as I could. By time a minute ended, I wanted to stop and give up. My legs were jelly and my breath was shallow, and I still couldn't figure out why the jeep or the man didn't just stop me as I started running. I stopped abruptly, there was no noise behind me everything was silent. I instantly stopped running and turned around, there was no jeep and there was no man. I was stranded, my heart started pounding, and I was frozen. Sitting hard on the ground I couldn't figure out what to do, I had never had this situation come up that I could remember. Thinking of the only thing that I do when I am about to go crazy is think of names that could have been mine, while I did that I got to my feet and started walking the opposite way that I had gotten here. After about an hour of walking night was falling and it was becoming cold. I still couldn't find any evidence that a jeep had come this way. Making my way through the sand my mind wandered, and I was shivering. I could see fractions of faces that seemed vague but familiar, like they were apart of my past. While I wondered what my life could have been like before all of this, it got darker and I could barely see. The night sky was beautiful in a plain way, the stars were gone and no clouds were in the sky. My eyes widened at a thought, 'where am I?' The one thought that should have came to my mind before all the others. 'Where am I?' I laughed out loud with a cackle that sounded distant, broken and... unrecognizeable. I had heard myself speak, I knew it. Like when I sang. My mind flipped back and forth through attempts to drown the fear that was threatning to take over me. I was like this until I saw dawn, usually I would relax from all the hysterics and find a way to sleep before-. But then something made my thoughts come to a stop altogether. I felt something slither under my worn-out running shoes. There was a faint rattle and a low hiss then it stopped. My mind wasn't focusing on that though, it was focusing on the sharp pain that pierced through the skin on my leg that made it numb and feel like it was burning. I jerked my leg forward. What ever was attached to my leg let go slowly. Tears fell from my eyes making me frustrated because my vision was blurry. I already knew what happened, and I felt tired and distracted. Black dots invaded my eye sight, stoppping me from being able to see properly. The reason that was happening was because I was terrified. I was about to die.
Chapter 4
I couldn't believe it, I was going to die.
My lips trembled and the tears were soaking my face. I wanted to scream and break down right then and there, but I couldn't, something inside of me didn't want to give up. Barely crawling I made my way across the sandy grounds with my eyes blurred. My hands and knees were getting grinded down by the rough sand, also burning them because of the heat. My ankle was making me sick because of the pain, it was turning a solid black now and it hurt even more. Stopping at intervals to regain my strength and help the pain, I felt the ground slanting up.
I was climbing a small hill. I got up and stood with my back arched and my hands in front of me. The terrain up the hill was rocky, but stable. The wind would blow the sand in my eyes as I got higher up. Climbing the hill took longer than it should of. When I reached the top I stumbled and rolled down the opposite side, my arms flailed around trying to slow the fall. When I stopped rolling I didn't move I just layed on my side breathing shaky breaths.
I didn't cry this time I just stayed still while the hill's shadow covered me. Dark came and I got tired, the pain had been taken over with numbness. I kept drifting to sleep, but forced myself to stay awake until I finally just gave up.
The Barking got louder, and the foot-steps weren't more than just a rapid pounding. They could have been familiar if I listened closer, but I just ran as fast as my feet could carry me. Slowing down to swerve around trees, I could feel the breath of the dogs making my back warm. I could feel the vibrations of the dogs growling, in the air.
The chill from the air felt like it was commanding me to go faster, making my steps flow into a fast rhythm. I felt like I was being blown by wind, my senses were enhanced and my speed made the trees feel like they were speeding past me. I closed my eyes, feeling like I was invincible.
*Thwack!* My eyes snapped open. My neck went back first then the rest of me, flat on my back I looked up to see that a tree branch had whipped me in the face. As fast as I could, I got to my feet and ducked under the branch, it was long and thick and was vibrating from me running into it.
My nose was bleeding and blood was dripping on the ground, I felt pressure so badly I wanted to sit down, because it was making me nauseated.
Running slower than before, I started to stumble, I hadn't realised before that I was tired. The barking from the dogs kept me awake from the fear. I wanted to gain speed so I let out a loud breath of air and added a jump to each foot-step. Getting too close to a tree my foot got lodged into an up-routed route and made me stop. I was glad that I didn't fall flat on my face, it would have been more painfull with my nose that had stopped bleeding.
Back tracking to pull my foot out, I realised that it was painful to breath. I took my time to try and calm my breathing, finally my foot was free. My first step on it told me that I had sprained it. I rolled my eyes at my luck, the barking was so loud I was too distracted to think carefully of what to do next. Running was the only thing that seemed smart, so I jogged till I found a river.
The river's water was rushing fast as if the under current was to strong to pass through, but it would hopefully hide my scent from the dogs. I yanked my shoes and socks off my feet and held them above my head to keep them from being wet. Taking my first step into the water chills ran up my spine making the world stop around me. I put my second foot into the water and stiffly walked in until I was up to my waist.
My feet were swept from under me first, then my eyes were blurred from the muddy swamp. I was thrashed around hitting the many rocks that blocked my way. Feeling pain in my chest thinking it was going to blow from not being able to breathe, the water slowed and I re-surfaced.
My head jerked up and my breathing was furious. The dream that I had was real, as far as I could tell, but it didn't make sense.
I didn't ponder on that for long, my stomach growled and I felt like I could eat food and keep it down. I felt shade from the hill keep the sun's rays from burning me.
My mind was still wandering until I remembered my ankle. I was feeling no pain and it was a dark blue -not the black that it used to be- and the swelling was down.
Struggling to my hands, I found that the cuts that were fresh just a little bit were small scabs now. When I was planted on my feet I could stand tall and the pain that used to hound me was almost gone. I shouldn't be able to do this just after a short night, then I realised that I had been gone longer than a night, even a day. I had been in a coma, I felt hysterical, this couldn't be real I had to be dreaming. My breathing became shallow and I couldn't control myself, I was going crazy.
Chapter 5
My breathing was hard and short. What if I had imagined everything? What if this all hadn't happened? The thoughts going through my head were going so fast I couldn't think properly.
I felt something whip past my face and land on the ground beside my foot. Bending down I picked it up, realizing that it looked like a dart. It felt solid, I pricked my finger. The pain felt real enough. I smiled almost happy that I wasn't imagining all that was happening.
Two more darts hit my back. I didn't try to take them out.
I braced myself for more darts but everything was quiet. I turned around surprised.
Then unexpectedly, my fingers started to get numb, and the numbness reached all the way up my arm. Before I realized what was happening someone was wrestling me to the ground.
My face was numb and everything was fuzzy, I blacked out before I could make sense of what was happening. The last thought that passed through my head didn't fit together. Either way I couldn't remember it when I woke up.
When I woke up I felt nauseous and I still couldn't move my fingers. I could only see things that were close to my face everything around me was blurred and moving around and vibrating. Trying to move my arms, I realized that I was tied to a tree with rope that was digging into my arms giving them rashes.
I felt my fingers twitching and tried to move them. My index finger was the easiest to move, finally the rest followed. Finally able to move my neck in circles, I studied the camp more thoroughly; there was a fire to my left and odd looking tents circled around it around everything there were trees and bushes and a lake. None of this made sense, wasn't I just in a desert? Where was I?
Instantly my stomach growled, and I realized that I was hungry. I thought about the last time I ate was after I had crossed the small river. My stomach gurgled for the second time, I had to eat and drink something. I tried to wriggle my hands out of the rope. I paused, the hair sticking up on the back of my neck. I heard a noise, but it sounded like a whimper.
I looked around to the spot I thought I heard the noise. Looking around to the back of the tree I saw a boy who looked to be about 8 or 9, with sandy-blond hair and dark hazel eyes. I whipped my head around back to where the boy couldn't see me.
I was lost for words, suddenly everything clicked together, I knew that I was still drowsy from the darts. We were captured and I felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. Captured. I was awestruck, I let this happen. I was captured because of my rash thinking.
I heard a rustling from the forest, then everything was quiet. I felt my face turning red, and panic was taking over. I had to get out of here. Wriggling my hands around to free them from the rope tied around me, I got my left hand out. My arm was burning from the bark off the tree and the rope scratching it. I had given myself more space to get my other arm out. Standing up slowly, I stepped out from the rope. Careful not to trip I stretched and yawned.
*Snap* I heard a twig snap right in front of me I froze, and saw two bright yellow eyes looking strait at me. Then it crawled out of the forest, and lunged at me.
I started running towards the camp.
Chapter 6
For some odd reason my legs weren't working. Just after I started running the creature's paw captured my running shoe and pulled it off, insuring that I would slip, and I landed with my face right in a mud puddle. I quickly rolled onto my side just as the creature was going to pounce on me.
When I looked straight at the creature I realized that it was almost cat looking with dainty features, but it was stocky. Its face was different than a cat's though, it was all black with a large snout and a scar reaching from the left eye all the way to the bottom of it's face and the eyes were a fluorescent blue with brown circling it.
I got to my feet and started running, but back to the tree. When I was running, I realized that the hand-cuffs that were on my wrists had vanished. My ambushers must have taken them off, for some unknown reason, but I was glad. When I was running in the sand after I was thrown out of the vehicle, I didn't know how to get rid of them.
I did a double-take when I saw the boy. He hadn't moved, even though the rope was loose enough for him to slip through. Making a B-line towards the tree I picked up speed, hoping to have enough time to get the kid from the tree. When I got there he looked frozen with fear and wouldn't move. Begining to get frustrated I hit the tree with my fist.
I had to run. Feeling lop-sided, I ran around the large tree running aimlessly weaving. I looked back and I felt my pace slowing but I wanted to see where the 'cat' was. When I looked back I abruptly stopped. He wasn't there. I slowly jogged to kid. When I approched him I saw something flash in the tree. Stopping for a moment, I listened for sounds, but didn't hear any. Taking long rapid steps I caught up to the tree. I saw the knot that tied the rope together and tried to un-tie it. Once I was done with the knot my fingers were sore and some of my nails were bent back.
The little boy just stared at me the dashed to the left. Exasperated, tired and annoyed I rolled my eyes and sighed, all at once, and ran after him. I knew that if our kidnappers cought up to him they would, again, capture him. Finally, when I cought up to his pace, I heard a rustling noise and saw some leaves move in the tree that we were moving towards. It was young looking with claw-marks making their way down the sides.
Claw-markes. Coming to a complete stop, my eyes wide, I grabbed the kids shoulder and yanked him back. Two huge blue-green eyes stared at me looking like they were glaring at me. Realization hit me like a bullet and I turned and ran with the boy's arm in my grasp. I heard rapid thumps behind me and pushed the black haired boy infront of me, letting go of his arm. I felt a great weight on my back and tumbled to the ground, feeling like I had eight sharp knives making their way into my back.
Chapter 7
The pain deepened. The blond boy just stared at the creature, like he was so terrified he couldn't move. He probably was.
I tried to push myself off the ground, my arms were in the position of doing push-ups. Getting and inch off the ground, my arms started to wobble and, yet again, I fell flat on my face. I wracked my brain for any ideas to get out of the cats hold on me. The cat's mouth opened and the head started coming towards me- like it was ready to feast.
Everything started dissolving in white in little blocks, the weight that was bringing me down was lightened. I felt like I was being pulled from this place. The trees were dissolving in a white blend leaving nothing there. I couldn't feel anything. Suddenly everything turned black. I couldn't move and I couldn't open my eyes.
My eyes burst open. I was on a bed in a white room with a blue stripe going around the edges and there was a chair in the corner. I looked all over, I realized that something was in my mouth. It was a tube. Starting to panic, I heard beeping noises. White blotches captured my sight, leaving me blacking out, not seeing anything to being captivated with all the colours that were unfamiliar. My eyes started rolling back, and I became unconscious.
Everything was blurred and I had to concentrate to focus on what was happening. The weight on my shoulders was enormous. I tried one more time to lift myself up. I had more luck, on my right arm the cat's paw slipped off, scraping down my arm.
Straining my back and almost dislocating my shoulder, I turned my body around and looked at the creature. Turning, with my face back to the ground, I hit the cat's paw with my palm until it took it off for a brief second and I was free. Crawling forwards, I jumped back to my feet, grabbed a stick off the ground and ran towards the kid.
I yelled trying to get the boy's attention saying, "Start running toward the tree-line and head into the forest, I'm right behind you!" Turning around, the kid ran as fast as I could. I easily caught up to him. He started slowing down, I could tell that he couldn't run this fast for too long.
The trees were all clustered together. Directing the boy to the closest tree, I lifted him up to the closest branch. He was too weak to lift himself up the rest of the way so I pushed him. Jumping to reach the branch I swung my feet up to the branch and pulled myself up. Standing up, I grabbed him and lifted him onto the closest branch. I almost fell out the tree leaning so much. I continued getting us up the tree. Even though I knew that the cat was nowhere to be found, I continued up the tree.
Sitting on the thickest branch that was closest to the top we stopped climbing up the tree. Sundown was upon us and we were both tired. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Trying to start a conversation I asked him a question that startled him, "What's your name?" He looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't know why he gave me that look - neither did I care - I asked him the same question, "What's your name?"
"Jamie," was his answer, "Yours?"
I was speechless, I couldn't remember my name. It never occurred to me that I would have one- even need one. I closed my eyes. The answer was simple. I would make one up.
"Mira?" My reply came out as a question not an answer. He didn't notice anything, he just yawned and blinked. I realized that he wanted to sleep.
"We should move to the ground. Don't worry, I think the creature is gone." I think. Those were the key words. I think.
He seemed drowsy, like someone who had just woken up from a deep sleep. Realizing that he could fall out of the tree, I grabbed his arm and got us both to a lower branch and jumped.
My feet hit the ground with a sound *Thump*. The boy jumped right beside me. He leaned to one side and wobbled for a moment before he stood straighter. Still half asleep, he walked up to the tree sat down and closed his eyes. In a few short moments, I could tell that he had fallen asleep. I knew that it would have been safer to sleep during the day, but I allowed him to sleep. I didn't sleep. I didn't want to have another relapse of my dreams and I knew that it wouldn't be safe if I were to fall asleep.
A tree moved and I tensed. Realizing that it was a very stupid idea to go into the forest and not into the open, I ran my hand through my hair. I knew that there would be no point for kicking myself.
I sat hard on the ground. The tree rustled again. I didn't care though, I was almost asleep. All I remembered was falling hard of my back and not caring. I fell asleep instantly.
Chapter 8
I knew that there was no way that I was going to shoot him, but I was just going to scare him. The problem is that I wanted to shoot him. Badly. So badly that I scared myself.
Aiming the gun at the closest tree I pulled the trigger. My arm felt like it was being pushed back. I hadn't realized that the gun would have that much power.
When I looked down to see the reaction on the man's face I was shocked. He didn't look worried or even remotely scared. He must have known I wasn't going to shoot him. I had hoped that this would be the last time we would run into each other. I was pretty sure that it wasn't going to happen.
Knowing that there was going to be no point of me telling him not to follow because I already made that thought clear, I started backing up into the forest to get as far away from him as I could. Then, realizing I still had the gun in my hand felt a little bit of confidence, I just hoped that there were still some bullets in it. I put the safety feature on so I wouldn't accidentally shoot myself when I started running with it in my hands and my finger off the trigger.
Calling the name 'Jamie' repeatedly, I was getting frustrated that he wasn't answering me. After what felt like an hour I, stopped yelling and continued looking. The same thoughts kept on going through my head; why would some kid who doesn't know this area of the forest purposely get lost?! What was he thinking?!
Something hard hit the back of my head. I whipped myself around, but I could see nothing. Feeling something - probably a rock - pelt the side of my face. At that exact moment I saw some movement from the closest tree and walked up to it shielding my face from the assault of rocks.
"Mira?" A familiar voice whispered so silently I had to listen closely to find out that it wasn't the wind. "I got stuck in the tree trying to climb it, can you help me down?"
I put my hands on my hips and rolled my eyes, "Why were you even over here anyways? And what was the point in trying to climb the tree?"
"I thought it would be fun to get lost." his voice screamed with unnecessary sarcasm, I made a 'tsk-ing' noise.
"Fine then, until you give me a reasonable explanation, your going to stay stuck in that tree." I knew that I didn't have enough patience until I would climb that tree and purposely throw him out of it, but he didn't.
It was five minutes until I learned that he was still alive. From being so quiet I almost thought that he had gotten down the tree. The problem was that while he was speaking, a loud, harsh noise rang echoing all around. I decided to climb up the same tree that he was in. The harsh noise was almost like footsteps and voices.
Something hard hit the back of my head. I whipped myself around, but I could see nothing. Feeling something - probably a rock - pelt the side of my face. At that exact moment I saw some movement from the closest tree and walked up to it shielding my face from the assault of rocks.
"Mira?" A familiar voice whispered so silently I had to listen closely to find out that it wasn't the wind. "I got stuck in the tree trying to climb it, can you help me down?"
I put my hands on my hips and rolled my eyes, "Why were you even over here anyways? And what was the point in trying to climb the tree?"
"I thought it would be fun to get lost." his voice screamed with unnecessary sarcasm, I made a 'tsk-ing' noise.
"Fine then, until you give me a reasonable explanation, your going to stay stuck in that tree." I knew that I didn't have enough patience until I would climb that tree and purposely throw him out of it, but he didn't.
It was five minutes until I learned that he was still alive. From being so quiet I almost thought that he had gotten down the tree. The problem was that while he was speaking, a loud, harsh noise rang echoing all around. I decided to climb up the same tree that he was in. The harsh noise was almost like footsteps and voices.
