I woke up in a hospital bed. How did I get here? Who found me? Why are there tubes in my inner elbow? What's this thing over my mouth? It tastes like my inhaler. My body feels weird.
If this is the hospital, then I need to get out of here. I can't go back to therapy, I can't go to a mental hospital. I searched my pockets for my phone. I pulled it out and looked at the time. I looked around the room. No one was around, so if I just walked out, no one would notice.
I grabbed the beginning of the tubes and pulled. I seethed in agony, the pain biting at my arm. I grabbed the other tubes from my other arm and ripped them from my body. I removed the mask from my mouth and stood up from the bed. I shuffled to the door and opened it. I just walked out. No one cared that I was awake.
I looked around to see if my family was there. Nope. They weren't here yet. I bolted to an elevator. I pressed the button to the first floor and waited. The elevator jolted before resuming to it's usual purpose. It does that normally but I guess I'm still out of it. I held on to the bars that reside in the elevator until it stopped. The doors opened and I stepped out. The exit was right there.
I looked around the place again. No one was there to stop me, no one to tell me I couldn't do it. I ran to the exit and bolted out into the parking lot. I ran past the lot and into the forest. I knew how to get home, I made markings on the trees and I can see really good in the dark. I could already see some in the distance. A tree, with the words "ati" on the tree. That was one of the many words that people couldn't understand so our markings were safe and unknown whether it was seen or not. I went past the tree and started walking to a creek. The creek was just in the forest down the steep hill of the neighborhood.
But only me and the others went to go play there. The hill wasn't far away, and hopefully nobody was there. I ran until I heard the rushing waters of the creek. I slowed down and followed it, the sound of rushing water. I finally saw the creek. Trees never covered the creek from the shining moon, branches never branched over the creek like any normal one. So I could see it clearly. I stepped on the rocks of the creek to cross, which were perfectly aligned. My feet got wet from the water on the rock and my hands as well for whenever I would slip.
I reached the other side of the creek and continued with my journey home. There was a path that was indented into the ground with how long we've been coming down here. I followed it. I followed it home, to the hill. The hill was muddy and would now be hard to get up but it was all worth it.
I got my clothes muddy going up the hill. My hands were muddy too. I slipped many times before I made it up the hill. It was cold out and the mud on me was starting to dry. But right there, in front of my eyes, was my house. I ran to it and ran inside. It was empty, everyone was at the hospital. I ran inside and looked around. If I wanted to escape then I would have to think really fast. I went to the bathroom and took a shower. I threw my clothes into the wash and then went upstairs. I opened my backpack and threw everything out. I need to run away, but where? And two, I need money and I need to unlock my phone but I have that stuff all figured out. I packed my bag with clothes for warm and cold weather. I packed my phone and charger. But what else? If I stole enough money, there would be no need to pack food. That's smart and clever. I ran downstairs with my bag and went into my parents room. I walked into the closet and looked around.
The passwords to my phone would be in there. I went to an old jar my father had saved and looked around in it. I found an old wallet and opened it. There it was, the passwords written down on an old piece of paper. I pulled out my phone and low and behold. It worked. I unlocked the parental controls on it and there. I had everything. My parents could never track my location again, never track who I was texting and never track what I was looking at. One step was finished. I dug in the jar some more. I stole a couple of dollars, about thirty. I then put it back where I found it. I giggled as I made my way to my dad's dresser. I searched the top of it. There, six out of the fifteen most recent credit cards were used. It was funny how easy this was. If I wanted I could steal my stepmom's Prada purses too but it wouldn't make my journey any easier. I stole them. I hid them in a tiny pocket of my bag.
I went back out to the kitchen and searched the cabinets. I stole bandaids, duct tape, some bandages, a flashlight and batteries, a notebook and tons of pens, and a knife. I ran back upstairs and up to the bathroom. I grabbed some soaps and deodorant. I ran back to my room and to my closet. I grabbed a couple beanies and thick sweaters.
I finished with my packing and went onto my phone. I went onto my text messages and decided to text Valentine.
Noxy
Val, where are you?
Valentine 🇬🇭
Nox where are you? Where did you go??
Noxy
I went home. I'm running away
Valentine 🇬🇭
What, where?
Noxy
I have no idea, but I'll just see it on my phone.
Valentine 🇬🇭
Wait, why are you telling me this?
Noxy
Because I want y'all to run away with me, we can get away from everything, there is nothing left for us here.
Valentine 🇬🇭
Huh? What about money, we're poor, we'll starve before we get anywhere.
Noxy
I have that covered, don't worry about it. Just please, come with me, i dont like being alone.
Valentine 🇬🇭
What about Mango, and Chayton and Catori? What about them?
Noxy
I want them to come too, I will text them separately
Valentine 🇬🇭
I dunno, Mango is pretty freaked out, i think she's gonna turn you in
Noxy
No, she won't. Not after I talk to her
Valentine 🇬🇭
Oh alright. I get home and start packing
Noxy
Good, text me when you're done. Meet me at the koo
Valentine 🇬🇭
Ok, see you
I smiled and went to text Mango. How will I convince her to run away with us?
Noxy
Run away with me
Mango 🥭
What, Omg Nox where are you??
Noxy
Please don't rat me out, please, just ran away with us
Mango 🥭
Us? Whose us
Noxy
Me and Valentine, but I want the twins to come with us too
Mango 🥭
What about money?
Noxy
Dont worry about it, i have it covered. Just please, come with me. There's nothing for us here anymore,
Mango 🥭
Where will we even go?
Noxy
Im not sure but ill look up locations to get us away from here.
Mango 🥭
Ok fine, ill make an excuse to go home
Noxy
Meet us at the koo when you are done
Mango 🥭
Ok,
I smiled again and looked around my room. I thought of all the stuff I had. I didn't care, with all the money on these cards are crazy a lot. And if we do run out, my dad will have to put more on because he will want to find me to seem like a hero. I wish I was this smart in school.
Noxy
Ok, dont ask about money, dont ask where we'll go. We are running away, pack your things and meet us at the koo
ChayChay
Alr
Tori ⚡
Right on,
That was easier than I thought. Especially with Mango.
I packed a few protein bars from my dad's room, so that we didn't have to stop.
As I was pacing around the house, trying to figure out what else I would bring, I passed Nari's room. I stopped in my tracks and looked at the door. I paused before I reached for the door knob and turned it. I opened the door and went inside. Her room was softly lit. I dug in the draws of her desk, trying to look for something. I found a sketchbook with dress designs. I stole it. I didn't want my parents to have this. I looked around some more. What else would I need? I found a couple of her books, so I took those too. I looked around some more, nothing much left to take, there never was.
I looked toward her bed, where a dark red sweater with black eyes was lying there. I wanted that too, and I took it. I pulled it over my head, wearing it. It smelled like the caramel perfume she wore. That's why I liked being in her room so much, because it smelt like my favorite candy. I looked around for that very perfume, it wasn't there. It seemed like her room was already ransacked and raided. Weird. But I guess she did have a really large bag going to the designer club. I guess she just wanted to show it or just smell good while she was there.
I left her room and went down the stairs. I walked outside and put my hood on. I went into the forest a different way. I had changed into boots since I knew it was gonna be muddy. I trudged the forest's floors to a small clearing with a frail willow tree in the middle. This is what we called the koo. It was a real part of it and it was just so majestic. I stood at it's trunk and looked up at it. It was always protected by the rain. I climbed up the tree and sat on it's lowest branches. My phone was too boring to open so I sat for a while before getting tired of sitting here doing nothing. I opened my backpack and scavenged for something to keep me busy.
I pulled out one of the books that I got from Nari's room. It was a light brown colour and old. Where did she get this from? Maybe from one of her kooky friends, her crazy ones. I heard one of the friend's grandma disappeared mysteriously for three days and then turned up in Cambodia at a swap meet buying antique keys and weird looking dice. And was buying pocket watches with weird symbols on them. She went into questioning but after that the police or FBI never bothered her again. Some say she casted a spell on them, because she always said her ancestors were witches, but some also said that it was maybe just a misunderstanding.
I opened the book and flipped through the pages. It was obviously a fantasy book with an unrealistic love interest because that's all she ever read. One of the pages suspiciously had the American map on it, with a line that went from California to Connecticut. Odd. That wasn't supposed to be there, this is a fantasy book that takes place in a continent called HavenShield. I turned the page and searched for some answers in the book. Some words were underlined. It was some dialogue asking how someone was doing. What did that have to do with anything?
I shook the book in anger, for not making any sense. A folded piece of old paper fell out. It was heading for the wet ground. I jumped out of the tree and fell onto the ground, catching it as I went down. I rotated to my back and unfolded the paper. The letters were in thick cursive and I think some of the words were in another language. But some of it was really clear. It was a letter from when America was first settled, which was originally in the 1600s, in other words, very long ago.
I read it through, the letter was interesting indeed.
It specifically read that whoever wrote this, was a witch.