BreathePeople always tell me to breathe in. What does that do? Nothing. They won't go away.
The nights in my room, everyone surrounded me. Laughing at me, taunting me, hurting me, hitting me. There was no escape. All I could do was scream myself to sleep. My mother would burst into my room and tell me to breathe. It never helps.
One night, it got awful. I woke up to find dark figures surrounding me. They laughed, they taunted, they hurt, they hit. I couldn't, I couldn't. I couldn't scream myself to sleep. I couldn't breathe in. All I could do was run, run.
I silently grabbed my sweatshirt and dashed out the front door, with the figures in pursuit. The night was cold, dawn was near. I didn't know where I was going, all I knew was that I was going far.
I eventually stumbled upon an empty plot of land as dawn broke. I had no idea where I was neither did I care. The figures had faded into the night, and that was all that mattered.
I noticed a cot lying in the middle of the land, abandoned of course. It looked dusty, no one had used it in years and it was clearly battered by rain and dust. It had no owner.
Until now.
I sat on the cot, which was surprisingly sturdy, and opened my book. It was the only item I brought with me. I still had school, the only place where they refused to follow me. I shifted through the pages for about an hour, when I finally got up.
It was Sunday morning, I could hear the laughter of children and the gossiping of adults in the distance. Some pedestrians gave me strange looks, one person even whispered to their friend that I looked to young to be homeless.
I don't care that she said that. My classmates already pointed fingers at me for being a loner, I was afraid. Some people are no different from the figures.
I left the plot of land and started wandering around. I couldn't sit all day, I needed food, and fast.
Eventually I discovered a park. I saw one of my classmates there, he took one look at me, snickered, and left.
I know I was desperate, but I really need food.
When no one was looking, I silently dug through the trash. It was barren and had recently been emptied. No luck there.
I was just about to look somewhere else when I heard a voice.
"Mom, what is that girl doing?"
I panicked, were the figures here? I was starting to feel dizzy when I saw the a boy on the playground.
He was giving me a very concerned look. I held one finger to my lips for him to be quiet. He nodded and continued playing.
Then I noticed a solemn-looking woman walking towards me. She wore a very short red dress, looked hispanic, and about in her 40's.
"Are you okay?" She asked me.
"Yes, I'm fine." I said, very dismissive. I knew I could only trust kids and people my age, certainly not adults.
"Why were you digging through the trash?"
"I..um, lost an earring," I lied. "Have you seen it anywhere? It's white, and shaped like a ring."
"I'm afraid I haven't," the woman replied. "I'm sorry you lost it, I could call the neighborhood watchmen to keep an eye out for it,"
"No, it's fine really," I dodged. "It's very cheap."
"Ah, I see," The woman scratched her nose. "What's your name? I haven't seen you around here."
"I'm Kara," I responded, I had told yet another lie. I couldn't give this woman my real name, my mother is probably hysterical right now, and I can't have strangers throwing my name around. It's bound to catch up to her.
"Well Kara, I'm Bella," She responded. "Nice to meet you,"
"Nice to meet you to," I said. "I need to go, I've been looking for it in awhile and my parents are bound to be worried."
"Oh, okay," She tilted her head to the side. "I apologize for my son's behavior," she gestured towards the boy on the playground who I shut up. "Alexander speaks before he thinks,"
"It's fine, I have a little sister, I'm used to it." I said, I then went pale. That was not a lie.
"Oh?" Bella asked. "How old is she,"
"Thirteen," I answered. I was back on the lying road after a bump.
Bella smiled. "Alexander's nearly twelve, he's becoming a little more mature, but he needs to speed up. I have a daughter who's about your age, she's mature, but she's glued to her books."
"Yeah, it was nice meeting you!" I said.
"You too," She smiled.
I left as fast as I could, I couldn't risk interacting with anyone else. I soon arrived at a park that had more greenery. They had some fruit growing there, and I picked some apples as well as some flowers.
I gave the flowers to a local ranger for cash. He gave me about $20, he told me that he'd pay me a lot if I brought him some fish to him, and he gave me a rod.
The last time I fished was when my dad was still here. I loved my dad, in the words of my mother, he'd "protect" me from my "hallucinations".
One night I was reading a book, I put it down and saw a dark figure staring straight into my eyes. I screamed nd threw the book at the beast, but it did no harm. More came out, under my bed, in my closet, through the window, blocking all escapes. I ran to my door but they blocked my way. I was trapped, I screamed and banged the ground as hard as I could, hoping that the floor would give way by some absurd chance and I'd lose them.
My dad kicked the door open. The figures vanished, he took me in his arms. I was crying hysterically, I couldn't breathe. My hugged me tight and whispered to me that they were gone and that they'd never hurt me, while my mother stood in the doorway rolling her eyes and complaining about how I'd woken her up.
"Don't worry," My dad had said. "As long as I'm here, which will be forever, they'll never hurt you."
My dad wasn't here forever. That was the only lie he ever told me.
I felt the rod lurch forward, and before I knew it, a beautiful striped fish was in my hand. The ranger told me that it was moderately valuable and gave me $150 for it. I now had $170 in my pocket.
I spent some of it on dinner at some run-down burger-joint. After I was done, I had $163 left.
I walked to my new home afterwards. I needed sleep, school was tomorrow. Day one of who-knows-how-many complete.
As long as I'm here they won't hurt you.
