Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Chapter One-Going Over The Edge

         Why is that when you want to sleep in your body decides otherwise. For some unknown reason I'm wide awake at eight in the morning on a Saturday when I should be fast asleep. I'm only in the eleventh grade and like any other teenager I should be sleeping in till noon on a weekend. I kept rolling around for about an hour trying to go back to sleep. I eventually gave up throwing the sheets aside. I could hear my mom downstairs singing one of the many hymns she knew from church. At least this morning I was awake in time to see her off to work for a change. Walking down the stairs I rubbed my eyes getting rid of whatever sleepiness I had left.
         Downstairs my mom was in the middle of cooking breakfast. She always sang whenever she was cooking and to me she has a beautiful voice. It's pretty obvious that she could sing especially since she is in charge of the choir at out church. She smiled at me when she saw me enter the kitchen and without even asking got to work on cooking enough food for the two of us. I knew that my father was all ready long gone to work since he had to be there by seven in the morning. You've got to be there early if you're the foreman of the local mill that employees pretty much everyone in town. My mom usually wakes up with him to make sure he eats before he leaves for work and has a good healthy lunch since the doctor told him to watch his cholesterol. My mom has been all about eating healthy for the past two years. At first what she was cooking would never taste right because she wasn't sure about what to mix together to make it taste good. Over time though she managed to figure it out and now everything she makes tastes amazing. So when she set down a plate of whole wheat pancakes, turkey bacon and scrambled egg whites I knew they would taste good.
         "Going to be doing anything special today?" my mom wondered.
         "Original plan was to just lounge around the house in my pajamas." I shrugged.
         "Sounds productive." she laughed.
         "It's a Saturday and I'm a teenager. Being productive on the weekend is not something that I'm capable of." I joked.
         "See that sounds like a typical teenager but I'm pretty sure you aren't a typical teenager." she pointed out.
         "Very true. Who wants to give in to peer pressure and be like everyone else." I said rolling my eyes at her.
         That was just the type of relationship my mom and I have. She's my best friend but when it comes to being my mom she doesn't hesitate to fit that roll. I get along with my dad but he's more of my friendly body guard that makes sure no one gets near his baby. It's nice knowing that I get along with my parents. There are so many of my friends at school that claim that they dislike or even hate their parents. I couldn't imagine hating my parents no matter what they do. True there have been times that I was unhappy with some of the things they have said or done. At the same time you can't hate the people that gave you life and took the time to raise you. 
         Just as I finished eating breakfast my mom gave me a kiss on the forehead as she headed out to work. She wore her favorite Winnie the Pooh scrubs today. My mom worked as a nurse at the local doctors office and she always wore scrubs that were colorful. She even has scrubs that are tie dye that she actually dyed herself. She was never one to really care about what's hip in fashion. She always went for what she liked and was comfortable for her to wear. Thanks to her example I tend to the same thing. When I go shopping with my friends they always try to get me to buy clothing that they have seen celebrates wear. I always end up looking at them with an "you've got to be kidding me face". Half the time the clothing my friends like are covered in sequins or they show more skin than I'm comfortable showing. My least favorite is the heels they like to wear that are at least six inches high and they can barely walk in them. The easiest way to describe my style would be simple but I don't care.I like the clothes I wear and that's all that matters to me.
         When my mom left for work it left me alone in our two story house. I sighed trying to figure out what I was going to do today. I could go see any number of my friends but I wasn't sure I was going to want to do everything they want to do. There was an option to sit on the couch reading a book or even watching some movies. None of that seemed very appealing at the moment. Looking out the window to the backyard I could see my backyard that stretch all the way to the tree lines. One of the good things about living in a small town means that my backyard is more than just a small square. I finally decided that I wanted to go exploring through my enormous backyard.
         I went back upstairs changing in to a pair of short jeans that ended just above my knees along with a simple white tank top. I found my sneakers downstairs by the front door along with my backpack. I quickly put together some snacks and made sure I had plenty of water. I did for a second wonder if I should call any of my friends to come with me. I ended up decided against that since I knew most of my friends preferred to go get manicures than hike through the forest. Even the guy friends I had wanted to play more video games than anything else. So instead I threw my backpack over my shoulders closing the back door behind me to make my way through the forest behind my house.
         I've done this exploring so many times now over the years that I could wander aimlessly without worrying to get lost. When I was younger I used to go camping with my parents roasting smores over a campfire. I loved going out there so much that I read as much as I could about the wilderness so that I knew what to do if anything had gone wrong. At this point I knew everything from what animal sound belonged to what animal and what plants were safe to eat. Why not make sure you have the knowledge when it comes to something you enjoy? Today I was partially hoping that I would come across some cliffs that I could climb. Over the past couple of years I've gotten more and more in to climbing. I love the thrill of  trying to climb as high as possible relying only on your strength to keep you going. Because as soon as you give up you'll come crashing down. 
         As I kept moving through the forest every so often I would have to push aside some bushes as well as climb over some fallen trees. Ever so often I would have to duck down to avoid low hanging trees. Since the small town is in the middle of a forest most of the animals weren't that afraid of humans as they should be. I had a family of rabbits run across in front of me. Moments later I had two tan birds fly close to my head twittering away. Walking through the woods I always ended up letting my mind wander and every so often I wondered whether or not there were things in the woods that couldn't be explained by science. I knew that it was childish to think that maybe there is a possibility that there is some magic in the world. Yet I couldn't help but wonder if it was all just right under our noses and no one realized it. Growing up you're told that magic isn't real so over time you believe that. Why would an adult think that magic exists when they don't actually believe it? Why would any one look for magic when you don't think it exists?
         I kept going miles in to the forest not too worried about how far in I was going. I knew my way back and I was well aware of the places that I should avoid. I knew where the wolves in the area preferred to hunt and the caves that they lived in. I knew about the broken bridge that was built to get over a canyon that had a rushing river at the bottom of it. As much as I liked to explore I wasn't crazy enough to put myself in to dangerous situations like that.
         I stopped around the middle of the day to eat some lunch. I sat with my back against one of the trees looking up at the branches where the sun light peaked through. A soft breeze came through ruffling my hair around my face cooling off my warm skin. I closed my eyes enjoying the feel of the breeze. With my eyes closed I was able to hear more of the leaves shifting in the wind. I could hear squirrels chattering and a woodpecker drilling away at the a nearby tree trunk. I didn't understand why any one would want to live in the city. Everything here was so peaceful and calm. In the city people seem to go a thousand miles a minute not knowing how to slow down to enjoy the moment. While in the forest you heard birds singing in the city all you get is sirens shrieking by every five minutes. Give me a day like this any time and I'll be happy.
         My peace didn't last very long today though. Only seconds after I finished eating I heard something crashing through the forest. I lifted my head wondering what was out here with me. It didn't sound big enough to be a car or a bear. I stood up unsure if I should turn and run. Should I even climb the tree I was standing by? I jumped when I heard the sound of a tree falling feeling the ground shake under my feet. My second plan ended up winning out. I quickly swung my back pack over my shoulders jumping up to grab the lowest branch. It took me a second to swing my leg up and over pulling myself up on to the branch. I climbed higher up in to the branches so that I was hidden but could still see the ground below me. I was very glad that I had managed to climb in to the tree when I did because just seconds after I got to my hiding spot two men came barreling out of the bush. 
         I felt my jaw drop when I realized that they were actually fighting each other. It was as if I had been dropped in to the middle of some martial arts movie. They each threw punches and kicks in ways that made it hard for me to follow what was going on. What I could tell was what they looked like. One looked like he was probably in his early thirties with a little scruff growing around his jaw and lips. His shaggy dirty blond hair stuck to his forehead from sweat. The left side of his face was scared deeply from what looked like a burn that seemed to have bleached the color out of his left eye. With every movement he made the muscles under his fair skin rippled. He looked like someone that could potentially punch a chunk out of the tree trunk.  I couldn't understand how the other guy could stay standing after a punch in the jaw from that man.
         The second man didn't look more than a few years older than me with jet black hair and bangs that swept to the side. The many silver earrings in his right ear shined every time he passed under some sun light. His tan skin looked like it belonged to someone that spent a lot of time at the beach. I could just make out lines of a black tattoo poking out over his shoulders from underneath his tank top. His eyes were a very deep green with a black ring around the edges. I felt my heart tighten when I saw his eyes. There seemed to be so much sadness behind his eyes. I was startled away from staring at his eyes when the first man with the scar grabbed the man with the tattoo and threw him hard. The man with the tattoo slammed in to the tree that I was hiding in. I was surprised when I felt the entire tree actually quiver forcing me to grab on tighter to the branches I was using for balance. If I hadn't been holding on I was pretty sure that I would have fallen possibly breaking my neck.
          The man with the tattoo appeared to be dazed and the other man wasn't going to give up this opening. I had to cover my mouth so that I didn't gasp out loud when I saw the man with the scar pull out a dagger. The blade of the dagger looked like it was made of glass with golden writing all around the edges. Even though the man with scar only had one clear eye it was clear that he was going to kill the man lying dazed on the ground. I bit my lip unsure if I should step in to stop what was about to unfold in front of me. On one hand I could stay hidden and safe where I was just to watch someone possibly die. On the other hand I could do something about it and save someone else. Sure enough the second option is the one that won the war in my mind.
         I quickly began climbing down trying my best not to be spotted. I may not know how to fight but at least I can stun the man with scar long enough that the man lying on the ground could get his bearings again. I wasn't sure if helping the man lying on the ground was a good idea. For all I knew he could turn around and hurt me any ways. I could even get myself hurt or killed trying to help him. Yet as I went from branch to branch I knew that if I didn't do anything to at least try and help I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I wouldn't be able to look in the mirror and feel that I'm a good person. So when I got to the lowest branch I hooked my hands around it crouching down like a cat ready to surprise the man with the dagger.
         In this moment I was really glad my mom had agreed to let me take gymnastics for a year when I was eight. Just as the man was getting right below me I jumped swinging my legs out then under me. I let my momentum carry me forward letting my hands on the branch swing me through the air. I clenched my teeth as I felt the bark of the branch scrap in to the skin on the palms of my hands. When the man with the dagger saw me he was so focused on the man lying on the ground he didn't notice me in time to dodge. I slammed the bottom of my sneakers in to the side of his face as hard as I possibly could. I let go of the branch to land on my feet as the man with the dagger with flying rolling several times across the ground before being stopped my a tree trunk. I didn't hesitate to grab the dagger the man with the scar dropped just in case I needed something to defend myself with. I was so scared in that moment I barely noticed how warm the hilt of the dagger felt in my hand.
         "What the hell are you doing?" the man with tattoo demanded.
         "H-he was going to kill you." I stammered.
         "Yes he was trying to kill me but now he's going to try to kill you too." the man with the tattoo groaned.
        "He's right. You should have just stayed where you were hiding. Now I'll make sure you suffer as much as he does." the man with scar said a slight growl behind his voice.
        "Come on." the man with the tattoo demanded grabbing my hand.
         "Wha-"
         I barely even got out a word before the man with the tattoo yanked me after him as he began running. I tripped over my feet several times trying to keep up after him. I may be in shape from all the hiking I do in these forests but the speed he was running at was difficult even for me. I could hear the man with scar barreling after us. I could even feel the pounding of my heart in my chest so hard making my ribs hurt. I was very sure that I was on the verge of having a panic attack. I've never been so scared in my life before that I could taste bile in the back of my throat. I was so busy just trying to make sure I didn't get dragged across the ground that I wasn't quite paying attention to where we were going.
         The man with tattoo stopped so suddenly that I ended up running directly in to his back. I was very happy that he had enough balance that I didn't knock him over the edge of the broken bridge. We had managed to find ourselves standing on what was left of the bridge that had fallen during a nasty storm ten years ago. The canyon went along for at least twenty or so miles either way so there was no chance that we could run around it. The bridge had been the only way across the canyon unless you wanted to make the trip around. Now we were trapped with a killer still coming for us. I turned around holding the dagger ready to fight if I have to. My entire body was shaking including the hand that was holding on to the dagger. The blade was very clearly shaking making it appear thicker than it was.
            "You're not going to like this but you'll thank me when we're safe." the man with the tattoo said from behind me.
           I could see the man with scar running toward us darting between the trees. He would be on top of use in a matter of seconds. I was just about to ask what he was talking about when I felt myself get swept off my feet. I was so startled that I dropped the dagger in my hand to the ground. The man with the tattoo had one hand holding on to my legs while the other was behind my back holding me in a cradling position. He then turned his back to the canyon facing the man with the scar getting ever closer to us. I had the sinking feeling that helping this man had been a bad choice after all. At the very least I was able to say I love you to my mom before she left for work this morning. Now I was going to most likely leave them wondering what happen to me all because I just had to help someone.
           I let out a scream as I felt both the man with the tattoo and me start to fall. He was right I don't like this because he just sent the too of us falling over backwards in to the canyon. I would much rather have dealt with the man with the scar than free fall towards a very hard bottom. My stomach felt like it had been left behind on the bridge while my heart felt like it was in my throat. The wind roaring in my ears was so loud it felt like I was standing in a wind tunnel. The man with the tattoo was holding on to me so tightly that my head was pressed against his chest and I could feel his heart pounding on my cheek. I was wrong about being scared before. This was definitely the most terrifying feeling in the world. I just hoped that when we hit the bottom it wasn't going to hurt.
            I guess I wasn't going to find out whether or not falling at least twenty stories to hit the ground was going to hurt or not. Half way down I felt my eyes roll in to the back of my head and everything went black. I wasn't going to know if I would even survive a fall like this. I wasn't remotely sure as to whether or not I had made the right decision as to help save this man that I was plummeting with. There was also the matter of my parents ever knowing what happened to me. There were so many thoughts that raced through my head in that moment my eyes rolled in to the back of my head before I was out cold. If I woke up I would then possibly find out the answers to these questions. I might even learn what this man with tattoo's name is. Hopefully I wake up.