Chapter 1
I could hear them following me.
All I could think was not here, not now. I dealt with my growing gang of tormentors enough at school. Now they were following me to my sanctuary. Tears threatened to spill over my anxious eyes. There weren’t many places I could hide anymore. The last time I encountered them on my own, I had ended up with bruises and a large cut to my arm. A fading scar on my left arm was a constant reminder of that day. My parents had done all they could to protect me. The principal had even called in the police on more than one occasion. This only fed their hatred. No one could ever give me a reason why they were constantly after me. My parents thought they were jealous. My denials only prompted my parents into telling me how I never saw myself the way they did.
I would never understand.
By worldly standards I was considered a beauty.
My hair was almost to my waist. It was chestnut brown with auburn highlights. I had finally grown out of my baby fat stage, as my mom liked to call it. Thankfully I no longer had to listen to her solicit constant helpful tips on how to lose those extra few unwanted pounds. She always wanted me to try some crazy diet with her. I had grown almost 8 inches in the past year. I was five foot seven and still growing. My body was long and lean thanks to my new addiction to running. My eyes are the color of the Caribbean ocean on a sunny day.
Looking in the mirror, they were my favorite part of my refection.
I had always been active in student government. However, lately one of my favorite things at school was working with the kids with special needs. There was a special program where they taught life skills to kids. I was the student who was in charge. It was there where I spent the bulk of my after school time. Being around those without a voice.. I could relate to how they felt, like right now. My voice was caught behind the lump in my throat. I was rushing and my lungs were starting to rebel.
The top of the clearing was quickly approaching.
It was a pretty barren hill. Rounding at the top and then heading back down there wasn’t much to see with the exception of a large wishing well. It sat right smack dab in the middle of the hill; you could see 360 degrees from it. I had sent many wishes down into the ebony abyss hoping they would someday come true. The only wish I needed answered right now was for me to disappear.
I searched for a hiding spot.
Even though I had been to the top of this hill a hundred times I prayed something new would magically materialize. Luck didn’t seem to be on my side today. One reason I loved this hill is because it sat high up. You could see the whole valley from up here. I could spend hours sitting up against the wishing well. Either I would read or just daydream.
The well itself had seen better days.
It had been here longer than the town. It had been built out of broken gray mortar bricks. Early settlers had built it to christen and bless the land. They had been extremely superstitious, so they built it before harvesting a single tree. Dis-use and no one taking the time to repair the damage over the years had started to show. Grass grew between the cracks; moss was starting to cover most of the bricks. Once out of curiosity I had tried to use the hand crank to see if it still worked.
It was frozen in place but I could see the bucket was still intact not far from the rim.
It was larger than a normal bucket and square in shape. The sounds of their rough shuffling footsteps were getting louder. I could hear them gasping for breath. This trip up the hill was easy for me. I did it often, sometimes more than once a day. I could walk it in my sleep. Without taking a second to think about it, I climbed up and over into the wishing well. My legs worked their way into the large bucket and I held on for dear life.
Every inch of me was quivering. I had to hold my mouth shut to soften the sounds of my teeth rocking together. Could they hear the pounding of my heart?
“Where did she go?” An angry, venom filled voice barked.
“You said she came up this hill” a male voice shook with contention.
“Are you joking? I’m going home. This is ridiculous Come on, Taos,” a whiny voice cried.
Murmuring and complaints along with swearing echoed down the hillside. My legs were scraped and bloody. Forced into the small space my muscles were so tense they complained under the strain.
How long was long enough?
Did I dare move?
Would I be safe if I left my haven? My heart still thudded like it was trying to keep pace with a jack-hammer. My lungs burned. It was then I realized that I had stopped breathing. Slowly exhaling I tried to be as quiet as possible.
Time passed.
My breathing and heartbeat slowed. It was getting dark and I realized just how long I had been in the tight space. It had been long enough for them to make their way down the mountain so I gripped the edges of the bucket and proceeded to push myself up. With one hand I reached for the edge of the wishing well. The stone crumbled and I started to slip. Panic sets in.
Shuffling my hands to try to regain my balance, the bucket creaked and groaned in protest. I could feel it weakening. My only thought was please, no
Then.. I fell.