Midnight. I am alone in my room. The house is dark and quite. There's hardly sound as of late. I used to hear the whispering of my brothers making plot or the sound of my parents making love. But that was long ago, now my mother and father barely sleep in the same bed. My mother is normally asleep in the living room staring at the clock and my father is hardly home. There is a war to fight and money to make. But none of this concerns me. Well at least the war.
They don't trust me anymore. Not my mother. Not my father. Not even my brothers. Ever since I was eleven they have shied away from me and they can barely look me in the eyes. I'm treated like an outsider, but that is fine by me. I have never really felt like I belong here. I think they blame themselves for what happened but they are fools. If there would be someone to blame it would be myself. I enjoyed every moment.
I yawn and get out of bed; I leave my feet bare and walk across the wooden floor. It is cool to the touch and smooth. I always go bare footed. I stick to the shadows as I descend the stair. I know I probably don't have to but it is habit left over and I'm comfortable here. I leave the house through the kitchen door. I pause outside the door and take a deep breathe. It is calming and I look up to the stars. The house is smothering and is too silent. I breathe deeply and curl my toes in the damp grass. The air is cool and fresh and I feel myself relaxing. But outside is not my goal, it is the woods nearby.
I sigh and move across the yard and leave through the fenced in garden. The woods are dark yet they hum with life. Not many people go into these woods even though the town is located very close. There is a hidden meadow inside the vast woods. The meadow was surrounded by tall trees but you can see the stairs clearly, the grass there is lush and tall. I am surprised at how undisturbed it is, but then again there is the fear of beasts that keep people out of these woods. I have never seen any sort of beast here and I've become comfortable here. As of late I have stopped taking protection with me.
I make my way through the woods; the meadow is about a 45 minute walk in the dark from my house. My steps are barely audible as I move towards my sanctuary and the ground was soft and damp under my feet and it smells of earth here. I get to the meadow and sit down in my normal spot, I prop my head on my arms as I lay back and look up at the stairs. I hardly make a disturbance here, the noise of the night soothes me and I feel myself falling asleep.
