Chapter 1
Pitch black, briefly interrupted by bright flashes of the storm, is all that surrounded a young girl, no more than 13 years old. She sat there in the forest, rubbing her hand over her stomach.
"We're…" tears welled, brimming her eyes, she continues, choking on her words as they swelled around in her mind in disbelief.
"We're free," she whispers to no one. The girl began to sob silently; happy to escape from the prison she called "home" for far too long. She drifted to sleep, her thoughts slowly hushing temporarily. Plit, plit, plit, the rain hits her skin as the heavens give their gift to the Earth.
"Hey, is she dead?" a couple of voices, young voices, surrounding her began to wonder. She felt a slight jabbing in her side, but she was too exhausted to even open her eyes, let alone move her body to brush away the finger poking her side.
"Stop poking her, you dobe. Don't you see her breathing?"
"We better take her to the hospital, her wounds need to be treated. She can't afford to lose her life." She feels sudden warmth moving underneath her body, slowly lifting her from the ground.
"Did I die? Am I descending into heaven?" She faintly opens her eyes, her vision hazy. "Is this an angel carrying me?" she questioned in her mind. The man carrying her saw that her eyes were slightly open and smiled, "Thank God" he thought. She caught a good glimpse of this man, "He has a scar straight across his nose…" she continued. She started to open her mouth, but exhaustion prevented her from speaking clearly. She was frustrated, she wanted to thank him, but couldn't. She heard voices fading as she started to slip back into a state of unconsciousness.
"She's all right, you two, she's just unconscious" the man said. A faint response of,
"Oh, thank god!" was the last thing she heard.
She slowly opens her eyes, too exhausted to fully analyze the current scenario. She felt something, warmth she hadn't felt so long, ever since she left "home". "Where am I?" She ponders. "Well, I'm lying in a bed…" she pauses. "Oh No! Did he find me? Did I ever leave or was that all a dream?" she continues. She tries to sit up, her muscles responding with soreness.
"Well, we can eliminate death and that all being a dream, my muscles hurt too much." She continues to slowly sit up in order to examine where she is. She takes in the scenery, "White walls, and sort of sterile looking. And a window. I can't be home, either." She draws her conclusion after about a minute, "I must be in a hospital, but where exactly?" Just then, a medical aid walks in carrying a tray with food on it.
"You should eat so you can gain some of your strength back. You have been out for quite some time. Plus, you need to gain some more nourishment, it's important with this state your currently in, for many reasons." She looked back at the nurse with inquisitive eyes.
"How long have I been asleep for?"
"A little over three days." She pauses, and then comments, "You really pushed yourself out, huh." The silence filled the room again once the nurse left, and thoughts began to race through her mind.
"How did I get here? Who found me? Where am I?" she began to move her hand towards her stomach, gently rubbing up and down, the continued, "I pray that she's okay…" Tears began to well up in her eyes. She pressed the button to call the nurse into her room.
"Is everything alright?" The nurse asked as she was walking into the room.
"Is she okay?" She asked in a tone that worried the nurse, filled with despair and pain. The nurse stared back confused. Before she could answer, she was interrupted.
"Is she going to be okay?" the tone grew more upset.
The nurse responded, "Calm down,"
"I just want to know that she's going to be okay." The nurse's eyes filled with a little bit of sadness, but she still showed a glimmer of hope.
"She sustained some injuries, but were going to be watching over closely to make sure everything heals properly." Silence engulfed the room, and after a couple of minutes, the nurse said, "Everyone is certain that she is going to be just fine." putting a smile on her face to reassure the girl.
She slowly turned away and stopped when she heard, "Thank you." She left the room, smiling slightly.
The girl sat in her room, staring at her food, not wanting to eat it, thinking of the potential danger inflicted on this unborn child. This thought just pained the girl deeply. The one person who she cares about that she can take care of, she is now helpless to do anything to save her. She fears losing her, for if she does, she will have lost her family completely. She would be alone, in a strange new place, with a heavy burden she carries in her heart for the rest of her life. "I can't let anyone know of my past, it could ruin potential friends and relationships." She secretly swore no one would ever find out her past, she would start anew with a new name and history. She has no family but her child, if she survives that is…