1. My friend likes my blood

Kansas. That's what I remember and it's what I don't want to remember. I am not in Kansas anymore, I don't know where I am but I am close to the Ohio river. Wow. I had ran so far. Water. I wish it wasn't salty I need something to drink and I need it to be clean too. My name is Atlanta Samers. I am only eleven. My 'friends' call me "Lanta". I ran away about 2 months ago. My parents thought I was crazy, so did the kids at school. My best friend named Kelli went nuts on me. I know this sounds crazy but she went nuts! I watched her.

I was walking home from school with her. We were talking about my injury yesterday when I fell on my knee and a bunch of blood came out of it. She seemed to be really interested. At one point she said, "It looked so good."

"My blood?" I said because I didn't really think it looked good. She realized she said that then quickly stated,

"No the fall it was a good fall, how you rolled and made it so you where ok it was cool." Oh. Kelli was watching it she is a cheerleader so I guess she saw the whole thing. I was thinking so much about how it hurt and stuff that when I heard Kelli speak I was surprised. It sounded like a hiss, "it looked sooooo good."

"Yay I know the fall, wonderful, that's why I had so much fun cleaning up my blood," I was getting annoyed with her, did she think it was funny that I fell in my face. Then I looked over at her to give a scowl and her legs where gone the place wear her legs should have been we're too snakes. I looked up her upper body had turned gray and her eyes black, her hair was fire and she had a tongue like a snake.

"You are my revenge, you stole from me and as did your siblings you will pay in the underworld," I decided right then that my ADHD had gone nuts and I think my ADHD just got ADHD. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't have any siblings. I looked up at that ugly face trying to decide why I was ever jealous of her being prettier than me. I had a few options run, and run. Well you can guess what I did. Run.

I bolted down the street, I was the fastest kid in my grade. Which was a coincidence sense my name was Atlanta. The Greek girl who was super fast and raced men to marry her. Of course she got tricked by apples and had to get marry to some guy but she loved him so it was ok. Wait! That's it I thought I had to trick her.

She was chasing me or slithering me, I don't know but either way she was following me. I had a few options when I remembered I had my pocket knife. I decided what to do. I slammed my heel it the ground and stopped, Kelli wasn't ready and kept running at me trying to stop. I grabbed my pocket knife facing it forward and bam! She slammed into the knife. I had my eyes close the whole time. When I opened my eyes there standing in front of me was nothing.

There was no Kelli, she disappeared. I looked down to see a pile of gold dust, I guess the remains of my best friend. It didn't make sense, but Kelli just turned into a monster. I walked the rest of the way home confused. I didn't and couldn't tell my parents.

The next day at school Kelli wasn't there. I asked the teacher where she was and she said that she broke her arm and is in the hospital. At that point I thought I was suppose to be in a mental hospital.

Then we started class. I watch the teacher right words on the board but all they did was flout around me. I had dyslexia. I also have can't stay in one school syndrome. This was my fifth new school. It was ok. I didn't like the teachers, they treated us as bad kids because we were but still I tried to be good but something happened and I would get kicked out. Well this year I was walking down the hall way near the girls restroom to go to the restroom, usually I go with Kelli but she is the last person I want to go anywhere with. I walked in and a group of girls were standing over one girl telling her to give them her money. I guess they didn't hear me come in so I used the element of surprised.

"Hey, leave her alone," the girl in the middle turned around to face me, she was about a foot taller then me and had on a pink tank top and a white mini skirt. I only was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts and some sneakers.

"And if we don't?" I didn't really know but I was really mad at these girls. They think they could do any thing. I knew they couldn't, I also knew they couldn't take this girl's money. I opened my mouth to say something when the sinks came on. I turned toward them, how did they turn on. Was I imagining this again just like Kelli but the other girls say them too. I watch the water fall down the sinks onto the floor.

"My shoes my shoes, No!" Said the middle one as they all ran out squealing. I looked over at the girl who was just bullied she was crying. I walked over to her, she covered her face but I sat down next to her and put my arm around her.

"Thanks" she said but muffled by her sleeve. The water was hitting both of us but it didn't matter, she was crying and wanted to comfort her. We sat there for about twenty minutes until the principle came bargaining in followed by the girl bully.

I got yelled at for flooding the restroom and bla bla bla. The whole time I was bitting my tongue not to say anything. Finally the principle left and we had to leave. That day I got home and my mother told me I wasn't asked back to that school next year. I didn't care just a normal routine for Atlanta Samers.

My mother of course was mad she was always mad at me. She had blond hair and hazel eyes yet I had black hair and green/blue eyes. I always wanted blond hair and yet my mom had blond hair why couldn't I? My dad had blond hair too. How do I have black it has always been a mystery. I tuned her out the whole time as she yelled at me. Yes I am terrible bla bla bla. Sometimes I felt like I just didn't belong in my family. My mom and dad are tall yet I am short. They had blond hair I have black, they had hazel eyes I had blue green. I didn't hear my moms whole yelling speech but I caught the end and I wish that fish hadn't bitten the rod and let me catch it because I wanted to throw it back in the water as soon as I heard it.

"...I wouldn't had adopted you if I knew you where like this!" Adopted? Adopted? As soon as my mom said that her face went dark with regret.
"Lanty, I didn't mean that."
"Adopted! No wonder I don't belong, no wonder you hate me."
"Lanky please let me explain," she said soothingly but I didn't want to be soothed.
"Don't call me that you don't deserve to call me that!"

I ran up stairs and locked my door after I slammed it shut. I heard my mother coming up but I didn't care she wasn't my mother ever. I grabbed a back pack and started filling it it with stuff. My secret stash of food I was saving for latter, my pocket knife, and some other stuff.

"Please honey calm down and unlock this door" I didn't respond to any of it. The silent treatment. I waited until she had gone down stairs and it was dark then I opened my window feeling the cool crisp air. I looked down it was a long drop and I wasn't a fan of high areas. I jumped though. The impact hurt but I dealt with it.

I looked back at the house I once loved and sprinted from the house that I now hate.