Faster

I always wished I could grow tired while I ran. Not so I would stop; I could never be allowed to stop. But the exhaustion would give me something to concentrate on. Without it, my mind was permitted to wander. I was able to think about the town I had just left, the people who had stared whenever I passed, the people who had stared in every town I had stayed in long enough to be noticed. Eventually (and it always came to this) my mind would wander to what I was truly running from –

Once again I pulled my mind back. Thinking of him would only make me more agitated, and I would need to stop soon. I may never get tired, but I was always hungry. And I couldn't ignore the hunger for long.

As I ran through the thick forest, trees whipping past my head at impossible speeds, I tried to concentrate on the sound and feel of my feet hitting the ground. Thump, thump, thump. The vibrations shooting up through my legs almost lulled me into sleep. I shook my head to snap myself out of the daze. I really needed to find something safe to think about.

As I knew it would, my mind drifted to the reason for my most recent fleeing. I thought of the girl who had seen me throw the rock. Her face as I picked up the huge rock without touching it, her horror as I threw it into the wall with unnatural strength –

Again I violently shook myself from those thoughts. I couldn't believe I had been so careless. She had made one comment on my "freakish" behavior. I remember thinking I'll show you freakish. And with that, I ruined another place of temporary permanence. The second the rock had crumbled against the wall, she had begun to scream. I couldn't even wait to see who would find her, what their reaction would be. I had started running that very second. I can only assume the townsfolk would think she was making up gossip about the mysterious new girl who had come into town then vanished without one word. I couldn't stop the smile from spreading over my face as I pictured her outraged expression at being called a liar. Still, I would have to be far more careful next time. I really needed to keep my temper in check.

A light shone from ahead, breaking me from my reverie. From in between the trees, I could see a golden-green light shining towards me. I slowed as I reached the edge of the trees and stepped into a meadow. The clearing was perfectly circular, filled to the edges with colorful flowers. I figured this would be as good a place to rest as any.

I walked to the center of the meadow and sat on the soft, damp grass, stretching my legs in front of me. I reached into my tan leather messenger bag that I constantly slung across my chest to hang at my waist. I brought out some bread and a bottle of water, and began the same meal I ate every day.

As I ate, I looked around the meadow and up at the sky above. The sun was sharp on my eyes, blinding me for only a second. My eyes focused and then I could see the sky clearly; a few white clouds spotted the endless sea of light blue. It was a beautiful contrast to the high dark green treetops surrounding the meadow. I looked around at the flowers dotting the meadow, the entire spectrum of color present in the blooms. This place was an artist's dream. I wondered if anyone had ever found this place before. It seemed a shame for this place to be wasted on the likes of me.

I grew bored quickly, so I looked around and quickly spotted a few rocks lying near me in the grass. I smiled as I focused on the rock and pictured it rising. The rock followed my mind's command. I sent the rock flying into a nearby tree; it crumbled with a satisfying crunch. Though I immediately regretted the action; it brought back too many memories.

Suddenly my mind was alight with remembering all the times my – gift – had gotten me into trouble. The memories flew by me backwards; first, the girl and her horrified expression as I showed her just how much of a freak I really was, then the town where an entire building had collapsed just because I lost control. Similar memories flew past; a car flying through the air, a tree being ripped from its roots, pebbles ripping through stone like they were bullets. The list went on and on. I groaned as I thought how careless I really was. I had always been able to do these things; they all came as second nature. It was hard for me to keep myself in check when most of the time I didn't even realize I was doing these things. Maybe if he hadn't done so many tests everything would have stayed buried, I could have been normal, or at least attempted to –

Once again I stopped my mind with a sigh. I was no good at keeping a hold on myself when I was calm. Who knows what I would do to this colorful meadow if I became agitated. I tried to keep my mind concentrated on the food in front of me. It was tasteless and bland. Just what I needed to keep my thoughts neutral.

I sat in the meadow and dozed for a few minutes when I heard something moving in the brush twenty feet to my left. I opened my eyes and looked toward the sound. It was probably some small animal; the footsteps weren't loud, barely registering with my more than acute hearing. I waited as the footsteps got closer, curious now as to what creature could be stepping so lightly. I pictured a small animal hopping through the think forest; going home. I cringed as I realized that I would never home, that I could never settle anywhere. I oddly found myself craving that small animal's life. To be so sure of your future, to never have any doubt.

As I focused on that animal, I felt my brow furrow. These footsteps were odd; more beautiful than could be natural. Not only that, but the footsteps seemed to have a direct rhythm to them. Like a dancer's. I strained my hearing and I realized there were two sets of footsteps coming towards me. Both sets sounded perfectly in rhythm with each other, like they were performing some sort of difficult dance routine with perfect precision. I turned my head away, alert now with danger. I tried to act natural, closing my eyes, slowing my breathing. If they didn't know I was aware of them, I may be able to keep the upper hand in a fight. As the footsteps crept closer, I calmed myself, and waited.