The world wasn't how Mio left it. She couldn't articulate why, but somehow in her gut she knew the surroundings were wrong. The sunrise that set her skin on fire was now nothing more than a lazy light on the horizon, and the busy stream where she used to play stood still, coated in ice. For what felt like hours, sound had assaulted her eardrums: the hard crunch of grass and pebbles underneath her feet, the wind roaring as she threw herself forward, almost as if into the sky itself; and the desperate sobbing that brought her to her knees had then been replaced by an invasive silence. The space itself she occupied felt unnatural, enough so that a feeling took over so powerfully it could have carved into her bones: I'm not supposed to be here.
Leaving the woods was the first step, but the same feeling told Mio she wouldn't like what she'd find outside. Picturing her mother's face, or her uncle's, didn't bring the rush of warmth or relief like it should have, just anxiety. The memories of her home seemed darker, framed in angles that made her uneasy, like those rooms and people were unfamiliar. Another thought rippled through her: there's nothing waiting for me.
Fighting her instincts, Mio walked until she felt the ground grow smoother. The plan was to make her way home and say nothing. Though she hadn't tried, she knew she couldn't speak. Everything was over. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and let everything go dark for a long time. Rest was all she could look forward to, yet something told her she'd have no use for sleep. A faint memory of arms reaching out to hold her, keeping her safe as she dreamed accompanied the worst thought yet: I am completely alone.
Walking had become automatic, the only thing preventing her body from going completely numb, but her eyes were alert and sharp. She'd learned the hard way to trust the shadows in the corners of her vision were malicious, that all that mattered was getting there (wherever that may be) in one piece, but things were different now. There was no clock to race against, nobody to save. Perhaps that's why it made her sick to the stomach. I have no reason to be scared.
The cold gnawed at her exposed skin and made her wounds howl. Mio couldn't remember how most of those bruises and scrapes happened, but she was past letting them bother her. The aches at least were a reminder to keep going, to not fall apart where she stood, though it would be so much easier.
The path was gone. Her foot froze the minute she noticed, hovering over the bare earth where a trail of stones should be. Years of navigating the same twisting route as a child made Mio absolutely sure something was missing, but more than that, it looked like there'd never been one in the first place. There was no sign that anyone came here frequently, or that anyone discovered it at all. Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe. This was all too familiar.
Pushing every memory from her mind, Mio drew a painful breath and broke into a run. When she emerged from the woods, her speed didn't decrease. Reality hit. She was out. It really happened to her. Hysterically, she started to cry, though she swore not to cover her face this time. There was no point in shame any more.
It was then, sobbing and running down a country road, the world faded to black.