Hi guys, sorry I know I already submitted this once, but there were things I wanted to fix, and I thought it would just be easier to start over. Anyway, I wanna clarify that this is NOT a Maximum Ride based story. This is just how I picture myself running away. But she has wings…so it kinda is Maximum Ride-ish.
Oh well. The Runaway girl is mine, I own her...cause she's kinda me I guess. No disclaimers, since this is my story.
Enjoy!
Chapter One
~Runaway~
A shadow moved quietly across the room, making an extra effort not to make noise that could wake the sleeping couple in the next room. It tiptoed towards the closet, pulling out the backpack that had been packed earlier that day.
Basically everything necessary for everyday life had been thrown and compressed into this one bag, and more stuff was being added on. The shadow slowly unzipped the front pocket, dropping in a wallet and all the gift cards that had been kept over the year. The few hundred bucks that had been saved up weren't going to be enough, but that problem would be dealt with when it came.
A white mouth smiled grimly at the cramped bag, and then invisible hands continued on to lift an old scrapbook from the bookshelf.
Fingers snapped, and a small flame burned off the tip of a thumb, illuminating a small portion of the dark bedroom. A girl was revealed, her dirty blonde hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail and her brown eyes glowing in the light of the fire.
She opened to the middle, studying the picture on the page with sad eyes. It was a photo of her and two other girls, all huddled around a campfire while she lit it in her special way. One of them had short, brownish hair, and she stood back a little ways as if fearing the result. The other was taller and laughing with a video camera.
The next picture was of a huge raging inferno, twice as big as the setup before it and all the girls grinning happily.
The page was turned, and the dim glow of the flare revealed another picture, this one of a larger group of friends. Two girls with lighter blonde hair, and two boys, all making some funny face or striking some silly pose. Holding the hand of the taller, darker boy was another, unfamiliar girl, a red "X" drawn harshly across her face.
The dying flame perched on the girls thumb started to grow rapidly, thriving off the hatred and jealousy coursing throughout her body. She quickly realized the danger of the light and took deep, calming breaths, letting the fire die out again until it was gone completely.
The girl pulled out the two pictures and jammed them into her jean pocket, closing the scrapbook and throwing it back into the bookshelf. She zipped up the bag and dragged it to her window, opening it as wide as it could go.
She leaned across the window sill and peered down at the ground, about two stories below her. Moving quickly, the blonde hauled the backpack up and dropped it, watching it hit the damp grass with a thud.
The girl looked back over her shoulder, memorizing the layout of her bedroom while she rolled her shoulders, loosening the muscles. A startling snore erupted from her parent's room, followed quickly by a creek as her father moved, and she jumped towards the ground without a seconds thought.
Almost instantly her midnight black wings unfolded, gliding through the cuts in the back of her shirt with ease. Her fall was slowed as they extended, allowing her to smoothly land next to her luggage.
The runaway folded the wings up tight against her back again, paranoid about a wondering eye in one of the neighbors houses. But the moon, glowing dimly, had seen enough.
Her wings were as black as night, lightened only by the pale tan streaks and hints of red. They spread to a full fourteen feet, connecting solidly to her shoulder blades where crimson-tinged feathers simply melted into the skin.
The girl bent down and scooped up her bag, handling it as if it were lighter than air. She glanced back up at her window, still wide open with the curtains drifting out in the cool night breeze.
Maybe in time, she would come back to this place that she'd called home for so long.
But not now. Now was too painful, too emotional. The stress, the unforgiving criticism of her father, the strictness of her mother. Nobody understood, nobody got what she was trying to tell them. They saw it as their way or the highway. What they failed to understand was that the highway had many promising opportunities.
"Till next time." The teen whispered gently, letting the wind carry her words into the sky. Her wings itched to be let out again, but they stayed folded as she jogged away from the house and down the street towards the railroad tracks, where her future resided.
The darkness of the night engulfed the girl as she walked, stepping in time with the wooded ties between the rails. The moon, so full of light before, drifted behind a cloud, diminishing her sight considerably. A mere flick of her fingers wouldn't do, so the opened her palm in front of her, closing her eyes and concentrating on the warmth of the element that proved to be a valuable companion.
Within moments a roaring flame grew, not scorching her hand at all as she willed it on. The orange light lit the way, and she continued down the tracks with her hand outstretched and the other supporting the bag.
A song came to her head as she walked, and to her surprise she found herself whispering the lyrics with the hum of the fire.
"I walk a lonely road I walk this empty street
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone
I walk alone I walk alone My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will-"
A faint rustling in a bush up ahead made the runaway stop dead in her tracks, her lips smashing together and her blood racing. A large red fox, quite common in the area, trotted out, ears laid back as it snarled threateningly and its eyes glistened in the light. Behind it the girl could hear the quiet whimpering of its kits, and understanding filled her.
The natural instinct of defense kicked in, and she threw herself to the ground in a tense crouch, every limb ready to lash out as she dropped the bag. Her wings pulled out in such a rush that they acted as a vacuum, sucking in air that tugged at the animal's fur. The fire that once rested in her palm now spiraled out into a whip, encircling her and licking the fox's nose.
It yelped in shock, jumping back and darting back into the bush without a backwards glance.
The defender stood up again and watched the shrub for a minute, almost daring the poor fox to show itself again as she embraced the energy that never got to show itself. It was pathetic really, when a creature as insignificant as a fox was the only excuse she had to unleash a portion of this power. She was capable of so much more.
She turned away with a sigh, continuing on her way down the deserted track. The fire was tamed, retreating back into her hand where she controlled it carefully. Her hazel eyes darted back and forth, twice as alert as before.
An owl hooted from close by, barely making the girl flinch. She loved the owls, respected them as both birds and predators. They were graceful flyers and silent as death when they flew. Her back muscles twitched at the reminder, and she ruffled her wings, bringing them out some.
Suddenly she was overcome by an overwhelming desire to fly, which was common, as she flew every day after dusk. The teenager spread her wings as far as they would allow, admiring the sand-colored streaks and deep black feathers.
She re-positioned the bag and dislocated her shoulders, giving her a greater range of freedom. Her fist clenched, extinguishing the fire, and every though process faded, replaced only with adrenaline and excitement.
With a burst of speed the refugee took off, her wings moving in sync as she flapped. The pressure on her feet lessened, and with one final leap she was airborne, flying high above the trees with each stroke.
A giggle bubbled through her lips, and the girl flew higher and higher until the houses below were nothing more than specks. Her ponytail trailed out behind her, shaking itself loose from the elastics. She was free.
As free as the birds, no longer tied down by rules and discipline. No longer bothered by school and conflicting emotions. All that weight was gone, leaving her as light as a feather. Literally.
She soared back down, falling into a freefall so fast that the air around her heated up, almost resembling a rocket as it came back into orbit. Of course, it didn't have the same cause here: it was just her excitement and key element mixing together.
Her wings opened as she neared a tall oak, pulling her back with a harsh tug. Barely noticing the pain, the blonde landed precisely on a thick branch and jumped down to the ground in one fluid motion, a crooked grin spreading across her face.
Her hand lashed out, swirling through the air as a fiery extension of her index finger carved the tree's base. When she was satisfied with her work, she laughed, loud and happy before jumping from the spot and back into the air.
The trunk of the tree smoked as her cackling died away in the wind, getting farther and farther with each passing second. When the smoke finally cleared away, only four words remained, forever burned into the tree for all to read.
"I'll be a runaway."
Tada! The song was Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, in case you were wondering. Review maybe?