My lungs were starting to burn, my breath coming out slightly rugged and uneven but there was no stopping me now. I could already see the crowd of by watchers in no more than 500 meters away from me, partially hidden by the thick trees of Forks woods. Cheering reached my ears and gave me enough adrenaline to push a little harder. No one was behind me, but I had long reached a point where I didn't run to be better than others, but to beat my own personal best time anyway. Step after step, breath after breath, I neared the white line drawn on the pine needle strewn ground. The air was damp, rain clouds hung low in the sky, rain threatening to fall any time now. I looked ahead and made out the faces of my classmates as well as my mother and father. One step, two steps, five steps, ten steps further and then my left foot passed the line. Cheers greeted me, all of a sudden much, much louder than before- I had been in what my trainer called my "running-tunnel"; once I was consumed by the rhythm of running only little could get my attention. I slowed down until I came to a walk, but didn't stop and instead kept walking in circles. Aidan, my trainer, came over and clapped me on my shoulder. "Pretty sure that was your best time this season." I held out my arm and he took of my Garmin, checking to see what my heart rate, time and average speed had been. He whistled lowly. "Not bad, Mia." "Huh?" I turned in his direction, though I didn't stop walking in circles. "Definitely your best time this season; better than your last run by a lot."

"I had won my last race too, and Aidan wasn't one to hand out compliments easily. So coming from him it felt almost like I'd won the Washington state-championships. One hand on my hips, I tightened my ponytail. My hair was thick and slightly curly, which was why I kept it at shoulder length. Everything else was too much weight and annoyed me. I wasn't one for fancy haircuts or makeup. It wasn't just that I had no interest in it- I also didn't really have the time to keep it up, what with at least 5 days of training a week and schoolwork on top. My parents came over, both with a proud expression on their faces. "We're proud of you, Miakoda!", my dad exclaimed. They knew how much work I'd put in the last few weeks; and beyond that, how much of my "normal" life I'd sacrificed.

I was Quileute and was born in the local reservation, La Push. But as soon as my running talent was discovered they had transferred me to Forks Middle School, where I could train with a team. With the team I could participate in competitions I couldn't else take part in- our local high school at the reservation didn't have any sports team besides basketball. Because my training schedule went from relatively relaxed to strict and frequent within just four months of me being at Forks Middle School my parents had decided to move me a bit closer to town. I now lived in a tiny flat in Forks, so that I was close to school and, more importantly, close to our running tracks. The drive to Forks wasn't even long, only 20 minutes, but competitions were frequent, especially during the summer, and it was simply much, much easier to start in Forks, where everyone else lived. It also saved me those 20 minutes which was a definite win in my book.

Of course living in Forks wasn't just sunshine and flowers. I didn't see my parents more than once a week, if at all, and I still felt, even after all those years, like a stranger. With my dark skin and hair, my different facial structure and my absolutely foreign traditions and beliefs I'd always stuck out like a sore thumb. People respected me because I was a good athlete, but I didn't have any genuine friends. Granted, part of why I didn't have that many friends was that I simply didn't have the time to invest in friendships. But another part was that I didn't feel as comfortable with a lot of the people in my school. La Push wasn't really my home either, though. None of the friendships I'd had before I switched to Forks Middle School had lasted. Again, this had been my fault as well. After a short amount of time of intensified training and me saying no to any kind of social gathering, they had given up on asking me- and I had given up trying to be a part of the group. A lot of times it left me feeling lonely and uprooted; I certainly didn't belong to Forks, where I could practically feel how foreign I was, no matter what I did, but I also didn't belong in La Push, because I hadn't gotten the chance to grow up there.

The following award ceremony flew by and it didn't take long until I was back in my flat. My flat was basically one slightly larger room and one tiny bathroom. The large room contained a small bed, a table where I did my schoolwork and ate, and a tiny kitchenette. It was the attic of Mrs. and Mr. Wellington, Aidan's parents. Because Aidan had explained my extraordinary talent to them and why I needed to be closer to the team, my parents only had to pay a small monthly fee- else they would never have been able to pay for it. We weren't poor but considerably closer to poverty than to wealth. During my years in middle school his parents had even done regular check-ups on me, because I was too young to live on my own properly.

After a long shower I took the time to stretch and roll out my muscles. Rain splattered against the two small windows that let in whatever light was left of the day. It was Sunday and high time that I sat down to do my homework. I put a pot one the stove and started heating up water for pasta and took some tomato sauce out of the freezer that I'd meal prepped a few days ago. While my food was warming up I sat down to do my homework. First I started with an essay in history. I took a break to eat and then sat down again. It was well past one in the morning when I finally closed my books and leaned back in my chair. It creaked loudly in protest and I quickly leaned forward again- it wasn't the most sturdy and reliable chair, which I had learned the hard way. When I lay in bed twenty minutes later, unable to sleep, my thoughts trailed off to the one thing that kept me awake at night and made me feel like my heart was beating in an empty cavity- the loneliness of being 17 and having no close friends to confess your worries and dreams to, no one who would stick up for you. The painful knowledge of belonging nowhere and being pretty much alone in this whole wide world.

AN: Just a sweet, little chapter so you can get to know Miakoda. Please excuse any mistakes on my part- I am not a native speaker and don't have a beta. I'm trying my best to keep spelling mistakes etc. to a minimum but if something does creep in- please don't be too hard on me. :-) Uploads might be infrequent but I will try my best to upload at least every second week! Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are much appreciated.