Chapter Four
Deep in the forest a young teenager was slumped up against a massive tree. Its ruff bark jabbed her in the back as she slept carelessly. Her eyelids fluttered slightly when a bird darted out of a near tree making strange noises in the night. Terra's blonde hair was tangled hideously as it lay on her shoulders. Twigs and leaves were caught on the tips of her frizzy hair making her appear like a savage. Terra's pale face was plastered in dried mud, which, in the dark night, gave the impression of shadows made from the trees above. Her legs were tucked up close to her chest and her bare arms rested slightly on her knees.
Terra's blue eyes opened slowly and she gazed around her surroundings. The moon was slowly sinking in the night sky, promising an early sunrise. The stars seemed to stare down upon the frightened and lost girl. Their bright, yet distant light comforted Terra. She sighed, wishing for all the world that it was her up there and not the stars; that she was the one gazing down upon Earth and all its beauty. "Only in your dreams," Terra whispered to herself depressingly.
As she watched the shadows of branches scuttle across the forest floor as gusts of wind blew them back and forth, she began to think of her mom, dad, Jack, and Cassandra. "I hope Dr. Fraiser doesn't get in-trouble for letting me escape." Her head dropped against her raised knee and tears began to well from her eyes, causing the dried mud to become wet and drip down her face. Cassandra had been nice, for the most part and Terra didn't want her to get fired for what happened. Then there was Jack, "ugh. I destroyed his house!" Terra just realized how much trouble she was in. "He could call the police and alert my parents that I'm missing.
"Don't be stupid they probably already know. The hospital must have called them immediately after I jumped out the window." She gulped. 'I hope I didn't give Cassandra a heart attack.' "They're going to so kill me when I get back home." Terra paused, then added, "If I ever go back."
It was early in the morning, with the air still cool from the moment of disappearance from the hot sun. Terra toiled her way up the small hills in the forest that seemed more like wintry mountain slopes. She caught sight of a few neighborhoods, or possible small towns raising their narrow dark profile above her. Eager to avoid civilization, she skirted around the town. Terra was still unsure of where she was heading, but she didn't want there to be tons of people wherever she was going.
She came to a halt in the small town that she was sure she had already passed. Her body was shaking in defiance to such harsh treatment. Terra's forehead was dripping in sweat even in the frosty morning air. She had never walked so far and so long in her entire life and her body was now rejecting the idea of going anywhere else. "Fine we'll find a place to stop until morning." She whispered to her aching limbs. Terra made her way to the back door of a seaming abandoned barn that was on the outskirt of the town. She jiggled the rusted metal doorknob and found it to be open. 'Finally, a break.' She opened the door slightly and as quietly as possible. It creaked softly and eerily, making her flinch and look around to see if anyone in the town had heard.
Nothing stirred so she slipped through the small opening. Her assumption had been right. The place was abandoned. Terra noticed browning apples piled in a basket that was falling apart. It was sitting in the corner of the barn. There were no animals in the barn, except some pigeons that were taking refuge from the cold in the rafters. Terra, being extremely weary, fell into a pile of old, hard horse hay. She didn't even know if it was a bathroom for some wild animals or if some horses or farm animals had used it. As soon as her head hit the hay her eyes shut and her body went numb. She was asleep in seconds, the moonlight filtering into the barn through holes in the rafters and the slight crack in the door.
Approaching the sleeping girl was a tiny cat. It softly tottered up to her, its ears flapping up and down with its amber eyes inspecting the girl and her place of refuge. Its color could not be determined do to the dark shadows in the barn, but it seemed to have different shades of fur. The cat curled up in a ball near the sleeping child; its fur warming her freezing arms. The girl stirred in her sleep and opened one eye to see what had come to her in the night. She looked down at the cat whose big amber eyes gazed up into her blue ones. She smiled tiredly and her eyelids collapsed from exhaustion. The blonde hair girl sighed contently, dosing off with the cat watching over her in the night.
Early morning sunshine strained through the old barn's ceiling and door. Terra lay sleeping on the same pile of hay she had drifted to sleep on the night before. Her eyelids were still closed and a soft shadow could be seen underneath her eyes. With a slight shudder from her newly rested body, the girl slowly drifted awake. She yawned and stretched calmly. Suddenly her eyes flared and her body became ridged. Ungracefully she stood up; her face full of panic. Her head shot up to the rafters, which showed the sunlight streaming through.
Terra placed her hand on her chest, calming her raging heartbeat. She blinked slowly; then noticed a pile of clothes lying on the dirty hay with a Chocolate Chunk Chewy Bar placed on top. A small smile appeared on her dirt-smudged face. Terra reached an unsteady hand toward the Chewy Bar; her stomach growling annoyingly with hunger. As her pale hand touched the shiny rapper she froze. Her face became puzzled and you could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
Recoiling her hand, she looked around. Who had given her the clothes and food? They hadn't been there the night before. As if a light bulb had suddenly appeared above her head she realized somebody must have found her. "No." She whispered. Panic filled her body. She quickly ran toward the door and peered out of the slight crack. Nobody was in sight. She sighed in relief.
Terra paced back and forth; trying to concentrate. What should she do? What if the people who found her and brought her the clothes and food had also called the police? A soft whimper of fear escaped her cracked lips. "Calm down Terra. If somebody had found you and called the police they wouldn't have left you food and clothes. Would they?" She placed her hands on her head and tried to relax. "Terra you need a plan," she told herself. "First you have to…ugh!" A dusty mirror was hung on the wall and she barely recognized the person who was gazing right back at her. "Take a shower."
There was hay stuck to her face and in her hair. Her lips were paled and chapped. Also, she could see dried drool plastered onto her normally clean and pure skin. There were dark circles under her eyes and her bright blue eyes, which once held a stubborn spark in them, now looked defeated. "Ok…ok. First you have to wash up. Then you can change into your new clothes and eat. When you're done, run!" Terra figured if the clothes and food were left there and nobody else was using them, then she might as well.
Terra grabbed the pair of clothes which turned out to be blue jean, a long sleeved white shirt that looked to be a little too tight, and a blue winter vest that had the American Eagle logo stitched onto it. "Who would go through so much trouble just to get clothes for me?" Terra questioned out loud to no one in particular.
Terra blinked. She spotted a bucket of water. "At least the waters clean…enough." She cupped her hands and dunked them into the water. She watched as the clear water filled her palms, causing the water to spin around in circles. She splashed it onto her face and her hair. Using her hospital gown, she dried herself off. Terra stood up and looked into the mirror. Her face was pale and tired, but the mud and drool were at least cleared. Her hair had returned to a shade of blonde, darker then her normal shade, but it was the best she could hope for. "Next time somebody decides to help me, the least they could do is bring soap too."
Terra grabbed the chewy bar and greedily ripped off the wrapping. Her mouth began to water just at the thought of eating it. She bit off a small piece and sighed contently; savoring each bite. "I have never loved food as much as I do now." After finishing the chewy bar she sat down on an old wooden bale and began to think out a plan of action. "Okay, judging by the height of the sun it must be around eight thirty or nine o'clock in the morning. It's a Saturday so nobody will be at school, which also means if I get caught I won't look too suspicious." Pausing, she placed her pointer finger on her chin, thinking deeply. "I need to get supplies if I'm going to run away. I will need a map, food, definitely another pair of clothes, and a general direction to head in. If possible, money is wanted. I also must figure out if I have allies in this town or not and if there is a missing persons report yet." Sighing she said, "And I will need a place to stay, which also means I probable need a job. What am I good at?" Shaking her head she muttered, "I'll cross that bridge once I get to it; first I need to get far away from anybody searching for me." Standing up, she dusted off her jeans. "Okay, it's settled, I will go out into this town and do recon. No stealing Terra," she reminded herself.
Terra opened the door and squinted her eyes, getting used to the sunlight. She quickly proceeded into the town. "I'd better stay in the alleys mostly. Even if I don't look suspicious, this is a small town and I don't want to be asked questions by curious people." She darted behind a house and trudged through some abandoned alley. Garbage littered the ground, but, Terra didn't mind. "If I won't steal the supplies I need and I don't have money to buy them, then I might as well search the garbage for things people threw away; after all one mans garbage is another mans treasure, or in this case woman." Terra chuckled to herself.
She flung the top off a trashcan and peered in. Terra quickly jumped back in disgust. The smell was horrible. "I'm going to go with the idea that there's nothing useful in there," she muttered and went on to searching the next trashcan. After ten more she collapsed onto the ground. "Doesn't anyone throw away old clothes or backpacks or maps or anything?" Terra looked up at the sky, "come on God, give me a break, please." Suddenly, she looked down and saw a pile of black trash bags piled on top of each other. They didn't smell horrible and when she pocked the sides, she felt soft material. "Clothes?" She ripped open the bags and to her happiness, saw old clothes that were being disposed off. Most were too small, but she managed to find a few large sweatshirts that would be helpful in the cold months to come. Also, she found a new pair of jeans that were slightly tight, but she could live with them and a jean skirt that was actually cute.
"Next I need to find a backpack, shoes, a map, and possibly some eatable food." Sneaking out of that alley and down another, still carrying a handful of old clothes, she began to search more trash sites. "Hmm, this could be useful." Terra picked up a discarded backpack. "The kid who owned this before probably just got a new one." The backpack was fairly large, with two big sections and a smaller one. It was a dark purple color with black straps. She smiled, "I like it." Terra neatly folded up the clothes and placed them into the backpack; remembering how her mom always said that if you folded stuff you could fit more inside.
She searched through the backpack and was glad to find a few forgotten pens and pencils; no paper, though. Terra was still in desperate need for shoes, the soles of her feet were beginning to tear and bleed. She swung the backpack onto her back and was about to head out of the alley, but, stopped abruptly and she heard hushed voices.
"The towns-people haven't seen any sign of a girl with blonde hair wearing a hospital gown." Terra scurried behind a trashcan and listened to the two people. The first voice was very low and scratchy.
"Well I assume that if she's smart she won't still be in her hospital gown." The second voice was slightly higher and had an air of command.
The first man replied agitatedly. "I know that; that's why I asked if they saw a new girl in town with blonde hair and no companions. They said they didn't and I told them to watch out for her and inform the proper authorities if they found her. I also explained to them that she was very dangerous and on the run. She had already injured people escaping from the hospital, two which are in critical condition." Terra gasped, but quickly put her hand over her mouth. Who had she hurt?
"I don't remember attacking anyone," she muttered. "I definitely don't have any allies here. It would be best just to run away while I'm still alive and free, besides, I have my backpack and clothes. I'm set for a while." She leaned against the wall, waiting for the two men to leave so she could run back to the forest, or at least the barn.
"I have informed our boss that we could use some backup; this girl is tricky and should not be eluding us so easily."
"Good, but, remember, we want her alive."
"Understood," the man with the scratchy voice answered.
The wood creaked eerily underneath her feet as she paced nervously back and forth. "Okay. Okay, calm down." Terra took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. "I haven't done anything illegal so why am I being chased?" Terra slapped herself on the head. "Idiot you ran away!" Terra clenched her fists; finally making up her mind. She quickly grabbed her newly found backpack and silently opened the door a crack and peered out of it. She glanced around and saw no movement. Deciding to take her chances, she made a break for the forest.
Dirt flew up and covered the back of her leg but she ignored it. Terra ducked under a branch and grinned, "I'm free." Suddenly a twig snapped behind her. She spun around, her hair flying in tangled clumps. She narrowed her eyes and searched for signs of people following her. Nothing. A bird darted over her head. She jumped and then silently cursed herself for being so jumpy.
Shaking her head, she continued farther into the forest. "Which way did she go?" Terra squeaked and tripped over a large root. Landing roughly on the ground, she groaned. Had she really heard people talking or was it just her nerves? She looked back again but still saw nothing.
"I'm going crazy," she accused herself.
Tree's blocked the beating sun. Her bare feet were scarred from the branches, rocks, and pickers lodged in the ground. She yelped and jumped up; wiping off a picker that was stuck in her foot. Tiny droplets of blood dripped off and stained the green grass. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." Terra groaned and then took off at a run. Every nerve in her body was alert. She felt as if someone was watching her.
She glanced back, her bright blue eyes looking for something chasing her. Terra looked forward again; her long blonde hair flying in her face. She brushed away, cursing colorfully. She clenched her fists, willing herself to run faster.
Terra stopped, her heart pounding. Her body became ridged and the hair on her neck prickled. She turned her head to look back. She froze, her breathing stopped. She caught a glimpse of a black shadow. A figure stepped out of the bushes. Terra flinched. A man dressed in a black suit stood before her. His black hair was neatly brushed back. His brown beady eyes studied the tall girl before him.
A second of hesitation passed and Terra broke out into a desperate sprint away from the man. She heard heavy footsteps and soft laughter following her. Terra gasped as her face hit a spider web dead on. The sticky webs stuck to her no matter how much she swatted at them. She could almost feel the spider crawling onto its victim. Terra felt her arm bend in an unnatural position as she fell to the ground. She winced and sat up, pain shooting through her arm and head.
Terra began crawling backwards until she hit a tree. She fearfully looked at the terrifying man. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small radio. Pressing the button he spoke while still watching the cowering girl. "I've caught up with her." He paused and grinned at Terra. "Don't hurry; I'll take care of her."
He placed the hand held radio into his pocket. Then he reached into his coat. Terra's body began to shake with fear. The man held up a black hand gun. He pointed it towards her. "You'll be coming with me, little girl." Terra's eyes widened as he began to pull back the trigger. She threw her hands over her face in a pathetic attempt to stop the bullet.
Terra waited for the gut wrenching pain of the bullet to hit her, but it didn't. The only sound she heard was a thud of something heavy hitting a tree. It creaked under its weight. Terra opened her eyes and was met with a surprising sight. She stood up on wobbly legs and stepped back in confusion. The man who had chased her was slumped up against a tree, his body limp.
Stumbling, she managed to run away through the thick forest. Where was the second guy? Where would she go? Could she keep running? Why did these people want to kill her? Terra struggled for an answer while adrenalin allowed her to run. Suddenly her feet slid out from underneath her and she fell hard onto the ground. Tears broke lose and her breathing became unsteady. Terra tried to stand, but like a baby learning how to walk, fell back down. She released a sob and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I give up." Even though she knew if she saw another person she would continue running.
Breathe Terra breathe. In and out. In and out. Terra began to calm her breathing. She forced herself to stand, even though it took most of her strength. Even when she was standing, there was no way she could move. A branch snapped behind her. Terra froze. She tried to step forward but her legs would not cooperate. Terra bit her lip and glanced back. Fear spread through her and panic overwhelmed her.
She couldn't move and she couldn't breathe. Suddenly a purple glow emanated from her chest. Surprised, she looked down. Cautiously she removed the necklace with the strange charm on it. The symbol on the crystal was glowing white while the crystal was glowing a bright purple. She held it up to her face in awe. She felt her strength returning gradually, her breathing normal and her reflexes active.
Terra heard a footstep sound behind her; then two more. Quickly, she tucked the necklace back inside her shirt. With renewed strength, Terra sprinted away from the noise. She pushed away a tree branch and emerged into a small clearing. There was a large raging river with a line of rocks going to the other side. On the other side the forest continued. The shore was lined with small rocks and pebbles. Terra smiled and headed to the river. She would feel safer once she was across it, though; the fast moving water concerned her.
Shaking her head and glancing back nervously, Terra headed towards the river. She took a deep breath and jumped onto a slippery large rock in the river. She staggered slightly but balanced herself out. She looked ahead and judged the distance she had to jump to the next rock. If she slipped and fell she would be washed away by the angry river. Terra bit her lip in concentration and looked back. There was movement within the woods. Terra gulped and then took a leap. She managed to barely stay on.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she got ready to take another jump. "Just get across and then you'll be safe." Terra froze when she heard the clicking of expensive dress shoes hitting small rocks and pebbles. She gasped and spun around, nearly slipping off the rock. She steadied herself by kneeling on the rock and grasping it with her hands.
The man smiled and it sent shivers running through her body. The man smirked as Terra shied away. He then jumped onto the first rock. She stumbled backwards in fear. Suddenly she was falling backwards. Her arms flung forward in a desperate attempt to grab onto something that would steady her. Terra's body hit the river. Shock spread through her; freezing water making it hard to breathe.
She reached up and managed to grasp the rock. Terra had no idea how she was still alive. She looked up at the man. A strange look passed across his face as he leapt onto the next rock, one step closer to her. He jumped again and stood over her body, which was submerged in the water. He reached his hand down towards her. Thinking quickly, Terra reached her hand up and clutched the mans. Suddenly, she jerked hard down on it and then released her hand as the man fell into the water with a splash. His face showed surprise that the young teenager would actually think to hurt him, even when he was trying to help. Terra hauled herself back up onto the rock. Her clothes were dripping wet and clung tightly to her, but for now, she was safe.