Chapter 5: Slides

Anya swung back and forth on an old swing set in her neighborhood. She used to play at this park all the time when she was younger, swinging and sliding until the sun went down and it was time for dinner. Anya sighed. God, it was so easy back then, she thought, watching the sun meet the horizon.

She looked over at the blue slide to her left, and suddenly had a flashback. Anya was five years old, and her mom was watching her as she was at the top of the slide.

"Mommy, look!" Anya had squeaked in her adolescent voice. She then jumped into the slide and slid to the bottom, except instead of planting her feet at the bottom upon landing, she fell and scraped her knee. Once the pain registered, Anya's little face contorted and she started wailing. Instantly, her mom ran over, and held Anya.

"It's ok, baby. Everything's going to be ok. Mommy's going to take care of you," her mom coaxed, wiping away Anya's tears.

Thirteen years later, and everything was so different. Back then, Anya's biggest problems were that she scraped her knee at the park, or somebody took her crayons. Now her problems were where she was going with her life and a little plastic bag, and there was nothing mommy could do to make it better.

Anya opened up her sweaty palm that she had been clutching. Dirt appeared in the creases of her hand from the sweat. She stared down at the bag of cocaine in her hand. Tears streaked her face as she leaned her head on the swing's chain. The sky was now a purplish blue, darkness approaching.

Had it really come to this? Drugs? Lies? Stealing from her boyfriend? Anya thought she had gotten better, but nothing had changed. She was still insecure and unsure of herself. She was terrified that she had no future, that she was not headed to success and happiness the way people like Holly J and Sav were. They had their talents, their universities. What did Anya have? A bag of cocaine. It was the only thing that could make her feel better. Even better than Owen.

Owen was, of course, so good to her, and knew how to say the right things to lighten the mood and make Anya feel more confident about the future, but Anya just couldn't believe that there was hope for her. Her hope had run out a long time ago. She had been driven to the edge, the brink. She was at the end of her wits. It was time to turn to a new source of happiness.

Anya dug her feet into the wood chips to keep herself steady on the swing. She opened the bag and lightly sprinkled the cocaine onto the back of her hand. I'm sorry Owen, I'm sorry mommy, Anya thought, knowing she was letting the people she loved down. Holding her hand up to her nose, she snorted it back, blinking her watery eyes rapidly. She let out a long breath as she began to calm down. She closed her eyes, leaning her head on the chain again as she waited for the cocaine to take its effect.

Suddenly feeling like she could take on any task, as if nothing could bring her down, Anya got up from the swing set. She started running towards the jungle-jim, climbing up the ladder in two steps, whereas when she was younger it was more challenging. Anya couldn't tell if the easiness of climbing the jungle-jim came from her longer legs, or her high. Not caring, she skipped over to the slide. She slid through, literally taking her two seconds to reach the ground. Exuding pride, she planted her feet on the ground and pumped her fists in the air.

"Take that, slide!" she yelled, smiling from ear to ear. See, I can overcome obstacles, she thought happily. Suddenly bored of the slide, she skipped over to the middle of the soccer field next to the park and plopped down on her back, staring up at the stars. As she was staring, her mind began to wander, and suddenly, not knowing why, Anya began to laugh. Uncontrollable laughs shook through her body, and Anya had no intention to stop it. This happiness, this high, was so much better than her misery in the real world. She wanted to enjoy this happy world that she knew so little of.

Little did Anya know, her free will had just blown away in the crisp evening wind. The happiness she was feeling was artificial. There was nothing real from cocaine. Nothing real at all. She was now a captive, a prisoner. She was chained down to the ground by drugs, and the key was nowhere to be found.

Dark, huh? Let me know what you guys think! Again, sorry for being super late on the update! My job is taking up all my time! Lol xo

Ps – I wrote this chapter during a pretty intense thunderstorm. The intensity of the storm really inspired the darkness of this chapter. =)