Running Free [COMPLETE]

Eliza let her back-door slam shut behind her as she took the deck steps two at a time. She was heading for the wooded area behind her house and knew the trail hidden back there would be completely alone at this time in the late afternoon. Most families in this neighborhood would be sitting down for their Sunday dinners about this time, leaving Eliza’s trail alone for her to master yet again. This was what she had waited for all day. When she could just run. No timing her sprints, no expectations, no one comparing her. It was just her and the forest. She trekked through some waist-high grass at the far edge of her backyard before coming up to the familiar dirt path. Without thinking, she put her earbuds in and began jogging up the path towards the woods. With each step she took, Eliza could feel her thoughts and emotions melt away. Here, on this path, her insecurities meant nothing. The fact that she didn’t fit anywhere didn’t mean anything. She didn’t have to look in the mirror and wonder why she was so different? Why was her hair so dark and her skin so deep? Even though she knew she would never look like her fair colored family because she had been adopted at the age of one, she often wondered why she couldn’t at least look a bit similar to everyone else in the town. At school, she stuck out like a sore thumb with her tawny skin and strange features. Her cheekbones were too high, and her eyes edged upwards at the outer corners. Everyone else had pale, milky skin and fine, bright features and she was rarely seen as beautiful or pretty. She was often described as “exotic”, which made her burn inwardly whenever she heard the word. Exotic was just a nice way of saying strange and she hated the feeling of being called that horrid word. She was sure her sister, Emily, was never called “exotic”. No, Emily was the picture-perfect definition of beauty. She had spun gold for hair, big, clear blue eyes and full pink lips. Her boyfriend always commented on her amazing legs and figure. “I’m the sister with the great personality,” Eliza would often say, half-joking. But right now, on the dirt path, she felt nothing besides her burning muscles. Her feet patted the ground at a steady rhythm while she kept her focus on her breathing, making sure that she stayed oxygenated. If she stayed at this pace, she thought, she would make it back home just before sundown. Eliza was nearing the halfway point of her trek when she began to notice something strange. It started at her toes and fingertips first. A soft tingling that climbed up her arms and legs, only to sweep into her stomach. When it reached her mouth, it came with a sharp metallic taste that forced her to stop her running and shake her head. Pulling out her earbuds, she looked around. Maybe she ran into an unseen spider web and was bit, but she saw nothing in her path or on herself. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. When did her heart start to pound this hard, she thought as her shaky fingers moved to her neck to check her pulse. Had she overworked herself? No, that couldn’t be possible. She joined the cross-country team during her freshmen year and had spent the last three years running almost every day. This run had been cake. Eliza was suddenly stilled by something dark groping at her in the depths of her brain. It felt like she stood on an empty, darkened stage. A bright spotlight blinded her enough to hide something slinking in the dark. It moved and flowed as it circled in her mind. Her eyes dilated and her breathing slowed until it was barely there. Goosebumps made her hair stand on end and her skin began to flush. In her mind, Eliza could feel something stepping out of a cage she didn’t know even existed. It felt very much a part of her, like a piece of her that she had never shared with anyone. Kept secret and treasured until it was freed. It leaped out of its cage like a ribbon of gossamer, flowing and undulating in the wind, spreading out over Eliza’s mind until it draped and hugged every nook and cranny in her brain. She felt herself shake abruptly and her eyes came to a sharp focus, but things didn’t look like they usually did. No, they were clearer, brighter and what were all these smells? She sniffed into the air, picking up the waft of nearby squirrels, the family that had walked the path an hour before and even the rancid apple pie sitting in the trash can back at home. Oh, there were so many interesting smells, she joyfully thought to herself. Without thinking twice, she hopped off the trail and went headfirst into the woods. She vaguely noted that she was running on all fours, no shoes in sight. But who could think about that when there are bunnies to chase! She spent the next few hours dashing through the trees and rolling in daisy patches, happily running from one smell to the next. Her tongue hung out the side of her mouth and if she could smile, she would have had one stretching from ear to ear. It was dark when Eliza found a grassy clearing. It gave a wide view of the open sky and the moon hanging low. She walked to the center of the clearing, took 3 turns before laying down. She watched the moon for what felt like the first time. Each crater, each line, clearer than ever before. She gave out one long sigh and set her head down in the grass. Her eyes, heavy with bliss, began to slowly close and she fell into a dreamless slumber. Eliza’s eyes snapped open. The moon was high in the sky and was casting a bright light onto the clearing. It took a minute for her to shake the sleep out of her eyes. She looked down at her hands and saw they were dark with dried mud. Her feet as well. She stood and walked out of the clearing. Her instincts leading her back home.