Poll

Rilly *procrastinator and proud* wrote: "i like making smilies like that! ^^"

Me too... >.<
and the penguin (")>

8^) <

wow....i like ninjas (|:|)+<

i like your ninja.

haha, good

Haley wrote: "wow....i like ninjas (|:|)+<"

OMG that's awesome!!!
nothin beats a classic though... :)

Chapter 2
The gas station smells of coffee and beef jerky. Upon stepping inside, I flare my nostrils and take deep breaths. The smell gives me a sense of comfort and excitement.
There’s a large counter with shelves filled with old-fashioned candy and then there are aisles set up, with packaged coffee beans, beef jerky and fresh fruit waiting to be bought. The setup looks sort of like a library, but with food instead of books.
I look around some more, seeing a large rotating display with brightly colored novelty snow globes and old-fashioned toys, like tops and little wooden men.
“Wow,” I murmur, running my hand across the shelves of candy.
“Like it?” the man asks. He leans against the counter.
“Yeah, it’s not like what I’d expect a gas station to look like, but it’s…” I search for the word. “Cool. Very cool.”
I decide I like the man. He seems good-natured, and he welcomed me even though neither of us know who I am.
I close my eyes and try to remember what coffee tastes like. I vaguely recall a bitter taste and a brownish colored liquid, but that’s all I can get out of my brain before I’m blocked from my memory again.
Keep trying, I tell myself. You’ll get it eventually.
“You hungry?” the man asks. He looks at me like he’s trying to read my mind.
I pat my stomach. “Starving,”
“Good. Go pick out something.”
“I don’t have any money. At least, I don‘t think I do.”
“It’s on the house.” the man smiles. It’s a genuine, amused smile that adds to my comfort. “You look like you haven’t eaten in weeks. “
“Really? Wow, um, thanks.” I’m again at a loss for words. “A lot. Thanks a lot.”
The man smiles and gestures for me to go find something to eat, then he busies himself behind the counter.
I scan the shelves and decide I need something nutritious. And just as I bend down to examine the apples on the bottom shelf a shrill woman’s voice rings out, interrupting the comfortable silence.
“Alberto, did you pay the electric bill? I swear, if those collectors call me again, I’ll go up there myself and beat their fat, impatient-”
“Colleen!” Alberto exclaims. “We’ve got a guest, and the last thing we need is you scaring her half to death.”
I feel my cheeks turn red with embarrassment. I come out from behind the produce shelf and give a meek smile to the short, chunky woman. She’s got black hair pulled back in a sleek, tight looking bun and black eyes that look me over from head to toe.
Although her face shows pity for me, I’m terrified of this woman. She seems okay until I see her eyes, and they unlock a fear that’s been hiding since I awakened. The eyes seem to be deceiving her, giving away her true evil.

I step back, gripping the shelf for support. A look of concern crosses both Alberto’s and Colleen’s face, but my mind is telling me it’s all a lie.
I close my eyes and try to block it out. The black eyes keep watching me, I know, and I’m scared, waiting for the gun to fire, waiting for the bang to sound that will signal my violent and lonely death.
I feel a hand on the small of my back, but I blindly push it away. My comfort has vanished and in its place is pure, undying fear that encompasses my body, and soon I’m paralyzed, my head pounding. I feel the cold of the ceramic floor.
I realize, with a burst of adrenaline, that I’m remembering. Not the whole thing, just little pieces of the past that maybe I can fit together to make a picture.
I squeeze my eyes shut and try hard to remember. I get a glimpse of blood running down flesh, my flesh, and then black eyes watching me, predicting my next move, and then air rushing past my fast and my legs burning, and darkness that blends together and cradles me, lulling me to sleep as bright lights spin and twirl in the air.
I grit my teeth as I come back to reality. I feel the pain in my right cheekbone where I’d hit the floor. I feel Alberto’s hand on my arm, and I hear Colleen’s frantic speaking.
My body trembles with weakness as I lift myself off the ground.
“Are you…” Alberto trails off.
“I was remembering,” I manage, trying to recall what I’d seen. It’s like trying to remember a dream, only now I’m only remembering small glimpses of what were already just seconds of memory.
What I end up with are like blurry pictures that seem unrelated and random, and they’re meaningless until I can find some underlying scenario. I have to figure out the common denominator or I may never figure out what it all means.
I shudder and try to steady my breathing, ignoring the man and woman by my side.
“What did you remember?” Alberto asks. I lean back, taking in his expression. His face is full of concern and worry, eyes wide and jaw tight. I wonder how he can know me for less than twenty minutes and already care about me so much.
“I-” I don’t know what to say. Do I trust him with my memories? Maybe. It’s Colleen, the one with the horrible eyes, that I don’t trust. She’s staring at me with a hard look on her face, making me nervous.
“I don’t… remember. It’s all so hazy and it doesn’t make any sense.” I look down at the floor. I sound so stupid.
It’s quiet until Colleen breaks the silence. “What is happening, Al?”
Alberto explains the day’s events, starting with when he found me in the bushes.
I bury my head in my hands, wanting to remember, but at the same time fearing what my past will reveal.
Alberto finishes talking and I can feel two sets of eyes boring into my back.
“Hon,” Colleen says, touching my back lightly. She drums her fingers just right of my spine. “We’ve got to turn you in to the police. Your parents are probably pacing around their living room right now, wondering where you are.”
Without missing a beat, I respond coldly. “ Have you heard anything about a missing blond anywhere near this area? I doubt it.”
I don’t know how I know my parents won’t be looking for me. I can’t remember what my parents look like, or if I even have any.

I just know that the people responsible for me wouldn’t care if I disappeared.
“No, hon, I haven’t.” Pause. “But it’s me and Al’s responsibility to turn you in so your parents can find you.”
I look up at their expectant faces. I pray and wish that this is all a dream. It’s stupid, I know, but I’m secretly thinking about bolting for the door right about now.
I don’t know where I’ll go, but anything is better than going to the police.
“Come on now, hon, we’ll drive you to the sheriff’s station and they’ll see that you get home safely.”
I want to believe her words. I want to believe that there’s a home out there where I belong, but I just can’t.

seems a bit rushed, but still awesome!

Haley wrote: "seems a bit rushed, but still awesome!"

Yeah. I started getting all excited around that part...

Chapter Three
The drive to the police station is agonizing. The air in the car seems thin because of the silence. I struggle for each breath and wonder why I even bother.
There’s a deep chasm in my heart, a sudden loss. I can’t sit still. What did I do to deserve this? I ask myself.
Then I almost laugh at the irony. Even if I knew what I did, I wouldn’t be able to remember.
We pull up to a small, dusty building with two large garages off the side. The building has windows but the blinds make it nearly impossible to see inside.
As we step out into the blistering heat, only one thing is on my mind: how to escape.
I know it’s stupid and foolish, but I’m terrified to the point where I know that there must be something wrong. Each step takes me closer, and Alberto’s hand on my shoulder ensures that I can’t sneak off without them knowing.
So when we reach the door, I tell myself to be calm and controlled. Maybe I can convince the police that this is all a mistake, but there’s no chance of that if my hands are trembling the way they are.
I stumble on the way in, but I take a deep breath and clear my mind of all thoughts except escape.
A glance at Colleen confirms that she’s watching me. I shudder.
Alberto speaks to the man at the front desk while I look around the room.
A teenaged boy sits in a chair pushed against the wall farthest from me. His hands are clasped and he’s leaning forward, elbows on his knees, looking back at me.
I refuse to be the first to look away. I don’t want to appear weak. I need to be strong, and this will be like practice for when I have to look into a cop’s eyes and lie.
The boy is confident and cocky, and he continues staring at me. I feel my cheeks turning red, but I let out a quick, forceful breath and my face returns to its normal color.
The boy laughs quietly, amused. I bite my lip, torn between embarrassment and confusion.
We stare.
Alberto taps my shoulder, gesturing towards a door a few feet away. I cross the room and walk through the doorway while an officer holds it open. He smiles, though he doesn’t show his teeth. I stare back.
I feel the boy’s eyes on me as I leave the room.
***
“Ma’am, no one has reported you officially missing, but that’s probably because you must be gone for at least twenty four hours before you’re considered missing.”
I look up at the officer. This is the first time he’s spoken directly to me since we’ve entered the room. Mostly, Alberto and Colleen have been talking with him as if I don’t exist.
“Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I’m telling you, I’ll probably remember everything soon and this’ll all be pointless.”
I resist a smile. My words sound forceful and sensible and that’s just how I want them to sound.
“Ma’am, since you are here, it’s my duty to find your parents and hand you over to them.” The officer smiles.
“But I don’t know anything about myself or my parents or anything!” I exclaim, getting aggravated with how he’s so fake-cheery and how he keeps calling me “Ma’am”.
“All we need to do is take your fingerprints and then check our system and we’ll have your identity.” the officer says. He leans back in his chair, obviously pleased with himself.
I freeze.
“Isn’t that great?” Alberto asks lightheartedly, patting me on the back. “Maybe when you hear your name, you’ll remember!”
Alberto has the same fake enthusiasm as the officer, but at least with him it’s got a hint of truth to it.
But I don’t want to remember. I’m too terrified of knowing how I ended up in the bushes in front of Alberto’s gas station.
I feel my heart beating in my chest and hear it loud in my ears. My breathing is ragged and uneven.
I’m doomed. I’m doomed to discover my past, when all I want is to… I want to…
Run.
I think the word, and then I’m through the door and running through the long hallway, my footsteps echoing through the station. I feel the wind blowing my hair back and kissing my skin gently. I reach another door and then another and then I’m hit with a blast of hot air.
It feels right, so I keep running. Down the road, around a bend leading to an endless stretch of road. I slow down, survey my surroundings, then jog off the side of the road to hide.

Crouching behind a tree, I wait for someone to come looking for me.
No one comes.
I wait some more, twigs stabbing my bare feet. I train my eyes on the curve in the road and anticipate a police car with sirens and blinking lights.
After a moment that seems like hours, I relax my tense muscles one by one. My eyes flutter and close, but I am miles away from sleep.
Mixed feelings of relief and terror wash through me, turning my skin cold, then hot, then cold again. I’m nearly gasping for each breath, trying to capture the air around me and use it to heal my internal wounds.
If only there was an antidote for such feelings of pain and loss. I’m torn, fighting an internal battle.
I’m not sure if the sweat pouring down my cheeks is due to the heat or from my exhaustion. Or maybe they’re tears. I capture a bead of liquid on my fingertip, examining it and watching the sun’s reflection in it.
I don’t want to cry.
To distract myself, I try to figure out a game plan for the next few days. There’s no going back to Colleen and Alberto. I’m in the middle of nowhere. No food or spare clothes, and I’m burning up in these jeans. My knees ache from the tight fabric and it makes me wonder what kind of person I was before I forgot.
I shake off the thought and force myself to think only about how to survive.
I put my head in my hands and think. A minute passes by, and still I have nothing.
A distant rumbling interrupts my thoughts. It sounds like low growling, a mix between a cat’s purr and a lion’s threatening roar.
I stand up and grip the tree for support. Blinking against the bright light of the sun, I search for the source of the sound. Goosebumps raise on my arms, and I get the feeling that I’m being watched.
I walk across the dirt road. The small rocks and dust burn my feet, but I ignore the pain. A deep ravine is just off the side of the road, and at the bottom is a set of train tracks.
I smile to myself, a plan forming in my head.
Running my hand across the dusty ground, I feel the vibrations of the train. It’s about a mile away, but with the silent, flat environment, sound travels farther distances.
I press my pointer finger on the ground, then my middle, ring and pinky finger one by one, feeling the odd sensations in the ground. I lay on my stomach and look at the sand, seeing each individual particle jump from the ground every few seconds.
I smile.
A voice interrupts my trancelike state of mind, and I look up from the ground at the boy from the station.
“Uh, what’re you doing?” he asks, tilting his head to the right. His black hair is long enough to shift with his head.
“Nothing,” I respond. I stand, brushing dust off my jeans, which are really starting to annoy me.
“Yeah, ‘cause most people spend their time laying with their face in the sand.”
“Very funny. What’re you doing out here?”
The boy laughs. His teeth are almost too white and perfect to be normal. “You caused quite the distraction at the police station. I took the opportunity to slip out the front door when no one was looking.” he digs around in his pocket, pulling out a box of cigarettes and a lighter. He lights one, and takes a drag. “So I guess we’re both outlaws now.” he mumbles around the cigarette.
“Not for long.” I reply, then point in the direction of the low rumbling in the distance. “There’s a train.”
He raises an eyebrow. “So?”
“So, we jump on it and ride it to somewhere where they won’t be looking for us.”
“That’s crazy.”
“It’s better than sitting around waiting for someone to find us.”
He jams his hands in his pockets and studies my face for a moment. “I think I’ll take my chances here.”
I turn on my heel and face the direction of the ravine. “Fine.”
The sound of the train is getting louder, and I prepare to jump. And, like an explosion, the train flies into my line of vision. I wait a split second, then take the leap.

wow, intense

Jessie

Nico

no one has commented for 4 years, so I felt the need to do so.. LOL

oh wait, make that two years. XD