Excerpt: Run Like the Wind

Run Like the Wind
Chapter 1:
Grounded. That’s were our little expedition into the desert landed us. Grounded. Stuck in our rooms, security system locks on the doors and windows. Ms. Dave’s darling little angels are apparently no longer trustworthy girls.
Thank god she is not watching the mail. The official letter just came a few minutes ago. Clothes included, standard tan colored, belted at the waist, shirt and pants, no shorts this time, just long pants. It was cooler after all now. We were to meet in the lawn at 1am. We had been sitting in our room reading for the past hour, it was 11 now, and we still haven’t figured out a way to get out of the house.
“What are you thinking?” asked Chloe, as we depresedly on our beds.
“honestly, I don’t know anything. I mean what are we even doing, sneaking out, going out with a bunch of kids unattended in the desert?”
“But Onyx, I think we should, we said we would, I feel like its our duty to go back there.”
“But what of our duty to Ms. Dave? To our, my parents. What do you think they would say if they knew what I had just done? You don’t even have parents, you’re a freaking orphan, no one cares what you do!”
“What the hell is your problem? You think I don’t know that? You're no better off than me and you know it. You're parents might as well be dead, a letter from them? I see what they write to you… you try to fake that you're ok with it, but I know you’re not. Who would be with parents who write to their only daughter every few months. A picture of the moon? Have you ever got any more from them than that? I see your face every time you get a letter. You hope don’t you, you hope what? What, maybe it will say that your parents are coming to get you. Do you hope you can live with them again someday? And what would it be like if you did move back in with them? You never grew up with them, they haven’t even seen you since you were what, four? I bet you they wouldn’t even recognize you now.”
I turned my back on her and looked out the window in the small tower we shared. I shivered as cold breezed washed through the window. Of course she was right, the most observant person I knew. She was better than Ms. Dave. Her words still stung, I took a breath and turned to face her. I could feel the anger that came with grief ripple through me.
“Let’s go.” I said, a feeling of rebellious spirit flooded through me. Who cared what I did. I wanted to see my friends again; I wanted to be out the stupid stuffy tower I had to spend most of my day. And oh, what I would give to have some fresh air, a breeze on my face, the smell of fresh grass.
Carefully I creaked opened the door. Looked around, and descended the staircase with Chloe close behind me. I muffled a yelp as knocked my fore arm on the handrail.
I was espeasaily conscious of the small creaks of the stairs. Of course we were allowed out of the tower, but I was still aware of the noises. On the landing, I turned to the spiral stairs down the library. At the bottom, I crfully turned the knob into the kitchen. I saw a bottle of Nyquil on the counter and glanced tword the sofa, where I spotted Ms. Dave passed out with the TV on.
She had a horrendous clold, unlike her to take meds for it, but it had been othering her. I smiled rather maliciously as I went to the sofa a looked at the sleeping figure who happened to be my guardian. This would be perfect, if Ms. Dave would be under her medicated stooper for long enough to break the code.
Chloe and I tiptowed over to the door with the security box. Flipping over the lid of the box, I observed the bottons, what would our non – computer – savvy gaujdian make a a code.
“Try our address first.” Whispered Chloe
4127, wrong, the red light flashed.
“The last four numbers of our phone number.”
6284, wrong, the red light flashed.
“1342”
“What?”
“13/ 42 the day/ year that Skyan left.”
The light flashed green as I typed it.
“Brilliant!”
“Sometimes I am…” she relied smugly
We had almost crossed the threshold as I noticed something missing.
“Damn it, our bags, they're up stairs.”
“I’ll get them.” Chloe volunteered
She dashed sighlintly over to the stairs and moments later was back with our plastic bags filled with our respected items. We had already Changed clothes.
We closed the door as quickly and quietly as we could. The breeze hit my face as I closed the door and stepped into the night. Walking around to the front of our house, we to wait for our helicopter to arrive. I shivered, I was colder than I had expected.
“We have an hour.” Stated Chloe
“Why did we leave so early? We shouldn’t have left for another half hour! Now we are stuck out here in the cold.” I was angry
Absently I rubbed my forearm where I had hit it. I looked down, noticing I had formed a growing bruise there. About an inch long, pale purple, I rubbed it although the pain had eased some time ago.
“What’s wrong with your arm?” Asked Chloe, concerned
“Nothing, I hit it on the stairs.” I dismissed her concerned
I hugged my knees to my chest and brooded in self pity. Soon, the rumble of the helicopter approached. Soon the swinging ladder fell out of the cockpit. The returning fear in the pit of my stomach returned, just as it had that first night. I took a breath and climbed the ladder.