Prompt: Scream, but where no one will hear you (06/15/08)

This one is okay; it actually inspired me to start a story called Another Fight, one that I'm still working on.
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(June 15 ’08)

Prompt: Scream but only where no one will worry about you.

Time: 15 min.

Words: 592

I always traveled here, to my safe spot, to the little haven I had created, when I felt like the world was crashing down around me. When my little brother had bothered me until the point of breaking, when my parents seemed to never stop yelling-I came here. Here is where I sought refuge; here is where I could relax. I could cry, here all alone, and no one would hear. Strangely enough, that it what I wanted. I wanted to be alone.

I had just arrived in my haven, sneaking off the path, under the bushes until I reached it, when I heard the footsteps. There weren’t much, but were loud enough for me to discern them, too loud for any animal. My heart leapt in my throat as I worried that someone might find me. I came here to escape, and wanted nothing more than to be alone. All alone.

My eyes wide with worry, I silently flattened myself on the pine-needle floor, gazing out from underneath the bushes. In my narrow line of vision, I was able to see white, beat up sneakers. The sneakers paused, and then continued on, beating a straight line to my hiding spot.

What do I do? I frantically ran through my options. If I stayed here, the owners of the sneakers would find me; and if I ran the person would see me.

I can’t let him find my place, I thought, knowing how it would defile the serenity of the place if another person was to stumble upon it. Getting up to a crouch, I stayed there, frozen with indecision. Suddenly, I stood, straightening to my full height.

I don’t know why I did this; it was as if my name had been called, the syllables still hanging clearly in the wind. When I stood, my eyes were able to see through the pine trees lower branches, and make out the figure that stood on the other side. He, for that was the gender of the figure, stood with his back to me, and for a second my heart jumped at the possibility that he wouldn’t come any closer. Long black hair swirled about as he did an about face, startling me with the suddenness.

Tan skin road flawlessly over his face and the dark hair fell softly, almost covering one dark eye. I was paralyzed by the gaze that seemed to bore through the needles, straight to my eyes. Strangely, I felt little fear of this boy, as if deep down I knew he meant no harm. Slowly, I pushed the branches away, and left my little haven to see him clearer.

“Who…who are you?” I asked him, my voice stopping for a second. My mind ran over the kids at school, and realized that I had not seen him there, though I felt certain that I had seen him somewhere.

His eyes took my by surprise, as I saw the anger that had been within them drain away, leaving only curiosity.

“Why do you want to know?” He asked, as if the idea of me simply wondering was foreign to him.

“I…don’t know…perhaps, because I just know I’ve met you before, but I can’t seem to think of your name,” I stuttered, my shyness showing.

A hint of a smile crept up on his face, but his eyes remained guarded.

“You don’t know me. I didn’t even live around here that is until recently.” His voice was rough; the uncultured accent in it enough for me to believe his words.