Ray lives out of town a little along the river in a small run down house. We get there and he puts me in a new shirt.
My phone starts ringing and it's Jacob. We both look down at my ringing phone. He picks up my phone and puts in on silent.
"I should let him know I'm ok" Ray looks annoyed for a minute, but picks up the phone again and starts typing.
"There, he thinks you got sick and got a ride home" I nod in thanks'. He gives me his bed and he sleeps on the floor next to me. I don't close my eyes. I just lay there. I can see him on his phone when he finally speaks.
"Instinct is on" He says, he must know I am still awake.
"What happened" I ask
"Just a spray painted wall that said, "10 pm, Saturday, do you have a survivors Instinct?"
"Hmm" I hum in response,
"You doing it?" He asks me once again.
"No" I finally make my decision, "I don't have a survivors instinct"
"How do you know, you could win"
"Tonight, when Ethan-" I skip that, "I started to fight, but when it got bad my first instinct was to go blank, I shut down, there were a few minutes where I did nothing, but go still. If you wouldn't have come when you did, I would still be frozen there." I am almost whispering now.
"What about the money?" He asks, he knows I need it, but I don't really
"I have been saving for years now, I think I have enough to pay for a year or two of tuition."
"Of course you have been" I can't read his tone but I choose to ignore it and I fall asleep.
I wake up the next morning and Ray is gone. I get up and throw on my shorts. I need to get to school. I leave and I don't see Ray for the rest of the week. I might be avoiding him, but it doesn't matter. We have known each other since birth, but I have always hated him and found him annoying. He loves to bug me and he hates Jacob, but that has been the extent to our relationship for a long time. This changes everything. So I am going to ignore him.
On the other hand I have run into Ethan to many times and the other day he gave me a warning. It scared me a little, but he is also dumb so I don't know how serious to take it. He wrote me a note saying if I told anyone he would come to my trailer and kill me. I know it sounds crazy, but he has always been one to say stupid things that mean nothing.
Today is graduation and me and Hannah have been getting ready and hanging out all day. Hannah has been my best friends for as long as I can remember.
"I am so excited for tonight" She sequels a little
"Hannah just-" I sigh, "Be careful please, remember the game is dangerous"
She laughs, "Says you, your boyfriend is playing" I come up and hug her in a joking way,
"Oh but I love you so much more then him" I laugh and so does she.
"Oh shit, it's 4" We both put on our cap and head out. Graduations happenens and now everyone is taking pictures with family, Ray and his buddies didn't show, but I am guessing they just don't care. Now I am standing outside the school watching Hannah take pictures with her proud parents. Jacob getting gifts from his family, and even Ethan hugging his family.
I sigh and walk home.
Right when I walk in my mother is on the couch. Just my luck.
"Where have you been" she spits out. she is holding a beer.
"Graduation mom. I graduated high school today" She laughs at me. Straight up laughs at me.
"Annabeth don't talk sassy to me." She stands up. I am done with this.
"No mom, I just graduated. You daughter just graduated" I almost yell. Her face twist and she throws the bottle at me. I flinch and try to dodge it but it shatters against my body. I feel the glass cut my skin. I look her in the eyes. I don't even cry, I am pissed, I am so angry
"YOUR MY MOTHER. I AM 17, 17 AND YOU HIT ME, YOU HURT ME, YOU DON'T DO SHIT FOR ME."
"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT. I DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU, YOU HAVE A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD, I GIVE YOU FOOD"
"FOOD? WHAT FUCKING FOOD"
She raises her arm, "Get the Fuck out" She spits. I don't waste a second. I storm out of the house. I walk and walk for a long time.
Finally I reach the coffee bar and I walk in. Maybe a coffee will help me feel better. I walk in and a few people stare at me. I go and sit down and Will comes out.
"Anna what happened" His voice is so urgent I am confused for a second then I feel warm liquid go down my check. My hand reaches up and I pull back and see red blood. The glass.
"Shit" I grab napkins on the counter and wipe it up then I notice my arm is bleeding too. I have a high pain tolerance I can barely feel it.
"How did this happen? Did someone hurt you?" He is now standing in beside me on my side of the counter. I look up at him,
"No, it was a accident I'm fine"
"ok" He doesn't looked convinced. "come here, lets clean this up" He leads me to the back into the bathroom.
"It's ok, really I'm fine"
"These are pretty big cuts, we need to clean it up" He pats the counter and I hop up. He takes out the first aid and starts on my arm. "This might hurt" He rubs alcohol on my cuts, it stings a little, but I am fine. He looks at me impressed and continued.
"This didn't happen from a accident Anna" He holds eye contact, "Who did this"
"no one, I told you, I just fell"
"I saw you leave the party with that asshole Ray, did he do this" Oh gosh I can't have Ray be blamed for this.
"no, no" He doesn't believe me, "It was my mom, ok?"
His eyes soften, "I'm sorr-"
"Don't be, it's fine, I'm fine" He cleans the rest up in silence, I thank him and pay for a coffee to go, and that's when I remember I need to get all my money from my room.
I walk into my house and my mom is still on her spot on the couch, "You back with a apology" I walk right past her and to my room. I open the door to see it destroyed. She threw all my clothes all over, my mattress is off my bed, and everything that was once in a draw is scattered throughout the room. Shit, shit, shit. I run to the box that held my money. It's gone, it's all gone.
"MOM" I run out and she is staring at the screen, "YOU TOOK MY MONEY"
"It's under my roof" She says calmly.
"WHERE IS IT, WHERE IS IT" I yell, I have never been so mad in my life, I think I am seeing red.
"It's gone baby, I got nice new clothes, some new jewels and my hair and nails done and my car fixed"
"THAT WAS MY COLLEGE MONEY" She doesn't respond, my mind is scrambling for a fix something to fix this. then it hits me. Instinct, if I play, I could win 10 times what I had before. And I can win.
I storm out and grab her car keys. I ignore her yelling in protest and drive towards the spring where the game is taking place. I park and stalk in. I think I am still seeing red.
"Annie?" Jacob walks over towards me, his hair is wet and so are his shorts, he already jumped. "I didn't think you were coming" I walk right past him and up to Summer who is at the sign up table.
"Sign me up" I say loudly, people cheer around me and I feel Jacob grab my arm
"Annie what the hell, you aren't playing" He commands.
"Fucking watch me" People do that oohhh all around us.
"Your number 15 Anna, take a flare and go jump" She smiles, I nod, and stalk away, but he grabs me tightly and pulls me back.
"I said no" He is mad, but I am pissed
"Let me go Jacob" I grit out. He tightens his grip.
"Let the lady go Jakey" Ray comes up to us, "She wants to compete, let her" He smirks, I don't know why but he loves the idea of us playing together.
"Shut the hell up Ray" He looks back at me, "Now come with me Annie"
I just stare him down, "Come on dude, just let her go" now Will comes up to us.
Jacob turns to him, "Who the Fuck even are you, this is none of your business" Finally I am able to shake him off me.
"Anna what are you doing" I turn and Hannah is right there.
"I'm jumping" I start to move,
"You said, it was a stupid dangerous game, and now you want to play" I have never heard her use this voice with me, this tone, she sounds cruel.
I just ignore her and start climbing. Every year the competitors jump off the cliff into the spring to make it official. They call it jumping into the game. There are 2 levels to jump but technically 3 levels, but no one has ever jumped at the highest cliff, they say you will die, but no one knows. For level 1 the smallest jump is 100 points, but it is no means a small jump, level 2 is a extra 50 points and level 3 is a extra 75 points.
I make it to level one and turn to face the water. I stand there in a blank stare for a long time. If I do this I am making a commitment. If I do this, I have to win.
"Any day now Anna" Felix shouts, he is the announcer and kind of a host for the game, he has known me my whole life, he is a very nice guy, very much the class clown. After a minute I hear Jacob yell for me to come down, and that's when I snap, I turn and start climbing higher. Shouts start to erupt, some in protest for me to stop and some in cheers. I pass level 2 and keep climbing, that's when worried shouts go through the crowd, but I can barely hear them. I make it to level 3 and look down at the edge. It is at least 150 feet. I take a deep breath and look back at everyone.
"Are you sure you want to do this Anna" Felix says into his micro phone, he sounds worried. I can make out Rays face from here, he also looks a little concerned. If Ray is nervous then it must look really high. I look over to Will, he is shaking his head, we make eye contact,
"JUST COME DOWN ANNA" He shouts, I can barely hear him from up here, but I just met him, at the end of the day he has nothing in my decision.
I look at Jacob, he looks more pissed that I didn't listen to him then worried that I might die. Ethan is smiling a little, and Hannah, Hannah is standing close to Jacob, but not looking worried, more like she is waiting for me to not surface from the water after I jump.
I look down at one of my nicer shirts I had on. I take it off leaving me in my bra and shorts. The water is going to be cold, but the shirt will only make me colder when I get out. Everyone else had a bathing suit on, but I didn't get the chance to grab one.
"Anna we don't need a free show, how about you just come down" Felix says making everyone laugh. I ignore him and take 5 steps back. I need to run and jump to avoid the rocks at the bottom.
Everyone goes quiet, finally. I take a deep breath.
"Ok, your doing this" Felix says, "Contestant, state your name" He repeats like the host does every year for each person.
"Annabeth Mills" I shout then I take off. I run and leap as far as my legs can push me off the cliff and into the water.
Let's see how far my Instinct will take me.