"What are you doing out here?"
I looked at my feet. I just met this guy and he was already asking about me. But then again, I can see why. I was a teenager cying in the woods in the middle of the night. I guess it did seem a bit odd. I started to remember why I was here, cold and alone, why I had run away...
The front door slammed and I heard heavy footsteps downstairs. Father was home, but he wasn't coming back at the best time. It was almost 1:00 am. Suddenly shouting errupted from the living room, echoing all throughout the house. Mother was furious. I pressed myself as close as I could to my bed, listening.
"What's gottn into you? You've been coming home late from work everyday for the past two weeks and the poor boy wonders what happened to you! Your setting a bad example and your not being much of a father!" As she yelled at him, I felt bad. I hate lying to Mother. I hate not telling her, but if she found out, Father would know that it was me who told her. Then he'd come after me... maybe hurt me...
Father was having an afair. I'd seen him and a beautiful woman downstairs, being all affectionate and calling each other by nicknames. I was sneaking around when my mother was at work in the morning, and Father thought I was still in bed. I saw them kissing, and knew I had seen something I shouldn't have witnessed.
It was all fine and dandy until I tried to sneak away, and stepped on a creaky floor board. That was the day father told me to keep my mouth shut. He told me if I said one word, bad things would happen to me and mother. So I kept quiet. I haven't said a word... but maybe I should have. Maybe that day I should have waited for mother to come home and told her, told her everything, but now... now she was finding out for herself.
I didn't move, careful not to so that the bed wouldn't squeak, so that I could hear mother and father clearly.
"Where have you been all this time anyway? And don't tell me work! I'm not stupid as you think. I called the office and they said you weren't there!" Oh no. Mother, no... Father told her never to call the office. Ever. He feels it was a way of showing that she didn't trust him, but I knew that was a lie. He always lies to Mother's face. I also knew that this made my father just as angry as my mother, and it showed as he began to yell back, getting his part in the accusations.
"You don't trust me! If you did you would be a good wife and not bother me! I was at the office, and whether you believe it or not that's my story and I'm sticking to it! You know, for a person who says they love me I should hear at least one word from your mouth that isn't an insult!" Lies. So many lies to her face, and yet he made her so upset while yelling at her, taking on his role as the man of the house. And one lesson he taught me the hard way?
The man is always right, and I will never be that man.
He also told me that life is unfair, and that the outside is dangerous. These are some of the only things mother agrees with father on. That's why I can never leave without permission. That's why I've never been outside the 8ft wall that surrounds our house, our yard, everything. I've been home schooled and I have no friends. This room is my favorite place in the world, this house my safe haven. Safe from all dangers... dangers that weren't my father, that is. My over-protective parents think that I'm happy here, but they're so, so wrong...
I got out of bed as quietly as I could and went to my window. From here, I could see the entire back yard, garden and all. With my parents practically being rich, I had the best of all things. Or the things they thought were good for me anyways. I sighed and looked out to the tall wall that gaurded the house, that gaurded me from the outside world. Pieces of the argument downstairs started coming to me, letting me know what my parents were talking about once more.
"If you don't want to tell me where you were, have a nice time sleeping on the couch! If I find you in any of the beds upstairs you'll get what's coming to you!" The loud footsteps headed up the stairs told me that mother had stormed off, going to their room for the night. My father's yell of frustration told me he was mad, but I knew he wouldn't argue.
I knew this because sleeping on the couch would make it easier for him to sneak away in the morning to his secret lover. She was just giving him the advantage.
Out the window I could see the shadows of the trees on the ground, just outside the wall. The moon was bright tonight, making it easier to see out into the forest behind my house. I opened the window and the fresh scents of night came in with the wind, tempting me to give in and run out into the night. But I couldn't. I had been here all my life, and in all of those seventeen years, I had never betrayed my mother... but I also felt as if I had enough.
Mother was a grown woman. Even if I was gone, she could fend for herself. Thinking of this, the thought occured to me that she was the only one that would miss me. I would miss her too if I left, but I knew she would be all right. Maybe it was time I started to take care of myself...
A fresh breeze blew gently at my face, stiring the curtains slightly. The smell of flowers and fresh cut grass surounded me once more, and with a struggling effort I made up my mind. Enough was enough... it was time for me to go.
I looked at my bedroom door and listened, making sure no one was there to hear me. When I was almost certain it was clear, I climbed up on to the windowsill and looked down at the ground. Below me was a soft looking patch of grass. It was the only way down. With a nervous gulp, I took a breath and jumped.
I wouldn't say I landed silently, but it was enough that no one inside the house would hear. As soon as I was standing I bolted to the wall, darting as fast as I could acrossed the back yard. When I touched the tall stone, I pressed myself to the shadows and began to head for the nearest corner. In the corner it was easy to climb, for there the stones jutted out more, forming a make-shift latter.
It was no time before I was climbing, up and over the wall before I spinted into the forest.
I don't know how long I ran, all I know is I enjoyed every moment of it. The wind was in my hair and the thrill of escape made my entire body surge with excitement. I was happy. It felt so good to be out of that place, it felt so good to be free. But as everyone knows, all good things must come to an end.
I became breathless, breathing heavily with both of my legs feeling numb. I had to stop and lean against a tree to stand, but I found that I couldn't even do that, and sank to the ground in front of a large tree. I sat there for a long time, possibly longer than the time I had ran. It's then that it hit me.
Sudden grief and misery flooded my mind, taking over me almost in a single second, a moment of complete transformation from happy to completely depressed. What was I doing? I should have never left. I didn't know how to survive on my own, out here in this dense forest... I didn't know what I was thinking... and as stupid as it was, I wanted to go home, I wanted my mother...
Then he showed up.
Remembering all of this, new tears formed in my eyes as I looked up at the blonde boy who had found me out here. I didn't know him, but I wanted to tell him everything. There was just something in his eyes that gave me a comforting feeling, helping me to control my tears as I looked into them, They were blue, deep blue like the night.
"Hey, are you ok?" I shook my head. "N-No, I'm not... I'm lost. I've never been away from home before..."
Sudden concern filled those comforting eyes, and it gave me a funny feeling. He was concerned about me? He didn't even know me, but he still showed me friendship. "Well, that's no good. Come with me, I'll take you to my house, we can find your home in the morning..."
I stiffened. Home... going home ment going back to all the problems, back to father and his lies... "I don't want to go home. I ran, I'm out here for a reason... but why are you out here?"
He smiled at me. A real smile. Something no one back at the house had done in weeks. "I was just going for a late night walk. Come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe."
Safe? Real safety? I smiled at him though my tears and got up, weakly standing on my feet. "Ok... I'll go with you..."
His smile turned into a huge grin as he began to lead me into the night, under a thick canopy of trees. "My names Felix by the way..."
He cast another smile over his shoulder, giving me a glimps of his eyes, eyes that seemed to be wiser than his years, much older than the rest of him. I nodded, trying my best to follow him in the dark without falling over myself.
So his name was Felix. That was a rather good name, and it seemed to match him perfectly, or at least in my mind it did.
...Felix... keep me safe.