I Had to to Tell the Truth No Matter What the Consequences Were

I could smell the odor of the pines next to me as I walked through the concrete sidewalk. It was my first time on this campus and I didn’t know what to expect or what to think. I didn’t have any idea of what was coming, but yet, my excitement and adrenaline ran throughout my blood,

As my car climbed the hill, my heart sunk into my stomach. I parked as far away from my friends as I could and quickly exited the car, not once looking at them. Now it was every man for himself. Emerging into the open air, I suddenly became aware of myself. I could feel my puffy, blood-shot eyes. My palms became slimy. My fingers clinched into a fist and my nails dug into my skin. My sight blurred and my tunnel of vision tried to focus on the front door. Every step seemed more awkward than the last. Eyes pierced me from all sides. I felt naked. My body trembled like a sheep in the midst of wolves.

Imagine, if you will, a brisk night wind coming fast across a lake carrying a pungent smell, something you can’t quite identify, but is nonetheless familiar enough to send a shiver up your spine. As it hits the trees, they creak out a somber call in the still night air. Or was that groan something more…human? You notice, for the first time, the absence of tires humming on pavement and you wonder if it’s that late, or maybe just a slow night. The soft tapping of your shoes on the sidewalk is the only accompaniment your slow breathing has as you move towards the warmth of your home, holding thoughts of a warm bed in the palm of your hand to keep the chill away. You don’t notice at first, perhaps because the reality of what you’re hearing is

I sprinted up the stairs, taking no time to stop for breakfast. I had to make it to the factory by 5 or I’d be beaten. The fear of punishment gave me extra speed as I ran out the door into the smoggy darkness. As I ran, I tied back my long blonde hair with the ribbon tied around my wrist. I ran down the cobblestone street, careful not to step in any of the piles of mud. The streets were devoid of carriages, anybody rich enough to own a horse wasn’t getting up this early. The only people I shared the streets with were other children and adults going to work.

The tickling sensation of heat bathing his face forced him to slowly open his eyes. The sun’s golden rays stunned him blurring his vision as he quickly turned away. As his eyes adjusted, he was surprised to find the absence of his father. His heart started to pound and all the confidence and security that he had built up melted in the space of a few seconds. He jumped up flinging his sleeping bag on to the ground and looked around taking note of his surroundings. To him, it felt as if the trees were suddenly sent out to attack him like stealthy assassins gaining on him as they moved side to side from the winds steady breeze. The faint noise of bugs and animals chattering sounded like the grunt of a predator before it hunts its prey. A colossal cloud

I was upstairs in this bamboo dorm that was on top of a steep hill next to another village of refugees separated by a long wood fence. Downstairs was a large room with wooden benches and tables. I could hear my mother teaching a class full of high school students who were reciting some verses from a textbook. I killed time by daydreaming, drawing, and playing with a rhinoceros beetle. After a few hours, I could hear the students’ footsteps hitting the dirt floor; they’re going back to their dorms, I thought.

As we started along the trail, I worried about forgotten items and my decision to only bring one extra pair of socks. However, after a while, I became aware of a pair of birds chattering above me and the soft murmur of water trickling down a stream bed. After an hour of walking, the trail starts winding back on itself in a series of switchbacks. The chatter between my family members slows down, as we soon struggled to breathe from exhaustion. Sometimes I was hunched over so far from my load that I would stare at my rubber-toed boots and forget to look up at the majestic trees surrounding me.

My lungs were insatiable, not screaming but rather, begging good-naturedly for more. The balmy air was somehow more invigorating, knowing as I did that its vast expanse respected no boundaries in which it could grow stale and contaminated. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest and in my ears, rhythmically, so that my legs soon fell into stride. My bare shins graciously accepted lashings from the Timothy-grass and wild rye that had grown cavalier in the harrow’s

My heart began to race faster than a cheetah, my legs were numb, and I couldn’t tell whether or not I was actually running. The feeling of the crisp and hot summer air quickly entering my lungs felt rough, while the air was escaping even faster. As I struggle to look behind to see if he was close enough to get me I tried to exclaim while trying to grasp some air for my lungs, “Xouse, he’s gaining, on us, come on!”. As the hot asphalt burnt the bottom of my shoes off, I continued running into the alley of two apartment complexes as my cousin followed. I looked at Xouse, I saw the agony on his face, my vision went blurry, next thing I knew I was standing in front of a wall, with nowhere to go. I looked back to see if we were finally safe, and then I knew, I should have never left the by myself.

As soon as the door opened, the heat hit me. It was like putting a hot iron in front of my face. But it felt even worse as there was a slight wind which pushed the heat towards me. My body was surrounded in a blanket of heat and I even started to sweat slightly. My uncle told me to wait by the lift as he went to collect the car so I wouldn’t have to walk as far and drag my suitcase along. While I waited, I took time to look around at the surroundings. I could see mountains which stretched towards the clouds and the airport behind me. There were a vast number of people walking around from their flight looking drowsy and with no energy. The frequent red double-decker bus also came and a few planes flew above my head. I didn’t even have to look, but I could hear the planes departing and arriving. The planes all looked the same in the sky, big and white with some sort of logo. During the wait, I took a few steps to take away the cramp. Although I had trainers on, I could feel and see that the floor was new. The concrete looked

I glanced down at my watch with anticipation that I was about to be late, but the sun was barely visible beyond the trees of the park I was passing. "Four-thirty." I muttered sadly. I knew that this was going to be a day to remember, and yet had no idea why I felt that way. The cobblestones beneath my feet clacked in time with my breathing as the unconscious part of myself felt the urge to run. I sprinted the rest of the way to Main Street.

As the sun’s nutritious rays fuel my body; sweat races down my back and accumulates into the threads of my cotton t-shirt. I peer over my neighborhood park fence and gaze over the spacious scenery. The track field was well in shape, free of small debris and ready for a test run and light jump activities in the sand-pit. Soon enough the high temperature fills my head, leaving me in a state of allusion. Images of my friends and I sporadically unfold in front of me and unto the track; as if being placed in a desert mirage. I feel a sense of peace and eagerness surge through my body, while the images continue to appear. Then, a whisper comes into the mix saying some sort of gibberish. Stepping a bit more cautiously then I regularly would I walked

My throat had grown dry and each passing breath sent a blaze through me. The further I bolted into the forest, the more mystical and spellbinding it became. Huge roots painted a maze on the ground and the flora became thick and lush, forming an arch above my head. The forest reeked of age. The composting, organic fragrance rose up in

As the sun’s nutritious rays fuel my body; sweat races down my back and accumulates into the threads of my cotton t-shirt. I peer over my neighborhood park fence and gaze over the spacious scenery. The track field was well in shape, free of small debris and ready for a test run and light jump activities in the sand-pit. Soon enough the high temperature fills my head, leaving me in a state of allusion. Images of my friends and I sporadically unfold in front of me and unto the track; as if being placed in a desert mirage. I feel a sense of peace and eagerness surge through my body, while the images continue to appear. Then, a whisper comes into the mix saying some sort of gibberish. Stepping a bit more cautiously then I regularly would I walked

In the dark foggy alley Normîrel ran. The smell of rain and sour milk filling the air. She ran down the long narrow alley way, watching mice scurry as her feet splash in the clear dirty rain puddles. Her heart ponding in her chest. Hearing the sound of the motorcycle behind her, her heart stopped. Running faster, Normîrel turned on to the street and down the other alley. With the sound of her footsteps echoing in her ears. A car pulled up at one end of the alley. Making another turn in the twisty foggy alley way, Normîrel fell. The screams of her pain raining out in the cold brisk air. Hearing footsteps, Normîrel crawled to some near-by dumpsters and hid. The footsteps getting louder and close, Normîrel stayed as quite as she could while trying to muffle her cries of pain. Her leg is dirty with the dark red color and she chocked on the smell of gas and smoke that filled her nose.