Shallow Water

Chapter 3.

It was dark. The hand around my mouth squeezed and clawed at my cheeks, cutting so deep my mouth numbed. It dragged across my left cheek to my right, leaving a hot burning sensation across my face before it left. My eyes opened. The forest we were just playing so innocently in had become filled with an intense evil. The shrieks of pain coming from someone I once loved so dearly, echoed through the trees. I knew at that moment that no one would hear. No one would hear the yells of help we cried out for. I ran.
…..............................
“Allie! Allie! Wake up!” My eyes opened quickly, glancing at every corner in the room that I lay in. I expected to see trees, woods filled with screams. I expected to feel the hand snake back around my small mouth and clamp down again. But I didn't. The only bit of evidence left of the horrible nightmare I had just had, was a hot burning sensation spreading from one side of my face to the other.

“Allie, you're bleeding.” Annie cried to me. I instinctively felt the hot mark that crossed my cheeks, a warm wet liquid seeping out of my flesh. I looked at her wide eyes, I had a feeling my eyes were just as wide. Terror struck throughout my body. I needed to calm down for her though, I needed to calm.

“It's okay Annie, I must have scratched myself while I was sleeping. It's okay Annie banannie.” I kissed her forehead quickly and ruffled her messy hair. “I'm gonna go wash my face alright? You should go downstairs for breakfast okay? Everything's fine.” I tried to sooth her worried little face, but I knew it didn't help.

“Okay.” She squeaked and climbed out of my bed.

I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Three red slashes formed across my face. The blood slowly seeping down, it wasn't major, but it wouldn't stop dripping. I grabbed a wash cloth and dabbed it on my burning skin. Pressing on the cuts I had just received.

I don't usually wear make up but today I seriously thought about it. I quickly took that thought out of my head when I smudged a bit of light foundation over the three long cuts and the burning sensation increased. It felt like my cheeks were on fire. They ached, as if someone had just punched me in the mouth and sliced me open with a hot knife. I washed my face again and hurried out of the bathroom. I didn't want to see them anymore.
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“Hey Allie, guess what.” Hannah chirped in a delicate bubbly voice. Coming up behind me as I stood at my locker.

“What?” I answered nervously, a bit skittish after this mornings events. She grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. The smile on her face vanished instantly.

“Oh my god. What happened?” Her eyes were scared as if she already knew the answer.

“I don't know. I really don't know.” I answered honestly. I drifted my gaze to the floor, I couldn't stand to look at the pain in her beautiful green eyes any longer.

“Did this happen last night? Did something do this to you? Did you see anything?” Her questions poured from her thin lips like water.

My eyes glued on the floor, resisting the urge to look up to her. These questions had been racing through my mind ever since waking up, but I tried to ignore them. They made me feel uncomfortable, and scared. “I didn't see anything, they were there when I woke up.”

Her hand instinctively raised to my left cheek, cupping it softly. Her skin was freezing, as if she had just stuck her hands in a freezer. She soothingly stroked my cheek, running her delicate fingers along the marks on my face. I couldn't resist her magnetic eyes any longer. When I met her gaze I found her eyes were closed, her long blonde lashes brushing against her skin.

“I'm so sorry Allie cat.” She cooed in an almost inaudible voice. “Do you want to go some place to talk?” The words came from her, but her lips did not move, and her eyes did not open. She continued stroking my cheek, soothing the cuts that had branded my face.

“Maybe after school. Just not right now.” I choked out. The words caught on my tongue, making it hard to speak. She responded by embracing me in a tight hug, squeezing her arms around my small waist.

“I'm sorry.” She whispered into my ear. She was apologizing like it was her fault the cuts had appeared on my face, like it was her fault they burned my skin like a lighter dragging across them slowly. I felt her squeeze me tightly one more time before sliding her arms off of my waist and walking away. Her head hanging low as she shuffled to her first class.
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People stared at me all day. I knew what they wanted to say, I knew they wanted to ask questions. They didn't but their eyes said the words their mouths did not. So when 3:00 came around, and it was time for half hour detention, I was secretly thankful.

I sat in the dull office quietly. Too many thoughts in my head to speak a word to anyone. Too many thoughts in my head to even count the white ceiling tiles like I normally do. I just sat, quietly, patiently.

The office door opened and closed gently and in flounced Emily. Her high blonde ponytail swinging from side to side as she strutted up to the secretary.

“The student council has a some propositions for the fall festival. We were hoping to hold a few fundraiser booths. We want to raise money for the Special Education programs held here, get some new materials for the students. So we would like to have forms printed and passed out tomorrow during classes, to see what game booths people would like to see at the festival. Is that okay?” Her blue eyes batted cutely, and she gave a genuinely fake, barbie doll smile at the woman she was trying to persuade.

“That sounds like a great idea Emily!” The secretary hummed, falling for her charm.

“Great. I will print out and deliver the forms to you in the morning to look them over before I pass them out.” She smiled again. As she turned on her heel to walk back out of the office, her eyes caught mine and she stopped abruptly.

She looked my face up and down. Taking her time studying the freshly branded cuts across my face. As I looked back into her eyes, watching her study me, I noticed something. Her face held no judgment to what I looked like, her eyes held no questions. And to be honest, she almost looked sad. Like her eyes held all the answers to the questions my mind was wondering. She sighed a light, barely audible sigh, nodded at me and walked out the door from which she came.
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“Hey, can you try not to eat all the pizza? We haven't even got to the park yet, gosh Allie.” Hannah said with a smile.

We were on our way to Birch Ridge Park, for a pizza picnic. She always knew how to cheer me up when I was feeling down. I know she had questions she was dying to ask, things that she was struggling not to say, but she waited. Knowing I had enough for the moment.

So I sat in the passenger seat of her beat up little truck, stuffing my face with a slice of mushroom pizza. It was my way of coping. Some people like to take their frustration out on productive things like baseball, or painting, not me. Put me in a room with a pizza covered in mushrooms, and I instantly turn into a happy girl.

“Hey I'm a growing girl, I need food man.” I stated with a mouth full of pizza, making my voice come out muffled.

“Ew, just try to keep it in your mouth until we get there.” She laughed. I'm a messy eater, so what?

I watched the roads winding, the leaves falling, the colors becoming blurred as we drove. My eyes closed. I drifted into a deep slumber, the hum of the truck cooing to me as I slept.
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Hannah and I stood in the middle of a large field. Nothing around except for a few oak trees in the distance. The yellow grass brushing against my legs, the light Autumn breeze tickling my skin. Hannah grabbed my hand twining my fingers with hers, pulling me towards the large oak tree off in the distance. We walked in silence as the sun shone down on us. It illuminated the field. The cloudless sky was a beautiful blue and the smell of cinnamon tickled my senses.

I looked up as we reached the giant oak tree, it had looked so small in the distance. Now it seemed it was larger than the field itself. Hannah let go of my hand, letting it fall lightly to my side.

“Sit.” She whispered softly, her blonde hair rustled in the wind.

I sat. I didn't speak. I knew my lips could open if they wanted to, but I chose to keep them pursed. Taking in the sight of a small Hannah. Her eyes were greener than ever. Her cheeks were flushed with a light pink, making her freckles more prominent. She wore a small white spaghetti strap dress, that fell to her knees. Her hands were tiny, so small compared to mine. That's when I noticed how big I was compared to her. She was merely a child, no more than the age of seven. But I was me, I was my eighteen year old self.

“Allie.” She cooed softly.

…..........

“Allie cat wakey, wakey.” My eyes fluttered open at the sound of Hannah's voice. The truck was parked in the lot of Birch Ridge Park. Orange and yellow tree tops surrounded us.

I cocked my head at Hannah. “How long have we been sitting here?” I fell asleep for what could only have been five minutes.

“Not that long, I decided to let you sleep for a few minutes. You looked peaceful, and I wanted a slice of pizza while there was still some left.” She smiled a cute toothy smile.

“Oh.” I smiled back in response, watching her climb out of the truck and walk over to one of the park benches.

I opened up the pizza box just to see exactly how much was left, expecting there to only be a few pieces. Instead the box was full, except for one empty triangular space from the piece I had ate on the ride over.