Chapter 6 Talith

Chapter 6 Talith
I suddenly jerk up from sleep.
I wait quietly, the still house not moving as the silence falls around me.
That's when I hear it again.
I quickly hop out of bed, the covers falling to the floor in a heap and race down the hall. I run without making any sound. I run past Mom and Dad's room and into the living room seeing the lights where on.
"Talith," I her a sweet voice whisper. I smile and run over, hugging my mom tightly.
She was as beautiful as ever.
Her long dark brown hair hanging down her back, her crystal blue eyes shining so brightly in the moon light, her smile lighting up the whole night with its shine. She was tall and thin and always had her wonderful smile on her face.
"Talith," a strong voice greets and I turn to my dad, bare hugging him.
He was a strong man, muscles from working day and night but also a smart head to him. He had dark chocolate brown eyes, contributing to my hazel eyes, with a brilliant smile that was for any woman to fall head over heels for. He had short black hair like mine but his was cut army style.
Together, my parents where the best in the whole world and they always are.
"Please be good. I'm so glad we got to see you," my mom whispers. She kisses my forehead and flashes a smile.
"Be brave. We'll see you soon," Dad says as he slaps me lovingly on the back. I don't even fall forward and I smile at him as he leaves out the front door. Mom follows and carefully swings the old wooden door shut, but never enough to make it stop creaking.
I take a few steps back as I see the house go silent again, the warmth and sweetness whisked away once more.
"See you soon,"I whisper. I confirm that they were long gone and I run to the hallway again. Racing straight past my room and out of the back door.
The cool night air greets me as I race out, my feet gently padding against the soft earth. The trees rustle as a soft wind blows and I make a wide arch around the house's perimeters and race to the rode. I quickly scamper up a tree and sit on a sturdy branch high above the ground. I wait like a watchful owl and listen for the familiar noise I always enjoy hearing.
I finally hear it, the soft clank and clatter of the old pickup truck as it drives out of the dirt path, onto the main road and turning to the right heading away from me.
I always imagine myself sitting in the pack of it, looking behind as my parents sit in the only two seats there is having the wind blow my hair.
"It'll come," I whisper and swing off the branch. I allow myself to dangle from it, enjoying being up so high like always and soon begin to climb down. The sun doesn't even show light in the distance, it being about one in the morning.
I sigh as I land on the ground and wonder around the forest a little.
The wind makes the leaves turn and twist, allowing thoughts to flow freely. The sound if a far away creek gurgles over rocks twisting through the forest like a snake. The dead leaves littering the ground crackle with every creature racing through the night minding their tasks.
The forest is always a calming place for me. Especially when mom and dad where gone.
I keep wondering around, my instincts leading me back to the house without knowing it.
Soon I'm yawning again and I climb up the porch steps, them creaking loudly it was like a bear talking.
I chuckle at my own thoughts and I find the couch waiting patiently and lonely. I flop onto it and turn so I stared at the ceiling.
My eyes close slightly and I wait for the sun to finally come up.

***

I gasp as I sit up and run to my room. I pull a clean shirt over my head and a pair of blue jeans with my converse on and race out the door, my backpack swinging onto my shoulders and an apple traveling to my hand as I race past.
I hear the door slam shut and I run to the road just as the bus pulls up. I then hop onto the bus, smiling at Cal, then sitting heavily in my seat up front. I sigh and look out the window as I eat the apple.
"Go to sleep kid. I'll wake you when it's time," Cal calls back to me. I smile in thanks and lean my head against the window. I close my eyes and feel sleep greet me as the bus thunders down the dirt road.
All too soon I feel Cal shake me and I'm headed off the bus. I thank her and wave bye as she drives away.
I then turn to the school and groan knowing that Zach will try to get me again.
I head into the building as a strong breeze follows me when I hear a shout.
"Talith you got to come!" a freshman cries as he grabs my arm.
His eyes where frantic and I knew he was scared of something. His voice was shaky and he was trying to pull me toward the outside.
"What's wrong Eric?" I ask and quickly follow him outside.
"There's a fight," he says and soon I'm running.
We get to a giant crowd and Eric frees my arm, hanging out at the outer edge when the crowd parts for me making a perfect aisle. I weak through it and it closes around me when I stop in the center.
I was greeted with Zach and a girl yelling at each other. The girl was Valen, a junior with guts and didn't like to be messed with.
I guess she saw that Zach took her role.
"Zach leave her alone," I say. Immediately there's silence all around.
"Well, well, well. Talith wants to join the big kids," Zach comments.
"Don't mess with me," I mutter and turn away toward the circle.
"Talith, couldn't you of been driven today?" Zach calls. I don't even hesitate and keep on walking away.
"Did you see your mom today?" Zach says. I roll my eyes and the crowd open up for me as I keep walking.
"Or did you forget how a man would act with your dad not around?" he asks, trying one final time.
I still don't answer and I make it past the crowd and toward the building.
"Leave her alone Zach and everyone you meet cause one day they'll snap, and I won't be there to save you," I call back to him.
There's silence and I chuckle at how easy it was to see past these kids weak points when I hear fast footsteps.
"Talith!" Zach yells as I run away, sprinting into the building as soon as I heard the footsteps.
I keep running when I run into the math classroom, the teacher only nodding knowing what was going on and leaving me be.
They all knew.
I see Zach race by, not noticing my sharp turn when I wove around three kids to block his sight of where I went. I smile at my success and then smile at all the excersise I'll get today from this.
The rest of the day flows by with a rhythm. Math, running, science, running, English, reading, lunch (running the whole time), art, running, Spanish, walking, social studies, and running.
"Talith!" I hear his voice boom across the courtyard as I run to the buses. I stop on my bus, one foot in the bus and one foot on the sidewalk with one hand holding the door and my other holding my backpack with a giant smile occupying my face.
"Another day another try," I say and board the bus.
"Awake?" Cal asks as the doors close silently behind me.
"Quite," I replie and plop down into my seat. Cal chuckles and the bus bobs up and down as I ride home.
Something nags at my mind and it doesn't stop when I feel someone tap my shoulder.
I leap a solid three feet into the air and sit there shocked.
I turn and see Valen leaning over the back of my seat looking at me.
"What you did was brave and I thank you for doing that," she says.
"He's been after me since the first day of school, another little thing won't hurt," I say. She smiles and nods.
"Well thank you. You don't get that a lot do you?" she asks. I shake my head and she nods again.
"Your welcome," I say and she then climbs into her original seat.
I didn't expect a thank you. I didn't expect for someone to even actually tell me, usually they holler it at me and hope I hear it.
That was my first real formal thank you.
I shrug it off and I return to watching the landscape for any signs of trouble. We then finally pull up to the forest that covered my home and I hop off, the bus leaving me in the the dust as I stood there.
I stare at the trees knowing that there was something to soon come, waiting for me.