(Song: Where You Are by The Score )
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I bolt upright again; my breathing is heavy, and I'm covered in sweat. I look at my wrist, noticing two very important things very quickly. First, my Counter is frozen. No ticking, no nothing. It's just frozen on 456 days, 7 hours, and 23 minutes, a little over 3 hours less than what was on our wrists when I went to sleep. Looking at the clock beside me, it's 1:41 in the morning, and as I watch it, it continues to move, unlike the Counter. The second thing I noticed is what is below the Counter. Right there in the same place as the lily, is a Sun. Not just any sun but the one that I have seen for the past two days, the one in the dream, in the book, the one I drew like 20 times. It's the sun that commonly represented the God Apollo.
Why? How? When? I rub my hand over the Counter and the sun multiple times, but they are connected and unwavering. I stand up and start to pace my room; if I don't, I will completely lose it. I just met my soulmate in a dream, and he could see me. He knew who I was. Or could he? I look at my Counter, and my knees almost buckle again. The Counter has moved, and the display looks different. Instead of reading in days, hours, and minutes, it's one constant number; the labels are gone. It's close to the same number, reading 4560720. It decreased by 3, but all I did was...
Wait...does it... it can't. There's no way this is happening...
Testing my theory, I keep an eye on my Counter and walk toward my bedroom door. Sure enough, the number ticks down as I get closer to the door but stays frozen when I get farther away, 4560712 glowing at me. My mind shuts down completely.
As crazy and as stupid as this is, I throw the light switch on, find my bookbag and dump the contents onto the bed. I run to my closet and throw on a black, long sleeve shirt, a dark blue pair of skinny jeans, and my hiking boots. I throw an extra shirt and pair of pants into my bag, along with a thin windbreaker and some random junk from my bathroom drawer. I have no idea where I'm going or what will happen, or why I'm even doing this, I just know that the Threads have yet to fail me, so I'm hoping this is the work of them.
I write out a quick note to my parents and Andrew, telling them how much I love them and that where I'm going and what I'm doing (whatever that might entail) is something I need to do, and I would be back soon. I shut the light out and sneak out as quietly as possible. As I pass Andrew's room, I see the pocketknife Grandfather gave him for his 14th birthday sitting on his dresser near the door. I write him a quick note and trade it for the knife, closing his door behind me. I make my way to the kitchen and throw some random stuff into the bag; water, granola, and protein bars, as well as a matchbook and a candy bar that sit on the counter. I zip up the bag and throw it on. I put the note on the kitchen counter and my phone next to it, The last thing I need is question after question about something I don't even know how to answer. I'll be back, I just have to figure this out first. Taking one last look back, I walk out the front door and shut it quietly behind me.
Looking at my wrist again, it now says 4560436. It decreased by over 200 by just coming downstairs and walking outside, so how far away is he? Looking around and making sure no one can see me, I test the Counter and see which direction I'm supposed to go, only seeing a decrease when I head North. North is, fortunately, away from the majority of the houses in Valmont, and unfortunately, in the direction of the school where there are cameras around the outside of the school and along the Wall right next to it. If the Counter were to lead me past the Wall and outside the city, I would be fine once I get past the school. I start walking North, checking the Counter now and then to keep in the right direction, all while trying to stay in the shadows and make as little noise as possible. As I walk, I try to think of the cameras' placement, or at least where I remember seeing them over the past four years. They have yet to repair the Wall near the school, meaning half of the cameras in the area probably don't work.
On the other hand, the school cameras get checked every winter and summer break, so those will be the ones I will need to watch for. Last I knew, the cameras on the school had a 20-foot circumference. In contrast, the ones on the Wall had a 30-foot circumference but were placed 40 feet apart, meaning I have about 10 feet of wiggle room in between each camera to get out and not be seen, assuming the part of the Wall I come to has every camera working. The ones near the school are hard to tell if they are working or not, so it's better just to assume that I have ten feet between them.
As I get closer to the school, it starts to get lighter from the lamps that surround the campus. Though there is no one around to see me, I still stick to the shadows as I get closer. As soon as I get to the edge of the light, still hidden in the dark, I look at my wrist and confirm what I had suspected. My wrist reads 4554657 and only decreases as I get closer to the school and the edge of the city, meaning I have to find out how to get past the Wall.
The cameras on the school are attached to the four corners of the building, and on the sides of the school, there is one camera in the middle of the other two. From the times I have seen the images while in the office, they are blurry during the day so let's hope it's the same in the middle of the night. I plan my escape route, knowing that if I can get to the school and back into the shadows, I should be fine until I reach the back corner of the school where I'll have to bob and weave out in the open, but I would be out of range of the cameras. The cracks I saw the other day run a great length of the Wall, but when fully behind the school, that is where the worst of it is, with ivy starting to creep over the top from the other side. I decide to just go for it and figure the rest out when I get closer.
Taking a deep breath, I reposition my bag and look around for anyone stupid enough to be out this late besides me. When I know that the coast is clear, I dart across the stretch of campus as fast as possible, just out of range of the camera on the front corner of the school. As soon as I am out of the camera's view, I quickly run to the wall of the school, getting out of the light and into the shadows as quickly and as best as I possibly can. I stand there trying to catch my breath and eyes darting back and forth along the sidewalk that runs parallel to the school, making sure no one saw me. My heart stops, and my breath gets caught in my throat as I hear a car come down the street, slowing only slightly in front of the school. I push myself as close to the school as possible, urging the car to keep going and ignore anything and everything. I look at it, and I swear it looks familiar, but I can't tell where I know it from. This thought, of course, makes my panic rise. I don't know how I would react if I got caught. How would I explain this?
After like 10 seconds, the car picks up speed and drives away as normal, and I'm able to relax a little, still on alert as I plan my next moves. I look toward the Wall and see one camera diagonal from the one at the back corner of the school, meaning I have a small area to squeeze through where it will be out of the light and away from the cameras. I skim along the school, moving slowly and as carefully as possible to stay in the shadows. As I get closer to the back of the school and closer to the camera, I take another breath and try to steady myself. I look around once more and take off. I run away from the school as fast as possible toward the 15 feet of space I have between the two cameras. When I think I'm out of their view, I run in between the cameras and bolt back into the dark on the backside of the school.
Only when I am flush with the building do I finally stop and relax for more than a second. As I let out another breath, I can't help but laugh. Hearing the shaking in my breath, I slide down the rough brick until I'm crouching, my hands on my knees, and my head falls back against the building. My breathing finally starts to go back to normal as I stay there. I look at my Counter, and this time, instead of the numbers, my eyes only focus on the sun underneath. I rub my thumb across it, still unwavering and shining right back at me. I don't even feel the tears until one escapes and rolls down my face, landing on my wrist. More soon follow, unable to stop them from escaping and, to be honest, unwilling to.
After a few more minutes, the tears finally recede, and I can think more clearly. I stand up, wiping away the remaining tears and the grass and dirt from my pants. I'm still hidden in the shadows, so I can take a minute and plan out my next moves without panic. I reposition my bag again and stand taller, new confidence filling me. Before, I was acting on impulse and more of a hunch than anything else. I was so desperate to have this situation be real and not just my imagination that I just ran toward any little bit of hope that I could cling to after everything that has happened the past few days. Now, I understand; I have more confidence in myself and my actions. I finally have a purpose as to why I'm out here. I have to do this, not just for me but for him too.
I look toward the Wall about 35 feet in front of me and calculate my next moves. To my right, there is one lamp that is located in the middle of the entire backside of the school. The cracks that stretch the majority of the Wall remain hidden behind the school unless you are standing in the right place from the street. However, the worst of it is located to my left toward the back corner of the school, also conveniently between cameras that are along the top of the Wall. One of them looks far enough away that I should be out of its view, but the other is too close. I walk forward slowly and cautiously; even though I am hidden, my brain won't stop screaming about how dangerous it is.
As I get closer, I see that the Threads are on my side, the camera has been knocked loose, and the main cable has been damaged due to the cracks. With this, I stand straighter and walk confidently to the Wall. Though there aren't that many foot or handholds, the ivy has grown long enough that if I can get up the first seven or so feet, I can pull myself up and have a more secure ascent. I grasp the first hole I see and haul myself up, my foot finding the smallest indent, less than an inch wide, giving me a little balance. I reach up to grasp at the next hole and realize that I could reach the ivy if I jump. If I don't, I fall back to the ground, it might only be 3 feet, not enough to even break a bone, but it's enough that I could hurt something.
I take my chance and jump up, grasping for the vines, but I barely miss it pulling off a few of the leaves instead and scraping my right palm again the Wall as I crash back to the ground, the clothes and other stuff in my bag doing very little to cushion the blow. I sit up and look at my palm, scraped raw. I lick the opposite hand, rub away some of the dirt, and then stand back up and shake it off. I go again, my hands and feet finding the same hole and ledge as last time. I look at the vines again and take a deep breath, calculating where to grab. When I pulled off the leaves, it revealed part of the vine. It is thick enough to grab, and I have a clear goal instead of grabbing wildly. I jump again and reach for the vine, this time catching it with my right hand and gripping tighter as I pull up a little and bring my other hand up to get a good hold.
Unfortunately, a thorn that I had not seen before digs itself into my hand as I pull up, right where the scrap is, making me hiss and curse under my breath. Adrenaline kicks in and the pain subsides just enough that I can focus on the rest of the journey up. I pull myself up a little, my feet trying to find a hold until the toe of my boot catches the previous one. I loosen the grip of my right hand, gently pulling my hand away from the vine. This time, though extremely slowly, blood comes out from the thorn prick as well as the scrap. I reach up to grab the next section of vine, this time feeling for and avoiding thorns. I find a secure one and grab it tightly, propelling myself up more than before, thanks to the foothold. I keep pulling myself up, gaining a little more traction when my feet hit the vines, but it still takes a while until I hit the top. As it approaches, I tighten my grip on the vine and swing one leg over, straddling the top and slowly straightening.
My breath comes out quick as I look back toward the school, but I smile and whisper a 'thanks' to no one in particular. I look toward the other side, and my breath stops as I see the canopy of trees. I saw them a few days ago but for some reason, seeing them now is surreal. I look down toward the forest floor and see that the ivy runs to the ground giving me a little more trust in my descent down. I swing my other leg over and carefully make my way down. Losing my grip once but recovering quickly, I eventually make it to the ground.
As soon as my feet hit the floor, my knees buckle under me, and I crash hard, the adrenaline now gone. My arms start to burn from the climb, and the pain in my hand flares back to life. I stay lying there for a few minutes before my legs gain feeling again. I sit up and look at my Counter and smile at the new number: 4552421. It didn't decrease by much, but it did decrease, meaning I'm going the right way. I slowly get back to my feet, almost losing balance a few times. Once I can stand without swaying, I dig water out of my bag, chug all but a little less than a fourth of it, pour some on my hand to wipe away the dirt, and grim. I find a couple of bandaids that must have gotten thrown in during my panic earlier and put one over where the thorn dug in. I chug what was left in the bottle and throw it back in my bag. I smile once more at the Wall before looking forward, starting into the thickness and the obstacle of the forest that lays in front of me.
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