Page 21 of Visions of Darkness

Not again.

If only I were half as fast awake as I was asleep.

“Aria!” My father’s shout echoed from behind as he gave chase.

I pushed myself harder, still hugging my backpack to my chest as I made it through the sliding doors and out into the icy chill of the Albany winter.

“Stop. Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” he shouted, his voice curling into a growl. His footsteps pounded behind me, and people jumped out of his way as he barreled through. Shouts of disapproval and surprise rang from those who were jostled to the side.

“Get out of my way. That’s my daughter. She’s a runaway. Someone stop her!”

Tears burned at my eyes, but I forced myself not to focus on what he was saying. The only thing that mattered right then was getting away.

“Aria!” His anger pierced the air when he made it out the doors.

I sprinted across the paved lot, the soles of my shoes slapping through the puddles, my face impaled by the freezing droplets of rain.

I needed to make it to the next building in the hope that there would be someplace I could hide.

Harsh pants ripped from my mouth as I pushed myself faster. The muscles in my legs burned as my Chucks pounded on the ground.

Dipping between two buses, I cut through the mess of people waiting in line to board. I could only hope to distract my father. Disorient him. Make him falter or lose sense.

Only I felt him gaining, and the panic rose to a frenzy with each thud of his boots against the pavement.

Jagged breaths raked from his lungs.

“Aria! Stop this madness right now. You aren’t helping anything. You’re only going to make it worse.”

I almost breathed out in relief when I skidded around the corner of the industrial building, only shock jutted out of me when his arms suddenly shot out to surround me.

He tackled me to the ground.

“No!” I screamed as I slammed against the cold pavement. My elbows took the brunt of the impact since I was holding my backpack to my chest, and pain splintered up my arms. “No!”

“I’m sorry it has to be this way, Aria, but you chose it.” His words were shards. Animosity and disappointment.

I managed to flip around onto my back, and I started to kick and scream and squirm. I lost hold of my backpack as I smacked and hit. He grabbed me by both wrists and pinned them to my sides.

“No, let me go!” My head whipped back and forth as I tried to break free. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t. Leave me alone.”

They couldn’t do this to me.

They couldn’t.

Not again.

I thrashed, but there was nothing I could do with the weight of him nailing me to the ground.

He panted through his exertion, his eyes angry, wide, and pleading. “We’re only trying to help you. One day, you’ll understand. You will. I promise.”

“No,” I cried, succumbing to sobs when I knew there was no chance I could get away.

Because he was wrong.

They were the ones who would never understand.

They were the ones who would never truly see.

---