Outcasted

A loud thunk and a scooter of sorts, rockets down the street. Gardens whizz by as the wheels of my poorly built escape vehicle ricochet into the fray. Rolling, I narrowly dodge said wheels hitting my undefended skin.

"OI! GET BACK HERE BOY" An officer, hanging carelessly from a speeding machine, yells. Quickly, I snapped out the wheels of my skates and sped downhill, desperately hoping to pick up speed. Halfway down the road, a sign came to view, too far away to read. As I got closer, I could feel the glares of passersby. I had disturbed their perfect day, after all. Too late I saw the sign.

FENCE BROKEN!

GO SLOW!

I slam into it and it flys off the edge flinging me off the road and into the air, my bag following suit, flying off into a clearing. The dense forest below swiftly opens up and swallows me whole as if I'm nothing more than a mere morsel.

The branches, jutting out, give the effect of teeth from a hungry monster, ready to devour all who fall prey to it. The cars above screech to a halt, avoiding the cavernous mouth.

As I fall, I smack into the teeth of the beast; bouncing from tree to tree like a pinball. I hit the ground with a back bruising and stomach-wrenching thud, luckily the branches painfully slowed my decent enough that I didn't injure myself more.

I lie quietly, staring up into the dark green abyss. I feel something push my hand with a wet nose, as I glance over I feel my neck click into place with a painful crack. The wet nose, unexpectedly, belonged to a racoon hoping to sniff out some food from a friendly hand. "Sorry, buddy" I manage to croak out. " no food here." I bring my hand in towards my side and push myself out with a loud groan and multiple cracks. The racoon quickly scurries off, realising I am, in fact, not dead. Sitting up proved to be much easier than staying up. As the world swam around me, creatures circled me breaking sticks and twigs. I blink and try to shake it off. I push myself to my feet and cling to a near tree for support. I stare around as the spinning slows to a stop. I notice my bag a few feet from me in a clearing. I stagger over, pushing myself from tree to tree, and grab it. I slowly put it on. I release a sharp breath from between my teeth. I quickly notice more than just my back was bruised as the adrenaline wore off. I slow my breathing and try to gather my thoughts.

What do I know? I think. I know home is roughly a mile into the woods. I can't be far away. I know I have my bag and I know the cops are still at the top of the cliff. That's good enough for now. I can't be far from home so I start walking in the general direction that home would be in. As the hours' shift, I see a tiny cabin appear between the now welcoming green trees. The sound of an axe breaks the silence. The cabin I so dearly called home came closer. I see in the garden my older brother Dani is cutting wood. He waves before bringing the axe down on another unsuspecting log. In the window, I see my younger sister Eve dully picking at the paint. She glances up and sees me and her face lights up. She quickly ducks from view and soon reappears from the door, sprinting at me. She tackles hugs me and misses my grimace.

"AAAAAAA I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE COMING BACKKKK" she screeches into my ear, almost suffocating me.

"Eve" My mother appears at the doorway "Get off your brother and help me set the table"

My sister reluctantly released me and wandered inside sighing. I follow suit and place my bag on the kitchen counter. I stare around the cosy house, the dark beams and supports contrasting against the light ceiling and walls. Paintings and crudely drawn pictures litter the bare walls while toys of all sorts litter the carpeted floor. The room was bare off most furniture, save for a deflated futon in the corner. The wall cuts in half and tiles take its place. The kitchen was littered with vegetation and cutlery with a bold and large table in the centre. 4 plates sat on the table, empty. The front door slams, snapping me out of my daydream. "Ascher? Did you get anything good?" My mother lightly touches my shoulder. I remember my bag, now laying dejected beside me.

"Right...RIGHT YA," I come to focus and spin round, quickly realising my mistake and hold back a groan as my back cracks. I lean over, still grimacing and unpack my backpack.

"So, we haaave hotdogs, noodles, three packs of the spicy kind, erm some sweets, pork pies, butter, a swiss knife, sorry needed a new one and lastly..." I dramatically pull out a small plush elephant and hand it to Eve.

"For you, madame" I add as I start storing the food away.

"Is that it?" Mother asks, she gets up and swiftly snatches my bag, turning it around and shaking it. " Ascher! This was supposed to be for a month!" She exclaimed, quickly placing her hand on her head. My back twinges in argument as I lean against the wall.

" I know, I know but there's not much I can do. Security is much heavier now." I say knowing full well it won't help. Mother sighs and walks off into a sub room smaller than the kitchen. As the door slams, a painting falls to the floor. Dani walks over and attempts to place it back only to have it fall again. Eve walks off and starts to play with her new elephant, making small tooting sounds. A heavy silence slowly fills the room. I look around trying to find the medicine cabinet. I notice it, tucked away in the corner with a big red cross lazily painted on the door. I reach up and open it. Inside were a few plasters, a roughly sketched dragon, various painkillers and some random ointment. With the label ripped off, I had no way of telling if its for coughs or burns. I grab some pain soothers, a few plasters and head to the bathroom. Locking the door, I turn to the mirror and reel back.

"Well dam" I mutter. With only a few scratches on my face, I notice next to no other injuries not encluding my back. I hum while placing the plasters over my bad cuts and down the painkillers. Next to instant relieve as the pain in my back subsides. I stare into the mirror and my reflection stares back. My fluffy brown hair and freckles almost shine in the light. Thick curls cover my deep brown eyes, my button nose and reddish lips sitting calming on my face. With plaster on my cheek and the bridge of my nose and many small cuts across my near golden skin.

"Ascher?" A small voice, calling through the door, jogs me from my thoughts.

I open the door and see Eve standing there in her pyjamas, cuddling her elephant.

"Hey, Eve-y, its storytime isn't it?" I say as I leave the bathroom, turning the light off. She nods and scuttles off to her room. Her blonde hair sways back and forth in a small plait as she disappears into her room. I walk after her, closing the curtains in the main room as I go. I walk past mothers room and I slow down, the sound of light snoring comes through the door. I hear the ruffling of fabric and head into Eves rooms and sit down by her bed.

"So what story do you want tonight?" I say prepping my thoughts. She thinks for a bit and then points to the wall. A sketch of three glowing men in a frame sits there barely hanging on by a thread to a bent and rusted nail. Heros I think. Eve loves the story about the heroes.

"You still wanna hear about heros', huh?" I say ruffling her hair. She nods, giggling in childish excitement.

"Alright, now then where do we start" I take a deep breath and straighten my back " Centuries ago ..."