I was running, hard and fast, little beads of sweat forming all around me. No, I’m not a runner, so why was I running? I was already an hour late from curfew, and I needed to get home. My parents won’t even believe why I was so late.

So, in order to get home faster, I ran through the woods. Normally it would take about 30 minutes if I went the normal route, but this way it would only take ten.

Running through the woods wasn’t the greatest idea, however. It was very creepy. I mean it’s even scary in daylight, try running through it at midnight. All I could hear was my footsteps rhythmically hitting the ground one after the other, and my heavy breathing. Of course there was the constant leaves’ crunching under my feet. It wasn’t that bad…well, until I swore I heard more leaves crunching, and I knew they weren’t mine.

I started picking up my pace, which was hard because like I said, I’m not a runner, not at all. Who knows what that crunching could have been? It could have been an animal, the wind, or worse yet, another person, bad or good. I wish I could tell myself it was just an animal, like a poor little rabbit, but unfortunately I had a feeling it was something more. Have you ever just had a feeling? Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s not. Whatever I was feeling it was scaring me even more. I kept looking back behind me. A couple of times I thought I saw a shadow, but it ended up just being a tree… I hope.

I had to quickly stop to catch my breath, which I knew was a bad idea, but it would be much worse to faint, which wasn’t new to me while running. At that moment I heard a soft, but noticeable brush against the leaves. I knew it wasn’t me since I was standing still. I started walking softly, but swiftly backwards, looking all over the place. Then BAM, I ran right into it… actually more like him.

I couldn’t scream because I was too scared, so I gasped and practically fell onto my butt. Before I could, he caught me and stood me up on my feet more stable.

“Uh hey, are you okay?” he asked in a deep, handsome voice, running his hand through his thick hair.

I just stared at him. He looked so oddly familiar. His great features could take anyone’s breath away. He had shortish, dark brown hair, and the most amazing blue eyes. He was also fairly tan, like he was on the beach all summer. I could hardly look him in the eyes, though, they were almost hypnotizing.

“I take that as a no,” he chuckled.

I broke out of the daze, and recollected what he was saying.

“Do I know you?” I asked, soundeing a bit unfriendly. But hey, I was scared.

“Uh…Nice to meet you too?” He said sarcastically.

“Oh, sorry, I was just…scared. I didn’t mean to sound rude, you just look really familiar.”

“Okay, well you’ve probably seen me, but let’s get you out of the woods. It’s not a good place to be hanging around,” He said, not looking at me, instead looking around.

“Then why are you here?” I questioned.
A sense of safety and calmness washed over me as the mysterious guy guided me out of the woods. We were finally out when he stopped, and turned to me.

“Now, don’t go running through the woods alone at night anymore. Strangers roam the woods at night,” he reminded me with a smirk.

“Hah, like you?” I replied with a laugh. He just smiled a wonderful smile, straight, white, perfect teeth, and walked away into the darkness.

Dang, I didn’t even get his name. I was about a block away from my house, so I started sprinting. There were lights everywhere, so I didn’t think I was in very much danger. I got to my front step in no time and swung my door open. I heard my parents talking to one another in the kitchen, but murmuring things I could not understand. They finally knew I was home when I shut the door. They came rushing into the living room where I stood, holding hands because they were worried.

“Faith Amber Keiler! Do you know what time it is!?!” My father boomed. I just nodded. When my parents use my full name, it’s only for two things: either really good, or really bad…and I knew this wasn’t any good.

“You had us worried sick!” My mother cried.

“I don’t care what your excuse is, your grounded for two weeks!” my father boomed once again.

I knew staying out too late deserved a punishment, so I accepted it. I said sorry quietly and went up to bed.

I kept thinking about the mystery guy. Wow he was gorgeous! But the fact that I felt comfortable with him so fast was….well different. It was so strange. That kind of thing rarely happens with me.

I wonder if I will ever see him again, I thought.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Who knows, maybe nothing or maybe everything. I’m not happy. I haven’t been truly happy for what seems like a long time. It’s a strange feeling really, as if I have no emotion. I walk around day after day with this unanswered, un-approached, unattainable… unhappy and unknown feeling. But nobody really knows and everyday it just seems to be getting worse. I wake up and paint the makeup on my face, trying to cover up the fact that I don’t sleep and I bawled my eyes out the night before.
Wherever I go or whatever I seem to do anymore, I just fake this smile. And it usually is just this fake smile that gets me through the day without having to answer any questions or look as miserable as I sometimes feel. I guess I’ve just grown used to it now, like it’s a part of me, a habit, a daily ritual.