Light. It shines brightly, too brightly into my tired eyes. I squint and take a deep breath.

I enjoy the feel of the sun on my exposed arms, and breathe in the fresh air. I’ve finally seen the outside world. Despite my tiredness, I smile slowly.

Suddenly, the world starts to spin in circles and I spin along.

I hear the loud blasts of car horns and people's chatter, and heels clicking on the hard cement floor.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I realize I forgot to wear shoes. I wiggle my toes and let the ground scratch my bare feet as my messy hair dangles over my face.

Freedom was like a taste of heaven to me, and I nearly forgot that I needed to move faster.

“Catch her! She’s right over there!” I hear frantic yells and cursing.

“Crap,” I mutter quietly under my breath, the smile slowly slipping from my face.

 I gulp as I pick up my pace and begin sprinting again, gasping for air. I head away from the hospital. Scratch that, my hellhole. A confinement that has trapped me for so long, and I just want to get away.

Many passersbys watch me in shock as I run down the streets. I must look insane.

The cries just get louder behind me, the cursing more frequent.

 My legs start to buckle beneath me. This isn’t good. My heart starts to pound faster and faster, I can’t give up now. I move unsteadily, my head throbbing. I can’t do this for much longer.

So…many…people… Colourful shirts, lights, store signs. They all become one big blur in my vision.

No…I can’t. I try my best to steady myself even though my vision is swimming. One elderly woman touches my arm with concern. “Honey, are you alright? You look terrible.”

 “I-I’m fine,” I stutter.

 She knits her eyebrows in concern, then surveys me from head to toe.

I look down. Oh crap. I forgot I was wearing my flimsy blue hospital gown and there were scars running down my arms. Not to mention I was barefoot.

“Honestly, I’m fine,” I say, and take off again because I hear the voices becoming increasingly loud behind me.

My brain is shutting down as the world turns rapidly. I force the thought that I need to be strong, but my body disobeys me. Desperately, I duck around the first corner I see.

It’s an alleyway. I try not to throw up as I see the disgusting things around me. Smelly garbage cans, dirty puddles, and a stray dog thin as bone, pleading me with his eyes as if they were bleeding despair.

I try to reach out my hand to hold its dirt covered face but I can’t. I start to sway slowly, and
“You need some help?”
I look up curiously. In front of me, is a good looking boy around my age. Tousled, brown hair and child-like brown eyes that stare at me with concern.
“Ye..s.,” I say weakly. He’s a stranger, but he has something about him. I feel the urge to put all my trust in him, I could see it in his eyes. After all, I had no other choice.
“She’s over there! , we can’t lose her!” A man screams.
I grimace.
Three men and a woman approach us, seemingly cautious. “She needs to come with us,” the biggest men of the three said. “Look at her. She belongs in the hospital.”
The boy glances at me, taking in my appearance.
I manage to slightly shake my head. “N…no.”
His eyes narrow. “It seems like she doesn’t want to go with you, so don’t force her.”

The man smiles, but emotionlessly. “Are you her boyfriend or something? You’re being awfully overprotective. You don’t know anything about her so back off. We know how to take care of her.”
“No way.” The boy stands in front of me, shielding my body with his as he seems to have grown angel-like wings, protecting me.

“Tough guy, eh?” The second man said. Casually, he pulls out a gun and dusts it off as if it’s no more than a piece of gum he found in his pocket.

The third man suddenly appears behind me and grabs my wrist. I try to struggle but I’m too weak and tired to fight back. The two men grab the boy and I see a white van parked on the side.
They’re kidnapping us. The realization hits me hard and everything fades to a deep shade of black.