~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Y/N)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You ran, panting heavily with ragged breaths as yellow grass brushed against you, casting long shadows on the ground ahead. The afternoon sun shining down with the blue sky cast above you with wisps of clouds, yet ahead was the forest. Dark and shadowy. It reminded you of the times when you were a very young child. You had often been curious of the forest and felt calmed by it. But this time, you weren't running there to play. 

The marks on your back still felt fresh and raw from when your father's belt had struck across you. The skin marked painfully. You didn't know what you did wrong this time, but you knew you couldn't take it anymore. Every day when your parents came home, you hid under the bed so they couldn't find you. You did everything without asking a question. Not a single word or complaint. Most children are described to be better off being seen, but never heard. This however didn't seem to apply to your adoptive mother and father, as didn't seem to like it when you did either. 

All you could and had ever done was stay out of their way. Not that you understood why you did it. Why they hit you. Why they screamed and yelled at you. Maybe you were a bad child? Maybe it was all your fault? They often laughed and acted friendly around each other, and family friends, but they never seemed to treat you as a friend. Let alone their own adopted child. 

Where were your real parents? 

They were dead. 

Your real mother and father had been killed years ago in a horrific car crash while you were very young. You had been in the car with them and were miraculously the only survivor. Thinking about it, you didn't feel sad. You had been too young to remember them well, so you didn't really miss them. How could you miss them when you never truly knew them?... Not that you never wanted to. You would do anything to replace your current terrible parents with your real ones, but despite being young you still knew that was too great a wish to be granted... No matter how many birthday candles you blew out or shooting stars you wished upon.

Due to not having any other living or close family members or friends, you were taken to live in an orphanage as a child for adoption. After a year of living in an orphanage, you were taking in by a seemingly nice man and women. They took you in with kind words and thoughtful actions... at least until they revealed their true colors; Cruel, sadistic, and neglectful. You being young, had little to no control over the situation, meaning there wasn't much you could do... until now. 

So here you were: The trees rushed past, the grass growing thinner as you left the meadow, and entered the depths of the forest, leaving home far behind. To be fair, you had no clue where you were going. You were eleven years old, and your family lived out on a farm far from any city or large town. All you knew was that you couldn't go back. Your adoptive parents weren't happy with you living there, so you were leaving. You might not understand why they didn't like you, but you knew that anywhere could be better than 'home'. To be fair, 'home' hadn't even truly  felt like home to begin with. 

By this point, the trees had thickened, and the grass had become softer, filled with a few ferns wildflowers here are there. Even though it was late afternoon, light still shone through the tree canopy, giving a beautiful scene around you. 

After some more running, you finally reached a wide clearing. The trees standing tall around it, with a small stream running through it. 

The sun shone golden rays into the clearing ahead, just above the tree line. A small breeze filled the area. You stood there, blinking for a few seconds. Your heart was still racing as you panted, trying to catch your breath.

While you did come to the forest often, whether it was to explore or play (not that your parents had ever cared), you had always enjoyed your time out of the house and had always felt sad when you had no choice but to return home. After all, it wasn't like you couldn't live away from your parents. As horrible as they were. A grin spread across your face as you took off your small backpack. To be completely honest, you had never spent long in the wilderness before. Let alone living there.

However, you had been planning this getaway for a while and had packed food, water, and a book called 'Surviving the wilderness; for beginners' which you had found your adoptive mother using as a doorstop. Not to mention, you already knew where you were going to live. While letting an eleven-year-old run around the forest unrestrained was probably not something most parents would allow, you never had such restrictions. 

It doesn't matter though. I'm nearly twelve years old. It's not like it's ever been easy before I left home. Surely living in the forest won't be that hard?

You thought, checking your belonging to double check to make sure you had everything. After conforming that you had not forgotten anything, you stood up and began to trek forward once more, making sure to do a run up before jumping over the stream to ensure that you didn't land in it. After jumping across, you began to follow the stream out of the clearing, already having a clear idea in your head of where you were going.

Hours of playing in the forest had turned out to have many benefits, (aside from the occasional risks of getting lost or be eaten by wolves), you had discovered plenty of safe places in the forest where you always enjoyed playing during the day, and it was one of these places that you had chosen to be your new home; An old wooden cabin, which had been abandoned for who knows how long. You knew there was a stream and weird berry bushes nearby, so you figured it would be perfect. 

You smiled happily and excitedly, as if everything was just a big adventure for you. The wilderness guide you had taken really was useful after all; having already read it long before you planned to run away from home. When you were younger, you had mainly enjoyed looking at the interesting photos and illustrations, but it was only when you planned to run away did you take interest to the actual information inside. You had certainly learnt a bit. (Even if some of it you didn't quite understand, but that didn't matter).

Hoisting your bag back over your shoulder, you continued moving forward. It would be getting dark soon, and you didn't want to still be wandering around at night. 

You may be young, but you weren't that stupid. 

If only you knew of the events that would follow that night...

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30 minutes later

You had been walking for quite a while... at least it felt like a while. Your backpack pulled down around your shoulders, while your eyes felt just as heavy. By this point it had quickly began to grow dark and cold as the sun set rapidly, but you had remembered to pack a flashlight and jumper... so at least you wouldn't freeze to death.

You were also worried. You had never been in the forest at night, so to an eleven-year-old alone in the dark, it would be terrifying. The trees pine trees stretched out far above you, looking even darker than the sky above which still held some remnants of the rapidly falling sun. You looked around nervously, thinking of what could be lurking in the trees beside you. You were old enough to know that monsters weren't real, but your imagination began to tell you otherwise... Or maybe it was just your tiredness starting to get to you?

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled, causing you to freeze.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Why the heck did I think I was ready for this?! Why didn't I just walk down the road until I ran into a town or something? That would have been a WAY smarter idea! You pondered, as you started to experience second thoughts. Regardless, you kept moving forwards knowing you would be safe in the cabin.

Surely it can't be too far away now. I probably should have left home earlier. Even if it was a risk that my parents would have found out. Not that I avoided punishment for some other random reason. You contemplated while trying not to focus on the painful bruises on your back. Your thoughts stopped for a moment; remembering your old life. 

Whatever happened, there was no way you would be going back. Whether you lived in the forest or not.

Just as you were starting to regret your entire plan even more, the beam of your light fell on wood in the short distance. It was the cabin. You had made it! 

Feeling unworldly relieved, you quickened your pace, trying not to trip on the stray stones and sticks that covered the path. The cabin meanwhile loomed over you, looking eerie in the growing shadows.

Walking over to your new home, you climbed the rotting wooden steps to the front porch. All the while ignoring a strange sense coming from the darkness in the trees beyond. A sense that something was watching you from a distance, with a gaze that never once wondered.

You on the other hand, didn't notice a thing. The front door was directly ahead of you. 

Finally... you were truly home.