I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of my alarm. My mouth parched and my back sweaty. I slid my legs off the side of the bed where they landed on the floor with a soft thud. The hard wood floor felt like ice on my feet as I slowly felt my way to the bathroom for a drink. The full moon cast a soft glow through the window, providing just enough light for me to make my way down the stairs. In the kitchen, I grabbed one of the muffins and some of the bacon that my mom had set out for tomorrow morning's breakfast, sat down at the table, and lazily stuffed my face with the food. A slight smile appeared on my face as I remembered how she would pack lunch for me every morning before sending me off to the school bus with a big hug and a kiss. She always wrote a special note on the inside of the bag for me to read when I opened my lunch. Things like "I love you, Jack. Have a great day!" and "Good luck with our classes! Love, Mom." Her love and encouragement could always brighten even the worst of days. I had always looked forward to lunchtime for that reason. I'm gonna miss her, I though as I put on my old pair of hiking boots, I'll send her a letter once I'm far away so she knows that I'm ok. Soon these tender thoughts faded away as strong feelings of anxiety began to barge their way into my brain. My heart pounded in my throat. My hands were shaking. The room spun around my head. I could hardly keep my balance as I tiptoed to the patio door and slowly slid it open. Right away a cool wave of summer night air crashed over my entire body, startling me fully awake and washing away my anxiety. I closed the door behind me and let out a sigh of relief. I was doing it. I was running away.
Outside, I could hear bats fluttering in the sky and crickets chirping in the grass. The rhythmic noise seemed to echo through the deep silence of the night. Filled with excitement, I pulled my backpack out from under the porch (where I had hidden it earlier that day) and checked it for all the essentials: snacks, a flashlight, matches, a roll of paracord, ski pants and ski jacket, ski boots, and my swiss army knife.
