The Sunday afternoon sky painted its canvas with the colors of flowers in early spring. Yellow and a faded pink crossed streams, as though bringing forth a new spectacle, and everyone was invited to watch. My body was resting on the green and slender grass while leaning on a serene elm tree. My face, tilted in the direction of the stars, counted the colors of cream and everything in between. The warm air swallowed my body as its rushed to get home. Hummingbirds whizzed by, singing their lives to an attentive earth. The rapid disappearance of the sun relaxed every fiber of my being.  My eyelids quivered and my vision blurred. I began seeing double as I held back my urges to take a nap. I blinked rapidly to keep my focus in the real world. My body defeated my brain, deciding against its will to go sleep. I saw black. My mind wavered to the place that is in between dreams and the physical world. Alex and Daniela’s voices, like jelly beans, popped in and out of reality.

I woke up as quick as I fell asleep. I felt a hard, solid object enclose and thrust itself into my upper left shoulder blade. My senses shot alive and tried to concentrate on what was happening. As my body whipped forward and then smacked itself back down against the tree, adrenaline pumped itself into my heart, ready to burst with any small movement. My breathing became shallow and quick. My eyes, wet with surprise, readjusted in the light, repelling the calmness. I felt heat rush to my face, my shaking body twisting around. A small figure had been set up next to me. I rubbed my eyes with my trembling hands. The figure took the shape of my cousin. Daniela stood in a crouching position, a cheeky smile formed by her red lips. Her eyes narrowed and focused, as though in some manner, taunting me. From the corner of my eye, I could see Alex’s skinny leg stuck out behind the tree, his child-like giggling filled the air. Irritation replaced my feeling of fear, as my breathing became deeper, and my nostrils flared. My lips contracted and firmly clamped my mouth together. My primary reaction was to tear the smirk and replace it with an endless black hole. I looked back into her blue, impersonal eyes as I sent a cold fear radiating towards her. As if she had all the time in the world, Daniela slowly stood up upright, and sprinted down the rocky hillside. Her head bobbed like a duck’s head in a lake feebly feeding itself. The air pierced as she screamed, “Catch me if you can!”.

The sky began to darken, erasing the artwork of a previous time. A faint rumble echoed in the distance. Daniela’s resonating, high, cackling voice arose an urge in me. I focused only at the uneven-shaped head as I felt power building inside of me. That urge shot me up like a rocket, and the adrenaline was the ignition. I side-stepped the tree, passing an amused face. When I ran, my legs were stiff, the aftermath of shock. Every step sent shooting spasms to my knees. My knees burned with a glorious fire. My feet licked the uneven, bumpy ground as my arms pushed against the wind. I jumped down the hillside in a zigzag direction to gain speed on my prey. I avoided huge brown puddles of mud, that was conveniently placed in the northern direction Daniela was running in, and pointy gray spikes that grazed my side every time I hurdled past them. Plants embraced my legs and entangled them as lovers do. Daniela had almost been at an arms reach, only a few more strides until the cheetah devoured the gazel. My eyes focused on her messy, brown hair-- her strands beckoning me closer. I could smell that cheap perfume leap off her skin. I reached out my hand to feel wisps of her baggy clothing. The material weaved through the cracks of my fingers. I jumped.