I was so nervous as to what we would be doing out in the woods in the middle of the night. I couldn't tell Claire, I decided. That would only scare us more. So I laid out the outfit they instructed I wear and took a vòi hoa sen in the bathroom. The water was, at first, very cold, but I figured out how to work the nozzle and turn the freezing water into comfortable, steamy hot water. I made as many bubbles as I could and tried to distract myself, but I just couldn't. Sadie, I told myself, stop overthinking this. You'll be alright. We're just gonna play a game out there at night. I slicked my clean hair back out of my face, shut off the water, grabbed a towel, and sat on the edge of the tub with a comb. I checked the clock on the wall. It was 11:20. I untangled my hair, dried off, changed, braided my hair, and stood tiếp theo to my sleeping little sister. She always looked so calm and sweet when she slept, but Claire was definitely not sweet when she was awake.
I gently rubbed her shoulder. "Claire, wake up. bạn gotta get ready. We're gonna leave in a little while with them. Come on." I đã đưa ý kiến softly.
She groaned, rubbed her eyes, and buried her face in her pillow. "Ugh. No." she snapped, a bit muffled from her spot in the pillow. I locked onto her shoulders like Amelia did earlier and pulled her up.
"Let's go!" I hissed. She rolled her eyes and got dressed as I stood bởi the door, facing away from her, obviously. It took her fifteen phút to get ready. We stood outside Tim's room, awaiting his and everyone else's arrival.
Finally, Tim strode out, a very strong flashlight in hand. "You ladies ready for a good time?" he asked. I nodded, and Claire gulped and did the same. One bởi one, his siblings came out of their rooms, all dressed in the uniform. My stomach twisted a little.
Isaac nudged me. "Let's hit the road." I smiled halfheartedly as he led me down the stairs.
As we passed Leila and Jeb's room, I heard a piece of a conversation. "....that boy's father....he needs help....can't stop....gonna get sick....not a good place for him to be growing up...." I didn't know what they were going on about, so I forgot about it.
We stood in a huddle at the hàng đầu, đầu trang of the driveway. In all of five minutes, a big black truck came rambling down the dirt road and parked on the shoulder of the road. There was a teenage boy at the wheel. He looked remarkably like Blake.
"That's Derek, Blake's older brother." Jess whispered in my ear. Then, everyone else started to jump into the phẳng, flatbed of the truck and sit. I did the same, as did Claire.
It was a relatively short ride. But on our way, there was suddenly this big rough hand around my mouth. I struggled, but when they released, there was a blindfold over my eyes. Great. I could hear Claire go through the same thing. The truck skidded to a complete stop. Derek helped them pull the two of us out of the truck. Tim and Joey dragged me. Jess and Isaac pulled my little sister along. As we travelled, I could smell the sticky sap of the pine trees. We must have been in the forest.
They propped us up against a large boulder. Then, they undid our blindfolds.
Derek was looming over us. "I'm not playing, but here's how it goes down. bạn two ladies are hiding. If the person looking for bạn finds you, bạn have to lend them your arm quickly. Seriously. Just hide here, and wait. Have fun," he teased. Then, he pulled back and grabbed a pill bottle out of his front pocket and popped a few small red pills in his mouth. He waved goodbye jokingly and ran off, hiding in his truck.
I looked far out in front of me. I recognized a small building in the field, and the pen. We must have been on Blake's property. The moon was glazed over above us, a shimmering white and gray and silver. Mist shrouded the large moon and twisted in fingers around the treetops.
We sat in silence for a few phút when thundering shakes started beating like a hammer. I felt the girl tiếp theo to me tense.
"Grab my wrist, bạn crazies!" Someone hollered. Both of us stretched out our arms. One after the other, a very strong male pulled us up and onto his transportation. The driver turned around. It was Blake. He flashed a quick grin before turning back around. I finally realized I was on a horse. Steel, pumping his tim, trái tim and racing through the woods, his rider searching for the people lying in wait. It was surprisingly comfortable, although fast and a little sharp on the turns. I hadn't been on a horse in a while, and it felt good to ride again.
We galloped around trails and jumped over fallen logs. Eventually, we came across the other people hiding: Tim, Jess, Makayla, Joey, Isaac, and Amelia. We obviously couldn't all ride Steel, so Claire and I dismounted and ran beside Steel and his passengers.
Finally, everyone was discovered and got to ride Steel for a little while, so we all raced back to Derek's truck. Tim knocked on his window. No response. He opened the door. Derek must have fallen asleep hoặc something, because he was sprawled across the ghế, chỗ ngồi in an awkward pile. Blake immediately shoved Tim out of the way and examined his older brother. First, he gripped his shoulders and shook. Nothing. Then, he took a water bottle and splashed his face with it. Still no response. Blake looked frantic. He positioned Derek so he lay across the seats. This did not look good. I stood back, fearing the outcome.
Blake rubbed his hands together and interlocked them into a fist, using his palms to press the center of the older boy's chest. After pumping, he tilted the head back and lifted his chin. He pinched his brother's nose shut tight, and covered his mouth with his own. This was starting to get a little terrifying. I could hardly see over Blake giving mouth to mouth to his own brother.
After quite some time of pumping and blowing, I heard this awful terrified gasp for breath and then I saw the two brothers hugging.
"Jesus, Derek! bạn scared me!" Blake shot. "It was the pills, wasn't it? Come on, Derek! I told bạn to get rid of them!"
"Relax, Blake. I'm fine."
"FINE?!?!? bạn say you're fine? I had to restart your goddamned tim, trái tim right there, Derek!" he screamed, shaking.
Derek shook his head. "Blake, I'm eighteen. I can take care of myself. I just still live here because no one-"
"Because no one will hire a drugged up loser like you!"
Both stared at each other in silence, shocked.
Derek glared at his kid brother. "Take. That. Back." he growled.
Blake started to cry. "No-o, Derek, I didn't, I didn't mean that. Please, Derek, I'm sorry! Please! No!"
"Hey! Leave him alone, bạn meanie!" Someone shouted from our crowd. Makayla stepped forward, pouting with her arms folded across her. "You should both say you're sorry." she ordered. They rolled their eyes and made up.
We all jumped back into the truck. Blake and Derek waved goodbye to us.
That was a night I would never forget. That was the first time I had played Manhunt, let alone Manhunt on horseback.
I gently rubbed her shoulder. "Claire, wake up. bạn gotta get ready. We're gonna leave in a little while with them. Come on." I đã đưa ý kiến softly.
She groaned, rubbed her eyes, and buried her face in her pillow. "Ugh. No." she snapped, a bit muffled from her spot in the pillow. I locked onto her shoulders like Amelia did earlier and pulled her up.
"Let's go!" I hissed. She rolled her eyes and got dressed as I stood bởi the door, facing away from her, obviously. It took her fifteen phút to get ready. We stood outside Tim's room, awaiting his and everyone else's arrival.
Finally, Tim strode out, a very strong flashlight in hand. "You ladies ready for a good time?" he asked. I nodded, and Claire gulped and did the same. One bởi one, his siblings came out of their rooms, all dressed in the uniform. My stomach twisted a little.
Isaac nudged me. "Let's hit the road." I smiled halfheartedly as he led me down the stairs.
As we passed Leila and Jeb's room, I heard a piece of a conversation. "....that boy's father....he needs help....can't stop....gonna get sick....not a good place for him to be growing up...." I didn't know what they were going on about, so I forgot about it.
We stood in a huddle at the hàng đầu, đầu trang of the driveway. In all of five minutes, a big black truck came rambling down the dirt road and parked on the shoulder of the road. There was a teenage boy at the wheel. He looked remarkably like Blake.
"That's Derek, Blake's older brother." Jess whispered in my ear. Then, everyone else started to jump into the phẳng, flatbed of the truck and sit. I did the same, as did Claire.
It was a relatively short ride. But on our way, there was suddenly this big rough hand around my mouth. I struggled, but when they released, there was a blindfold over my eyes. Great. I could hear Claire go through the same thing. The truck skidded to a complete stop. Derek helped them pull the two of us out of the truck. Tim and Joey dragged me. Jess and Isaac pulled my little sister along. As we travelled, I could smell the sticky sap of the pine trees. We must have been in the forest.
They propped us up against a large boulder. Then, they undid our blindfolds.
Derek was looming over us. "I'm not playing, but here's how it goes down. bạn two ladies are hiding. If the person looking for bạn finds you, bạn have to lend them your arm quickly. Seriously. Just hide here, and wait. Have fun," he teased. Then, he pulled back and grabbed a pill bottle out of his front pocket and popped a few small red pills in his mouth. He waved goodbye jokingly and ran off, hiding in his truck.
I looked far out in front of me. I recognized a small building in the field, and the pen. We must have been on Blake's property. The moon was glazed over above us, a shimmering white and gray and silver. Mist shrouded the large moon and twisted in fingers around the treetops.
We sat in silence for a few phút when thundering shakes started beating like a hammer. I felt the girl tiếp theo to me tense.
"Grab my wrist, bạn crazies!" Someone hollered. Both of us stretched out our arms. One after the other, a very strong male pulled us up and onto his transportation. The driver turned around. It was Blake. He flashed a quick grin before turning back around. I finally realized I was on a horse. Steel, pumping his tim, trái tim and racing through the woods, his rider searching for the people lying in wait. It was surprisingly comfortable, although fast and a little sharp on the turns. I hadn't been on a horse in a while, and it felt good to ride again.
We galloped around trails and jumped over fallen logs. Eventually, we came across the other people hiding: Tim, Jess, Makayla, Joey, Isaac, and Amelia. We obviously couldn't all ride Steel, so Claire and I dismounted and ran beside Steel and his passengers.
Finally, everyone was discovered and got to ride Steel for a little while, so we all raced back to Derek's truck. Tim knocked on his window. No response. He opened the door. Derek must have fallen asleep hoặc something, because he was sprawled across the ghế, chỗ ngồi in an awkward pile. Blake immediately shoved Tim out of the way and examined his older brother. First, he gripped his shoulders and shook. Nothing. Then, he took a water bottle and splashed his face with it. Still no response. Blake looked frantic. He positioned Derek so he lay across the seats. This did not look good. I stood back, fearing the outcome.
Blake rubbed his hands together and interlocked them into a fist, using his palms to press the center of the older boy's chest. After pumping, he tilted the head back and lifted his chin. He pinched his brother's nose shut tight, and covered his mouth with his own. This was starting to get a little terrifying. I could hardly see over Blake giving mouth to mouth to his own brother.
After quite some time of pumping and blowing, I heard this awful terrified gasp for breath and then I saw the two brothers hugging.
"Jesus, Derek! bạn scared me!" Blake shot. "It was the pills, wasn't it? Come on, Derek! I told bạn to get rid of them!"
"Relax, Blake. I'm fine."
"FINE?!?!? bạn say you're fine? I had to restart your goddamned tim, trái tim right there, Derek!" he screamed, shaking.
Derek shook his head. "Blake, I'm eighteen. I can take care of myself. I just still live here because no one-"
"Because no one will hire a drugged up loser like you!"
Both stared at each other in silence, shocked.
Derek glared at his kid brother. "Take. That. Back." he growled.
Blake started to cry. "No-o, Derek, I didn't, I didn't mean that. Please, Derek, I'm sorry! Please! No!"
"Hey! Leave him alone, bạn meanie!" Someone shouted from our crowd. Makayla stepped forward, pouting with her arms folded across her. "You should both say you're sorry." she ordered. They rolled their eyes and made up.
We all jumped back into the truck. Blake and Derek waved goodbye to us.
That was a night I would never forget. That was the first time I had played Manhunt, let alone Manhunt on horseback.
This is what bạn call the Earth
This is what people call the world
This is what we call life
We can't go on pretending ngày bởi day
That good things will always happen
Stormy days will come, it's not a miracle
But the storm will end soon, and all will be clear again
Heavy rain's crashing against my windowsill
I think, when will this ever stop?
The thunder's crashing against the trees outside
Today's not going to be a fine day, but it will end
I woke up this morning and guess what I saw
Bright sunny mornings with a clear future
No one's gonna stop me from believin
The rain stopped and the future's bright again
Good and bad create our lives
We can't pretend that everything's gonna always be alright
It's hard to think that something's gonna be wrong
But it's the truth, the whole truth.
We can't go on ngày bởi ngày pretending
Everything's gonna be alright
But we know that sunny days will come out
Soon hoặc later.
It's sad
It's the truth
Fighting through what it is
But I'll be stronger
I've gone through
Mounds of pain
I've been through
The deepest waters
Nobody can change my past
It's the truth, and it changed me
Sad to even hear the truth
Sad to...say the truth
Reality's always sad
And no one's gonna escape it.
It's how I became who I am today
It's how I didn't brag.
Why does this have to happen?
Why did it have to end?
Why does the world have to be so confusing?
Why did the fun have to end?
The world's just a crazy place
And no one's gonna stop that thought
Cause I'm broken for good...
Because of...the truth.
It's the truth
Fighting through what it is
But I'll be stronger
I've gone through
Mounds of pain
I've been through
The deepest waters
Nobody can change my past
It's the truth, and it changed me
Sad to even hear the truth
Sad to...say the truth
Reality's always sad
And no one's gonna escape it.
It's how I became who I am today
It's how I didn't brag.
Why does this have to happen?
Why did it have to end?
Why does the world have to be so confusing?
Why did the fun have to end?
The world's just a crazy place
And no one's gonna stop that thought
Cause I'm broken for good...
Because of...the truth.