Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

one - lab rat

song - Running by James Bay

~"When you go, turn down the light
No one's here to hold you in the night
I'll keep running
To the place where I belong"~

The first time that she saw the sky, she was in awe. There were so many colors, golden yellow of the sunshine, bright blue and cloudy grey all fading into one, melting into a kaleidoscope of light. They rolled into one, the clouds floating around in the open air in millions of different shapes and sizes almost as if they had their own lives and stories. What she admired most about the clouds, were how free they were. The shapeless objects could bob around as they pleased, flying from one corner of the world to another, melting into another shape until it became something entirely different. Whenever she got a chance to look at the sky out of the small window, she would do her best to imagine another life for herself. It was not always easy, the brass bars breaking up the beautiful rainbow of colors that filled her entire world with freedom, reminding her that as much as she wished for it, she would never be free. 

Standing on the opposite side of the tall building, three years later, she thought back to the first moment that she saw the sky. She barely had enough time to enjoy the colors filling her vision, the sunset burning so bright that it almost blinded her. She heard voices yelling her name - the name that they gave her - and her feet started moving faster than her brain could catch up with. She ran faster than ever before, faster than all of the times that she ran down the hallway out of the experiment room with her Papa chasing her. Back then she had nowhere to run to, but with the gates open in front of her, she had a chance. Whether the chance was slim or otherwise, it was enough motivation for her legs to move even faster. She started letting the memories fill her mind, not pushing them out for once, allowing the feelings of anger and despair to swallow her whole as she ran to somewhere new. She could still feel the sting of the cattle-prods against her pure white skin when she disobeyed her Papa, the ache behind her eyes as they forced her to focus on the radio, searching for something that she would never understand. They would never stop until she passed out, one of his men carrying her back to her small room, her eyes rolling back into her head until she was too tired to even keep them open. She didn't know where she was running to, but anywhere would be better than there. 

When she finally found somewhere in the middle of the woods, she glanced around nervously to see if she had been followed. The small cabin looked warm yet deserted, not a single being in sight as her feet prodded through the crunching autumn leaves to bring her closer to the new surroundings. She opened the door hesitantly, her eyes drinking up the empty building, a worn old couch and collecting dust assuring her that it was unoccupied. It was warmer than the cold October air, but it was still cold enough to make her shiver in her small hospital gown, drowning her small figure. The scratchy rug in the middle of the room was comfortable enough for to sleep in for the night, her body hunched over awkwardly. 

"Jesus Christ" an unfamiliar voice huffed by the doorway, jolting her awake instantly. 

She shot up instantly, hearing someone stop dead silent on the other side of the door. They looked as if they were struggling with the bolts, her feet shuffling back to the small room attached to the main area, one that could have been a bedroom in another lifetime. 

"Hello?" the voice called out carefully, a torch switching on as the door creaked open. "Is someone here? Look, as the Chief, I do not take kindly to people sleeping on my property. Come out here before I use my shotgun, stupid kids."

She gulped, shuffling back even further until she was hidden behind a tall box filled with documents. The footsteps drew heavier and louder, her breath making patterns in the cold air as she squeezed her eyes shut. There was a long silence and she looked up hesitantly, freezing when she locked eyes with a man that was twice the size of her. His beard was rough, eyes cold yet somehow still filled with concern as he glanced over her wearily. He put his shotgun down after seeing her flinch, the small girl's movements skittish like a wild animal. He ran a hand over his face for a moment, watching her carefully as she shuffled, not knowing whether she should stay still or take off running. It was useless, she knew that he would catch her in a second and part of her instincts of being trapped for so long kicked in, her head bowing obediently as if she was used to giving in to the chains forced around her soul.