VIRAGO

confluence

confluence (n.) - the act or process of merging

She woke up in a cold sweat, her heart beating out of her chest and her breath staggered. She rubbed her eyes to try and calm herself, taking a few deep breaths as tears formed in her eyes. She blinked a couple times and looked around, assuring herself she was safe in her tent. She looked at her watch and saw it was quarter after six and the sky was just beginning to lighten. She had slept for a few hours before getting woken by a nightmare, but she was not heading back to sleep, for her nightmare was something she did not want to risk revisiting. She knew everyone else was going to be asleep for the next couple hours, for it was a holiday weekend and they had been up until almost three that morning. She did not expect them to be up until anytime between ten and one in the afternoon.

She changed into a pair of running shorts and threw on her socks and Nikes, for running always soothed her mind and there were trails throughout the park, so she could have some scenery while she was running. She put her phone in her armband and put in her Airpods, then exited her tent and walked over to the marked trails. Once she got there, she started her run, hoping to get a good ten miles in. However, she did not want to run five miles one way then turn around, so she would probably be running more than she intended.

She started her senior year that coming Tuesday, and she could not be more excited. She knew that she needed to pick a university soon, and she was leaning towards heading to the University of Michigan, since they were giving her the most in scholarship because they were in dire need of a goalkeeper. Plus, she already knew the area after living in Ann Arbor for most of her life. She was still unsure of what major she wanted to go into, but she had always wanted to be involved with education. She was a natural teacher and great with kids, even though she did not want any of her own. She could see herself teaching high school kids like herself, for they were easier to deal with than elementary school brats and the kids going through puberty in middle school. Sure they were still morons, but she could relate with them more. She had no idea what subject she would want to teach, for it would be between English and some sort of mathematics.

As she ran her stomach was throbbing, for the bruise had gotten deeper and more noticeable overnight. She hated feeling powerless when it came to her father, but she feared what would happen if she fought back. Samantha was a strong girl and took nothing from anyone. But when it came to Clarke Reed, she cowered and let whatever was bound to happen happen. She missed her mother even more now, for with her around, it made everyday brighter and more exuberant. She missed having someone to talk to about her life and what was going on. She missed her best friend.

The sun was rising up in the sky by the time she was heading to turn back towards the campsite. She had gotten in seven miles already, and she was sure the path was going to wind around before actually getting back into the campground, so she still had a ways to go. Her skin had a layer of sweat glistening against it and she was panting now, for the heat had already started to do its worst on the day ahead. The sunrise was beautiful though, and she could not imagine any other way of spending her morning, other than actually getting a full night's sleep. The sound of the gun firing repeated in her head, the dream so vivid it frightened her tremendously. She hoped that it was not a foreshadowed event, otherwise she considered herself a deadman walking.

She arrived back at the campsite around seven-thirty, and no one had stirred yet. She was not surprised, but she knew the next couple of hours were going to be long. She decided to head over to the restrooms to finally shower, for she had not showered since yesterday morning before training. She needed one now, for she was sweaty and felt gross. She grabbed what she needed and took a walk over to the huge building that was restrooms on one side and showered on the other. She got into one of the rooms and locked the door behind her, instantly removing her sweat-soaked clothes and getting the cold water running to both cool her down and wake her up even more. She still planned on making coffee when she got back to the campsite, but the cold water did the trick to refresh her.