runaway baby (ariel)

Ariel feels the breeze on her face. The wind whips her hair against her cheeks, however she does not stop running. The constant, rhythmic beat of her feet on the soft ground run in synchronisation with her steadily thumping heart. She drags in breath after breath of cold winters air, however she is not yet near stopping.
She does not so much as slow down as she crosses the hill, looking out over the horizon. The day is cold, however the light dusting of snow that had fallen the night before still lingers. Watching the slush beneath her feet, Ariel concludes that someone else has trod the path over the hills not minutes before. As she reaches the foot of the hill, she glances out over the paths that intertwine with the woodland. A figure, taller and older than her, runs at a steady pace on a path far ahead.
The girl frowns. No doubt he came here after school. Ariel has been running since daybreak, ever since the first crow cawed in the sky. She must have run around the entire district a couple of times by now - late afternoon - yet still she is eager to run more. It may have been something to do with the desperation to express herself that she has felt ever since the death of her brother. Alternatively, it could be something to do with her constant battle with anorexia. Perhaps she is training for the arena. Maybe even she did not know.
Scowling at the boy ahead of her, the girl pushes herself harder. The cold air tears at her lungs, but she forces her feet to carry her more quickly.
Closing her eyes and drawing a last ounce of energy from within, Ariel finds herself running alongside the boy. Her feet take twice as many steps as his, however she hopes she had impressed him with her speed.
Unsure why, yet itching for a challenge, the girl looks up at him, mischief in her eyes.

Ariel looks up as the boy looks down at her. The shocking color of his eyes startles her, and she blinks. Suddenly her heart has skipped a beat and the small girl feels a feeling she has never felt before. Looking up at the boy, she scowls. She feels her face reddening, yet she cares not. Anyone running around these parts should have a red face. The frigid weather provides no exception to that.
Watching the slush beneath her feet, the girl trots along-side the boy for a few paces, before looking up at him once more. He is picking up his pace - gradually moving his feet faster and faster until he is ahead of her, and moving farther away each long stride he takes.
Slightly insulted, yet grateful for the competition that had suddenly arisen, Ariel slides herself across the path into his footsteps, where the ice has already been broken and is less slippery. Here, she can run without falling, she is sure. Urging herself to move faster, Ariel thinks of the boys eyes. The strange look of recognition and dismissal she saw there. The burning desire she has to win the wordless race and overtake the boy.
Struggling and rasping a little, Ariel gains a couple of feet, almost sprinting now to catch up. She swallows, feeling the droplets of water freezing on her lips. Furrowing her brow and scowling fearlessly at the boy ahead of her, she lets her feet move faster than they had all day. Loosing control of of legs and letting herself sprint down the hill without restraint is easier than Ariel had thought. Within seconds she is drawing close to the elder boy, and suddenly overtaking him in a burst of speed she never knew she possessed.
Then the ice gives way beneath her and her head hits the sidewalk. The world blurs.

Ariel blinked, wondering if she was dead. Suddenly the face of a boy swam into her clouded vision, and she smiled a little. She had not died. No, the stubborn little girl had gotten more than she bargained for when she had picked up her pace and began hurtling down the icy hill. As the pain of the fall echoed through her mind, Ariel scowled. The boy was shaking her, speaking to her, however all that she could recognise was the cold snow seeping into her flimsy clothing and the misty pain that had exploded inside of her. She remembered the crack as her head hit the sidewalk, the rebound as her body was tossed like a rag-doll. She bit her lip, feeling the bitter taste of blood in her mouth. Taking a deep breath, Ariel closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind.
She was alright, she was sure. She had only hit her head on the path-way. Nothing was bleeding.
And the boy was still shaking her, saying words she did not care for.
Irritably, Ariel blinked at him and tossed her red curls behind her.
"I'm fine. Ariel Flynn," said Ariel, extending her hand to be helped to her feet. She did not bother to answer the boys last question; she wouldn't be answering his questions if she couldn't hear him.
Lifting her other hand to her head, Ariel saw that if was covered in scarlet blood.