Why Kym Ran By:Chloé Mossberg
Kym ran through Times Square, dodging surprised bystanders. She could hear a faint voice in the background yelling for her to stop. She snorted and rolled her eyes. Like she would do that. She ran faster, grasping the wallet she’d stolen harder. She swore, as her hood, which had been hiding her identity, fell off her head unto her shoulders. Her blond hair flashed in her face with some black highlights mixing in too, something she had just gotten, as her fourteenth-birthday present, using some money she had stolen from a rich man a few weeks ago. Suddenly, the flashing lights of a police car were added to the chaos. Great. Just great. She maxed her speed as much as she could, but she’d been sprinting for a dozen minutes and she hadn’t eaten in days. She willed her crystal blue eyes to find a solution, and that’s when she saw it. A small ladder on the side of the building. If she could get there... She pushed harder through the crowd, avoiding the arms grabbing at her, trying to get her to the authorities. She would have felt uncomfortable, had she not been occupied by other thoughts. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention, she normally just melted into the shadows. She wasn’t ugly, but neither was she super pretty. If you saw, you wouldn’t remember her. And Kym liked it that way.
When she broke from the crowd, only a few meters made the distance between her and the ladder. In less then a second, her hands had grabbed the ladder and she started climbing. Again, her hair flashed into her face. Note to self, she thought, wear a ponytail next time.
She got up on the top of the building, and looked down at New York City. The Big Apple. She could see the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty standing proud and tall in the landscape. The city where dreams came true. But, as Kym had learned a long time ago, dreams don’t always come true. Sure, there was a way, after challenges, but for that you had to hope- stop it. Kym scolded herself. Don’t hope. If you don’t get your hopes up, they can’t fall down and crush you. Remember?
And Kym did remember. But she also remembered once upon a time. Once upon a time, Kym had hoped. Once upon a time, Kym had been a normal girl not a kid from the streets who had to survive. Once upon a time she had had a lot of friends, even a boyfriend. She smiled remembering him. Then she scolded herself. Don’t hope. Survive. And do not think about your past. Because once upon a time, she thought bitterly, looking down at the pendant resting on her black jumper, with the small ruby in the form of a teardrop, the only thing she kept from her family, from her past, her parents and brother had died, leaving her alone, leaving her with no choice but to run.