Running through the fields out behind her American home was easy enough; she had escaped the watchful eyes of her over protective parents and was free. The sun was setting and the shadows were at play in the forest on the edge of the fields. Her parents loved the private little houses that always seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. It never bothered Jo that her parents seemed to hide from the rest of the world, it wasn’t normal for her to see other people. Jo knew about the outside world, her parents let her watch TV and all, but she didn’t know the workings of the world.
At the edge of the forest, Jo stared into it. A small twelve year old girl at the edge of the forest alone was nothing out of the normal for her, but anyone who seemingly passed by would probably worry. She knew her parents would be calling for her to come back to the house soon, and if she was lucky they wouldn’t worry and lecture her. Jo never got why her parents were so protective, what had happened to make them worry so much.
The shadows that the large, old pine trees cast against the forest floor played and danced for her. Jo grinned at the shadows and walked into the forest’s edge. She wouldn’t go too far in, just far enough to be away but not really. She was developing into her own person, and this was one of the only ways she could play with her powers, her abilities. Freedom was what she wanted, it wasn’t much. She wanted to be like a normal kid, go to school and have friends. She had friends, her parents and some animals here and there, and if you counted the shadows you can throw in a million friends right there. But Jo didn’t see the likeliness in any of that.
“Jocelin!”
Her mother was looking for her. She swallowed hard and stood still, among the dancing shadows of the trees. She knew if she stayed still she might get a little more time out in the forest.
“Jocelin Lydia Hawes, get inside now!”
Jo blinked, her mother was mad for some reason and she didn’t know why. She stayed still though; she didn’t want to go home just yet. Not while the sun was still setting and life was just coming out for the day. Jo wanted to see the night life of the forest, the place she always loved. She knew for doing this, her parents were going to be strict for the next few days to weeks. Maybe pack up and go to Ireland for a while just to take her away from the forest.
She let out a sigh. “Coming, mom!”
She started on the journey back to the old house of hers. The forest shadows saying goodbye to her for now and the fields welcomes her to bring her home. She didn’t run like the way she came, she walked as slow as she could. Dragging one foot after another through the thick grass of the field. She figured she’d be locked in her room as her punishment. No TV for a week, possibly, along with extra school work. She hoped for one day her parents would let her go to a normal school, no more homeschooling and no more worry. Jo wasn’t planning on scaring any normal humans for a while at least.
