Biography of a Teen (Discovering Ray)

The sun burned my skin as we kept walking along the vast prairie. Sweat formed upon my forehead and slowly trickled down the side of my face. Ray had lead the entire time. At first I thought he knew where we were going, turns out he was just the most energetic of the four of us.

"Does anybody know where we're going?" Wendy spoke in a really bitchy tone. Out of all of us she was having the most trouble. Aiden had to tow her nearly the entire way.

"If you didn't expect to walk a long ways maybe you should have stayed back with everyone else!" I snapped. I really got tired of her complaining, but I felt bad for being so mean. It worked though since she didn't complain anymore. Truth was though none of us had any clue where we were heading. Running away from everybody was the easiest part. After that was a up hill battle, one where we were blinded. No roads were anywhere close to us, and all I could see for miles and miles was nothing but deserted hills and shrubs. I felt as if we were fighting a lost cause. There was no planning from this day forward either. Nobody had any clue what was going to happen. How long until they noticed we were gone? Would they come looking for us? Or did they even care? These questions burned in our minds with an intensity so fierce I couldn't even bare to concentrate on the really important matters. Like water, and food, and rest. Nothing was in sight and I could tell that everyone along with myself was becoming dehydrated.

We had been traveling nearly a day now. It may not sound like a long time but when you've done non stop walking to nowhere it becomes exhausting and unbearable to think about. I turned around slowly to check on Aiden and Wendy. Still Wendy's hand was clutched so hard to Aiden's I wondered how the circulation was going. Truth be told I really haven't seen them talk all that much. Must be some mind thing they have with each other. Like one could read the others thoughts. Its a possibility or the sun had eventually driven me crazy.

"Hey what's that?!" I heard Aiden yell. I hadn't realized how far ahead of us he had gotten until I heard him. We had to jog to catch up with him. But as soon as we reached his side it was all worth it. Far off in the distance I could see a road. Not a highway, or a interstate, but a dirt road. It felt like a truck just got lifted off my shoulders. I could feel my eyes start to tear up, then when I saw Wendy she was leaking tears. Aiden was smiling from ear to ear, and Ray was bouncing with excitement. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I fell to my knee's crying. With joy of course. But it was the best feeling in the world of going from insecurity of whether or not we're going to live to we're getting somewhere, our journey has officially begun.

Once again Ray sprinted off ahead barely able to contain his excitement. I took my usual place in the middle of the pack, and Wendy and Aiden seperated themselves towards the back.

"Once we get to this road what're we going to do?" I turned quickly to notice Wendy standing right next to me. It was the first time this whole trek she's let go of Aiden's hand.

"Honestly I'm not quite sure." I hadn't really thought about it. "Can't we at least celebrate a little before we have to think about the hard stuff again?" Wendy was really getting on my nerves.

"Well yeah, I just meant we don't have much time to think about it" she gave me a dirty look "I'm thirsty, Aiden's thirsty, and I bet you and Ray are thirsty too. This little plan of yours isn't going that great Mya." I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Ok then Wendy turn your ass around and walk back then." I was infuriated. "Just because you and your little boyfriend are thirsty doesn't give you the right to be a complete bitch. So I'll give you two options. Either turn around and walk all that way again. Or shut the fuck up and keep walking with us!. Which one Wendy?!" I don't really understand what went through me. It wasn't like me to blow up like that. But I just walked away from her and did my best to catch up with Ray. Secretly I was proud of myself for being all tough acting, but I didn't want that to show. When I glanced over my shoulder I noticed Wendy walking by herself. She was following us nonetheless so I realized I had gotten through to her. Bout time.

After about ten minutes Ray noticed me struggling to catch up to him so he slowed his pace, then finally to a complete stop. Wendy and Aiden were a good distance behind us so it gave me enough time to finally get to know him. You could tell Ray was only 13, he hadn't matured yet, and he only stood about 5'5". His face was beat red when I stood next to him, and his blond hair was completely drenched. He had sweated way more then I did.

"I never really found out what put you in RSTT in the first place." I told Ray. yeah It was a little forward but I've always not really cared for the little stuff. I'm one to get straight to the point. He looked at me with stern eyes, as if he didn't really want to speak of it, but my curiosity was way to important.

"Its kinda private." he turned his head away from me.

"So was mine but you and everyone else at the clinic found out anyways." I had him pinned.

"Yeah I guess that is true haha." I didn't really see what was so funny but I played along. "I guess you can say its similar to your story. It's not really my fault at all why I was put there. Both of my parents died when I was little in a train wreck. I had no siblings, and all of my other family lives just outside of Moscow."

"You mean as in Russia?" I was a little shocked. Maybe because before I came here I never had really left the perimeter of Chicago."

"Exactly." he slowed his pace a little then spoke again. "I was around age 5 so I was sent to a orphanage. We were new to America and we actually snuck here. None of my family back in Russia knew anything about it. The orphanage they put me in was like any other you would see. Several sad looking students. And ones that had lived there their entire life. I however knew I didn't belong there and I didn't want to stay. I did though stay until I was 12 years old. A lot of people came to see me but none took any interest." I pitied him more then any of the others. This kid's story was kinda like mine. "I finally one day couldn't take it anymore. I ran. Ran as hard as I could. As far as I could. No food. No extra clothes. Nothing. Just me. Thing is I didn't even make it that far because when I finally got to the closest town a police car recognized me and grabbed me. They realized I would try it as soon as I got back so they sent me here. Like you, I was suppose to be here until I was 18." My heart broke, no wait shattered into a million pieces. Finally someone knew how I felt. Except I always thought my story was the most traumatic, it wasn't even close. This little boy had lost his parents in his tot years. He was stuck in an orphanage now doomed to a childhood in a clinic for psycho teens. He deserved more then this. There was no way I could blame him for running with us. I was completely speechless.

"I want you to know though that you're the only one that knows that. It's not something I'm proud of you know? Only reason I told you this is because you have somewhat of the same predicament. We're two pea's in a pod." he smiled a wide smile at me and I couldn't help it anymore. I turned and embraced him in one of the biggest hugs I've given in a long time. It was so sincere, and I knew this kid understood my mind. There was a reason we were brought together. I understood him, and he understood me. Our childhoods both were destroyed. His in a orphanage now in a clinic. Mine on the streets. It toughened both of us. Once I had let go I realized that we were within yards of the road. I could just feel inside of me that we were going to make it. Four fucked up teens were going to finally at last find happiness, I was just unsure how soon that was going to happen.