The Escape

Part 1: Ahmed’s PerspectiveAs the luminous moon shone down in my eyes, bare trees towered over me like skyscrapers. “Ahmed!” shouted Mahmoud. It was time to go home. Away from the only place with peace and quiet, away from my real friends and away from a place with such natural beauty.I looked down at the overstepping dominating branches, saying my goodbyes. I then climbed down from the trees, not ready to go back to the orphanage.As I was following Mahmoud back to the orphanage, he asked, “Do you ever feel like just running away from problems and never coming back?”A sense of shock ran through my body, yet I nodded with confidence. Mahmoud then stopped walking. He looked at his shoes, fidgeting with his fingers, hesitating about whether to ask me something. “Do you… ehm… wanna leave the orphanage?”Part 2: Amelia’s PerspectiveThe bell rang. It was the end of school. As I walked with Sarah and Khadija, I realised Jamal was waiting for me, and a sudden fake smile appeared across my face.“Oooo… Jamal is waiting for you,” Sarah called out.“Yeah… haha.”“So, uh, Amelia can we go shopping today?” Khadija asked.I replied instantly. “Yeah, sure!”“Oh, I just realised, Sarah and I left our credit cards… you can pay for us,” Khadija said.I said nervously, “But I paid last time…”“Why can’t I ever just have real friends?” I thought to myself.“I-I-I-I have to go…” I said, as anger boiled up in my skin.I sprinted as fast as a lightning bolt while I questioned myself as to whether to sob or to be angry. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing, but I ran and ran until I realised I was in the middle of nowhere. I scanned the area and saw a local park.As I shed tears, I trudged towards the park and sniffled my nose. I sat on the swing and wondered what I did to deserve a life like this. From the corner of my eye, I heard two boys snickering.Part 3: Mahmoud’s perspectiveAs Ahmed got his soccer ball and his bag ready to leave, I felt a connection as I said goodbye to the orphanage, a sensation that everything would be alright.“Oww… Mahmoud. I’m stuck!”Looking up, I saw Ahmed trapped halfway through the window. I pushed him a little, and he fell with a thud.“I’m okay!” he shouted.And then we were off to start our journey.Part 4: Ahmed’s PerspectiveAs Amelia got up to hunt food for the night, I looked at her beautiful brown hair glistening through the sunset. A small smile sneakily appeared on my face. I looked down at the sand and realised she had left her phone.Just as I was going to call out her name… BEEP! A notification popped up on her screen. “‘Don’t look at it, don’t look at it,” I thought to myself, but curiosity pulled me within seconds. As I looked at the screen, I saw, ‘Mahmoud: Are you in the forest yet?’Confusion sped through my mind like a race car. Suddenly my mouth felt parched and dry. I couldn’t swallow. I ran so fast to the forest, and there I was, looking at Amelia and Mahmoud. My heart shattered into a million pieces. Tears trickled down my face as I dropped Amelia’s phone and ran.