I was standing at the edge of the forest and had been watching Elena for almost a quarter of an hour as she sat in front of our house and dreamed to herself.
What was she thinking about? Elena almost always noticed when something was wrong with me. I wanted to calm down before she ended up asking unpleasant questions. She shouldn't worry about me. There was sure to be a plausible explanation for everything, and one that didn't mean I was a monster.
My senses must have played a trick on me. The boy had just been frightened of my speed and the light must have just fallen strangely on his eyes. Exactly! That was it, and speed was just another helpful new skill. Just like my keen senses. Nothing bad. Where these skills came from did not matter. As long as I didn't use them to harm others, I wasn't a monster either.
I found myself not very convinced of my explanation. Still, I took a deep breath and walked towards the little house. Elena raised her head and smiled at me when she saw me. I tried to smile too. Was I just making a grimace? Elena didn't seem to notice, or was she just ignoring it? I quickly shook off these thoughts.
"Hello, Leyla! Back again?"
She looked at me questioningly.
"Um ... Yes. I just wanted to bring the shopping home. After that I planned to take a walk in the woods. Would you like to come with me?"
I sincerely hoped she refused. Why did I ask? Even if she hadn't noticed anything by now, she would certainly be if we spent the whole day together. I could bite my tongue off for my stupidity!
"No, I'm sorry. I don't feel special today. I think I'm going to lie down a little."
She looked at me apologetically.
"Not bad. I hope you will feel better soon."
With these words I handed her the basket and said goodbye.

As soon as I was out of sight, I leaned against a tree trunk, relieved.
Man, I was lucky. I've never been as happy as I am that Elena was bad.
I pushed off the tree again and left the path. I knew my way around the forest better than anyone else here. In a sense, I grew up here. I have always felt drawn to the great outdoors. I liked the quiet here.
Gradually my mind wandered back to my discovery at noon. Would I be able to run that fast again? It was worth a try. I started walking and after a while I got faster and faster. The wind hissed past my ears and tousled my hair. I could barely feel the ground beneath my feet. It felt like I was flying! Despite my high speed, I was able to see everything around me very clearly and had no problems avoiding the trees.That was incredible! Laughing, I braked and stopped only three feet from the edge of a cliff.
Wow! That was amazing! Still laughing, I realized that I wasn't out of breath at all. I've always had very good endurance, but at such a speed? I must have covered five kilometers in the few seconds. If not more!
My elation gradually subsided and I sat down on the soft grass. It wasn't long before my mind wandered back to today's incident.
"If you still want to experience tomorrow, I would run away very quickly if I were you!"
I threatened to kill a couple of children! People said a lot when they were angry, I knew that from experience. I was pissed off many times. But this time it was different. This time I really wanted to carry out this threat. I almost felt something like anticipation!
What the fuck was i? Was I human at all? I had never had such terrible thoughts before. Sure, I was angry with these kids. Angry at everyone in the city. But I would never ... or would I? No! I've never been a violent person and I never would be.
Part of me didn't believe what I said myself.
"Bloody hell!"
Furious, I fell backwards into the grass. What should I do? What if I really wasn't human? Could I then just go on living as before? What if something like that happened again, only with a worse ending? Then could I ever look in my reflection again?
Never before had I dearly wished to know more about my past. Why did this happen to me of all people? If there was a god, why did he do that? Had I done anything that he wanted to punish me for now? No, it had nothing to do with any god. The universe just drove its sick jokes at my expense.
It was getting dark. I looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds gather there. The first drops came down and landed on my face. The cool rain felt good and somehow calmed me down. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the cool water for a while. When I opened my eyes again, I saw a slight shimmer of red sticking out between the clouds on the horizon. It was late and I had to go home slowly before Elena was even more worried about me.
I got up and made my way home. Lost in thought, I looked up at the sky and watched the raindrops as they made their way onto the damp earth and collected into small puddles. I noticed that in the dim light they shone like countless diamonds. It looked kind of pretty.
If I was honest, I didn't want to go back. I wasn't ready to answer my foster mother's questions.What should i tell her I did not know it. Preferably nothing at all, but that was hardly possible.
My steps got slower and slower. Where else should i go? Elena would be terribly worried. I couldn't do that to her.
I was running a little faster again when suddenly a throbbing pain made itself felt in my head. I dropped to my knees with a startled cry. My right hand went to my temple while I propped myself on a tree with my left.
What was that?
The pain gradually subsided. But no sooner had it fallen to an acceptable level than the next wave of pain came. A painful moan escaped my throat and my body doubled over. I had never felt such pain before. What was wrong with me?
My hand slipped off the tree trunk and landed on the damp earth. Another wave came over me. I dug my fingers hard in the mud, cutting myself on a sharp stone in the process. I barely noticed how the warm blood slowly made its way out of my finger.
What was that all about?
The pain got worse and worse. Black spots appeared in my field of vision and got bigger and bigger until I got closer and closer to the ground and lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again it was pitch black.
I only noticed casually that I was lying in the mud. How long have I been passed out? I slowly sat up and automatically grabbed my head. But the pain was gone. It almost felt like I had just imagined it.
I quickly jumped up and looked up at the sky. It was still draped with dark clouds.
What time was it Elena must have been very worried. I better hurry up.
Before I had finished thinking about it, I started walking. I ran as fast as I could. It wasn't long before I could see the little house among the trees. Was she still awake? Probably yes. With a quick step I ran up the three steps to the front door and opened it.
No sooner had I entered the room than Elena immediately jumped up.
"Damn it, Leyla! Where are you from now, please? I was so worried! God knows what could have happened. I was afraid that the wolves might have got you!"
She released the hug and looked at me questioningly and accusingly at the same time.
"I want an explanation!"
"Um ... I probably fell asleep by the cliff." I came back sheepishly.
“Did you fall asleep in this weather?” She eyed my mud-smeared clothes in disbelief.
"What can I say? I've always had a pretty solid sleep."
Her look grew even more incredulous, but she apparently let it go. I didn't know why I lied. But something told me it was better that way.I yawned heartily once.
"I'm terribly tired and I'm going to bed now. I'm really, really sorry you worried about me."
With an apologetic look, I went to my room before Elena spoke again. I didn't want to have to lie to her any further.
Before I lay down, I changed, washed and quickly bandaged the cut on my hand. I lay awake in my bed for quite a while and only fell into a restless sleep late at night.