Operation Freedom

Operation Freedom

This was meant to be the happiest day of our lives. How did it all go wrong?

We had worked for 3 whole years just to get into this college….

     Briiinnggg! Briiinnggg!! my alarmed clock blared. I grudgingly turned to switch it off. I had a flush of happiness, excitement, and sadness. I was finally leaving home. Normally, people would have been sad to leave home, but not me. I’m not like most people (in a lot of ways) i.e Most people didn’t go through the trauma I went through when they were just 6 YEARS OLD.

   “LIZZZZ! COME DOWN NOWW!” That was my mom screaming at me as usual

“Good Morning,” I said with a half-smile half-frown.

“CLEAN THIS STUFF OUT!” Mom screamed, packing some clothes into what looked like an overnight bag.

“Okay” It was her stuff scattered all over the place.

“Where are you going”

“NOWHERE, Mind your own business, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Perfect.

My mom had no idea I was going to college. I had planned this for so many years. I called it 'Operation Freedom'. It was going to be so perfectly executed, that nothing could ruin this for me. I had been so excited about this day that it was gradually turning out to be the happiest day of my life.

Some hours later, Racheal came through the door “Who’s ready for College???” she said

“I’m soo ready” I replied

Racheal had been my best friend since I came to this town, to this neighborhood.

“I’m finally leaving this dump” I hated it here. But I was finally leaving. I finally had my freedom. For years, and years, I had to live under a bunch of stupid rules. I could never go out unless it was school or something I was instructed to do. My every move was watched under a microscope. I had to follow all these rules because I had to be PERFECT. If not, I was threatened; threatened to go back to where I was picked up. And trust me, going back to the streets wasn’t something anyone would want.

 “Aaargh” Even just thinking about it was starting to dampen the mood. Once I walk through the college doors, I will be FREEEEE.

  Normally, such an idea of freedom wouldn’t be a big deal for most people but, I’m not part of that category.

“C’mon Liz, let’s start getting our things in the car” Racheal yelled

“Yeah yeah”

“Easy for you to say, all your stuff is already in the car and I bet you didn’t have to carry any of it” I yelled back

Hours later, we had finally arrived, Just smelling the air made my tummy tingle. After checking in, registering, and doing all the necessary stuff, I finally went to my dorm.

 It wasn’t great, but I didn’t care, because most importantly, I was away from the ever-watchful eyes of my mom. That was the most important thing of all. Nothing else mattered but that No more MOM.

 I was starting to feel a tang of guilt for leaving without telling my own MOTHER, but I pushed that guilt away because she hadn’t cared about me. Why should I feel guilty? I was starting to get angry again.

“No I can’t get angry,” I told myself

“This is the happiest day of my life, Operation Freedom is finally here”

 I started to arrange my things and get settled in. One by one, as I started to put everything in its place, it dwelled on me, I was actually FREEE. I can’t even emphasize that enough. I started to do a happy dance. Then, I heard a knock on the door.

 “Racheal!” I screamed happily, I hadn't seen her since our check-in.

"Hey, I've been looking for you." "My room is right there"

Her room was right next to mine.

“I’m just going to settle in and get ready for the welcome party,” She told me

“Cool, see you “I replied

  I wasn’t aware of any welcome party but I was going to be there because I wanted to have fun and try all the things I had never done; just because I could, just because I didn’t have any boundaries, just for the sake of it!

  A dark-haired girl came barging through the door with 2 boys and a middle-aged woman and man trailing behind her. She introduced herself as Gemma, my roommate. She also introduced her brothers and her parents. 

  After they helped her unpack, they left crying. I didn’t think that would hurt me, but it did. After her family left, she started talking. At first, I wasn’t in the mood to engage in a conversation. But, I found myself telling her my life story about how I was on the street, how my dad had died, and how I had left for college without telling my mom. It actually felt good letting all that out.

   After all of that, she didn’t judge she just shrugged and said “Well, that’s your life story, life’s life”

“Moving on, what are you wearing for the party?” Gemma asked

I brought out a pair of trousers and one of my cutest tops (I wanted to make a good impression).

“This,” I said, motioning to my outfit

“Nice” She replied

“I’m going to check out the campus. Wanna come?”

“No thanks I’m going to take a nap”

  'piiinnng! piiiinng!!' The alarm on my phone reminded me it was time to get up.

I hopped into the bathroom. Once I came out, I started to get ready.

  As soon as I had buttoned my jeans, Rachael and Gemma came chatting away as If they had known each other forever.

“Oh hi, meet Rachael,” Gemma told me

“We already know each other we came together”

“Oh” “You’re already”

“Let’s go together”

“Okay,” I told her

   We left for the venue of the welcome party. I was amazed once we got in. The hall was large and full of smiling faces and lots of food. It was decorated with red, white, and black glittery streamers.

   There was a huge stage. After some minutes, the dean officially welcomed us to the school. After his long speech, he told us to have fun.

 I could definitely say that I was excited.

After about 2 hours, Someone nudged me

“Wanna have some fun?” She asked

“I guess so”

“Follow me”

“But I came with other people and I’m pretty sure they’ll be looking for me”

“Bring them along” she replied

“Gemma, Rachael”

“Yeah?”

“Follow me”

“Welllll, must we really?" She sounded disappointed

"I don’t really wanna go. I’m having fun now” Racheal said

“C’mon we’re free to do whatever we want.” “Let’s go,” I told her

“Fine”

“Let’s go have some fun”

“Cool”

  We followed the girl through a dark sketchy ally. This isn’t something I’d normally have done but now that I had control over my life, I could do whatever I wanted.

“When are we going to get there?” I asked

Soon there was a loud noise and lots of people shouting and dancing. As we passed the rough-looking gate, we got a better look at the party.

 It was full of people that ranged between the ages of 17 to 20. There was a pool in the middle of the garden, a food-stand, a dance stage, and just lots of people laughing and dancing.

  I could tell that Rachael was feeling a bit uncomfortable since Gemma turned around and left mid-way, so I told her to loosen up and dance.

 At about 3 in the morning, the party was still going strong and it was beginning to seem like the good music should last forever, when someone ran in alarmed and screamed that the cops were coming. I was confused at first until someone trying to get to the closest exit pushed past me and I almost landed in the pool.

  Everyone started to push, not caring who or what was getting left behind. I immediately joined in the melee. All I wanted was to get back to the comfort and safety of my dorm.

 Someone just pulled me and said “Follow me if you want to escape”

I just followed not caring where I was going as long as I left the scene and was away from the cops.

 The few of us that escaped, got in the back of someone's car and were dropped off at the library bus stop. As I walked back to the University Campus, it dawned on me ‘Where was Rachael?’. I started retracing my mental steps to when we last saw and realized we separated when the arrival of the cops was announced.

  I couldn't rush back to the party venue immediately because it was an illegal party in the first place, as I later got to find out.

That night, a million thoughts raced through my head. "Where was Rachael, was she ok?" I kept reassuring myself repeatedly that she was alright. "She obviously found a way to escape and was safely asleep," I told myself.....But what if she wasn't?

That night I had a nightmare, Rachael was standing at the edge of a cliff and calling for me; asking why I had left her, asking why I had brought her in the first place, questioning everything I had done since she told me that she wasn't comfortable. I tried to explain what happened but she jumped off the cliff screaming.

I woke up abruptly in a pool of sweat and with clenched fists. I couldn't go back to sleep for the rest of the night. I promised myself that first thing the next morning, I would go look for Rachael.

As I woke up the next morning, I searched everywhere for her. Her roommate told me she didn't come back that night. I asked all the people I could recognize from the party but they all had the same response.

"Last I saw her, was at the party"

I dashed back to the party venue which now looked totally different from the way it was just the night before. The whole place had been cordoned off like it was a crime scene.

I squeezed between two ropes hoping that I could stills save her. But by then, it was too late.