It wasn’t that I couldn’t sleep, it was that I didn’t want to. No, I wasn’t having bad dreams, and I wasn’t afraid of the dark that came with the closing of my eyes. Well, maybe a little, but not enough to keep them open if I wanted it sleep. I’ve done this for several weeks now, staying up until I either collapse from exhaustion or the sun begins to rise and I hit the streets, obeying the urge to beat the sun up the mountain.

It’s summer now, so the sun rises at around four in the morning, a time when the city is just starting to wake up. It smells differently at that time in the morning. It’s almost as if you can smell the night and day mixing, and the first rays of the sun caressing the earth.

When I dress for those ventures, I dress simply, braiding my hair back and pulling on my tunic dress, over a pair of jeans if it’s cold. I wear the same shoes as always, a simple pair of sandals that sometimes make weird noises when I walk in them.

I head out quietly, locking the door behind me and leaving my parents a note. I don’t wake them. If I did, they’d stop me from leaving the house so early. I’m only fourteen after all.

I go strait down 12th street, as I live on 12th and L, on the corner. That’s one of the main streets. If you go about three miles away from town from my house, you’ll reach the Washington State Ferry Anacortes Terminal. I had to walk that once. Not my intention, I assure you. I’d forgotten that the SKAT busses, our local transit, doesn’t run on weekends, and had no way home until around nine in the evening, when my mother would get off work and be able to drive me home.

I can smell the bakery from Safeway by the time I reach Commercial Avenue. They’re just getting things warmed up and ready for another day, busy or slow. After crossing the street, I take a left, following Commercial for a few blocks before turning right and into the marina. My family keeps a boat there, Offbeat, but that’s not where I go. Instead, I start going up Cap Sante, one of the best places in town for almost anything. Dates, picnicking, day hiking, writing, reading... you name it. I’ve got my own little spot just on the cliff side that I like to sit and watch... well, anything. It’s also the best place to smell the town. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m nothing more than human. At least I’m not outside my mind. Inside is an entire other story, one which doesn’t need told. I’ll spare your sanity in that aspect.

I’ll spend up to an hour up there, depending on what else I need to do that day. I usually bring my cell phone with me in my handbag, so my parents can call if they worry, but they haven’t yet. I don’t think they know of my escapades yet. I intend to keep it that way as long as possible. Up there I’m free. So is my mind. That’s where I write. Just me, the birds, the winds, a pencil, and a few notebooks.