"It's been three days Georgia you need to get your distraught butt out of this bed before I forcefully drag you to therapy!" My mother's shrill voice pierced through my skull, making me cringe, and left a dull throb in its wake.

All of my pillows were messily dumped in a corner near the foot of my bed, leaving it completely bare save for my half-on, half-off fitted sheet that was crinkled with days of none stop twisting and turning. My plush, white comforter was situated near the foot of my bed, and resembled an oversized strait jacket that was haphazardly tangled around every nook and cranny of my body.

With my entire body fully submersed under the confines of the comforter, I was not prey to the harsh sunlight that was gracing the interior of my bedroom for the first time in days.

I merely grunted in acknowledgement to my mother's words, having not fully processed a word that had left her mouth and truthfully, I had no intention of doing so.

My eyes were sore and itchy and my emotional state was far from being anywhere near sane, but the gnawing sensation in my stomach suggested that I should gobble down some food. Sure I was starving- having eaten nothing but half of a sandwich, a few slices of fruit and some crackers for the past couple days- but I barely had an appetite.

               With much resign, I slowly detangled my body from the comforter and allowed the harsh mixture of the artificial lighting and natural sunlight to assault my unsuspecting eyes. My limbs ached slightly from spending so many hours each day warped into cramped positions. Truthfully, I'd only gotten out of bed to use the bathroom and freshen up a bit, and then it was right back to my previous position.

Before I could stand, I saw my mother towering above me with a cross of sympathy and resolution on her face. "Honey, I love you" she started tentatively, "but you have to get out of this house."

"Take Winnie for a walk. You abandoned her while you were moping and I allowed you some time off from school, but you can no longer go on like this." I should've prepared myself for a lecture whilst I was beneath my blankets, but my mind was in a constant state of disarray as every single moment I'd ever shared with Jared attacked my subconscious.

I mindlessly nodded, partially in agreement with her and partially out of exhaustion. "I know you felt strongly about this boy sweetie" she moved to sit next to me as her nimble fingers scooped my tangled locks off of my skin and into a high ponytail. "First heartbreaks are the worst things ever, and I always hoped that you'd never had to experience it."

I turned my face to meet her eyes. She was dressed in her hospital attire and her eyes were hooded with exhaustion. It was then that I realized that she must've only just returned from a late shift at the hospital, and instead of taking her much needed rest, she had to deal with me.

"I know you never liked him mom" I told her, my voice cracking slightly at the end.

"It's not that I didn't like him sweetie-" she started "I just didn't like him with you." Her eyes regarded me cautiously, as though I were a piece of glass one breath away from being shattered.

I wasn't sure how to deal with the emotions that assaulted me. I willed my eyes to form a barrier from the fresh wave of tears that threatened to burst its dam and bolted to my bathroom. I locked myself in and leaned against the marble countertop.

The girl staring at me had unruly blonde hair messily smoothened into a ponytail. Her clear green eyes had seemingly darkened and her pupils were dilated to the point that it resembled a cat's. The sunken hallows of her cheeks made it seem that she had either been in a fight or was seriously ill.

I blew a breath of resignation and turned away from the mirror.

My brain was still hung up on the fact that Jared was basically living his life with a new girlfriend. Jared and I's relationship meant everything to me, and I couldn't fathom the idea that for a moment he hadn't felt the same. Everything he did, everything he said, everything he was, was perfect.

Perfect.

That word taunted me from every corner of my mind, forcing me to remember what I had lost.

I was tired of being buried alive in a whirlwind of my own hazardous thoughts, and frankly, I was even more tired of wearing Jared's oversized hoodies that I had stolen.

And with that mind-set, I stepped into my shower and began my usual morning routine.

****

               Forty five minutes later, I stepped out of my house clad in a pair of high-waisted shorts, a fitted tank drop and a long, patterned kimono. My freshly washed hair was secured in a high top knot and I even applied a bit of light makeup. My dark brown Pomeranian Winnie, was gathered in my arms and despite my inappropriate attire, I was taking her for a walk like my mom suggested.

When I had finished my shower, I found my mom slouched face first on my bed and snoring lightly. I covered her body with a fresh blanket and silently thanked her for demanding that I broke free of my stupor.

The midday sun immediately warmed my skin and I blew a breath of fresh air. I perched my sunglasses on the bridge of my nose and gently set Winnie down and attached her leash. Winnie wagged her little butt in approval and I laughed silently at the way her excitement caused her body to tilt slightly to the left instead of walking in a straight line.

Deciding to make up for my neglect to Winnie, I let her drag me to her destination and we would only turn back when she was ready. I was in much need of the exercise anyway.

****

               "Winnie come on! We've been walking for fifty minutes now we have to get back!" I begged, but Winnie seemed to be bursting with energy. Honestly, I could've easily scooped Winnie into my arms and take us home, but I didn't have it in me to burst her glee.

 We were already out of my neighbourhood and leading into another section of the town. Her ears perked up at a sound that only hers could detect and she began yipping and pulling on her leash as she ran faster than I was prepared for. Her leash began quickly unravelling in my hand until it had extended to its full length, and I was not prepared for the jerking motion that had accompanied it.

I lost my grip on the leash but Winnie kept running towards her destination, yipping along the way.

"Winnie you get back here or so help me I will make you sleep outside tonight!" I yelled, partially out of breath.

I ran as I fast I could have to get to Winnie, but my lack of exercise seemed to limit my abilities as the distance between us stretched farther and farther until her petite frame had disappeared from my line of sight.

My pace slowed to a jog as my eyes abhorrently drank in my surroundings. Winnie had taken us several twists and turns off of our standard course, and as a result, I had regrettably ventured into unknown territory.

The air seemed thinner and heavily laced with dust in this particular area, and with each unsteady breath my throat seemed to dry. The sun continuously assaulted my skin in a single point blank ray that seemed to encompass my entire being, making the loose strands of my topknot plaster to the surface of my skin. A slick sheen of perspiration had visibly begun to form on the bridge of my nose and the surface of my hairline, making my entire body feel dampened.

I carelessly shrugged off my kimono and dabbed at my face before securing it to my waist as I stood for a few short seconds contemplating my next move.

The road behind me could have hardly been described as a road at all. It closely resembled a barren track that had been long forgotten, and as I unceremoniously dragged my eyes upwards, I understood why.

Winnie had led me to the halted construction site of the Ryker Bale Stadium.

The Ryker Bale Stadium was a project under a private construction firm that was left unfinished for thirteen plus years due to lack of funding. It was rumoured to have been the largest sporting centre our country would have ever seen when completed, with a projected area of that of over twenty football fields. Its initial purpose had been to stimulate a good sense of sportsmanship and an outlet for youths to channel their emotions into the form of sports, though its goal had yet to be accomplished. I had never actually seen the progress first hand, but I was always aware of its existence.

The structure before me had long lost its supposed endearing qualities that came with the expectation of fulfilled promises, and instead evoked a sense of trepidation coursing through my veins.

Chunks of jagged metal coated with a thick blanket of dust and grime protruded upwards towards the blank canvased sky, with some angled perilously towards the steep fall. The abandoned structure towered sixty feet above my frame, and curved farther than my eyes could detect from such a close vantage point.

Of course, my dog just had to dive head first into the seemingly most daunting building.

 I followed Winnie's path nearing the grimy circular entrance gates and used the sleeves of my kimono to provide a barrier between my hands and the metal, sending a silent prayer in hopes that it was unlocked.

Surprisingly, the gate grunted under the force of my propelled body weight and I tucked myself into the nearest open cart.

 Huffing from exertion, I took a tentative step out of the cart and into the interior of the cylindrical structure. I messily pushed my sunglasses onto my head and rapidly blinked my eyes, willing away the dark spots that clouded my vision from the sudden change of lighting.

The roof above me was covered by the same metallic material that lined the walls, and I placed my fist against my nose to prevent the musky air from awakening my allergies.

"Winnie?" I whispered tentatively.

My voice danced on the walls loudly at first, and flowed throughout the space until it faded into a soft lullaby that beckoned me down the hall. With shaky steps I followed my echo to an unknown destination and hoped that it led me to Winnie.

After I had counted twenty steps, my agonizing pace became quickened with anxiety.

"Winnie this place can collapse at any moment you need to get back here!" I shouted, no longer startled by the echo of my voice.

I threw all caution to the wind and began blindly running through the gloomy halls, each hurried step leaving a thunderous thud in my wake. My mind was muddled with uneasiness and my thoughts blurred into several lanes of anxiety. There was a reason I had never ventured near this project, and that in itself was a work of pure common sense.

Children do not play in construction sites, especially those that were left incomplete and possibly breaking twenty building safety codes all at once.

The probability of both Winnie and I leaving here unscathed was next to nothing. It was like walking into a lion's den and expecting not to be eaten.

I increased the volume of my yells, each louder than the previous and my throat began to burn from dehydration and overuse.  I had been blindly running for five minutes before I stumbled out of the hallway and the harsh sunlight had blinded my eyes.

I hurriedly shielded my sensitive eyes from the harsh effect of the blinding sunlight and trotted onto the parched, un-kept turf. The ceiling was non-existent and allowed the pale blue sky to hover uninterrupted above.

At the end of the crumbly expanse of land, approximately a football field away, I saw that the ceilings formed a semi-circular rim around half of the circumference of the stadium, and vanished into still air as it lay incomplete, with piles of steel rods, plates and rotting wood at its feet.

I felt considerably safer standing out in the open and walked closer towards the centre as an extra precaution, as my eyes widened in awe at the magnitude of the framework before me.

When I had successfully peeled my eyes off of the surrounding dilapidated seating panels, my eyes lightly skimmed over a faint brown heap of sand to my far left. It took my brain a few seconds to fit the pieces of the puzzle together as my eyes jumped back to what resembled the heap of sand.

               Winnie stood with her back straight and her posture stiff as she cocked her pointed black nose in the air, her body tilted away from me. Her fur was blowing in the gentle breeze and caused her to sway slightly. Relief flooded through my veins as I immediately started off in her direction.

"Winnie! I swear to God when you get hom-" The roaring of a loud engine drowned out the rest of my sentence, and just before I could grab a hold of Winnie, she took off in the direction of the noise, with me hot on her heels.

I was definitely not letting her go this time.

"Get back here you demon dog!" I shouted after her, but the sound of my voice barely made it past my own ears.

Running with a renewed sense of energy and determination, I followed Winnie across the field and onto a strip rimmed with discarded tyres and canvas sacks filled with sand.

The roars increased as I followed Winnie to presumably the source, and left a deafening thud in my ears, however I was too focused on her tiny sprinting frame that I took no heed to my newfound surroundings once more. The intensity of my stare on her retreating figure allowed me to instantly detect the moment her body changed direction, efficiently catching her off guard as I propelled my body towards hers and scooped her into my arms, not before losing momentum and gravitating downwards.

My back mercilessly hit the compacted dirt track as I spun myself on the free fall, with Winnie barricaded securely beneath my arms and against chest. The noises had ceased around us as I groaned in pain. My back ached as I sat up, and I was certain that there would be bruising the next day.

Another piercing clamour resonated within the stadium and caused me to shriek and scramble to my feet, clutching the fourth and final member of my immediate family to my chest.

The sight before me left my mouth hanging open, and truth be told, I probably drooled a little.

****

Author's Note:

I took forever and a day to post c r a p.

I had every intention of making this chapter so unbelievably amazing that i overestimated and messed everything up and as a result I literally spat out approximately three thousand words about a girl looking for her dog . How sad.

I had SO much planned for this chapter but it fell flat, and so hopefully the next chapter will do it justice.

I'm really sorry that you had to suffer through this and I completely understand whoever stopped reading after the first couple pages because honestly I did as well and it physically pains me to post this. However his is a learning experience for me and I can only improve.

BUT, if you for some reason endured this chapter leave me a comment below explaining why because I really want to know. Like really. Why would you do that to yourself? xx