Caught in a Moment
         I am not two-faced. I do not have two personalities like the typical Gemini. I am one person that has different ways of expressing my feelings in different situations. It is difficult for people to read my emotions because I put on such a strong mask to hide my vulnerable feelings from any possible pity or sorrow. I strongly dislike it when people pity me. They will never truly understand what I am thinking in a moment because they are not me. So why should I have to accept their pity? Why should I have to accept someone feeling sorry for me for something I am feeling and they are not? I should not. I am my one person, and I accept the way my mind reacts to certain situations of happiness, sadness, anger, despair, or anguish.
         I remember a time in my life vividly, as if it were yesterday. I was at a fencing competition with my entire club, and my friends and I were warming up and stretching for the major event. Although we were together, everyone was separately doing her (group of girls) own exercise. I am always highly concentrated during this time because I know how important stretching is before the competition. My friend, Rhine Stone, asked me if I wanted to take a run around the convention center. I agreed because I needed the warm-up to get me is before. We started running and with our headphones listening to music and maintaining focus as we pace each other. The convention center was amazing. It had large, bright, massive overhead lanterns that provided elegance and poise to the center. The carpets were soft, resilient, and comfortable as I ran along them with my curved, worn fencing shoes. The strips were made of malted silver that were specially designed for these types of events and never shifted under the fencer’s movements. The doorways had what seemed like golden handles that glittered when they caught the light.          “This place is incredible. I’ve never been in such a beautiful convention center,” I whispered to my friend Rhine.
         “I had low expectations for this competition, but this place is awesome. I thought St. Louis, Missouri was going to be a bust,” Rhine replied, still gawking at the sparkling lantern. Just then I heard a scream coming from the ballroom, or the room in which fencing had taken place. “What was that?” Rhine asked.
         “It sounds like someone screaming out in pain,” I replied, shocked.
         “Nah, it’s probably a person just screaming because they won their bout,” Rhine duly replied. I wanted to agree with her but that scream was filled with such agony that I just could not let it go. I decided to run into the room. “What are you doing? Renata we need to get back to the club banner area or we are going to be late!” Rhine yelled after me. Rhine was tall with short-cropped hair. She was trying to grow it out. She had big brown, expressive eyes. She was Filipino with a lithe athletic build. Her scoliosis did not seem to affect her game ever. I was proud that she was my friend, and her name definitely symbolized what she was to the team, the tethering point. Still I could not forget that agonizing sound.
         As we closed in on the sound, it became almost like a claxon until I finally saw that it was a boy who had fallen down and screamed, it seemed that he may have broken his leg.
         I was shaken. I never expected to see something this dramatic. Rhine stepped up next to me.
         “Oh my God, he broke his leg,” she yelled. My first response was to run to him but I decided to call a medic. “Renata don’t get involved,” Rhine told me. I could tell she was concerned too. I can not just leave him there hurt. I would have wanted help if I were in his position too.
         Nobody was around. The referee tried to find a medic but there was none. The boy was not screaming anymore, but he rocked back and forth in extreme pain.
         I called 911.
         “Are you crazy? There’s a medic here!” Rhine yelled, exasperated. She did not like the gravity of the situation.
         “There’s no medic, Rhine Stone. The referee tried to find one for the past ten minutes. No one is here. I had to call them,” I told her calmly.
         I walked over to the boy with some bandages that were in my jacket pocket.
         “Hi,” I said to the frightened boy. He was probably my age or slightly younger.
         “Hi,” he barely whispered.
         “Don’t worry, I’m going to wrap your leg to immobilize it and prevent it from becoming worse. Where does it hurt?” I asked. Rhine just stared at me, suspicious of my every move. I needed to help. He showed me where to wrap it and I decided to ease the pain by conversing with the boy.
         “What’s your name?” I asked.
         “Jack, what’s yours?” He shakily replied.
         “I’m Renata, how old are you? I’m fifteen,” I nonchalantly answered.
         “I’m fifteen too,” he responded. He seemed a little short for his age but at least he seemed to be calming down.
         Soon the medics arrived. They took Jack away into a stretcher as I was left alone with Rhine.
         I stared off into the distance to where the ambulance had been and then sat down on the cold concrete sidewalk.
         “You’re amazing,” Rhine told me.
         “What?” I asked. I only reacted that way because that was what I felt was right. When I saw that boy on the ground, screaming in agony I just did what came naturally to me. I did not gain anything from it but I did not need to gain anything from the situation either.
         “I still cannot believe you reacted like that so quickly,” Rhine told me in complete amazement.
         “Well, if I were screaming in pain I would want someone to help me so I would never wish that upon anyone else,” I explained. Rhine smiled and shook her head.        
“We should be getting back,” Rhine told me. I wanted to stay. I was caught in the everlasting moment of peace and fulfillment and relaxation.
         “Wait a little longer,” I told her as I embraced the warmth of the sun shining on my face.