Then it was the last period, and the bell was about to ring. Me and Mireya turned to the back of the class and saw them already glaring at us… We were sure we were in big trouble.
We quickly packed up and waited for the bell to ring, it was just about time. I could feel my pulse. What if I'm not fast enough? What if we're not fast enough?
Immediately the bell rang, I and, Mireya, and four others bolted for the door without thinking twice. We had already planned to until we reached the riverside.
They ran after us unwaveringly,so we split into twos to divert their attention.
Luckily for Mireya and me, we weren't followed, so we ran straight to the riverside and waited for the rest to arrive. "That's the fastest I've ever run," I exclaimed.
"Me too!The others have to make it in time."
"Yeah."
We sat on the ground and stared at the river flowing.
It was already getting dark, and the others were nowhere to be found. We were already preparing to leave when we heard footsteps.
We rushed over thinking it was the rest only to be greeted with mean faces; they had followed the others here. I was so scared about what they might do to us.
I held Meriya's shaky hands tight.
"We did nothing wrong by reporting you to the school counsel! What you did was wrong, and we spoke up…face the fact that you're actually wrong and leave us alone!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"You're the mouthpiece, you'd be the first to go down!! " Rayla pulled a knife out of her bag.
My heart skipped a bit, maybe two…we were surrounded by her stupid goons.
Lexxi then signaled us to move under his count, Rayla had already charged towards me with the knife when Lexxi threw a stone at her, diverting their attention.
We used it as a chance to split up into the woods, I could hear Rayla cursing, and all I could think of was escaping for my life. I kept running into the bush, without looking back, my palms were sweaty, my knees wanted to give out, and my heart was pounding. I kept running.
It was already dark, and the forest was thick with moss, I felt a shadow pass me, causing me to trip and fall. Frightened, I stood up almost immediately and continued running. My t-shirt got snatched by a three-branched tree, and I tripped… But I didn't fall, I turned back to see someone gripping me.
It was a boy, he looked a bit older than me, but one could tell he's still a teen, with dark, messy hair and blue eyes. He let go of me, and I immediately balanced myself. He stood and watched me, it was almost like he was contemplating something in his mind.
"Who are you?" I asked fearfully.
He didn't reply, he just kept staring at me. I turned around to leave, and I heard him say "sorry." Before I could say anything, I felt a sharp pain, and my gaze became blurred, my head dizzy, and then I blacked out.
I woke up strangled by the air around me, my chest tightened, it felt like I had been pulled underwater.
I looked at the ground beneath me, and it wasn't soil…it was cold, hard, and uneven stone with little pores of water on the surface.
I pulled myself up immediately, and my heart raced faster, and for a moment my vision turned blurry, it wasn't due to lack of light…it was the shadows.
Huge ancient trees twisted around me, each trunk covered and carved almost deliberately.
The forest was quiet, not the sound of leaves rustling or birds singing could be heard. It felt quite strange. Like it was intentional, like I was being watched.
Light reflected through the covers, it wasn't sunlight, it wasn't warm. It reflected through the pools of water scattered across the ground.
I stood there.
Everything was completely still, like it was holding its breath… I was being watched for sure. The lingering presence didn't seem singular, it felt massive.
Just then I sighted movements from the edge of the tree, one, two, and more.
I could see different pairs of eyes burning through the shadows, and it was intimidating golden, pale, and some even burning red.
The blinking eyes kept placed, unafraid, on me as massive figures surrounded me but didn't close in.
It was clear as day, I was an unwanted guest.
The air was strong, it carried the sniff of rain before a storm. I moved slowly, unsure of what to do, and it was like the ground echoed my footsteps. I wrapped my arms around myself. I was weak compared to these things, and whatever rule works here was definitely against me. This scared the wits out of me.
The air suddenly shifted, it still carried its unwelcome but with respect and power.
Footsteps could be heard, and the figures in the shadows lowered their heads, it's almost like the forest complied with them.
I knew something was about to go wrong just in the moment, my life was on the line…tears were nearly dropping from my eyes.
I didn't know how I got there, and it seemed like I was going to be killed.
The steps grew closer and deliberate, I was too curious to turn to the place the sound direction was from.
It was the boy I got entangled with while running in the woods, he had a mysterious aura this time, his figure was more broadened, his gaze was stern, and his hands could snap my neck in a second.
He bent towards me like he was observing me, his hair fell onto his face, and he was in dark clothing. His dark features were prominent, and his eyes were inhumane, he looked at me like I was a mistake the world had made, and he was still contemplating how to deal with it.
It was then it dawned on me a decision was about to be made.
"You ran too far." He said.
"I was being chased," I managed, my voice barely holding together. "I didn't know…"
"I know." He cut in.
The trees, the breeze, the forest…it felt like they all revolved around him.
"Where am I?" I asked shakily.
He clenched his jaw.
The ground beneath our feet started to shake, the sound rolled through the trees.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"They felt you." He muttered.
Just then, ancient figures emerged from the pillars, they had heavy cloaks of fur embodied…