Into the woods I P U B L I S H E D

„There is no way I can run away from you?

You are like a shadow that is following me through light and dark.

Your eyes follow me everywhere I go.”

- Elizabeth

Elizabeth

In the morning, exactly at 10 a.m., Nicklaus showed up with his Audi in front of the house. I’m not happy at all and I didn’t plan to hide it.

I waited for him with a frown on my face. He, on the other hand, was a different story. He was laughing like he already knew that I would die in his company.

„Hello, Ell. Are you ready for today?” He opened the door for me, and before I get him, I gave him a sad yes. He chewed a piece of gum for few times, placing his sunglasses.

„If you don’t know, you are stuck with me for the whole time. After every class, you will call me or come to me and I will walk with you to your next class,” He looked at me with the corner of his eyes as he turned the car on.

„As you say boss, but after University, I have to go to the library. I have something to take care of,” When I realized that both of us started laughing, I immediately shut up. I should be mad about this, but next to him, I couldn’t stay even If I wanted to, because he was like a clown. A really funny clown.

~ - ~

I didn’t expect Nicklaus to be so nice to me, or even less that it would be this fun in his company. He wasn’t like that in front of others. That’s why I was asking myself why he was acting like a dick in front of others while in front of me, he acted like a totally different person.

The drive to the University was really quiet, sometimes we had joked around, and that made laugh. The best part, he didn’t ask me questions about two days ago, maybe he didn’t know what had happened and I really wanted to stay it that way. I didn’t want to make everyone panic.

The only people that knew were the sheriff, Lena, Louis, Anastasia, me and of course the monster – the way Anastasia had described it.

„What are you thinking about?” He asked as we parked the car int he University parking lot.

„Nothing special,” I answered.

„But it looks like it is special,” He commented.

„Well, if you have to know, I’m thinking about the support group that I’m going to,” I lied. We get out of the car, and after he locked the car, he came to me as I walked to the University and took my hand.

„What are you doing?” Turning to him, I gave him a weird look.

He shrugged. „I don’t want anything to happen to you when you are around me.” Everyone stared at us. I don’t know how I would explain this to Ashley and Kathryn.

„They are staring at us,” I bowed my head down, hiding it behind my long hair. I could feel millions of stares on my back as we walked to the main door.

„Let them stare,” He waved to a few people with a smile on his face. „What’s your first class?”

„Mythology. Yours?”

„Physics.”

„Physics?” I laughed. „You don’t look like a guy who understands physics.”

„Ha ha.” Few of the students gave us a weird look as Nicklaus opened the door for me. „I was first at the science fair back in high school.”

„Really?” Behind the corner, his group of friends appeared and I immediately lost my smile. I don’t like them very much.

They were terrifying, especially the girl with green hair and brown eyes. She stared at me the whole time.

„Hello, Nick. I see you brought someone with you,” The black-haired guys pat Nicklaus on his back.

„Nothing that should interest you Boby,” Throwing his hand over my shoulder, Nicklaus pulled me closer to his body. „I’m sorry guys but I have to walk Miss. Elizabeth to her lecture room,” I smiled at them when Nicklaus mentioned my name.

„We heard what had happened to you, Elizabeth,” Boby said when the blond girl cut him off. „The whole Shadowrose heard about it, Boby. She is the big news,” She passed through Nicklaus and me with a frown on her face.

„I apologize for her behavior,” The green-haired girl said.

I nodded. „It’s okay.”

Nicklaus pulled me a little. „We have to go. See you later.” When we passed them, I turned to him and sighed.

„So the whole Shadowrose knows?” I asked him. I could have known that it would come to this – me being the main attraction.

„Listen, I don’t want to lie to you, but yes, everyone knows. Especially here in the University. These walls have eyes and ears, Elizabeth. Everyone knows and sees things.” We stood in front of the lecture room. I could hear a few students whispering to each other about me and Nicklaus.

„Okay. See you later?” Before I walked into the lecture room, he took my hand and pulled me a little.

„If you want, we can go grab some coffee in the best coffee shop in town. I can also help you with English, okay?” He passed his thumb over my left cheek, and I immediately turned my head away. What I felt wasn’t warmness, it was different – dark, cold. By his expression, he realized that something wasn’t right.

„See you later. I will wait for you next to your car,” I said to him before I turned around and walked into the lecture room without saying goodbye. Something about him and his group weren’t right. Something that made me feel cold and scared as soon as his cold hands touched me.

~ - ~

„Why are you not going to the city with us?” Kathryn insisted as we walked down the University stairs.

„Because I’m going with Nicklaus,” I whispered, making sure that someone’s curious ears didn’t hear.

„Why with him? You could go with Ashley or with me,” she said.

„Ashley is in the library and we are going to meet before the support group starts. And when it comes to Nicklaus, I’m stuck with him until I set my feet back in the yard,” Giving her a soft smile, I quickly turned to Nicklaus who was already waiting for me in front of his car with a phone on his ear. I don’t understand how much people here were obsessed with phones.

„Why?”

„I had already told you, he is my study partner,” Kathryn laughed, and I sighed, turning to Nicklaus. Kathryn looked at him with a frown, and even he wasn’t really happy when he saw her.

„Call me when you come home, Ell.”

„I will. Don’t worry,” I said

She walked to some girls that I had already seen a couple of times in my class. All of them turned around, looking at Nicklaus and then at me from head to toe. One of the girls whispered something to Kathryn in the ear who just shrugged.

„Bitches,” Nicklaus said under his breath.

„I want to know what they had said,” I entered the car.

„Trust me, you don’t want to know. They didn’t say anything smart,” He turned the car on and we drove off.

„How do you know what they said?”

„Easy,” Glancing over at me, he smirked. „I can hear them.” Something in his eyes turned red and I immediately turned my head away. Maybe it was the sun.

I shook my head.

Yeah, it was the sun.

~ - ~

Shadowrose was a beautiful place. Even prettier when you had someone to show you the real beauty of it. Nicklaus became a good helper in that. He had shown me a shorter way to the library, where were the best restaurants and a few coffee shops.

I have to admit, he wasn’t someone I expected to be. He was really nice, and always had a way to make me laugh. In the past hour, I’ve seen a side of him that I didn’t normally see at the University.

“You know, I didn’t expect that you will be like this,” I said.

He looked down at me. “Like what?”

“So kind and funny. After all, your family doesn’t have that kind of reputation in the town.”

Shaking his head, he smiled a little. “I’m the youngest from my siblings, but I’m also the kindest. Each one of my brothers as a different personality.”

“How so?”

He took a deep breath before he started talking. “Tyler, as you already experienced the first hand, he is really manipulative. His knowledge of everything around him makes it the best weapon for him. He knows how to use it whenever he needs it,” He sighed. “Then comes him, the person who will inherit the entire town from my family. He has a short temper and he gets everything he wants. But he isn’t the worst.”

“Then who is?” I asked.

“Noah. He was the worst. A true psychopath. My other brothers were afraid of him, but I wasn’t. He never treated me like he treated them.”

“What do you mean ‘was’? Did something happened to him?”

Looking down at me, he took my hand in his. “It’s nothing you have to worry about. Let’s walk a while then we can get some coffee.”

After an hour of walking, we finally decided to sit down at some small coffee shop that apparently made the best coffee in the whole town. Wanting to be a gentleman, he opened the door for me. When we sat at some table, it didn’t pass a few seconds when suddenly a waitress came to us.

„Good day, Mr. Nightclaw. What do you want to drink today?” The waitress smiled at him and he said that he wanted the usual. When she turned to me, I started to panic so I said that I wanted the same thing he wanted.

She nodded. „It would be done in a few minutes, Mr. Nightclaw,” Nicklaus nodded, and I shivered at the mentioned of his last name. It was hard to get used to the fact that I go to the University that his family owned. Maybe the reason why I was so afraid of his family name is because of the rumors that I heard from my friends and the way he gets treated by people. It clearly shows the power his family had in the place.

„How do you like the place since an expert had shown you now?” Unzipping his jacket, he threw it to the empty chair next to him.

„Well, it could have been better,” I did the same thing as he did, I took off my jacket and placed it on the chair, and at the same time reveling my scar to him. It doesn’t hurt as it used to, but every time I touched it, a wave of fire – desire goes through my body.

„What’s that on your neck?” His eyes focused on my neck, and his face gets angry.

I pulled my shirt up as much as possible, trying to hide the scar.

„Nothing fancy. It’s just a scar,” I taped the table with my fingers, trying to avoid his glare.

„How did you get it?”

„I don’t know,” I lied, and in front of me, in the corner, I saw those red eyes again. First in the forest, then in my room and now in here. They were everywhere. They will probably never leave me alone.

„Does it hurt?” He asked. At this moment, the waitress returned with two coffees and two glasses of water.

„Here,” She said, placing all of it on the small table.

„Thank you,” I thanked her and she nodded, smiling at me.

„I have to say that I like it here,” I tried to change the subject.

„Yes, it’s really beautiful here. We can come here anytime you want,” He said.

I don’t know if it would be smart to come with him here again. There were people here who go to the University, and I definitely didn’t want another set of dating rumors about me.

„We’ll see,” I took a sip of water and immediately remembered Henry. Where did he come from?

„How is the coffee?”

„It’s really good, but I prefer tea,” I shrugged. „Yours?” I asked him, but he ignored me. He glared at the door that was currently ringing under the bell. The smile he used to have a few seconds ago was long gone.

„What is it?” I turned to the door and almost get a heart attack. Here I was, looking at Henry who was currently walking into the restaurant in a black suit.

Fate definitely had some strange ways to bring us together.