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

„Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you believe we have our own fate?

Do you believe in an internal love, my sweet soul?”

- Elizabeth

Elizabeth

It has been two weeks since I had come back from the hospital, and almost a month since I moved here from Sweden. Every day seemed to pass slower and slower, and yet I couldn’t miss the change of the color in nature. The leaves turned yellow, starting to fall down the trees and slowly started to die in the sudden coldness. And just like them, I was dying from boredom, and even that the girls or Lena were keeping me company every time they had some free time.

After I told the girls what happened, of course leaving out the part where I saw a demon, we didn’t mention it ever back again. Now during those two weeks, I tried to keep up with every class I’m taking, but what I had thought it would be possible ended up being impossible.

English was one of those things that was hard to keep up, with that, I also had to read three books in a week. But the most difficult part was definitely avoiding my mom and Anastasia, but that was also impossible.

After I was on Skype with Anastasia, mom also insisted on video chatting, and that’s how she found out what had happened. She wasn’t very pleased with what had happened to me. Lena and Louis had some difficult time convincing her not to fly over here just because of a „small accident.” Of course, I haven’t told her the real truth. I only told her that I got hit by a car. It was a small lie, but it was for the best. I couldn’t risk her and my father coming here.

My health was fine. Partly.

The bruises had faded a little, the cut on the leg has almost completely healed, and the arm was okay too. Yesterday I had a checking and the doctor said that it would be okay and that I needed to have another checking in another two weeks again.

As far as my nightmares, they were still here and they didn’t disappear a little bit. Every night I woke up when I saw those red eyes in my dreams.

Sometimes I would wake up screaming, and sometimes I was wet to the bones.

What’s the worst part, I lost Lena’s necklace.

I’m sure that I had lost it during that night. I tried everything to keep my mind stable, from sleeping with an open light or even having Ronny with me, but the one thing that helped me somehow was reading.

Sometimes, just like now, I would sit on the porch and read a book while the sounds of the wind and the birds were calming me down.

Ronny was lying next to me as I read the Fifth witness by Michael Connley on the porch.

It was 2 p.m., and Lena and Louis were still not here. In the morning, a piece of paper was waiting for me, saying that they would come home around noon.

At first, I thought that this would be another perfect day, lying on the porch with a book and some hot chocolate beside me, but I was wrong.

Ronny lifted his head up as he heard some sound coming from the forest, and just like the rest time, he ran into the forest. Jumping off the bench, I grabbed my crutch before walking into the forest.

„Ronny!” I whistled two times, „Come here, Ronny! Don’t make me chase you again.” Walking deeper into the forest, memories oft hat night started to flash in front of my eyes.

„Ronny!” I yelled, hearing some noise coming from behind me. I turned around, seeing something running behind a tree.

As my anxiety kicked in, I tried to walk faster out of the forest. The noise was coming close, and I could swear that I heard a growl. The same growl from the night I almost died.

My leg slipped on a branch and I fell down into a muddy pit.

The noise suddenly stopped and I could feel something looming above me. Clenching the crutch in my and, I swang the crutch to the noise with my eyes closed.

„Easy,” I opened my eyes, seeing a man with my crutch in his one hand, and in the other, he was holding Ronny by his collar. The man was dressed in some denim jeans, a black shirt with a green blouse on top that was the same color as his eyes.

I didn’t even realize that I was staring at the man’s face until he coughed.

„I’m sorry. I thought you were something else,” My cheeks turned red as I looked at him with the corner of my eyes.

„It’s okay,” He laughed. „What does a pretty, young lady like you doing in the forest completely alone?” He thinks I’m pretty? Oh, God.

Stop it Elizabeth! He probably had a girlfriend and you just had met him.

The man gave me his hand and as I took it, I felt sparks going through my whole body.

„I was looking for my dog. He ran away. I mean, thank you for finding him,” I bit my lower lip.

The man lifted me up, but due to the pain, I immediately started falling back down.

„Hey,” He caught me before I fell down. „Are you okay?”

„My leg hurts,” I said, trying to move my leg.

„Let me see it,” He slowly placed me on the ground, crutching next to me, he checked my leg. „You are already injured?”

I nodded. „I was injured three weeks ago.”

„What happened?” He slowly placed my leg down. „The leg is fine. It will heel in a week.”

„I don’t want to talk about it,” Shaking my head, I looked up to the stranger. „Thank you,” I paused. „For helping me.”

He smiled. „What’s your name?” His green eyes looked directly into my green ones, searching for something.

„I think it’s not smart to tell my name to a person who wanders through this forest. Who knows, maybe you are some psycho,” I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He smiled, biting his lower lip.

„If I’m a psycho, you would already be dead. And look at you telling me that I shouldn’t wander in the forest while you are wandering too.”

„Touche,” Looking him in the eyes, I shivered when I saw a piece of blackness in them. Noticing my reaction, he quickly moved his head away.

„Are you okay?” I asked him.

He nodded. „Let me help you.” Leaning down, he scooped me up to his chest and I shivered under his gentle touch.

„Elizabeth,” He looked down at me. „My name is Elizabeth.”

He smiled. „Henry,” I pressed myself deeper into his chest when I heard a deep growl.

„That’s probably a wolf. You don’t need to be afraid.”

„I’m not afraid.”

„As you say, Elizabeth,” He laughed.

He really thought I was afraid? Okay, maybe a little, but he didn’t have to know it.

As he carried me back to the house, there was a deep silence settled between us. He didn’t ask me a thing where I came from. Maybe he spent so much time in the forest that he already knew every corner of it.

„Here we are,” I said when the house appeared in front of us. Lena and Louis were still not here. Thank God for that.

„Nice house. You live here all alone?” He asked.

„No, I live here with my aunt and her husband. I’m not actually from here.” He placed me on the bench.

„I realized that. I have never seen you here,” Sitting next to me, he took down a leaf from my hair.

„I moved here from Sweden last month,” I placed a piece of hair behind my ear.

„Really?”

I nodded. „Yes. Sweden is really beautiful. You should visit it,” I smiled to myself. „The people were really nice, and my family. Oh, how much I miss my family,” I lost my smile as I remembered my family.

„Why did you leave?”

„It’s really complicated. My family is really complicated, and the guy I used to date...He is an asshole.” His gaze never left mine as I told him my reasons. I know I shouldn’t trust him, but at the same time, I had a feeling that I could tell him everything.

He didn’t force me to tell him the truth, I did it gladly because oft he stupid butterfly feeling in my stomach.

„I will get you some water.” Before I could tell him where the kitchen was, he already walked into the house. And during that moment, Lena and Louis appeared in their car. Both of them got out of the car, and when Lena walked to me, she started at my leg that was settled on the bench.

„What happened? We were calling you 20 times and you weren’t answering your phone.”

„I...You know...” Just as I was about to tell them what had happened, Henry walked out with two glasses in his hands. Louis and Lena stood still in their places when they saw him.

Henry smiled at them, saying hi and sat back next to me. Lena looked at him through narrowed eyes while Louis just stood there with a cold expression on his face.

„The dog ran into the woods, so she went looking for him. Unfortunately, I had scared her a little and she had felt down,” As he gave me the glass of water, he looked Louis directly in the eyes.

„It’s alright...”

„Henry. You can call me Henry,” Standing up, he gave Louis his hand. Louis looked down at his arm and then back at him. After he accepted his arm, both of them shook their hands.

When Henry gave his hand to Lena, she just turned around and walked into the house.

I guess she doesn’t like him.