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

„We all live in shadows dark and scary,

Our lives are full of secrets that even

Lies can’t keep them hidden.

Sometimes I wish you were here helping me

with my life that went crazy.”

- Elizabeth

Elizabeth

„I’m so sorry about her behavior. She is pregnant and everything annoys her, and now my accident. I think she would die if something like this happened to me again.”

„Happened? Something happened to you like this before?” He turned to me. My stupid tongue. I should have stayed quiet.

„I will go see how she is,” Louis nodded to Henry and walked into the house.

I took a deep breath. „I had an accident a few weeks ago. I don’t remember a thing, except that I lost the necklace she gave me as a gift,” At least I didn’t lie to him the part about the necklace.

„Yeah,” He looked at me confused.

I took a sip of water. „Thank you for helping me. I think I would get lost if it wasn’t for you,” Placing my hand over his, he glanced at our hands together then back at me, giving me his smile that I started to love.

„Like you didn’t get lost in the first place,” He joked, and I started laughing with him.

Maybe it was too early to say, but there was something about him that I liked. Maybe the fact he was so caring to me, or his sense of humor.

Or is it much deeper than those things?

I don’t know yet.

We stared at each other, only the birds singing around us. Our moment was instantly broken by my phone. Looking away, I took my phone, opened it and saw a message from a number that I haven’t seen before.

I’ve heard what happened to you. You are the main attraction at the University. I’m sorry that I didn’t have time to visit you, but I will take some of my free time and I will come to you. P.s. if you didn’t hear, I’m your new study partner. ;) – Nicklaus Nightclaw

Agh, not him.

Taking a deep breath, I threw my phone angrily at the table next to me.

„Something happened?” Henry asked, clearly attracted to my new mod.

„An asshole named Nicklaus Nightclaw will come to visit me. I don’t even know who gave him my number,” I took a deep breath.

Henry, on the other hand, glared down at his glass. What is wrong with him?

„I gave him your number,” Lena appeared on the door with her arms crossed. Henry and I immediately turned to her.

„Why did you do that?” I asked, still in shock.

„Ashley and Kathryn don’t have time due to work, so I called him and gave him your phone number,” She walked to us, taking my empty glass. „You already know him so it would be much easier to communicate with him, unlike some stranger,” She glanced over at Henry, giving him a forced smile.

„Why Nicklaus?” Speaking of the devil. Behind Henry’s head, I saw Nicklaus parking his red Audi next to Lena’s car. He took down his sunglasses off and smiled when I looked at him, but when Henry turned around, he immediately lost his smile.

„I will leave you two alone now,” Lena said, walking back into the house.

„I have to go now,” Placing his glass on the table, Henry reached for my hand and slowly kissed it. „Until next time, Elizabeth.” I became speechless so I just nodded and smiled at him.

Henry stood up, passing next to Nicklaus, and staring at him as he walked into the forest, leaving me with millions of questions to think about.

„So, I see you made a new friend? Who is he?” He sat on Henry’s place, took his glass and drank a few sips of water from his half-empty glass.

A strange feeling appeared in me when he finally disappeared into the forest. While he was here, I felt happy, the leg wasn’t hurting me, but now the pain was back, mixed with loneliness too.

„I don’t know,” It was the truth. I didn’t know anything about him except his name.

Henry.

So simple and yet so perfect.

~ - ~

„You have to tell him to stay away from her. I don’t want to bring her into this world that she isn’t even ready to face it,” I walked into the kitchen when suddenly both of them turned quiet. Lena rubbed her baby bump, staring at Louis.

„What are you talking about?” I asked, opening the fridge. I was soo hungry like I haven’t eaten in days. I looked at what was inside, and in the corner, I saw some tuna salad left from yesterday. Taking it out, I placed it on the table and grabbed a fork.

„It’s nothing. We cleared it out, didn’t we?” She lifted her eyebrow. Something fishy is happening here. And it definitely wasn’t the tuna salad that I was about going to eat.

Both of them were acting weird since I came home from the hospital two weeks ago.

„Anyway, you could have told me that you were hungry. I would have brought you the food upstairs,” Louis said, scratching his neck.

„Nah, it’s okay. I’m so hungry that I could eat the entire fridge,” I said with my mouth full.

„You are hungry?” Lena asked.

„So much,” I put a fork full of tuna into my mouth.

„We wanted to ask you...” Both of them sat on the table. „How did you meet Henry?” Louis asked. I chewed for a few times before looking at them confused.

„Ronny ran into the forest. I went looking for him, and then I heard this noise that made me scared, so I slipped and fell down in a pit. That’s how Henry had found me. Why are you asking such questions?” First Nicklaus and now them.

After Henry left, Nicklaus asked me a bunch of questions about my accident and about Henry. He went on my nerves more than usual. But now, when both of them are questioning me too, I started to ask myself if they knew him more than they are pretending to do.

„You know, parenting questions,” Lena laughed. „Did he mentioned anything?”

„No, should he?” I placed the fork down, leaning on my chair. My face got serious.

„I mean, like did he said what his last name was and that sort of things. You didn’t mention his last name, that’s why are we asking you this questions,” Lena said.

„No, he didn’t mention that,” I said, starting to eat again. Lena looked at how much I put into my mouth. I just couldn’t help myself when it came to food.

„Anyway, we forgot to tell you that the girls are coming tomorrow.” Thank God. I missed them, and I couldn’t wait to tell them what had happened today.

~ - ~

„I heard that Nicklaus was here yesterday,” Kathryn whispered while Ashley was in the bathroom.

„Don’t ask me anything. Lena gave him my phone number and now he is my study partner too. Wait, how do you know he was here?” I asked her, standing up and checking if Ashley was nearby.

„The is a rumor that you two are together. He told his friends that you two know each other. One of the girls from his group, Laura, she goes to world history with me, so I heard her talking to her friends about it,” I stood like a rock in my place as she said it out loud.

„Together? We aren’t near that, we aren’t even friends,” I lifted my hands in the air. „Did Ashley heard about this?”

„Heard about what?” At this moment, Ashley walked in, typing something on her phone. She smiled for a brief moment.

I looked at Kathryn who gave me a nod of approval.

„I have to tell you something,” I sat on the bed, placing my hand next to me, I told her that she needed to sit next to me. She looked at me confused but did what I told her and sat next to me.

I faced her, taking her hands in mine. „I know about you and Nicklaus.” Come on, Elizabeth, you can do this.

„I already knew Nicklaus without knowing that you two were together, and now we are stuck together because he became my study partner. And now there is a rumor that two of us are dating, but that’s not the truth and it will never happen. He is not my type,” I made a disgusting face and she smiled. „I would never be with someone who used to date my friend,” She looked at me without any emotion. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing.

„Please say something,” I whispered.

„Okay,” She smiled.

„What?”

„It’s okay. What had happened between Nicklaus and me is all in the past,” She shrugged.

“You never told me why the two of you broke up,” Kathryn placed her hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know it either. It was fine at first, but then suddenly, he started to act strange,” She stated.

“How do you mean, strange?” I asked.

“One time, I saw his eyes turn red. It was creepy and it scared the shit out of me. Since that, he started to act really weird, and two weeks later, he said that he couldn’t be with me anymore,” She paused for a moment. “Anyway, I can’t focus on him when I have another,” Kathryn and I stared at her. I didn’t expect this kind of answer, but okay.

„Another? Ashley, why didn’t you tell us?” Kathryn asked while I stared at her for the next few seconds.

“And what do you mean by red eyes?” I asked.

Ashley looked at me. “It doesn’t really matter now,” She smiled, looking at Kathryn. „I had met him two weeks ago in the library. His name is Peter. He studies management at our University,” Her cheeks turned red. „I don’t know how to describe it. It was love at first sight. He was so cute, funny and we totally understood each other. Today is our second date.”

„Why are you even here? You should get ready for your date,” I checked my phone and at the same time, I read a text message from Anastasia.

Cow, you better come on skype today. – A

After I read the message, I turned the phone off and placed it on the nightstand. I should call her later. I miss my little potato so much.

„Easy, I have time until eight. Besides, tell us, Miss. Zemerlöw, you are here for a month. Did you find someone who captured your eye?” She wiggled her eyebrows. I turned to Kathryn who was giving me a devilish smirk.

„Yes, Elizabeth. Do you have someone?” Both of them pushed me into the corner, making me feel like a dear – a small dear that was about to be eaten by two large wolves.

„There was no one who caught my eye,” I stopped, thinking though. „Henry,” His name came out like a whisper from my lips, causing sparks to go through my body.

I don’t know why I was feeling like this when I say his name, but when I remembered his green eyes and that smile, something in me awakens.

„His name is Henry.”