Chapter 1
Fall down to unknown
"Now, we have around five to six hours before the workers kick us out, so lets go!" Cass enthusiastically starts walking towards the old, grey building with the most innocent-like spring in her steps. However, before she can even reach an old oak tree, her pink haired head turns towards me. "C'mon, Lily! Hurry!"
"I'm trying, but my feet huuuuurt," I drag out the world in utter exhaustion and slump forward. My steps are unlike my friend's. "Did we have to walk all the way here? Couldn't we have taken a buss or something?"
Cass raises an amused eyebrow. "Oh, shush it! You know I get inspired after a little walk."
"You do. But what about me?" I grumble under my breath and pick up my pace, almost tripping over the grumbled, stone pathway.
I watch as my friend continues skipping ahead, the pink, flowing skirt looking awfully childish against her knee-length jeans and a yellow shirt with green lined flowers on it. The short pink hair with many layers is like a cherry on top of colorful pastries. Dark, light and medium shades of light rose melt together every time their owner jumps up with light steps and even my own eyes start to hurt from just watching the mass of colors. But I make a mistake and look down to see brown leather boots and deadpan. Of all pieces of Cass's outfit, those two pairs seemed to be normal enough.
Despite the exasperatingly loud colors, the style suits her. It certainly matches her personality in many ways than one.
The wooden, shockingly blue pearls rattle around my friend's neck, when she once again turns around to face me. "Come on now, slowpoke!"
"Fine, fine," I sigh and jog to her. "When this is over, you owe me a lunch."
"Roger!" She mock salutes at me and then looks up at the building. I do the same.
The building is so beautiful, even I have to admit it. But I also feel a little uneasy, because it reminds me of a house in a horror movie. The nature has almost completely taken over the outer walls of the white stone. It keeps climbing up to the dark roof filled with holes and birds' nests. The windows have no glass anymore and let everything in along with the sunlight. The wooden, double doors serve also no protection for whatever is inside, because they both have both fallen ages ago down to the ground. The wood is decayed and some moss grows on top of it.
This place doesn't look bad, though. It is under the protection of the city and has been guarded from street painters to drugs abusing hooligans for many years. Old buildings like these are fewer and fewer in a modern world of England, but sadly they all have the same end. The city doesn't want to protect it anymore, because it truly is near a collapsing-point. Even though I almost never have stepped a foot this close to it, the fact that soon this tiny piece of history would be gone made me feel a little disappointed. Nobody builds these kind of things anymore. People like to live in boxes, rather than in something more natural and elegant.
When me and Cass don't move for a while, I open my mouth. "So, this is your art project?"
"Yup!" She pops the 'p'. "Now, I only need to find a perfect spot..."
"Is that old oak alright enough?" My finger points towards the said thing and Cass slowly turns her head to look at it. She gasps and turns to me with a serious glint in her eyes.
"It's perfect."
Scary. That word nearly leaves from my mouth, but I keep it firmly inside and follow the colorful girl under the branches. Once she sits down, I sit down next to her and lean against the brown trunk. The sound of her opening pages from her notebook fills the silent air along with the chirping of the birds. I glance at her hand to see it tracing soft lines with a pencil, leaving its marks gently on the white surface.
"How are your cooking classes coming along?" Cass absurdly asks, not even lifting her gaze from the paper.
"Well, good, I guess," I answer and let out a sigh. "The teacher is strict, however. You make one mistake and that woman goes off like a siren in a middle of a chemistry class because someone mixed wrong chemicals. She says: "Your sauce is too bland. Even the school cafeteria can make it better" and I want to say back: "Sausage cane, will you please shut up for once? Yours looks like dog brownies mixed with mud and sprinkles of cheese." I swear, she will someday poison our food. The other day, she gave me a minus point from putting frosting on a cake in a "wrong" way. Bah! There was nothing wrong with it in the first place, Cass! She started to complain about the angle and I wanted to shove that frosting down her throat at that point."
"Hmm..." The pink haired girl hums, looks up at the building for a moment, before turning her attention back down.
"At least your teacher is nice to compliment my art skills. Once, I drew a flower and she said it looked like a perfect version of modern art! I just love her! She is much better than Mrs. Grumpy-muffin."
"Hmm..." Cass hums again and purses her lips.
"Are you even listening?"
"Sure I am. Something about muffins?"
"You're hopeless!" I groan with exasperation on my tone, but then lay down on the ground. The grass tickles the skin of my cheeks and there is a root hidden by a thin layer of earth under my back. It is uncomfortable, but I simply settle on looking up at the green leaves. When Cass is drawing, her attention is hard to gain. I should have known better. "How about you?"
"Hm?" Orbs filled with grey and blue finally manage to glance at me.
"Your classes?"
"...Oh! Yeah! Yes, I am doing fine, too. I just really want to make this my best work, though."
"Well, you can do it," I say with a smile and look back up. "I like your drawings."
"There are much better ones out there," her words come out steadily, but there is a slight edge to it.
I nearly sit up from that and look fully at her side-profile. "No, no, nope! Don't start this with me, Cassie-Cat! You're not going to the depression area right now. You know that I was a hopeless case, when I started cooking and I have improved. A lot. So much that it could even break the world records of the best improvement in the world. Jiggers, even kittens' adorableness has much lower record than mine. I should really be put to the list...We are getting a little off of the topic now. But my point is this: Your drawings will become so amazing that you'll spend rest of your life in a huge mansion. Much bigger than this one, with your cup of tea, cat called Jerry and sixteen grandchildren. If even Mrs. Martins can't see how good you will become, she is my enemy teacher number one no matter how she compliments my drawings."
Cass lets out a laugh that is choked by a huff she tries to form. "Since when do you decide how many grandkids I will have?"
"Since few moths ago, actually," I say and then think about something. "No, you shouldn't get yourself a cat. You should get a goldfish."
The pink haired girl laughs and shakes her head. She goes back to drawing, but this time she has a small smile on her lips.
Good. One good deed in a day, done. I also smile and go back to staring up. Honestly, I feel a little jealous of Cass. Of her art skills that is. Anyone who was better than me at it deserves that praise.
After a while of laying around, I turn to my stomach and rest my head on my arms. My eyes linger on the mansion for a while, before sliding down to the ground in boredom. The mansion truly reminded me of a one from a horror story. I can't even look towards one of the windows without imagining some kind of ghost peeking out. A shiver goes down my spine from those kind of images. It was this kind of reason that made me feel hesitant to come here. Cass had not given me any warning, when she texted me few days ago. Asking for me to accompany her to this place. Of course, I don't really have anything to do this week, so I said yes.
Still, I could have said no. It's not like I am a fan of art. I close my eyes and try to relax against the hard ground.
"You know, I did some research on this building and found out something interesting," Cass starts, interrupting the silence between us. "It seems that it has been around since 19th century. According to what I read, the family that lived in it wasn't considered to be that high in noble ranks."
This piece of information makes my eyes snap wide open. "Seriously? This place is this big and you're telling me that "real" nobles didn't actually live here?"
"Yes. It seems that they earned their rank with their work," she explains. "Though, there is also this story..."
"A story?" I ask and open my eyes, sitting up to face Cass. Pieces of grass fall down from my purple hoodie and I brush them off. "Tell me."
"It seems like during that time the owner of this place had three daughters. One died from an illness, when she was a very young adult and the second one disappeared few years after."
"D-disappeared?" I ask, blinking. Somehow, I feel like I will not like this story at all.
Cass nods gravely, her whole façade serious. But the corners of her mouth twitch up. "Yes. The story goes that she was killed inside this mansion..." To add some dramatic effects, she gestures towards the hauntingly still building. "Her body, however, was never found. In fact, it is said the servants knew that one of their young ladies was murdered, but did nothing to inform the authorities not the master of the house. So, her body was left to rot somewhere in the building and the smell was hid carefully. In the end, she was finally declared dead after months of searching, despite being dead a long time ago."
The pink haired girl has raised her hands to make spooky movements with her fingers and I cringe from horrible thoughts that enter my mind. I could already see the corpse of a beautiful, young lady. White skin melting away like a candle wax and eyeballs falling deep into the skull.
"And it wasn't until years later that the youngest daughter finally found it. But when more people came to look..." A dramatic pause. "The corpse was-"
Both of my hands shot up to cover my ears. "I don't want to hear! Lalalala! I am not hearing anything!"
Cass laughed and grabbed both of my arms, her notebook forgotten. "And the corpse was-!"
"Shut it!" I yell and cover her mouth, only to feel something wet against it. I jerk back violently. "Ew! D-did you just lick me!? Are you seven or something!?"
The pink haired girl lets out a laugh and ducks, when I try to leap at her. She stands up and grabs her stuff quickly, while I struggle to stand up and get my revenge on her.
"Real mature!" I yell, but see her back towards me. Cass is running towards the left end of the building. "Come back so I can end you!"
"No way! I will go searching a better place too draw!" She yells back over her shoulder and starts running even faster. "Have fun with a ghost!"
I actually almost freeze to the spot, but feel sensations of fear and anger boil and cool my face at the same time. My legs start to move even faster. "I said come back!"
The last thing I see of my friend is the hem of her skirt disappearing behind the trees and bushes. I follow her in there, feeling how the branches scratch against the side of jeans and shoes. The gardens and woods hadn't been taken care of for years, so it was almost like stepping into a jungle. The grass is even longer than in the open yard and I crush it under my feet. The sticks break under my weight and I can hear Cass advancing forward further ahead from me. She is laughing and I can see the glimpses of her bright colored hair blinking between the brown trunks.
Hah! There is no way that she can hide with colors like those! I grin, already imagining how I would tackle her. And she wanted some piece and quiet. Pft! Yeah, right.
The bright sunlight shines against my eyes, blinding me for a second. Some colorful spots appear on my vision, but then they fade away. However, no matter how harshly I push away the bushes and everything ahead, I can't seem to gain on my friend. Though, she has dropped one of her sketches and I pick it up, folding the piece of paper into my pocket. She had left me a clue without knowing it.
I continue running few meters ahead, picking up few other pieces of papers and putting them into the same place. She must have been really desperate to get away from me. Well, Cass has known me for years, so it is no wonder. Last time, I nearly choked her from tickling too much. This time, she would get no less. Somehow, I had predicted that things would end up this way and I find myself grinning evilly from further thoughts of what will soon happen.
However, no matter how much further I go, Cass is nowhere in sight. Everything around me is green, like literally. The trees and bushes along with really long grass block any kind of sighting of the steady ground. I turn around to look at the direction where I had come from and am relieved to notice the path I had created from stomping down on the grass. Cass had left those kind of marks as well, but...
"Cass! Cass! Where are you!? Come on out!" I yell and scare off few birds. But, I receive nothing else for an answer.
Now worried, I start to turn around. Trying to catch even a glimpse of something else other than green and brown. Panic rises inside of my gut and I stay on the same spot for a while, but then take few steps forward and lock my gaze on the ground. The flattened grass continues for a while towards few trees and I follow it urgently, calling out for my friend as loudly as I can.
"Cass! This isn't funny! Lets go back, now!"
When I finally come to the spot where the path ends, I feel flabbergasted from seeing nothing, but more trees.
"Cass!" My body whirls around naturally, air moves quicker in and out of my lungs. I can't believe that I lost my best friend in the woods.
Alright. Just stay calm. Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic! I start to feel lightheaded and keep turning around. Call the police! No, the army! No, the FBI! Quickly! I can't stop my fingers from trembling, when I try to reach out to my phone. It's slippery from sweat that was caused by running and now panic. The vast forest feels suffocating all of sudden.
The number is 998- No! 999, that is it! The tip of my finger trembles, as it presses the first numbers. The phone starts beeping and I rub my free, sweaty hand against the side of my jeans.
"C'mon, c'mon! Pick up already!" My heartbeat is going wild and I glance around, hoping that this is just a bad dream.
I open my mouth ready to call out to Cass once again, take one step forward and that is exactly how I feel my foot sink into something soft. Both mortified and confused from what I have stepped on, cold sweat runs down my back and then the gravity takes a hold of me. I can't even react properly to what is happening, when I am already falling into the dark. My whole world is turning upside down and the strands of my dark brown hair whip around the place. I scream, my hold almost slipping away from the phone.
"Kyaaaaahh!" The scream that tears out of my throat doesn't feel like it reaches the surface and I am left staring widely at the blue sky that becomes a small spot above.
Just few seconds ago I thought that Cass's disappearance was the worst thing that had happened today, but now that I was falling down something larger panic continues making me scream. My lungs feel like they are burning, as the air pushes against my back, but doesn't push me up to the surface where my feet should be standing. When I was little, there was this device in an amusement park where it took people up and then made a freefall down. Of course, I couldn't stay away from that and tried how it would feel. This felt exactly like that time, but I had nothing to hold on to or keep me on my seat. Though, I am screaming and feeling terrified.
After what felt like a while and the falling never stopped, I look down over my shoulder. But to my shock and horror, I see nothing but darkness waiting for me. I am falling into a pit and can only scream from this misfortune.
I'm going to die! I'm going to die! Oh my God! Tears actually escape from my eyes, as I fail around helplessly. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I don't want to die yet! When will my corpse be found in here, anyway!? If I was on a more solid ground, I would have thrown up from the fear of death. And it may have simply been the trick caused by my messy, screaming thoughts, but I think I saw a white light.
And then...
I crash on something hard and a choked cough leaves from my wide open lips. Instead of a white light, I see the clear blue sky again, even though there seems to be stars dancing here and there in my vision. I must have hit my head, too, because it is sparkling with intense, sharp pain. The air has been pushed out of me and I try gasping for air. Somewhere, a bird is singing and being unaware of my discomfort and miserable state.
"O-oh my...God," I manage to cough out, but my face twitches from the pain that shots through my head. Carefully, I roll to my side and raise my hand to my scalp, trying to search any kind of damage. That had felt like my skull had been cracked open.
When I found nothing wrong with my head, I try to sit up and see the environment around me. From the grass and the smell of trees around me, I can simply conclude that I am laying in a forest. Frowning from both confusion and aching bruises that are forming on my back, I look around for a while in hope of finding something that could make sense.
Was the fall all my imagination?
"Ouch, ouch, ouch...Aah," I let out a strange whine, when I can't lift myself up from the ground. It sounds like a child's complain and I try moving my toes inside my shoes. I start to fear that it is not my head that got the biggest damage. Fortunately, my fears of a spine damage are for nothing, when I get up. However, I still hiss and rub my tender back as gently as possible. I even forget how to breathe from the amount of pain I am in.
Definitely not my imagination!
Despite the pain, I am happy that I did not end into some kind of secret underground where mutants lived or people performed strange experiments on others. That would have been too traumatizing and creepy for me to handle calmly. However, ending up in another forest made less sense than those kind of things.
I shake my head, remembering that I am clutching the phone with dear life in my right hand. I have to call help for both me and Cass, wherever that girl has ended up to. Though, I am shaking from so much relief of not being dead that it is hard to even open my phone properly, again. However, my plan to call for help is soon crushed, when I see the empty bars of the connection looking right back at me from the screen. My eyes could bulge out of my skull at this point.
"No field? Really!? Is this a joke?" I look around, searching for any sort of hidden camera and then throw my hands up into the air in frustration. "I swear...Cass! Are you here!? Answer me!"
When a single bird only answers me, I let out a yell of irritation and ruffled my hair. The brown roots feel like they will be ripped off of my skull through, and I stop.
"Great. Just...great!" I start walking - limping towards an unknown direction. Between few minutes, I glance at my phone hoping to see that the reception has returned, but get nothing.
Now, I have never been a great fan of woods or anything that will get in my way while walking. Especially now I am not in the mood for termites and sticks poking at me. I need to call help immediately, before my friend gets into something dangerous. Those stories she told me made me squirm and I picket up my pace while glancing around in distress. I can't believe that she made us run into this forest knowing that I hate ghost stories. She definitely knew that I will get spooked.
First, that girl invites me with her over a mile away from my house. Makes me even walk all the way. Tells me a scary story, licks me and then runs off like a coward. Now, I am in woods, without any ways of connecting anyone, probably somewhat lost, bruised, legs aching, my head hurting like rocks are raining on it and I have to walk until I find some kind of civilization... She is going to get it, when I find her or when the police do and hold me back from strangling her.
A bird flies out of a bush, actually startling me and I yelp. Cass, wherever you are, pray that we won't meet soon!
The more I walk, the more confused I am becoming. I remember some parts of what kind of forest the mansion had. It was very thick and somewhat messy. But this one had a different view to it. The trees were somewhat different from not standing too close, almost like someone had taken care of this place. I can't seem to find the path of flattened grass anywhere I look to nor do I see the old roof of that mansion. Which sounds crazy and unbelievable. There is no way I could have ended up in another place by falling down of some sort of hole.
I must have hit my head pretty hard, is the final option I come to and stick with that.
The forest continues on for a while, but then I finally come to a straight path. The relief I feel makes me almost want to collapse and I mentally start cheering from not loosing hope. Without even thinking, I run down the path and actually laugh, when I see a roof over the green trees. It isn't the mansion's, you can tell from the bright color, but I could care less. I remember seeing few houses on the way to that old place and this must be one of those. I can actually ask help from the people living there and get out of here!
"O-okay- Stay calm," I mumble under my breath and breathe in deeply. In situations where I am under pressure or have been having a really hard time, talking to myself usually helps. "Just stay calm and tell them what happened. That is how you are supposed to deal with these kind of situations. Don't freak out and start telling about that fall. Okay? Alright."
The closer the top of the roof came, more appeared. Different colored ones with different heights. The sound of the birds, something that I have grown tired of, changes into the chatter of people. I must have come to a small community of some sort and felt even more relieved. I especially start feeling how my face is being split from the giant smile on my face, when I can fully see the buildings from behind few trees.
Yes, yes, yes! I practically skip towards the town, not caring how stupid it might look. Who knew that mother's advice of trying to be calm would actually someday work? When this would be over, I will go and give her a big hug and thousand 'thank you' for tolerating me over a decade.
I look down at my phone and my smile almost falls from seeing that there is still no such thing as connection on it. Well, let's hope that these people have some sort of form of communication.
"Wait up!" A child's voice yelled and then I saw how two little children appeared from behind a corner of one of the houses. The two little girl's were holding dolls in their hands and both of them had their hair up in cute pigtails. "Let's play princesses!"
"No! I want to have a tea party!" One of them with a dark purple dress stomps her foot down on the ground stubbornly.
Unconsciously, I have stopped running and look at the two children with curiosity. The one with the pink dress reminded me of Cass, for a second there. Aw! They are so cute! I smile again, but it soon falls. I feel like my stomach has been punched through. And the reason is the little girl's eyes, or rather the lack of them. Both of the children have the same problem.
They have that small button nose, round face with baby fat, cut smiles on small lips and innocent air that any small child has. But only large orbs are missing. It's like looking at a human whose eyeballs have been covered perfectly with another set of skin. The girls have the eyebrows, but that does nothing to wipe away the creepiness of the whole thing. I find myself taking a shaky step back away from what I am seeing. W-what the...? Is this real?
I try to find any signs of the fact that I am simply seeing things again. I blink, pinch myself and close my eyes for a moment, but when all of those things are done the girls still don't have any eyes. But somehow, despite that, they still move around like they can see things. They face each other and move naturally like anyone with a sight. This makes me cover my mouth to prevent a terrified sound from coming out of it. My mind, that had been filled with so many thoughts before, has become completely blank.
The girls are laughing. They seem normal enough, expect for what they lack. However, it's way too much for a normal person to handle. Like me. My stomach is being poked by needles and I wish to cover my mouth for other reasons rather than screaming. I am feeling sick and downright horrified from what I am witnessing here.
Run... My hands start trembling and I clench them close to my chest. I have to get away. Now.
And those inner words work like a magic spell. I whirl around and bold, the image of those two girls' eyeless faces flashing in my eyes like a nightmare. My heartbeat is racing over the roof and cold sweat goes down my whole body, even when my mind becomes blank again and sees no reason to fear. The stories from Cass hit my memory harshly and the thoughts of the underground research facility make my skin crawl. To check that the latter isn't true, I look up at the sky. It isn't fake nor does it look like one. Even the wind on my face is real and the smell of my sweat is as real as it can get.
So, there is no mistaking about the fact that what I saw in those two girls had not been a hallucination. Or maybe it was? I had hit my head and it still hurts somewhat. Not to mention how sore my back is feeling. Now, when I am running, the muscles keep on screaming for me to stop. They are in pain from the fall, from moving too much.
Where is Cass!? I nearly cry out in total panic and stop absurdly. My hand reaches out to take a hold on a tree and my shoulders rise and fall with heavy breaths out of my mouth. Whatever I just saw doesn't matter that much anymore. I have to run, hide or find some help. But most importantly, I am not so sure anymore where this place is. Surely, if there are people walking around with no eyes, everyone would know it. But...I am sure now that there is no such thing as a small village anywhere near the mansion.
The tree gives a loud 'thud', when my forehead collides with its trunk. I am still breathing heavily, but won't acknowledge it. Rather, my mind is starting to hurt more than the stiff muscles do. I am trying to think straight, to figure things out and see reason. Naturally, that doesn't happen as easily as one would think.
My legs give up and I sink down to the ground knees first and arms wrapped around a tree, like it could give me some kind of support. The birds singing reminds me that those two girls are not the only ones in that town. There had been more people in there, but they are also probably like those children. The realization makes me tremble and I lose all the strength to stand up again. I can't breathe!
There is suddenly sound coming from the bushes. The leaves are moving and I jump like the tree has caught on fire. The quick movement without a thought naturally causes me to fall to my rear and stay there like a frozen rabbit. I have to get away, but I can't even stand, when something comes out to the road.
It's a man and he stops brushing leaves off of his bright red jacket, when he notices me on the ground. The only sound that leaves from him is a simple "Hm?", when he spots me on the ground.
I am frozen as well, but the expression on my face is more stiff than before. Cold chills go down my spine from just trying not to burst out crying here and now. Not only does this man's outfit hurt my eyes with its brightness, like with Cass, but his eyes are the same color. Red, which sets me off for a second. He isn't like those little girls. He is a normal person. At least, that is what I think he is.
"U-um..." is the only thing I can say right now. My voice sounds extremely shaky.
However, instead of staring at me again, a smile spreads on his lips and he tilts his head in confusion. "Who are you? Are you a new mouse?"
The question throws me off, much like his sudden appearance. I stare back at him, baffled. "W-what...?"
"Hm? You're not?" His smile drops for a second and it gives his features a 'thinking-look'. "You don't have ears, so I guess not."
N-no ears? I reach out to my right ear from pure instinct. To my new relief, it is still there and so is my other ear. I look back up at the stranger who is still looking to be in his thoughts. What is he talking about? And what is this about me being a new mouse?
"Well!" He suddenly smiles and places both of his hands on his hips. "That is good, then. It would be a real shame, if I don't get to kill him first. Hahaha!"
I am certain that my face pales many shades, as I stare at him widely. W-what did he just say...?
Slowly, quietly, I rise up. The stranger keeps on laughing for a while, but stops, when I am fully standing on my own two feet. This isn't good for me, though. I am stiff, suspicious and ready to make a run for it.
"C-can I ask you where we are?" My voice won't stop trembling and I nearly choke on the lump in my throat that I swallow.
The red eyes blink down at me in confusion. "You don't know?"
"No," I answer much more calmly. "I was simply with my friend, but then she disappeared and I got lost."
I have to get it together.
I manage to smile weakly. "Rather, are we in England anymore?"
The man takes his time to look at me and I feel uncomfortable under his stare. It isn't intense, simply curious and calm. He even has a pleasant smile on his face. I am not sure, if I am feeling better because he has eyes or the heavy thoughts are leaving from my head along with this conversation. But the trembling gradually fades. It is still there, though.
Out of nowhere, the man steps closer and I become stiff as a rock. He lowers his face and I take a step back. At least try to.
"W-what?!"
His arms wrap around me and the action breaks any sense of calmness I have gathered so far. However, he keeps on smiling the same way and holds my gaze on the same eyelevel for a second, before lowering his head even further.
"HEY! Get off!" I shriek and try to pull away. The arms around me are strong as steel, though.
"Let me listen a bit," he says simply and presses his ear against the left side of my chest.
I won't lie, I feel easily flustered from close physical contact done by males. This, however, is on a completely different level for me. So, my face heats up. The coldness I felt from shock, fear and worry melt, but not in a good way. However, I feel no such thing as embarrassment or shyness. Far from that, because I am actually quite livid and outraged.
"What is wrong with you!? I said to get off! You pervert! Sexual harasser! I will call the cops!" I scream and squirm in his hold, but the male won't budge even an inch.
"Hahaha! Relax! I am not doing anything bad."
"N-not anything bad!? You really are crazy!"
Help, help, help, help, help! Somebody just do something about this! I choke, when the face is pressed even closer to my chest and the man's smile widens. I can't even hit him with the position I am in. My arms are trapped against my sides with the stranger's arms around them as well.
"This sound..." he says it more to himself than to me. That is how it sounds like. "A heartbeat. You're an outsider, then?"
"Outsider?" I repeat with an angry frown and glare down at him. "Of course I have a heartbeat. Otherwise I would be dead!"
He lifts his face up to look at me and thankfully takes his ear off of my chest. His pleasant smile is wider and the man before me starts looking like an excited kid. It doesn't help that he is still crouching so I am the taller one.
Suddenly, he starts laughing and the arms around me loosen. I take this opportunity and tear myself away from the red cloaked man. It is a surprise that I am able to get away, because a second ago his hold was so strong. He could easily pull me back and that scares me. I watch as the man rises to his full height and find myself almost shrinking. He is so much taller than me.
He smiles, completely obvious to the glare he is receiving. "What a luck I have today! Who would have thought that I would meet with an outsider? Hey, what is your name?"
That's it. I have to get away. Taking another step back I back away from the suspicious man. "None of your business! Go away!"
"Why would I do that?"
"Fine! I will do it myself!" He doesn't get to say anything else, when I am already running away.
"Wait up!"
"No way!" I glance over my shoulder to give him the final glare. But my eyes widen in horror, when I see him running right next to me rather easily.
He flashes me another one of those bright smiles. "Where are we going?"
What do you mean by we!? I stop immediately and so does he. I raise both of my hands to keep him at bay and back away two, huge steps. I have never been in a situation like this one with a completely weird, pervert stranger. I am unsure what to do and that scares me more than anything. If there was a way to contact authorities or call for other sort of help, I would do it. But now, those kind of things are pretty much impossible to make possible.
Taking in a deep breath, I composed myself. "Look buddy. I don't know what you think you are doing, but don't follow me. I have a friend to find along with sensible civilization and people. So, can you please go away?"
But somehow, my tone and words have no affect on this man. He continues smiling. "Now, don't be like that. You mentioned your friend, right? Isn't there a possibility that she is somewhere here as well, if you ended up in this place?"
"Of course we ended up in the same place. We were running around in the forest and she probably also got lost. So, by-bye!" I wave a hand at him and am ready to turn around. To get away from him.
"I will help you."
Those are the words that cause me to freeze probably for the tenth time in a day. My eyes drag themselves from the side to look up at the red orbs that stare right back at me straight-forwardly. The smile is intact, but the man has gotten suddenly much closer than before. He must have done it as soon as I took my attention away from him. I am less than two feet away from him, now.
I shouldn't trust him... My eyes narrow and I take another few steps back. He follows, making me feel cornered.
"I am Ace, the Knight of the Heart Castle. So, as a knight, I will help you," he says it so pleasantly. The smile is the same as his tone.
If he hadn't done what he had a while ago, I would consider his offer more carefully. Like I find myself describing his manner of smiling many times, it is pleasant. Very much so. He would look like a normal, friendly type. But in my eyes right now, I do not like him that much and find his willingness to help a stranger very suspicious. He has to have a motive to do this and based on his hugging from earlier only bad thoughts fill my head. What was he doing in this forest in the first place? I don't think that the hunting season has started nor that anyone is allowed to hunt in here. The red eyed man doesn't carry a weapon of any sort, but you can never be sure.
As for Cass, I didn't really need any help to find her. If I really want to, I should gather more people for help rather than one person. So, what true reason do I even have to have him tag along? I should be safe rather than sorry later. It isn't like I am in a real mortal danger around here. Expect maybe with bears, wolves-
The eyeless faces came back to me and I stop breathing. My already stiff muscles tighten further. That's right. Animals aren't the only things I should worry about now.
My thoughts stop there, when a gloved hand grabs mine and starts pulling forward.
"It's settled, then. Without further ado, let's go!"
I turn pale, digging my heels to the ground in desperation. "N-no way! I haven't said anything yet! Let go already!"
"It's alright. You can trust me. It would be too dangerous for you to wander around alone," he says with genuine tone, as he looks at me over his shoulder.
I don't buy it and continue struggling against his iron hold. The first chance I get, I am making a run for it!
