Chapter 2

Every breath that was made was steady with no signs of pain to be heard and the breathing sounded very soft but gentle at the same time, almost like a baby's. If anyone saw her right now they probably would've guessed that she was taking a nap but that was the opposite of that. It appeared though that she was alone.

Slowly, Quin began to open her lovely blue eyes and as she was everything seemed to be a blur to her at first but the more she tried to adjust her vision just by squinting she could slowly get a better look at her surroundings. Something didn't look right and Quin couldn't quite put her finger on it but the last thing she remembered was she was about to begin this Wolfwalkers book she found but she then blacked out all the sudden for no reason. She couldn't control her eyelids and even if she wanted to keep her eyes opened she probably wouldn't have managed to control her eyelids either way.

A warm breeze could be felt against Quin's body as she was trying to adjust her vision and it was one of those breezes that felt very relaxing. Quin could also feel some heat on her like she was getting toasted in a toaster oven and a nice rhythmic chirping then sounded to her eardrums and it sounded very soothing like a lullaby. She could also get a good whiff of the earth's soil from the position she was laying a little… and that's when Quin knew that something definitely was not right.

It wasn't long until Quin's vision seemed to have adjusted now and when it did she was greeted to some fresh-looking grass. Confusion struck her as she stared at the grass. Why was she staring at the grass? Slowly, Quin lifted her head, and when she did her eyes slowly widened. Trees surrounded her with their leaves having some red, orange, yellow, and green colors to them, luscious green grass was everywhere around her with a couple of hills in her sight, and rays of sunlight were poking through the tops of the trees to the ground but not a lot of the rays were coming through, so some areas of the forest could be seen with shades.

It seemed like forever until Quin finally could find it in herself to stand but she was beyond confused as to why she was in the middle of the forest. How did she get out here? Quin tried not to panic and she began to think as to how she possibly could've gotten out here. She was in the library just minding her own business then poof she's out here. Did someone kidnap her then bring her out here? But then, another thought occurred to her… Was she… dead?

Quin remembered that she still had her mask on her and she started to worry that maybe she was dead and that the COVID-19 managed to get inside her and kill her. She couldn't be dead! She was too young to die! Quin had a family, she was another year away from graduating high school, she had her fanfics and fan art to work on, and much more! What would her family think once they found out she was dead? Quin was the only child and she could already see the devastated look on her parents' faces once they found out she was dead.

Maybe Quin was coming to conclusions too soon though. Maybe she wasn't dead. To be sure she wasn't going crazy, Quin pinched herself. She did it so hard just for safety precautions and it almost felt like she was trying to make herself bleed. It seemed like she wasn't dead but Quin wanted to really be sure, so she checked her pulse. She placed two of her fingers on the inside of her wrist where one of her arteries was and began to feel for heartbeats and it wasn't long until she could feel the beating. Quin slowly put her hands down as she could now confirm that she wasn't actually dead but was just out here in the woods somehow.

What if she did have COVID-19 though and the virus was making her see things? She never read anything about that so maybe she was just getting too worried. Quin didn't feel like she was having a difficult time breathing, she didn't feel any aches in her muscles; she wasn't coughing a lot, she didn't have a sore throat or anything like that. She felt fine. Quin wasn't sure if she should take her mask off or not but technically she wasn't seeing any people so maybe it wouldn't hurt to take her mask off. If there was someone nearby though she would have to keep 6 feet apart from them.

Slowly, Quin started to take her mask off and when she did she could breathe in the fresh air more clearly. It always felt nice when she could finally take her mask off as wearing that mask was always like a prison for her. She hated to wear that mask more than anything and hoped to never wear it again when things got better.

Even though it was nice to breathe in the fresh air, Quin knew she had to get back to civilization. She had to get back to the library and back to her car so she could get back home or at least find a way home. Either way, she had to get out of here before it got too dark outside. Quin then realized that maybe she could call someone so help could be on the way. She was about to reach her hands into her pockets but she then cursed when she realized something.

Quin left her phone in the car.

"Okay," Quin said to herself as she stuffed her mask in her jacket pocket. "I'll just have to get out of the woods somehow and get back to where I need to be…" She then looked to a tree and walked up to it and when she did she pulled some bark off it and dropped the bark to the ground. Quin thought that maybe if she pulled bark off trees she'll know which way was the right way and wasn't the right way so it was pretty much her way of tracking. "Hope this works…"

Without wasting a minute, Quin then started to try and get out of the woods. She decided to go straight first then go from there. The sun was still up so it looked like she may have time to get out of the woods if she went in the right direction.

This human being was unlike any human being he's ever seen before. Her clothes were very odd and they were not like the clothing he was used to seeing. The girl's clothes were all black and the material of her clothing looked very different. Everything in fact about her looked very odd. What even was that thing that was just around half her face?

He was hidden in the shrubbery as he had his intense yellow eyes locked on the girl. At first, he thought about attacking her but he couldn't help but watch the girl more. The way she moved, the way she looked… Was she even normal?

Either way, he wanted to follow her and see what happens. He wasn't sure where she came from but he had the feeling that this girl was from a very different place. The girl could probably pose a threat and if she did… he would handle her himself.

Hours have passed and the sun was slowly starting to go down making a nice orange, purple, and pink color on the horizon. Quin was starting to get exhausted from all the walking she's done but she kept going. She only stopped once to take a break but after that, she hadn't stopped to take a break. She was starting to feel her throat get dry and at this moment Quin felt like she needed some water. Quin had been walking for hours and her muscles were starting to feel sore and she had no way of getting fresh water. She still hadn't even found civilization yet.

Quin's leather jacket was around her waist now as all the walking she did was making her feel sweaty in that jacket. Her black tank top could now be seen on her fit body and she usually wore tank tops a lot when it came to working out and such. It seemed like she was now getting a good workout in when really she was trying to get out of these woods.

As she kept on walking, Quin began to worry that she would never get out of here. The sun was setting and she felt like she was getting nowhere. Quin had been marking trees often but she felt like she'd been going in circles for hours now. If only she had a compass or something so she could actually know where she was going.

An oak tree then caught Quin's attention and when it did her eyes widened when she saw that very oak tree. Some bark was peeled off it and Quin cursed angrily when she recognized that tree. How could she have gone back to that same tree? Quin was sure she hadn't taken the same direction she's used before but it seemed like her eyes had been playing with her. She felt like she was going to break something because she still couldn't find civilization but Quin tried to calm down the best she could so she wouldn't do something stupid. She would just have to take a different direction then and hope for the best.

It was starting to get darker outside and Quin looked up to see that the sun was almost out of sight. There was no way she'd be able to continue further in the dark. Being in the dark in the woods alone was probably the worst thing imaginable. Who knew what could be out here? Maybe a serial killer would pop out of nowhere and try to murder her. Quin knew that the best possible option for her was to take shelter somewhere.

Quin started to look for some cave to stay in as building a shelter would take up too much time. She had to be careful though. If she even broke a bone of hers it would be much harder for her to not only find a cave but getting back to civilization as well.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the sky started to form gray clouds and thundering could then be heard bellowing. At first, Quin felt one raindrop at the back of her neck but the raindrop number then started to increase. It wasn't long until it started to rain cats and dogs. Quin was starting to get wet and cold from the rain but she continued to try and find a cave. As she walked she also took the chance to try and hydrate by drinking the raindrops. Her throat no longer felt dry and she drank as much rainwater as she could so it could hold her off for a while. Her hair and clothes were now soaking wet and she was now starting to shiver violently. Quin had to even put her leather jacket back on so she could warm up some.

"I sure as hell hope that this isn't some reality T.V. show," Quin shouted angrily. "Because if it is I'm suing whoever brought me out here!"

At this point, Quin was getting really pissed. She could be at home right now relaxing and doing whatever she wanted after a long day of school, but no. She just had to go to the library like her Mom suggested her to do so she could borrow a book and now look where she was.

As Quin kept on going she thought she saw something in the distance, it almost looked like… Hopes risen, Quin quickly started to head towards what she thought she was seeing. She was running pretty quickly and as she was she was jumping over branches and splashing through puddles. If it really was what she was seeing then she needed to get there quickly.

In a matter of moments, Quin found herself at the location she was seeing, and when she did she felt relief when she saw what it was: a cave. Without a second thought, Quin quickly went inside and when she did she took her hair out of the ponytail and started to dry it off by twisting it tightly. Water started to slowly squeeze out of Quin's hair and when Quin felt like she dried her hair enough she put her hair back in a high ponytail. As Quin was fixing her hair she could then get a better look at the inside of the cave.

It seemed like someone was occupying it? A quilt could be seen lying on the ground and one single white pillow could be seen near the quilt. In the corner of the cave, there laid a chest and it had some very nice designs on it in some gold color. It seemed like that chest was pretty old. Wood was in another corner and in the middle of the cave there was a fire pit that seemed to have been used multiple times. Did someone live here in the middle of the woods in this cave? That couldn't be right, could it?

Before Quin could do anything else, she heard something, and out of the corner of her eye she saw something pointing at her and her eyes widened at that. "Don't move," the voice said and Quin felt like her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.

It was a masculine voice and Quin could already guess that the person that was in this cave with her was pointing a gun at her. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to find shelter and I so happened to have stumbled here," Quin said. "I somehow ended up in the woods and now I'm lost…"

It was quiet and Quin felt very awkward at that moment. Was this guy going to try and kill her? Maybe he would help her get back home? She wasn't sure but she waited to see what the stranger would do next.

"Slowly turn towards me," the stranger then said.

Without arguing with the stranger, Quin then slowly turned her body towards the stranger and she thought that she'd come face to face with a gun but what she saw confused her. She was instead facing to face with an arrowhead. Quin then started to see that the stranger was holding a bow and arrow in his grasp and he was aiming his arrow at her, the arrow looked like it could easily enough kill her. Her eyes then trailed over to the stranger and when they did she saw that the stranger looked to be around her age. He was staring at her with his eyes narrowed and he looked very focused as he was aiming his bow and arrow at her.

The stranger had these very intense yellow eyes and a scar could be seen coming down his right eye. He had white skin, almost like snow and his hair was pretty wild with it having a raven black to it. His face seemed pretty though like he uses just dirt to wash his face. The stranger was wearing some clothes that Quin found quite odd for someone like him to wear. His shirt was a dark brown color with some string with the same color zig-zagging across his chest, he was also wearing some black breeches, some dirty black boots that had buckles to them, and a black cape. The sleeves of his shirt were ripped and his breeches had a couple of tears to them. Like Quin, he was wet from the head to the toe from the rain but he didn't seem cold like Quin was.

Quin still hadn't moved as she stared at the stranger and the stranger looked pretty well fit. If she even moved there was no guarantee what he would do to her. She had to play her cards carefully or she may really be good as dead.

"What's your name?" The stranger asked and Quin then noticed that he had some sort of accent to his voice.

Quin narrowed her eyes at the stranger. "Why do you want my name? So you'll know what to write on my gravestone?" She asked sarcastically and even when what she said may have been a bad idea she couldn't help saying what she just said.

The stranger furrowed his brow in annoyance and looked like he was ready to shoot her. "Just make it easy for the both of us by saying your name."

Quin really didn't want to say her name to the stranger but if she did maybe he would actually help her. If she didn't say her name he may as well shoot her right? Quin kept repeating in her head to play smart and if she didn't she'll be dead before anyone could even find her alive.

"Quin," she said carefully. "Just Quin."

"So Quin," the stranger said as he still aimed the arrow at Quin's face, "what is wrong with you?"

Quin furrowed her brow in confusion at what the stranger just said. "Wrong with me? What're you talking about?" She then looked at him angrily. "What is wrong with you pointing your bow and arrow at me?"

"I'm doing this for safe precautions. You are way different from the women I've seen. What're you even wearing?"

"Uh, it's called clothes, genius."

"You call those clothes? I can't imagine your parents letting you go out in public looking like that. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't send this arrow flying through your eye."

As the stranger was talking, Quin wasn't sure whether to find him threatening or annoying but either way, she didn't like his attitude. It was the 20th century. She should be allowed to wear whatever she wanted. Her parents were fine with whatever she wore as long as it wasn't inappropriate. Never mind her outfit though, she had to at least try to reason with this douche bag or he will definitely send an arrow flying through one of her eyes.

However, Quin couldn't help but question that he was alone like her. Where was his family? Shouldn't he be with them and not here? Never mind that either. She had to focus on the big picture here. Sometimes it was better to survive than die.

"I didn't know that this was your place," Quin then said. "As I said, I somehow ended up in the woods and now I'm lost. I'm just trying to get back home but I can't find my way out and now it's raining and I was just trying to find shelter for the night. I wasn't going to rob you."

The stranger hummed to himself as he stared at Quin. He still hadn't put down his bow and arrow but Quin hoped that he would put it down soon enough. Quin also hoped that this wasn't some sort of stupid act that he was pulling on her because if he was Quin was going to sucker punch him to the face, that's of course if he had his bow and arrow down. Quin wasn't that stupid, she couldn't just bring a fist to an arrow unless she had a good idea of what to do. In the meantime, she would just have to try and be careful.

"Where are you from?" the stranger then asked. "You're not from around here and I can tell by how you look. You don't belong here."

"Of course I belong in America," Quin said annoyed. "I was born in it and what is it with you and my outfit? This is how I always dress! Americans are free to dress how they want to dress!"

The stranger then looked at Quin confused and Quin wasn't sure why he was. What did she even say? She didn't say something stupid so why on earth was he looking at her confused? Was he born under a rock or something?

"America? What's America? This is Ireland."

Quin looked at the stranger confused but she then started to laugh but the stranger was still looking at her confused as he was still aiming at her. She definitely felt like that he was born under a rock. Everyone knew what America was and for him not to know what it was that made her laugh even more. He was more embarrassing than he was threatening.

"Okay, you're pulling my leg," Quin then wiped away the tears of laughter. "How can you possibly not know what America is? Weren't you taught anything?" The stranger was still looking at her confused and as he was, Quin slowly started to grow confused as well. "What?"

"I don't know what America is but I do know that we're in Ireland. You're really weird to think that we're in this so-called place called 'America'. Also, why would I be pulling your leg? I didn't even touch you."

After what the stranger said, Quin started to realize that he was not messing with her. He didn't know what America was and he didn't even get the idiom she said? What made things more confusing was that he said that they were in Ireland. That's impossible, how could she possibly be in Ireland? She was in America, wasn't she? She didn't want to believe that she was in Ireland. This guy was probably messing with her for real but from the way he was looking and spoke it looked like he was not kidding at all.

Did someone actually kidnap Quin and fly her out here to Ireland to drop her off in the middle of the woods? What purpose did that even gain? But Quin then looked back to what the stranger was wearing. Boys her age never wore anything like what he was wearing and this now got Quin thinking hard and carefully. What if… no it couldn't be… Quin didn't want to believe what the next possibility could be and the only way to find out was to ask this stranger the one question he might be able to answer her.

"What year is this?"

"You honestly don't know what year it is?" The stranger said. "It's 1650."

At that moment, Quin forgot how to breathe… 1650? How was that possible? She was that far into the past from the present she belonged in? How did she get to 1650?

It felt like an eternity until she finally managed to put things together. That note she found in that book… A new journey that would await her… A whole new place… That note actually sent her into the past! Unless someone else somehow magically transported her into 1650 but either way this was not good at all. She had to get back to her timeline but how was she supposed to do that? She didn't have magic! She didn't even have a time machine!

Quin wanted to tell herself that this was all just a bad dream but how could she possibly be dreaming if she could actually feel?! This was not a dream nor a hallucination and Quin didn't want to believe it but she was actually in the past, in a timeline that she should not be in. Quin felt like she was going to be sick.

"Hey, strange girl," the stranger said. "I'm not sure if I should be concerned about you or not but I will say that you really are weird. Did you hit your head or something?"

Quin looked up to the stranger and then managed to speak after she processed all of this. "You're right about one thing: I don't belong here."

Of course, the stranger still hadn't put down his bow and arrow and at this moment, Quin couldn't say that she blamed him for being suspicious of her. "Where do you belong then?"

Quin was silent for a minute as she tried to figure out how to word this towards the stranger. She kept staring into the stranger's intense yellow eyes and if she looked away it would show that she was pretty frightened of him but she wasn't. He didn't scare her one bit, not even when it looked like he actually wanted to shoot her. She forgot how cold she was but she didn't think about it. She would worry about that later.

"I belong in the future."

A/N- Hey guys! Finally managed to work on this chapter and sorry for the wait. Been studying for important tests but I'm glad to get this in now. I will hopefully work on the next chapter soon enough :)