Hello again readers! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and that it got you at least a little hooked! Here is chapter two, and it's definitely going to get a bit more into the story. Please don't forget to review (it lets me know my writing isn't absolute crap) and most importantly, enjoy!
Gene arrived with Kira, the two getting out of the car as Felix was helping to secure the plywood on one side of the penthouse in construction, and Gene took a good look, nodding in approval. Kira glanced to the side, not as enthusiastic.
"Would you just look at it! It's going to be incredible when it's finished! Hey, Felix! Felix, come down here for a minute and meet a friend of mine, he's just pulling up now!" Gene called.
Felix blinked and looked over, giving a small wave at Kira and Gene. "Be right down, sir!" He said as he finished hammering a nail, tucking it in his tool belt as he hopped down off the low beam, striding over to them.
"Hey hey, Gene! Is this the place? Wow, it's gonna be big, huh?" said Don, a sea captain that owned a marina in the area, as well as some boats. He would invite Gene, Kira, Felix, and some other friends from the city to sail from the Hamptons to Montaulk and spend the weekend or two every summer. "Finally decided to expand to the island, huh city boy!" He laughed. "You made a wise decision, the area is a great attraction! Those city folks are just flocking out here nowadays!"
"Well, it was really my Kira that insisted- Kira! Come say hello to Don!" Gene called to her.
"Hello Don, good to see you again..." Kira smiled, and Don pat her back lightly.
"Look at you, all grown up! Every year you look more and more like your mother. So, what are your plans? Hopefully get a percentage of the profits here, ha ha!" Don chuckled.
Kira smiled lightly. "Well, I was thinking about pursuing something in art..."
"Oh, come now, who needs art? Try something useful, like home economics, cooking, maybe nursing!" Don said.
"Well, I suppose I can pay for her to have lessons if I charge more for the upper floor apartments... double if you can see the shore from your window!" Gene laughed.
"There you go, already thinking dollars and cents!" Don replied.
Kira sighed, wandering around the skeleton of the penthouse. Felix strode along side her when he caught up. "Aww, don't listen to them, Kira... they're just poking a little fun. Everyone knows you make beautiful paintings."
"Felix... I wish I could just... sometimes I just want to get away from all this. My father and I... we're nothing alike. He's always having fancy parties in big beautiful places but I just want to get out, explore! My ideal home would be a nice little summer cottage... no more giant mansions or lavish apartment complexes..." Kira sighed lightly.
"The island is a nice place... maybe this change of scenery will help lighten your mood. Hm... how about we take a walk to the beach when I'm finished putting up plywood for the day?" Felix smiled.
"I think I'd enjoy that. The air must be so fresh by the water." She looked towards the forest, trying to see as far as she could but there was no end in sight on the south east side. "I should have plenty of inspiration for painting..." She smiled lightly.
After work was done for the day, Felix walked slowly with Kira along the south shore, stopping to look out at the sunset. "It's quite a sight, isn't it? You were certainly in your right mind to want to come here."
"It's breathtaking..." She sighed contently. "More beautiful than the pictures... I'm so glad father let us move out here."
"See? It's not all so bad... he does care about you, Kira... in his own silly way, he does. You're all he has left of-"
"I know." Kira nodded, bending down to pick up a seashell. "I think I'll take this one. It's so well preserved.. can you imagine such a thing...? Nature is a wondrous and mysterious thing."
"You know, I can carve a small hole and you can wear it as a necklace." Felix said.
"Oh, that would be wonderful! Here, keep it on your tool belt... it'll be safe tucked in there." Kira said, placing it inside.
That evening, they returned to a nearby hotel owned by another of Gene's friends, Roy, who planned on becoming a future resident of the upcoming penthouse. They were staying at half price while the penthouse was being built, and in exchange, Gene agreed for the first month of rent to be waived for him. Kira sighed lightly, hugging her pillow as she went to sleep. She glanced over at a photo of her and Felix, the colorless print bringing a smile to her features. Her large blue eyes, blue as the Atlantic waves crashing against the shore, were soon hidden behind her lids, her mind wandering off into dream land.
"Well, I want control of it right now! We can't have BEARS attacking our future residents! Could you imagine, blood on my hands? I'd be ruined!" Gene was shouting at the crew, as they were repairing the one side of the building that now had a huge hole. "This is going to delay the opening for another week!"
The building had been finished, the crew about to start constructing on the INSIDE when the damage was found. It was quite a nuisance; ever since construction began several weeks before, Gene and the others would come to find the landscaping messed up, bushes uprooted and windows smashed, and now this.
"Well, you could try setting some traps for the beasts, Gene..." Norwood, another of Gene's friends that was a future resident, suggested nervously.
"You're right. If the press gets a hold of this it will spoil all the marketing! Felix, I want you to find out where I can get some bear traps and have them set around the perimeter."
"Father, can't we do something that won't hurt the animals? They're probably confused because we're trespassing in their home land..." Kira asked.
Gene rolled his eyes as Don and Roy chuckled a bit at her statement. "Kira, listen to me. You have to stop this crazy talk! They're BEASTS, dear, and beasts cannot OWN property, it's preposterous! They can relocate!"
Kira bowed her head lightly, sighing. "I'm going to occupy myself. I won't go too far." She went to the car, taking some of her painting supplies and taking them to set up on the outskirts of the forest nearby the partially built penthouse. She squints her eyes as she paints the beautiful scene, already feeling herself calm as the tranquil forest enveloped her vision. As she does so, she can't help but hum lightly, and smiles when she sees a bird perch just near her. She smiled brightly, taking out her sketchbook and quickly sketching it out before it flies away. She then returned to painting, when she noticed something by one of the trees. she gasps lightly, smiling. "Oh... a fox!" She got off her stool, squatting down a bit. "Come, darling, I won't hurt you." The fox stared at her for a moment, before taking a step back, about to run off. "Oh please, don't run away!" She cried, before her smile returned. "Hm... perhaps you just want to play a game..." She took off her shoes, the soft grass cushioning her feet as she took to chase. She could barely keep the fox in her sight, it was so fast! She soon lost sight of it, sighing sadly. She was about to return to her painting, when she turned, gasping lightly when she saw nothing but trees around her, and no clearing. Her heart began to beat a bit faster as panic settled in. She had no idea how large this forest was. How long had she ran... a minute? Five minutes? The short amount of time could have made all the difference between finding her way out or not, and she looked up to the tree tops, the sunlight peeking through them in rays, like fingers touching the Earth with warmth. She sighed lightly, the forest somehow calming her despite her current situation. She climbed up onto a low branch, hoisting herself on it as she leaned against the trunk, resting her head as she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest; the birds chirping, frogs croaking, little chipmunks scurrying about.
It was a new sound that caused her to open her eyes, looking around. The sound of leaves and small twigs being crushed underfoot both piqued her interest and frightened her. It was a bit hard to see because of the lower light in the woods, but when she saw a giant form slowly making its way in her direction, she gasped lightly, losing her balance and she had to react quickly to land on her feet. She stumbled a bit before regaining her stance, and the form approaching was large, she could see by its outline, but if this was a bear, it would be far larger than she imagined. Kira stood, frozen with fear, her eyes wide as the creature was now just a few yards away.
"What... what goes there...? What... do you mean to do with me?" Kira called out. The heavy footsteps stopped, a low grumbling could be heard, but no reply. How silly she was, trying to talk to an animal... animals could not speak back! Maybe if she could see exactly what it was, she could know better how to act, whether to stay or to run. "Please... I cannot see you, it is too dark by that cluster of trees." she heard another low grumble, and saw the creature retreat slightly, taking a step back. "W- Wait... I did not mean to startle you..." she said, taking a step closer. "I just want to-" She gasped lightly, falling to the ground as she felt a sharp pain in the bottom of her foot. She took it, turning it so she could find what had hurt her, and she cried out as she saw a wasp had stung her. She scraped it off with a stick, nursing her foot as she heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her once more. "N- No, please... don't, don't harm me, I didn't mean... I didn't... I..." She spoke weakly, her vision blurring as her eyes rolled up, falling to her side. The last thing she saw before passing out was a pair of large, flat feet.
"Kira!" Felix called out in desperation, biting his lip. "Oh, I knew I should have watched over her... Kira, please, answer me!" He wandered around the outer parts of the forest, not wanting to get lost himself. He heard a sound then, a heavy rustling, and when he turned towards the sound, it began to diminish. "Kira...?" He ran quickly, hurrying until he gasped, spotting her lying on a rock. "Kira! Are you alright?!" He took her into his arms, brushing the hair out of her face and looking her over to see if she suffered any injuries. He furrowed a brow, seeing a mesh of leaves bound around her foot, and the smell of herbs and berries filled the air around them every time she exhaled. Felix quickly headed back, holding her close. "Gene! Gene, I found her!"
Gene had been distraught, turning when he heard Felix. "Thank heavens, she had me worried sick! Oh my... h- here, set her down in the car, give her some space..." He helped Felix lay her across the back seat, and he tapped her face lightly. "Kira... Kira dear, wake up now, your father is here... I knew it, I knew that forest was dangerous!"
Felix widened his eyes a bit as Kira began to stir, cupping her face gently as she slowly fluttered her eyelids open. "Kira, are you alright? Please tell me what happened..."
Kira rubbed her eyes, groaning a bit as she held her head, sitting up. "Oh, dear... I... am I back...?"
"Yes, thank goodness, good ol' Felix found you!" Gene replied. "Don't you ever run off like that again young lady or I'll cage you like a canary!"
Kira took a few minutes to fully regain her senses, before looking over at Felix. "You... you found me? So deep in the forest?"
"Well, it wasn't that far in, luckily... I could still just see the clearing from where you were." Felix smiled lightly.
"No... that's impossible. I... I chased the fox, and when I turned, I couldn't see the clearing at all anymore, only trees... I rested a bit on a tree branch when I heard an odd sound, I looked and there was a creature, but I could not see what it was... I tried to venture closer but I was stung by a wasp and then everything went dark... I... I remember seeing someone..." Her memory was a bit scrambled because of the sting, but she looked at the leaves around her feet. "I had no idea you knew natural healing so well, Felix... and I don't recall your feet being so large..."
Felix tilted his head. "What are you talking about?"
"You cleaned out the sting, or else I would have been more ill... I saw your feet just before I passed out... but how did you find me so deep in the forest? And why were you not wearing your boots?"
"Kira, darling... I found you just about a few yards inside. And I never took my boots off... Also, I didn't put these leaves around your feet. When I found you, it was like this. You must have done it before you passed out."
Kira furrowed her brows in confusion. "No... someone did this for me, I saw them... it was... it was, a person... but, it was a large person... larger than a bear even!"
"Felix, you have to bring her to the doctor... the wasp's sting is making her go mad!" Gene cried.
"I'll drive her, Gene." Roy volunteered. "Felix's got to get back to work here, I'll make sure she's back to herself in a jiffy!" He got into Gene's car, starting it up.
"Just make sure there isn't one scratch on either of my girls when you get back Roy or you'll be giving me the deed to your hotel!" Gene shouted as Roy pulled away. He then turned to Felix as he watched her go off worriedly. "Don't fret, my boy... you bringing her back here secured her life for now. Just focus on the penthouse and Kira will be right as rain in no time."
"Do you... do you really think someone else had helped her...? In the forest?" Felix asked.
"Come now, surely her hallucinations aren't contagious! It was all imagined. Don't think on it anymore, now, we have to get back to finishing this before the month is out."
"Y- Yes, sir..." Felix replied, glancing back at the forest where he had come from minutes earlier.
Was Kira just imagining what she saw... or was there truth in her words?
I'll let you guys think about that question for now! Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for your support. Stay tuned for the next update! :D