Hello, everyone!

I am back with Chapter 2 of We Are the Same.

I myself felt like we were lacking a little action in the Prologue and Chapter 1. For those of you who agree with me, this next chapter is gonna get you a little excited. A little.

SPOILER ALERT: We may get to meet someone very important today...

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

I took my time getting home after I left Bonnie's shop. The only marked path leading out of town and towards the meadow ran dangerously close to the woods, so I found myself only a short distance away from the edge once again. As I walked I examined the trees. They looked like normal trees. It didn't seem too dark in there. There was no mysterious fog and there weren't any eerie sounds coming from it.

It was normal.

Frustration overcame me then. What was so dangerous about it? Why wouldn't anyone tell me! I felt like a child who was left out of their circle of friends. There was some big secret that no one was telling me, and I was going to find out.

Starting with my father.

I continued my trek on the marked path, over the bridge and up to the little hill where my home had been built, all the while plotting my confrontation with my father.

I would do my chores and make dinner, and when he walked through the door I would sit him down and ask all the questions that came up, starting with "What is the bloody deal with this damned woods?!"

And he would listen and he would give me answers- not mysterious and unfinished answers, but concise and detailed answers.

With new determination I began my chores and made dinner-chicken I had been able to barter from the butcher and broth. I set everything up and tidied the house a bit more. When there was nothing left to do, I sat at the dining table and waited.

Judging by the light, my father should have been coming home at any moment. I waited patiently for the door to burst open and for him to walk in and take off his boots and jacket. But it never happened. I dared to look out the window to see if there was anyone coming, but he was not there.

I started pacing back and forth. He was late- again. Yesterday because of the meeting they had held about venturing into the woods to retrieve more lumber. Today he was supposed to actually go into the woods. I looked out the window again. The sun had set and the moon was out and the stars were up in the sky. What if...

There was a knock on the door. I rushed forward and swung it open, but he wasn't there. I was slightly taken aback by the fact that Tyler Lockwood stood on my porch. the butterflies returned to my stomach but for a completely different reason.

He carried an oil lamp with him, and it lit his features. His deep brown eyes were bloodshot, his face was not it's usual olive complexion, his cheeks were flushed.

"Good evening, Caroline" He said politely, trying to even his breathing.

"Good evening" I responded, pulling my eyebrows together. No one was supposed to be outside and this far away from village at this hour. I gestured for him to step inside and he did so, putting his lamp down on a small table in the sitting room and slumping into the sofa. He leaned forward so that his face was buried in his hands.

"Are you alright?" I asked cautiously, walking slowly over to him. There was a slight nagging in my subconscious, telling me that he was not okay, that he wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at the lumber yard, working.

He patted the space next to him on the sofa and I went to sit down. He turned to me and grabbed my hands in his, stunning me momentarily. I looked up into his eyes which were sad and worried.

"Your father," He began, and that grabbed my attention. I listened intently.

"Your father...went into the woods." He added the last part in a whisper.

"I know, to get more lumber" I said.

He looked at me with wide eyes, tilting his head to one side.

"He told me" I said, figuring out his slight confusion. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, tightening his grip on my hand.

"Caroline" He started calmly, but there were tears forming in his eyes. "You know that whoever goes in there..." He trailed off, trying to convey the rest of the sentence through his eyes, desperately trying for me to get the message.

My body knew the rest of the answer before my mind was able to catch up.

My body was on fire, the burning sensation running all the way from my toes to my ears. Hot tears pooled in my eyes as my lips began to quiver and I struggled for breath. I stayed there as a statue though, staring at Tyler who was letting silent tears stream down his cheeks.

I had never seen him cry. Ever. I wondered why he was crying here with me now. And then it clicked.

"W-Where is your father?" I asked, my voice breaking, his own walls coming down altogether. He had lost his father.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck while he placed his own arms around my waist. There, I let the tears fall as the sobs racked my body and he did the same.

Tyler had stayed the night and slept on the coach into the living room. Once we had cried ourselves dry, I fixed him some supper and he ate in silence while I looked around the room absently. My mind and body felt numb. My father was the only person I had left in the world. We were to stay together forever- a team. But he had gone. He had left me.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, silent tears streaming down my face. Every once in while I would open the door slightly and see if Tyler had fallen asleep, and he had. He had been working all day, and the emotional exhaustion from losing his father had worn him out. He tossed and turned frequently, but he never woke up.

A few hours after midnight, I realized that no one would be going out to find the lost workers. They were wandering out there, with no hope of being found, because no one wanted to find them, or had already accepted the fact that they were gone, never to return.

Whoever goes in, never comes out.

That's why, before the sun began to rise, I pulled on a brown dress of the toughest material I had and a pair of brand new slippers. They were the most expensive slippers I had, but they were new and yet to be worn so they would last longer.

I went into my father's study and opened a chest that was always lying in the corner of the room. It was made of oak, intricate carvings had been worked into the box on all sides. A large, crude metal lock, completely out of place against the beauty box, kept it closed for many years

I knew my father had hidden the key right under the chest, but I had never built up the courage to actually open it, even though I knew what was in it. But now, as I grabbed the key and opened the lock, I couldn't prepare myself for what I would feel once I opened it.

In the chest, lay my mother's belongings. All of her dresses and earrings, and coats and capes, her journals and letters. I tried my best to keep everything as intact as possible, but I dug towards the bottom to find the long red cloak that I was looking for.

It had been a gift from my father to my mother, the day he had began courting her. It was long and made of the softest but most long lasting fabric- a symbol of their love. I quickly folded it and placed it in my bag.

As I passed the kitchen, I grabbed some bread, cheese, and fruits and wrapped them in a cloth, putting those in my bag as well. I grabbed a few packs of herbs and spices from where I had left them the day before, too. Before I left, I made sure to leave a note for Tyler on the kitchen table, explaining where I was going.

Lucky for me, he had journeyed here on his best horse. He would hate me for this.

I mounted the tall black stallion and rode around to the shack behind my cabin. There I found a bow and some arrows, as well as a sword. My father had taught me how to use them when I was younger. He had always wanted a son so he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to teach his daughter instead. I slung the bow and arrows across my body and put the sword into its leather scabbard, fastening it onto the saddle along with my bag.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and I didn't want to get caught by Tyler or any of the villagers, so I mounted the stallion again.

"Come on, boy!" I whispered as loud as possible, and kicked my heels into the horse's side. He lurched forward and into a steady trot.

The woods was only about a quarter of a mile away, so I let the horse continue with it's steady trot. I allowed myself to think in the few minutes I would still have out here. I still didn't have a plan. It was amazing I had gotten this far.

How would I find my father? In which direction did he go? Where could he have disappeared to?

I pulled the reins back, making the horse come to a complete stop.

Realizing there was a flaw in my plan, I steered him towards town and kicked his sides once again. Instead of a trot, this time, I urged him go as fast as he could. We rode over the bridge and onto the path that lead into the village. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone up this early in the morning, so no one could have seen the young girl that had hurried through town on a stolen horse as if the Hounds of Hell had been at her heels.

Once I reached the lumber yards, I slowed down. It was a complete ghost town. No one would be there for at least another hour, so I had plenty of time to come up with something. I followed the dirt path that wound around the yards, and came to an end near the edge.

There were wagons slightly filled with cut up logs, very near the edge of the woods. I hopped off the horse and walked over to the area. There were footprints on the soil that covered the floor. A particular pair led to the edge of the forest, and disappeared into the darkness. I walked back to the horse and went for my bag, pulling out the red cape and pulling it over my shoulders. I felt protected immediately, which was kind of ironic considering what I was about to get myself into. I mounted the horse again, steering him towards the forest's edge once more.

I halted when we reached the trees that marked the entrance and I felt him hesitate as well.

"It's alright, boy" I said and leaned over to pat his neck. He started forward once again, and we were passed the trees, into the darkness, into the woods.

Her scent was so strong, that as soon as she was between the tall trees, I could feel her. She smelled of honey and some other sweet essence I could not name. I couldn't help but follow her scent, and found her lounging around the edge of the woods. She was actually in the woods. No one had dared step foot in here for years, let alone a woman. She had walked forward and sat down on a fallen log, fresh white oleanders placed in her hair, creating a sort of halo around her beautiful, golden locks. As a small breeze blow through, her hair danced in the wind and then settled back down along her back. She let her gaze wander.

By now, I was only a few feet away from her, camouflaged into the foliage, watching as her large, emerald colored eyes took in every detail of her surroundings. She was so beautiful. And as the sun penetrated through the barrier of trees, its rays kissed her creamy skin ever so slightly, that it looked as if she was glowing.

All of the sudden, she looked tense. Her posture straightened and her muscles contracted. She shot up from her sitting position. I tensed as well, watching as she swiftly moved towards the edge once more, looking forward, towards the meadow. I wanted to go after her, grab her and take her back in with me. But by the time I started to move, she was already a step away from the outside. Once she was out into the clearing, I stepped forward to the edge of the woods, and continued to watch as she walked towards the small cabin that had been sitting on a small hill across the river for nearly 20 years.

I had seen her before- playing in the meadow and on the bridge. She was maybe eight years old when she first came close to the border. I had hoped that she would have the courage to actually come in, but she never did. She continued her musings for ten years, one time actually coming in between the trees. But as soon as she stepped in, she stepped out.

I had never been so close to her as I had just a day ago. She was so beautiful. Her angelic face would always be etched into my thoughts, for she had not left my mind for all of these hours.

What surprised me even further was that she had come in again, so soon. This time, she was closer to the village, further away from her home. She was atop a large black horse, wearing a cloak of the deepest shade of red I had ever seen. Her hair hung down in waves over her shoulders, free from any restrains.

Once I had felt her presence, I rushed closer towards her. I was, once again, only a few feet away from her when I noticed that she was carrying a bow and a sword.

Rage coursed through me. I had thought that she had sensed my presence the day before, and had come to investigate. But she was clearly here for other purposes. She was hunting, probably looking for some game, or maybe even...

Something else surprised me. Along with her distinctive scent, I also caught the scent of a male. I looked around and noticed that she was alone, but the scent was very prominent. It was nothing like the scent of the man that lived with her (her father, I presumed), but it was that of a boy that lived in the village.

She had been with him last night. He had stayed in her home.

That was enough to send my mind into a crazed frenzy.

She was not here for me. She was here for him.

If she was so bold and foolish as to come into the woods alone, I would see to it that she found out the stories for herself.

What. Did. You. Think?

I was a little nervous going into this one because I'm not the best at writing emotional scenes, they always seem too dramatic to me when I write them. I don't know.

Now is when it starts to get a little messy because we start getting into the plot and each chapter adds something to the big picture, so I have to be careful what I write. So if you see anything that is kind of confusing or want to point something out please feel free to let me know!

So anyways, we got to see a little Forwood here, not my favorite ship but hey.

We also see some neurotic Caroline when she plots her confrontation with her father to a T.

We also see someone else slowly but surely coming into the picture. I wonder who that could be...

Bye for now!

~M

P.S.: A HUGE thank you to DreamsBeatReality and Aaaammber for your lovely reviews and to everyone who favorited and followed this story! You have no idea how much I appreciate it!