Chapter 2: The Forest

Ok, so not every school has a forest. And I suppose this wasn't really a forest, just lots of tall trees which had entwined themselves together with their branches. And nobody was allowed to go there-it was the school rules. But it was my favourite place to go and no stupid teacher could stop me from entering. I had gone inside so many times that I knew my way around like the back of my hand.

I felt a paw from inside the bag and so I scaled my favourite tree and undid the bag. Leo seemed somewhat unfazed by the height and started purring loudly, while I layed back and stared at the clouds, moving in long wisps across the sky. Sometimes my Mum would call me a plant, seeing as I spent most of my time out in the forests at school and at home. It seems that I had some connection with the flowers there, and could feel the life around me, buzzing through my ears. This was where I belonged.

I heard a noise, like a twig snapping. Then another, and another, and I sprang from the tree like a cat, landing on the floor in exactly the right position. My eyes widened, that felt so good! I imagined myself as a wild cat, springing from tree to tree and then running faster and faster through the undergrowth. Then I snap out of my dreams because I could sense somebody was here, the one who had been carelessly snapping twigs. Whoever this person was they obviously didn't know their way around the school or the rules and regulations. Maybe they were new, which meant...

I knew who this was. It was the new boy, Seth. I could speak to him now, I had power, I had backup all around me. He had followed me here, I thought. My eyes burned like wildfire and I prepared to pounce- but then, I stopped. He had put a hand on my shoulder, and I shook it off. Once he saw my eyes he took a step back.

"They never said that it had become this bad," he breathed in horror. "You have to get out of here NOW!" he grabbed my arm bit he couldn't move me. Fur settled itself down on my shoulders, and Leo clawed my face. Then my eyes turned back to their normal black self, and I stroked his back with my hand. "Err, Sen?" Seth asked. I turned around and my heart started thumping so loudly that the life around me that had felt so like myself disappeared altogether. I placed a hand to my head, and looked at Seth, upset and so scared I just wanted to go home. I suddenly burst into tears and sobbed. I didn't notice at the time, but he did. A plant at my feet turned brown, withered and died. The bag which I had left up on the tree fell down and I caught it without looking. Then I took off, bolted through the trees, running as fast as I could from the confused boy frowning, and from what I thought I could stay in forever.

I looked in the mirror. Yes, the same strange ghostly face stared back at me. I wiped my tears away with my sleeve, and took a deep breath. What had even happened that made me so sad? Maybe it was Seth saying things about me that I didn't understand. What the heck was he talking about, me being worse than he'd thought? He doesn't know anything about me! Nobody does! I wish he'd just leave me alone to live my lonely life. I felt like he'd destroyed a part of me, the part that linked me with the trees and the plant life. I shook the last events out of my head and smoothed my hair. It was cold in there and goosebumps crawled their way up my arms, so I tried to rub them off. Then I heard an all-to-familiar voice outside the door, the very voice that I never wanted to hear. I spun around and charged into the closest cubicle, slammed the door, and locked it.

"I mean, I know that you would go for the more laid back type, but my crush would be the exact opposite of that. He'd be more lively, and fun. Trust you to want a really boring boyfriend," Chloe said to one of her friends.

"Being laid back is not boring, it's just less doing stuff and more talking," Chloes friend replies. I almost laugh out loud! Trust Chloe and her gang to be talking about boys in interval, we're complete opposites! While I'm climbing trees in the beauty of the woods, she's chatting in the bathroom! We must live completely different lives!

"Chloe, you have to believe her. The only person in the class who doesn't have a crush is Sen Blair!" another voice said. Then they all laughed, and so did I, believe it or not. What they didn't understand about me was that I liked living my life alone, and having somebody there with me who didn't feel the same way about things like I did would just put me down, and we'd never get along. The bathroom was in silence for a few minutes as I assumed the group were applying make-up and had to concentrate. I imagined myself jumping out at them from behind the door and making them scream. God, I'd pay for something like that to happen.

"Meeeeooooowwwww," Leo fidgeted on my shoulder. I nudged him into the small bag and gave him a do - that - again - and - we're - both - dead look but he didn't seem to understand that time and it only confused him even more.

"Please, Leo, just this once," I whispered to him pleadingly. Seriously, if I was found out I would be killed everyday for the rest of my life.

Well ok, that doesn't really make sense but I'm sure you understand what I mean. But it wasn't the space he had that was making him fidget. It was then I realised that he must be starving hungry. I almost slapped myself, how could I forget the most basic pet rule? I had left my lunch and my bag in my locker, which I couldn't get to right now, so what could I do?

"Ok girls, let's move out," Chloe said, and I heard a rustle and then footsteps as they collected their things and walked out of the bathroom door. I breathed a sigh of relief and waited a few minutes before letting myself out of the cubicle and through the door. That had been too close.

When I got to my locker I gave Leo some ham from my sandwich to eat while I took some maths books and headed for my next lesson, leaving Leo in there.

You may have said there would be an awkward silence between me and Seth but then there always was with me. I came back from asking the maths teacher for a pencil, but was surprised because the seat next to me was empty. There was only a note on the desk with my name on it. I swiped it up before the teacher noticed it was there and read it himself.

I gazed at the letter for a long time long after the lesson had started. What if there was something in there that I didn't want to see, something that might make me let my emotions out so suddenly that I start to cry like in the forest. But by the end of the lesson I had made up my mind.

I had to open it. Whatever was inside, it was about me and it was important for me to find out about myself. So as soon as we we're dismissed I sprinted away to my locker and grabbed my things, then called Mum to say not to pick me up. I did that a lot, and now she just assumed I was going into the forests, and wasn't worried because I had always come back home before 9:00 in the evening. But today, for the first time ever I wanted to stay away from them, it felt not so much like home last time I ventured inside at break.

I found myself a bench outside the nearby playpark, and with trembling hands I opened the note. It said:

Dear Sen,

I don't know what came over you in the woods, or why you won't speak to me. To anyone. But I know things about you that you don't, and it would be a good decision to do as I say or you could start to get out of control.

I am worried about you, and what your life could turn into if you can't understand the two different types of things:

Plants and Animals.

Please come to meet me at the bridge near Foxholes Road at 4:00 and if you don't turn up I will assume that you need special help.

Thanks for reading this, and if you are not Sen, please could you give it to her a.s.a.p.

There was a reason I couldn't come to the rest of school today,

Seth

I dropped the note on the floor. I was right-he did know something about me. But he got one thing wrong, and that was that I knew about plants more than he did, and the difference between them and animals. I was inbetween, halfway between both. My looks were human, but my feelings were those of a plant.

But I didn't know which one kept pulling me to meet him at the bridge. I mean, why should I go off with someone I barely knew? What I had experienced so far in my life is that your feelings are usually right, so this time I decided to trust them. The thing is, as I stood up, something very unexpected happened.

"You did it, I know you did you selfish pig!" Chloe screamed behind me. I gasped, how long had she been there? "Speak up!" she sobbed. I put my hands up and shook my head, backing away. Two of her friends were standing behind her.

"Don't give us the silent treatment, you know what she means," the taller of the two yelled. Then the shorter girl gave me a killing glare.

"God, for once in your life, SPEAK!" she frowned at me. "Can't you see what this means to Chloe?" she rubbed Chloe shoulders. I suddenly decided that I should settle this, and although the poor girl had been mean to me in the past, she was obviously very upset about something. I blinked.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. And I'm sort of in a rush I need to get to the bridge by 4:00 and-" I began, but was interrupted.

"You know exactly what we're on about, and I think Chloe needs an apology," the shorter girl demanded. When I stood there blank, the taller girl huffed and opened her much-too-big mouth.

"Chloe thought she heard something in the bathroom today. And now we know who it was. Everybody knows that she has a crush on him and now you opened your mouth and told him. And he must not like her by your description and he ditched school. Now do you understand what we're on about?"

I waited a few seconds, stunned. I assumed they were talking about Seth, but he only came to school today, what THE HELL. I could see by my watch that it was 3:58, and that meant I had to go right now, or Seth might give me a psychiatrist or something. I had to settle this.

"You have half of that right, and half of that wrong. Yes, I was in the bathroom while you were in there as well, but I had no clue you liked Seth. And I don't speak to people very much, so why in the world would I have told him that?" I asked, turning my head slightly sideways. This time it was Chloe who shouted.

"Isn't it obvious? You want him for yourself!" she sniffed, then cried again, and trust me, it wasn't a very nice sound. I raised my eyebrows, my ordinary calm not-rushed self.

"I think you all know I never have had an interest in boys," I reply quietly. These kind of subjects always made me shy.

The next events shocked me. The three of them ganged up together and began to throw stuff at me, anything from litter to school books and pencils to bags and lunchboxes. I looked around in desperation for somewhere to go, but the only place I could think of was the woodland to my left. I looked at my watch.

3:59 p.m... I had to get out of here. The forest was my only option. I clumsily ducked under Chloe swinging arm, and charged into the trees. Once inside, the wind whipped past my face and I nearly closed my eyes, but forced them open. Though the forest was pulling me further inside, I had to focus on what I was trying to do. I searched my brain frantically, and then I had it. I had to do something that they couldn't. I scanned the greenery for the right tree, but there weren't any in sight. I caught sight of one with half the qualities of a good climbing tree. I could hear the gang hot on my heels as I skidded to a halt and hoisted myself up onto the first branch of the tree. This was a skill my father had taught me, and was the only thing I could think of that they couldn't do. I hugged the thick bark, and put my foot down on what I thought was a steady, firm ledge. But I was wrong, and I bit my tongue to swallow a scream. I was lucky that I wasn't that high up. Nevertheless, I twisted my hips in the air and landed on the ground with my feet.

"Oh so you've got some ninja moves, have you? Well that won't stop this," I heard a sniggering voice behind my back. I didn't have time to react as all three of them made a triangle and threw a net over my head. My instincts made me fall to the floor and cover my head with my hands.

"See how you like that ghost-girl!" Chloe laughed. I struggled and squirmed in the net for ages, but I just seemed to be getting myself even more tangled up. I finally curled up I no a ball and shook with fear. How long would I be here? Would somebody come to get me out? What if they didn't? A tear fell from my eye and onto a fallen leaf and I gasped as it turned from green to flaky brown. I rubbed my eyes-I must have made a mistake. But the leaf was still brown. And it didn't change again.

I had grabbed a very Sharp stone from the ground and started sawing. I guess being in the forest gave me more energy or something, either that or the rope was so weak that it could be cut with a plain stone in just over five minutes. I rolled out of the tangled mass of net and leaves. I rubbed my arms.

I looked at my watch. 4:07 p.m. There was still time to get to Seth. To prove to him that I'm not so stupid that I wouldn't turn up. I charged through the trees, past the bench, and down to Foxholes Road and to the bridge. I clambered up the steps and stood there breathless.

He wasn't there. I had missed him. I covered my eyes with my hands. This was all my fault, and now I would still have no clue what I was and what to avoid. I needed to meet him, and now he must think that I was even more stupid and careless. I looked at the ground, and started trudging back across the bridge.

"Hey, looking for me?" I heard a voice and spun around, my black hair flying over my shoulder. I froze.

It was Seth.