ENTRY 5
INTO THE WOODS

The woods were ancient and smelled of long-forgotten things.

Yarrow, yew, lady's mantel, rue, rowan, sweet chestnut… Scents the world had all but forgotten, lost to the metallic tang that hung as the perfume of progress.

The woods remembered these ancient things, and it held them close, guarding them from oblivion.

No one ventured into the heart of the woods, no one even thought of trying. It was an abandoned place; unpredictable, unreliable… wild.

Even gazing upon the dark depths that lurked beneath the dense, defiant canopy was said to make people go mad. They saw things in the shadows, faces looking back, teeth glowing in the dark.

At night, those standing too close to the treeline reported whispers, beckoning them into the shadows, voices of loved ones lost, calling out beyond the grave. Many souls had succumbed to the madness of the woods, taken into its depths never to be seen again.

Eventually, it was decided that a wall would be erected around the perimeter of trees, a safeguard to protect the people from the wild world.

It was safer, they said, and after all, why risk the discomfort of the wild, when the modern world was built for comfort and ease? What more could we all need?

…

Edward had never seen a tree, not up close, anyway. He knew what they looked like—sort of—because he could see the tree tops from the window of his afternoon class. He often stared out that window, his mind wandering to the world beyond the wall. He knew it was dangerous, but he was young and reckless, and his heart burned for adventure.

…

It happened on the evening of the solstice. Bella was busy tending to her daily chores when she saw the boy across the street head out of his home with a rucksack and camping gear on his back. Bella watched him face the section of the wall at the end of their lane, saw the determination on his face, and she knew.

He was going out there.

She dropped everything as she sprinted from the house.

"Edward!" she shouted. "Stop, don't do it!"

Edward turned toward her, his bright eyes glittering in the twilight.

"I have to, Bella," he said. "I have to know."

Bella reached him, her hand wrapping around his thin wrist. "Please, you know it's not allowed. You won't make it back!"

Edward shook his head. "I will, I'm prepared," he promised her. "I'm going to be the first one to come back."

Her fear collided with her fierce desire to protect those she loved. If Edward would not back down, there was only one thing for it.

"I'm coming with you," she said, her voice low and tight.

"What?" Edward croaked. "No, Bella, it's not safe."

She cut him off with a shake of her head and a tug toward her house. "I know that, dummy. That's why you need someone with you. Come on, help me pack. We're going into the woods."

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