The Forest Guardians Chapter 3

Cassie and Rachel woke the next day and began to walk into town. Rachel was looking for a job and Cassie was being enrolled in a nearby school. As Cassie and Rachel walked around the small area, Cassie had the feeling that they were being watched. But every time she looked around, there was no one there.

"That's funny…I could have sworn that someone was there." Cassie thought. As she walked even more, she felt someone walking behind both she and Rachel. It was as if she could feel it! She then turned around and saw a tall man that was a few yards away. But there was something even more creepy about this man! He was tall and had eyes that almost seemed to shine red in the sunlight. He looked at her and his eyes narrowed; it was as if he was trying to see if he knew her.

"Rachel! We're being watched!" Cassie said as she pulled on Rachel's arm. Rachel turned around and saw the man watching them. Frightened by what she saw, Rachel walked over to a nearby officer and told him about the strange man. But the officer patted them both on the head and chuckled.

"Why are you feeling frightened? There is no one there." The officer chuckled. Both girls turned around and saw the man still standing there and kept pointing to him, making the officer laugh. Then it dawned on them: he couldn't see the man at all!

"I'm scared, Rachel…," Cassie whimpered. "He's a ghost!"

"He can't be! We can't even see through him; something weird is going on!" Rachel said as she grabbed Cassie's arm and they took off for John's house. John saw them coming and ran out to greet them!

"Calm down, you two; tell me what's going on!"

"John. A strange man was following Cassie and I today. He looked even more intimidating than the being we saw the other night. He had eyes that almost looked red in the sun." Rachel panted. John got them a cup of water and frowned.

"Ladies…I assure you that it wasn't a forest guardian. They would not purposefully try to frighten you unless they thought you were an enemy." John said quietly.

"How do you know that?!"

"And how do you know you that much about them?!" Cassie added.

"Whoa, slow down there you two. I will answer all your questions soon. But in the meantime, just remain calm and enjoy your new home. I'm sure whoever the person was was just a homeless man." John chuckled. The girls didn't look reassured so John walked them back home and told them funny stories to get their mind off of their fears. As they walked, Cassie felt a cool breeze tickle her ears once more. The same breeze that tickled her before! She began to giggle which caused John and Rachel to look at her. John smiled and pulled Cassie in a warm hug. John honestly felt like a father figure to them. He was older than them, but a young type of old if that makes any sense. And for an older gentleman, he was tall and strong; almost as if he had a strength that normal people don't typically have.

"It appears someone else doesn't want you to feel afraid either," John whispered in Cassie's ear as he gently held her in a hug. After feeling her trembling slowly stop, John let her go and he walked the girls up to their house. As they turned around to thank John, he was gone. It was as if he was never there.

"Rachel," Cassie whimpered as she hugged her friend tightly.

"Shhhh….don't be afraid, Cassie. We'll be ok." Rachel said, her voice slightly shaking in fear. At that moment, they felt a large wind whip by them and both girls turned and saw the same man with blue eyes looking at them from a distance. Only he had another man with him and this man was the same height and had beautiful green eyes. As the being with the blue eyes walked forward, the green-eyed one slipped into the darkness.

"Why is everyone trying to scare us!?" Cassie squeaked out in a frightened voice and buried her face in Rachel's chest. Rachel hugged and shushed her and tried to comfort her, but then they turned and saw the being coming towards them. The girls screamed in terror and tried to run in the house, but the door was closed shut! Rachel knew it was unlocked a moment ago! They turned in horror and saw the being coming closer and closer and they decided to run! But then they felt something holding them in place, keeping them from moving or running anywhere!

"RACHEL!" Cassie cried out.

"CASSIE!" Rachel screamed. Both of them closed their eyes and expected something awful to happen. They turned away from the being and began to shake. At that moment, they both felt a gentle hand on their faces, making their eyes shoot open! The being's blue eyes looked concerned as he peered into their eyes and gently touched their faces. It was almost as if he knew what happened to them earlier that day.

"What are you going to do to us?!" Rachel yelped.

"What is going on?!" Cassie said, trying not to scream. The being cocked a curious brow and then they felt that they could move again!

"Do not be afraid…," a voice said. Both girls looked around wildly.

"WHO SAID THAT?!" Rachel screamed, knowing she and Cassie were the only ones who had been talking the entire night.

"I did…," the voice responded. Both girls slowly turned and saw the being did not move his lips but his eyes were fixed on them. That's when their eyes widened in shock: he was speaking to them telepathically.

"My name is Chromastone." The being responded. He then transformed into a large, crystal-like alien with one large green eye. His purple crystals glowed in the moonlight and he walked closer to the two scared orphans. He extended a clawed hand near to them brushed their hair from their faces. Both girls looked up at him, with faces white with horror and shock. After one moment, both fainted. He was quick to catch them before they hit the ground. He studied their faces and gently rubbed his hand over their heads as a glowing light then encased all three of them.

The next morning…

The girls woke up and saw that nothing had changed. Both were safely in their beds and it looked as if nothing had happened.

"Rachel…did we meet an alien last night?" Cassie asked, feeling a bit unsure because it felt like a dream. Rachel noticed that nothing looked out of place and nothing appeared unusual.

"I don't know, Cassie…I don't know." Rachel said thoughtfully.

guestsurprise's words: What do you think will happen?

To guestsurprise: Wow! Just amazing! Also, I still think there's something different about John. Maybe he's a Guardian too. And that red-eyed guy sounds very similar to Albedo. *shudders* That guy freaks me out too. And the cool breeze makes me think of Big Chill. I wonder why one of the Guardians would reveal who he really is to the girls though. What an intriguing mystery. :)

To everyone else: please leave guestsurprise a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418