Chapter 7

 

As soon as I entered the clearing, I could hear the sound of the well water trickling down the brick formation. The sound was soothing, and I soon found myself resting on the edge of the well, longing to stick my hand in and feel the cool water. I leaned in close and went to skim my fingers over the surface.

“Don’t touch the water!” I screamed, startled by the sudden outburst.

“It’s okay! It’s just me.” Liam came out from behind the willow tree and stood before me, eyes wide with an emotion I couldn’t comprehend.

“What on earth? Liam!” I shrieked. “What are you doing? You scared the life out of me!” I stood up in anger, but was also bewildered that it was Liam and not some maniac stalking about in the woods.

“I told you that I often come here, and by often, I mean it.” He half smirked at me, and my eyes lingered on his beautiful face before I spoke.

“It’s 3 am, Liam. Why are you here?” I asked airily.

“To protect you. I’m sure that you didn’t have a sudden impulse to visit the clearing at 3 am without an excuse.” He stared me directly in the eyes, and at once I knew what he was talking about. I fingered the horse figure in my pocket, and gasped as he nodded.

“Liam, I don’t understand…”

“It’s okay. I have to find a way of explaining this mess, without anyone or anything knowing.” He grimaced for an unknown reason, from what I could see.

Liam looked around the clearing, slowly scrutinizing every tree surrounding us, or so it seemed.

“I can’t tell you now though, not tonight. I think you should go home, get some sleep, and I promise you I’ll be here tomorrow. And why don’t you leave the horse with me?”

“No way. It’s special to me. And why won’t you tell me now?” I questioned, as I was keenly interested about what he wanted to tell me. Liam sighed.

“You’re too tired. You must get home.” He was staring at me in an odd way, and before I knew it, I began to feel drowsy. Without my consent, Liam picked me up in his arms and started carrying me towards the exit of the clearing.

“No, put me down. I’m not ready to leave yet.” I stifled a yawn as Liam chuckled.

“I told you, I will be here tomorrow. I’m just going to make sure that you get home safely.” He walked steadily and swiftly along the path that led to my house.

“How do you know where I live?” I asked sleepily. “And how come I feel so tired? What did you do?”

“It will all be answered later. We are almost there, now hush.”

About a minute later, I was at my front door. Liam set me down gently and opened the door quietly for me.

“Have a good night. See you tomorrow.” He helped me inside by giving me a little shove, as I was so dazed that I forgot how to use my legs. He shut the door behind me, and that was the last I heard of him as I slowly laid down on the hallway floor and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

 

“Audrey!” My mother shrieked, waking me from an amazing dream. Liam’s taunt arms were around me, holding me as he carried me through the forest. I could almost smell the night air. Then I was jolted back into reality, as my mother’s voice shot through the barrier of sleep.

“Audrey, why are you sleeping in the hallway?” She asked, sounding annoyed and highly suspicious. I slowly stood up, awkwardly as I was still waking up.

“I’m not sure.” I answered groggily.

“Well I nearly killed myself coming down the stairs, only to trip over you at the bottom of them. Come on, I’m about to make breakfast. You can help.” I sleepily followed her into the kitchen. After grabbing a bowl of cereal, I sat down at the table to eat.

“What are you wearing? Do you not wear pajamas to bed?” My mother asked as she joined me at the table with her food.

“I was too tired to do anything. The last thing I remember was falling into bed with my clothes on, and then I woke up downstairs.” I lied.

“How strange. Try not to make that a habit… It doesn’t seem healthy.” I sighed as I finished off my breakfast.

“Why don’t you and dad sell my car? I don’t think I’ll need it at the moment. Besides, I don’t even have my license, and you and dad could really use the money right now.” My mom was silent. She then nodded in agreement.

“Your dad and I will discuss it. Thank you for trying to help.”

“It’s okay. Hey, I’m going to go wash up, and then I might go for a walk. Is that okay?” I looked at my mom hopefully, suddenly remembering that I had something I wanted to do. She looked at me strangely, but then nodded her head.

“That’s fine… Just don’t be out long like you were the other day. I might need some help unpacking.”

“Thanks mom.” I kissed her on the cheek, then grabbed my dishes and placed them in the sink. I bounded up the stairs and washed my face, got changed, and then pulled a brush through my hair until it looked satisfying. I then went downstairs and flew out the door, half running to the forest. I dodged overhanging branches and skipped over tree roots and rocks as I practically ran down the path towards the fork in the woods. As soon as I got there, I searched for the pebble arrow that I had seen last night, and found it almost immediately. I was here, and my heart beat wildly as I thought about my newfound infatuation for Liam. I walked warily towards the part of the forest that was my secret. The hidden part, that made me feel like I was someone. That had a way of making my troubles disappear. Or maybe that was just him. The sound of his voice echoed in my head, his penetrating gaze mesmerizing me as I imagined him in front of me. I clambered ungracefully through the woods, trying to soothe my uneasiness as I contemplated whether he would be there waiting for me like he promised. Perhaps I dreamt it. The defining moment was now, as I entered the bright clearing to reveal the truth.

 

I pushed aside the long, flowing willow branches and squinted in the bright sunlight. Even though the forest was thick with trees, the sun always had a way of shining through in this one particular area. I stepped around the well and sat carefully on the edge. I felt so anxious as I glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of his beautiful figure. As my eyes fell on a small chipmunk climbing the trunk of the willow tree, I found myself thinking how the thing I hated most brought me to the place I was beginning to love. If it weren’t for my father getting us to move here, I never would have found this place. This remote area of the forest seemed so magical. I was curious to why there would be a well in the middle of a forest, but perhaps there was an old settlement here one time, before this enormous forest blossomed. This place held so much history, unanswered questions, and mystery. I found myself puzzling over these facts when I heard a delighted chuckle.

“There is more mystery here than you could ever imagine,” He whispered lightly into my ear. I turned my head slowly and found myself looking into the most honest, green eyes that I had ever seen. I sharply drew in my breath, as I realized he was finally here, just like he promised.

“What do you mean?” I asked, both startled and amazed at the apparent fact that he must’ve read my mind. “How did you know what I was thinking?” He laughed ruefully.

“It would be more practical for you to have a list of questions for me. Why don’t you add that one to the top of the list? There is so much more to me than reading minds.” He looked at me to see my reaction. He walked around me and went to place a hand on the trunk of the willow tree.

Keeping my face composed, I stood up and walked towards him, genuinely curious, and not the slightest bit afraid at the new piece of information that I had acquired.

“I don’t think I’ll forget my question, and hopefully I won’t be needing a list.” He looked down at me and I smiled. I couldn’t help but look into his dazzling eyes, and in doing so, I felt like I could believe anything.

“Well, a list would be helpful. You aren’t exactly feeling like yourself right now.” He averted his eyes and it felt like a cloud had been lifted from my head. I looked down at the ground, my thoughts muddled.

“You see, there is much more to me than meets the eye.” He looked at me solemnly, and I nodded.

“Of course there is. You can’t exactly tell a book by its cover…” I looked at him with an optimistic expression. “What do you mean by that, ‘I’m not feeling like myself’?” He took my hand and led me back to sit on the edge of the well. I was startled by the sudden touch of his warm skin on mine, and I could feel myself blushing. I sat down obediently, while prodding for an answer from him with my eyes. He looked at me carefully.

“Like I said, there is more to me than what you see, or what you think. You aren’t yourself right now because…Well, I don’t want to freak you out.”

“Just say it,” I encouraged, slightly taken aback by his hesitation.

“Look, I know we hardly know each other. But, haven’t you noticed anything…unusual? Have you ever wondered why I always seem to be here when you are, or how I can read your mind, or even how I knew where you lived last night?” I nodded slowly, things suddenly beginning to fall into place.

“I’m not…like you, Audrey. I’m not like anyone that you know. This forest knows me better than anyone ever could. I’m not sure if I should burden you with this knowledge of who I really am.” He looked down at his hands in his lap, and stayed silent for many minutes, contemplating whether or not to continue speaking. My voice surprised me as I suddenly spoke up.

“Liam, you promised you were going to tell me. It won’t be a burden, and you’ve got me so curious, I would never be able to leave without knowing what you’re talking about. That would be more of a burden, I should say.” He smiled a small smile.

“May I?” He asked, holding out his hand for mine.

I hesitated, and then looked up at his face. I slowly placed my hand in his, and instantly I felt weary. Even though my body felt numb, my senses were heightened, and I could hear everything, as if the forest was more than just the trees and plants that I saw. And the smells, they were amazing scents. I could smell the fresh smell of the green grass, the wooden smell of the tree trunks, and the lovely scents from the flowers all around me. The strongest smell was that of the musty water in the well. It overtook every other scent and the noise of the water seemed to be pounding in my head.

“What’s happening?” I asked, but it was as if I had never spoken. I couldn’t hear myself, the noise of the forest was just too loud. But, even though the sensation I felt was strange, I didn’t feel panicked or upset at all. I was surprisingly calm. For some reason, my natural instincts just wouldn’t kick in.

Everything went black, and every noise that could possibly be heard in the forest was magnified until my ears were screaming with sound. And then I saw him, from a bird’s eye view, sitting against the willow tree and three other people were with him. I assumed it was his family. His little sister was playing with the water in the well, and his mother and father were sitting on the well supporting the girl, preventing her from falling in. Liam was sitting by the tree, sketchbook in hand, watching with a contented grin on his face. I studied him, and he looked much different, almost boyish. His hair was messily splayed across his forehead, not in the neat array that I was used to seeing. His face was brighter, and his skin wasn’t so pale. Another thing that I noticed was that he was gangly looking, and less muscular than usual.

All of a sudden, I heard screams, so bloodcurdling that I wasn’t sure if it came from the little girl, or else from something that was not visible to me. I watched as the girl fell into the well, thrashing about, but sinking, slowly sinking. The parents fumbled with the girl, trying to pull her out, but somehow they themselves fell in one after the other, screaming in terror. Liam’s screams could scarcely be heard over theirs. He looked quite absurd. He seemed to be trying to stand up, but he just couldn’t find his senses. He was yelling, calling for his family, but it was too late. After much thrashing about, they were gone. Liam suddenly fell flat on the ground. He quickly found his footing and ran to the well. He jumped into the well and went under the water for what seemed like hours. I felt panicked, as I wasn’t sure if he had drowned too. He suddenly came up, gasping for air, tormented by the fact that he couldn’t find the bodies of his family at all. He dove again, numerous times, but each time he was unsuccessful. I wanted to cry, to help him, or to just do anything rather than just watch helplessly from above.

Suddenly, as if in a trance, he climbed up out of the well, soaked to the bone, and he walked off into the forest without a backwards glance. The last thing I noticed before seeing blackness was his sketchbook lying open on the ground where it was tossed. On the page was his family sitting by the well, and the picture seemed to slowly fade until it was nothing more than a blank page.

            With that, I came out of my trance and collapsed onto the forest floor.

Reviews

[Samantha Guerin]

oooo, intense!