The adolescent walked through the trees for hours in silence. A few hours ago, she had finally found her friends, but she was better off alone. After spending the last week in the creepy forest, they thought she'd gone insane. This had done her worst then when her father got sent to prison for child abuse. Every moment since they had found her, she cried of all the mythical creatures she saw surrounding them. No one believed that she could see these creatures. Her friends found it impossible to get her to return to her dormitory from which she had been abducted from a week ago. After a day of dragging her across the terrain, Jake, one of her friends, finally cracked.
"Ara!" he cried. "There's nothing there! Either you've gone totally bonkers or this is just a stupid cry for attention!"
Slowly Ara's eyes started to water, her lips started to quiver and her arms started to shake. After staring angrily at him, she turned and faced the others."You don't believe me do you?" she cried indicating the other four: Mink, Charles, Grig and Damian. "Any of you! Please tell me you don't all think that! Please!"
No one answered, no one moved, no one did anything. After a long silence, she spun around and fled.
"Ara, wait! You'll get lost again!" cried Charles hopelessly
"Don't worry. She'll come back. No one would want to stay out here for another night," said Damian calmly
Not believing him, Charles ran to catch up with her, knowing full well that they'd both become lost. When Ara noticed him following her se didn't even slow down or think of where she'd end up next.
Eventually, she thought, he'll stop running, but he never did. To tell the truth, no one, not even Ara had ever seen him run before. Everytime they had tried to make him run he'd always say he couldn't or he'd make up lame excuses. As Ara was panting and rasping for breath, Charles continued running at the same strong pace
Suddenly, she stopped unable to move. Effortlessly, he caught up. Standing right behind her, he turned her around just as she burst into tears.
"Can you really see them too?" he asked in a soothing voice
"What?" she said bitterly, "You let them treat me like I was insane and you knew all along that I was being truthful?" When he nodded she screamed, "I hate you!"
"I'm sorry," he muttered unhappily. " I didn't want to lie, I just…"
"So you actually can see them? You're not just lying, again?" she asked even more bitterly. "How? Are you some kind of magician?"
"Well, you could say that!" he answered, his eyes full of mischief
She raised her eyes angrily and said:
"Spit it out. I'm not going to stand here all day!"
"Fine", he said, "I'm not sure I should tell you this, but…"
"What? Are you some kind of pixie that's been sent to help me through my life trials? If so you're not doing a very good job!" she said with sarcasm dripping of her tongue.
"Well actually, I am!" he grinned.
"What?" she screamed "Oh my gosh! Holy wow."
"Well I'm glad I can finally tell someone…"
"I bet you are! Why didn't you tell me?" she interrupted.
"Well that would be interesting: "Guess what, I'm a pixie" doesn't really fit into my average conversation. Does it fit into yours?" he said.
"Well, I guess you're right." she said feeling happier.
"We should get back now. They might worry more and I'm not staying here till dark!" he said
"No! You go, they don't care about me. They never have and never will," she said. "Why don't you want to stay? You belong here."
"I might but you don't," he said angrily
"I'm not going and you can't make me!" she said as stubbornly.
"Fine." he said his anger rising "But you have to promise to come back here tomorrow so I can find you."
When she didn't answer he grabbed her wrist aggressively and cried: "You have to promise ok? Please!" he looked so pitiful.
"Fine! Go back home now," said Ara as she turned to leave.
"Where will you go?" called Charles anxiously.
She turned around smiling and said, "Where I've been staying for the past week." With that she continued on her way, leaving Charles to wonder where exactly that was. Deep down Ara was wondering the exact same thing.
She wandered around for around about an hour. Suddenly she heard the familiar sound of water flowing down a stream. As she looked around she saw nothing but the trees in front of her. Following the noise she was soon facing a small yet beautiful waterfall, draining into a small pond. It looked so perfect, though somehow so wrong. The water draining from the waterfall was so clear and fresh but every time it met the pond, part of it turned into a dark eerie mist. The pond was a different. The edges of it were clear and fresh like the falls but as you got closer and closer to the centre, it turned an odd black. However it wasn't the water that was black, it was some sort of stone that gave off a dark glow. Slowly walking towards the falls, she heard an odd noise.
Listening as hard as she could, she realised that they were words playing over and over. Slowly she lowered her head closer and closer to the pool. As she began to understand what was being said, she wished she hadn't. A high-pitched voice cried out:
"We know you can hear us,
It is your fate.
If you listen to closely
You can't escape
Here's your last warning
Take one last breath,
We'll drag you underDown to your death.
Try as hard as you can
You won't be released
Nothing will save you
Till are voices are ceased."
As the last words rang out, four green arms shot out of the pool and grabbed her arms, dragging her into the visually shallow water. It wasn't shallow though. It was far from that. Since she was incapable of breathing, she stopped fighting; knowing full well that she'd die anyway. Finally she seemed to have been dragged into some kind of hole filled with oxygen. Not really caring about where she was, she swallowed breath after breath of air. Around her there were four dark stone walls with no door or anything. Shadows passed over the walls and the roof.
"Hello?" she cried feebly.
"Hello?" she cried louder.
"Oh listen to her! She sounds so pitiful!" snickered an annoying high-pitched voice
"I told you, I should know," said a deep male voice with a hint of annoyance.
"Who's there?" she cried, "Please come out!"
"Go!" urged the high voice "She might find a way out!"
A dark figure appeared in front of her. Even though it was very close nothing was visible.
"Hello Ara," said the male voice. "Welcome to the pool of the unforgiven, I hope you enjoy your stay."
"What? How do you know my name? Who are you?" asked Ara quietly
"Don't you remember me?" asked the figure. When she shook her head he continued "Luke, I mean Ara, I'm your father."
To be continued…