2 This isn’t home

My breathing was fast and so was my heart. I could feel it pound against my chest. I was waiting for the pain to come. For death to greet me. I didn't want to die but there was no way to escape it. I was doomed.

But as I raised my arms and closed my eyes nothing came.

There was silence. The wind blew as if to comment on the silence. I slowly opened my eyes only to see a wall of what looked like a plant in front of me.

Not to sound dumb but this wasn't here earlier.

I hope I'm not seeing things. Or maybe I'm dead and I'm replaying what I wished happened.

I heard the man curse under his breath and realized this was all real. This was what happened. A plant wall literally appeared before me and, I'm assuming, stopped the arrow from hitting me.

Did I do that?

There's no way. Whatever this was, I don't want to call it magic, can't exist. This has to be a dream.

Suddenly my legs ran off to the opposite side of where I was and was met with a cliff over looking a large fairytale like land. Forests and villages were everywhere and path strung out across the land usually next to river as if they guided them. And off in the distance was a big castle exactly like from stories I read as a kid. It was a beautiful sight but at the same time shocking and unsettling. I really wasn't home and I didn't know what to do.

I completely forgot about the man from earlier due to the shock and was suddenly pulled over to the side away from the cliff. I looked over to see that it was him yanking me over as if angry with what just happened. I mean, I could see why he was angry. He was trying to kill me.

And yet here I was. Standing. Breathing. Alive.

But how?

I was being dragged into the forest clearly being lead somewhere. The deeper we go into the forest The more I realize why it was called the dark forest. And that feeling I got earlier as if something was making it alive felt stronger and darker. It made my skin crawl but I couldn't do anything about it. I was still shocked about what happened earlier. And I was also being dragged somewhere.

Soon we made it to what seemed like his hideout. It was a small little house that seemed to slouch as if it was tired itself. It must have been here for hundreds of years.

He pulled me inside and threw me onto a chair. I let out a little yelp from the pain and was about to get up when he started tying me down. The rope was scratchy and tight and it hurt to move. I guess that means it was serving it's purpose.

"What are you-"

"I ask the questions here," he said as he cut me off. He put his bow and quiver down off to the side and pulled out a small dagger from his boot. He held it close to my throat.

"Who are you?"

I gulped and felt the cold steel of the knife as I did.

"I told you. My name is Isabelle."

"That's not what I'm asking."

I looked at him confused. I know I couldn't be that dumb. But like, what was he asking?

He grit his teeth and closed his eyes. He pressed the knife closer to my neck and let out a frustrated sigh.

"What class are you? Species."

That seemed like a dumb question.

"I'm human. Isn't everyone?"

He took a step back and laughed a little, the sound amplifying the fear in me.

"You really have no clue about anything do you? Let me ask you this again, how did you get in my forest?"

"And I told you, I don't know."

Now I was getting frustrated. He was laughing at me. Mocking me really.

"Don't tell me you just woke up here. It's almost impossible to get through the dark forest and into a clean clearing like that."

"Actually, that's what happened," I said lookin go off to the side. "I woke up here."

He looked at me with shock. Obviously he was making a joke and here I was telling him it was the truth. Like he would believe me though.

Then out of nowhere he moved and walked into another room. He come back with a couple books in hand. He flipped through the pages and cursed under his breath. He clearly wasn't happy.

He took a long look at me and his eyes widened. He quickly grabbed his knife which was set down on the table next to me and came at me. Like before when he tried shooting me, I closed my eyes and tried to move away.

Nothing came. No pain no nothing.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a vine from out of nowhere holding his arm back. He was really fighting it.

"Ok ok I get it. I know who you are. Can you please get rid of the vines?"

I looked at him, yet again, confused. He rolled his eyes.

"These plants are your doing. Calm down and release me. I won't hurt you."

A little reluctantly, I loosened up and so did the vines. He put his knife away and I looked at him. He seemed to have read my mind and set the knife on the table next to me. I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding and the vines dropped down as if dead.

He grabbed a chair and sat down in front of me rubbing the back of his neck exhausted. I was still tied up on the other hand.

"So you're finally here," he started locking eyes with me. Then a disgusting smirk grew on his face making my skin crawl. "Took you long enough."