10 Chapter 9
Derora loomed over my bed the next morning.
"I would be going now," she stated. There was a red backpack slung over her shoulder, it complimented the red scar on her cheek. In shock I realized it was MY red backpack. I was too tired to say anything, or stop Derora from stealing my backpack. My heart sunk a little. I was going to miss her, even though she annoyed the hell out of me.
"Are you going back home?" I asked. She nodded. I watched her walk away from inside. It was a bright summer day again, and it seemed like it didn't just snow the day before.
Soon I got dressed and tried combing the brown bird nest of hair on top of my head. I wondered what David must've thought about this monstrosity. "NO" I wanted to hit myself over the head with my brush. I refused to think that I might find David attractive. To forget about my confusing thoughts I went to eat a breakfast of froot loops in the kitchen. My Dad joined me for breakfast. He complained about 'rats' making noise down in the basement. I gave a snort and wondered what on earth Derora was busy doing down there.
"What are you doing today?" I asked him.
He played with the spoon in his coffee mug. "I have a day off," he said looking sheepishly at me, "Are you venturing off again today?"
I knew he wanted me to take his hint, he wanted to do something with me today. I didn't want to play pretend. My dad didn't even really know what happened in my life anymore. If he couldn't notice a person living in our basement, how can he notice anything about me, and what I wanted.
"Yeah, I'm quite busy," I said coldly.
My dad looked disappointed, but he didn't push it any further.
"What are you so busy with then?" he asked.
I didn't answer, not because I wanted to be rude, but because I didn't know what to answer. "Busy chasing mythical creatures down rabbit holes that I probably dug myself." I wanted to say. Instead I stuffed my mouth with spoonfuls of cereal.
"Being mysterious I see, just be safe," he said.
I couldn't promise to stay safe, not if there might be human eating squirrels lurking in the forest. That is if the book is telling the truth, and I am not going utterly mad. I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek and waltzed back to the forest.
***
I sat, and sat, on the same spot where me and David bumped into each other, for almost an hour. Nothing appeared. I was starting to think that it might have been a dream, because it didn't look like someone walked on the spot before. The ground looked untouched. My thoughts lingered towards the tree house that I saw the first time. If I could find it, I might transform it into a place I could go it I wanted to escape reality. I knew it would come in handy when my mom returned. I didn't want to hear the screaming of my parents every night.
After a short walk around the curling and twisting bush branches, I found the tree house again. It still gave me a chill down my spine. I remembered the rock whooshing past my ear, and wanted to turn back. Looking up, I saw that the tiny door was hanging on it's hinges. The circular windows looked dusty against the mossy wood. Hesitantly I climbed up the flimsy ladder to the top. The tiny deck smelled of mold and made me want to gag. This place definitely needed a clean up. I was afraid the door might fall off when I pulled it open. The inside was messy. There were clothes and packets of food littered around a dishevelled bed. I heard something move behind me, and the door shut with a loud noise.
My throat got dry instantly, and my eyes searched the mess for anything I could use as a weapon. I decided to jump out of the bigger window at the back of the tree house if anything were to happen. Warm breath tickled my neck hairs. I could feel the breathing person inches behind me. They didn't move, and I decided to make the first move. I was too scared to turn around. While moving my head a little, red hair swept across my face like a fox tail. Punching the person behind me in the stomach, I turned around at the same time.
Derora groaned and fell against the wall while clutching her stomach. I saw that she dropped a knife next to her. My stomach churned when I saw the grave look displayed on her face.
"You found me. H... how?" she asked.
My breath became more ragged the longer I stared at the knife.
"Where you planning on killing me?!" The hands around my lungs started balling into fists again.
"Maybe, but I couldn't. I just couldn't do it after your kindness."
I started wheezing more loudly. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and run away from this psychopath, but my legs collapsed under me. I sat on the floor staring at her, wondering how I let a stranger into my house, that now wanted to kill me.
"Why? What do you mean by me founding you?" I asked. I was on the verge of starting to cry, but I blinked the tears away.
"It's not your fault. I was stupid to go live with you. I forgot that there are eyes everywhere and that someone would find me. You did."
I was more confused than scared at this point. "Eyes everywhere?"
"I am so stupid! Why am I even telling you these things. Just please don't tell anybody where I am or that you ever saw me. Please?" Derora's shoulders slumped, and started shaking. She hit her head with her palm a few times. To my surprise Derora was the one who started crying. Her shoulders shook with every sob.
I knew Derora just thought about killing me, but somehow I felt sorry for her. She seemed to be in allot of trouble by her parents if she didn't want to be seen that bad.
"I won't tell anyone that I saw you, Just don't EVER talk to me again you sicko!" I yelled, and climbed down the ladder.
With numb limbs I ran home.
I wondered who these "eyes" were that Derora talked about, the whole time I sat at home. I began to think that she wasn't only in trouble with her parents, but maybe allot of other people too.
