Chapter 1: The Woods

The wind kissed the trees, and leaves rustled in the night. The baying of wolves at the full moon echoed through the opaque darkness. Rays of moonlight illuminated the forest path before me, and mud and sticks crunched beneath my boots. The air was thick with atmospheric pressure, a storm was coming in soon.

I ran my fingers through my loose auburn curls, moving my long hair out of my face. Adjusting my backpack on my shoulder, I wiped some dirt off my torn jeans, and placed my hunting knife back in its sheath on my thigh. I leaned a hand against the trunk of a tree and stopped to catch my breath. I looked at my ragged fingernails, filled with dirt. Torn to the quick. I picked up my pace, trudging through the woods, frantically trying to remember the path home in the dark.

He had been following me. I desperately look behind me, listening to the branches cracking in the dark. I try to listen for the telltale footsteps pounding after me. Silence surrounded me.

The path was overgrown, but this was the way. I could feel it. The air grew colder, and the forest grew denser as I continued forward. The air buzzed with electricity. Rustles sounded from in the woods, sounding like whispers in the night. I felt a pull, something was dragging me forward, my feet trudged in front of the other, goosebumps raised on my arms. Whispers sounded like a caress in my ear.

Yes, this is the way.

Come to us.

It's been too long, Aedirhn.

I trembled and pulled out my knife, gripping the hilt until my knuckles were white. A forest wall stood before me, a dense line of trees. The air was so dark it was almost black, and the way forward was hazy and opaque. My breaths came in visible bursts before me. I reached my hand forward, the path sang to me, called me to it. Zaps tingled the end of my fingertips, and the air began to shimmer before me, fog became visible. Through the fog, looking forward, I caught what appeared to reflect a large valley, with tall twisting trees.

Footsteps pounded behind me. I gasped and yanked my hand back. I gripped my knife and spun, sinking into a fighting stance. Taking deep breaths to calm my shaking nerves. A tall figure crashed from out of the trees.

"Wren?" The voice calls from the shadows. I drop my knife and run forward.

"Mom?" I gasp and crash into her, wrapping my arms around her. She puts a long knife into a sheath at her waist and wipes her hands on her coat. She pats me down and pulls back to look at me.

"Wren, what are you doing here? I told you not to come here!" She cried, clutching at my arms. Sighing at her dramatics, I pulled away and paced.

"Someone was following me home! I ran into the woods to detour, and I lost my way." I rambled, placing my knife back in the sheath and looking around for a sign of anyone following her. Her ice blue eyes widened, and she looked around us. She grabbed my hand and began dragging me through the woods to the West, away from the forest wall.

"So, you were going to knife them? It's not safe out here for a girl, especially at night." She tugged at her dark brown braid nervously and continued marching.

"I can take care of myself, usually. Why are you out here?" I questioned her. She turned around quickly as if to retort, then stopped herself.

"You didn't come home, so I got worried and thought I would check the woods. Call it mother's intuition." She stated but looked away from me. I raised a brow, an odd place to look for me, but I felt better having someone else here.

"You know, some girls might complain at having their mother roaming the woods for them when they're slightly past curfew at twenty-four, but I'm going to choose to see it as a sign of your undying love." I quipped and smiled.

"You're not twenty-four until tomorrow." She snorted. As if that made all the difference. I breathed in a sigh of relief when I saw our cabin in the distance. Living up on this remote mountain had its perks and its drawbacks. Mom preferred being in nature, close to the animals and the plants, she also liked the privacy. She had always been paranoid when it came to us having privacy. My father had passed when I was an infant, so it is just her and I up here. Sometimes Alan, my mother's friend, stopped by to bring essentials. At least Mom let me go to college, which I had just graduated, an hour away.

As we approached the cabin, Mom halted and turned to face me. She put her hand on my shoulder.

"Wren listen to me. It's important that you don't go to that place on your own. It's not safe." She looked serious. I understood why she didn't want me roaming the woods at night, but I didn't understand why that place was off limits. Nonetheless, I nodded to appease her. She sighed in relief and we walked into the cabin.

It was a small home, but it was comfortable. We had a main room with a couch, and a TV, a moderately sized kitchen, and two small bedrooms upstairs. The furniture was modest, but various paintings hung on the walls to brighten up the space. We had no photos; my mother had always been paranoid about me having my photo taken. Another of her quirks. My mom did cave to some modern amenities, however, and I had a silver Nissan Altima parked outside, so we could drive into town roughly half an hour away, and so I could get to school. I also had a cell phone so she could always contact me.

I turned to head up the stairs to my room for the night, when I heard her call behind me.

"Hey Wren?" She called. I stopped on the stairs and turned my head.

"Yeah?" I prompted. She twisted her hands in front of her, then pointed at the clock on the mantle. 12:00 A.M.

"Happy Birthday. Do you want a glass of wine?" She soothed. I smiled at her and nodded, turning to come back down the stairs. It had been a long night, being chased. I could use a stress reliever. She smiled and went to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. She poured two generous glasses and handed me one. I lifted my glass and swirled the contents, breathing in the rich aroma of spice and grape.

"What should we toast to?" I asked her. She smiled, but I thought I caught a glimmer of sorrow behind her eyes.

"To you – the woman you've become, and the woman you will be. And to how I will always be your mother." Her eyes teared up a little at the end, and I smiled and grabbed her hand. I clinked my glass to hers gently.

"Cheers. Love you, Mama." I kissed her cheek and took a deep sip of the wine. It was sickly sweet. Sweeter than I had tasted before, and I thought I tasted a hint of cloves. She watched me take a sip before she took a small sip of her own and put the glass down. My head immediately buzzed, it rushed to me. My head spun for a moment, and I rested my palm on the table to steady myself. This was strong stuff. I took another generous gulp.

"Pace yourself, dear. I know it's your birthday and all..." She trailed off, her strict mother mode back on. She turned her head to the side, and I swear on the back of her neck I saw a red smear, I leaned forward to touch it, she flinched away from me.

"What are you doing?" She cried. Covering her neck. She wiped at the skin and put her fingers in front of her face. Her face paled, then she wiped her hands on her coat. "Must have gotten some dirt on me." She stuttered. I sat back, my head rushing too much to pry any further. It's dirt. Or lipstick, or something.

Taking another sip of wine, I thought back to earlier in the evening. The footsteps that thudded behind me. The glimpse of a tall man in a long coat I saw following me down the alleys in town. Running through the woods as he picked up the pace behind me, hoping to lose him in the forest.

"There was a man following me tonight, Mama." I said, looking her in the eyes. Her eyes glinted and she gripped the edge of the counter between us.

"I bet it was some creep from the city, following a young girl!" She scoffed. "You were good to lose him, I'm glad you're safe. I bet you won't see him again, but you should be more careful from now on." She finished. I sighed, I didn't know how I could be more careful than I already was, but I understood that she worries. She took a big gulp of her wine. I laughed softly, that was unlike her. I could see her hands shaking. I must have really scared her tonight.

"Let's get some rest, Mom. Tomorrow's a big day!" I smiled and drank the last of my glass. She smiled and finished hers in turn.

"Yes, dear. There are some things we need to discuss tomorrow." She said ominously. I rolled my eyes at her dramatics and made my way up the stairs. As I passed the landing, I saw an open letter resting on the end table. I picked it up.

It was addressed to Helen M. Ryder.