Chapter Eleven: Greetings From The Woods.

After resting much longer than we should, Estelle and I continue on our way to the portal in silence. We listen to the peacefulness of the night, and I know it is something rare to experience in life. The both of us are so drained that we don't talk or pay much attention to each other. My only focus right now is to get where we need to go as promptly as imaginable, though walking through fallen tree branches, leaves, bushes, and through uneven ground is difficult when it is practically pitch black out.

Sitting in isolation had made me pay attention to the things that others my not notice, such as sounds, or observing the outside world from a barred window. Staring out the window and watching the sky turn black and the moon moving through the sky. Using it as a clock, as well as the sun was something I recall doing before I got too curious about myself and became hopeless.

Now all of that time sitting and being aware of the sky has helped me in the long run, even though most of the time all I could see was a forest. On the very bright nights when the moon was full and the stars glittered I'd watch them through the trees, and spend the whole night wondering what was up there.

We have been travelling for so long that my feet are aching, my chest is hard, and my mind longs for a big rest. Looking up at the sky on my travels has helped me determine the time of night. The moon is creeping towards the skyline faster and faster, telling me that I've been out here for hours.

Sunrise will come in the next two hours or so, which means we've got to be on track to our destination. We will arrive in the dark, but that doesn't guarantee the Hunters won't be waiting to capture us once more. The only thing we can depend on is my excellent hearing and the spirit that we haven't seen since we first got out here.

Suddenly we come across a hill and my mind goes into a whirl. This area feels more than awfully familiar and a shiver goes up my spine, "I think we are almost here."

Before Estelle can even part her lips I catch a glare of a sparkly purple mist at the top of the hill. The apparition glows down on us, as if it's a physical person standing there waiting for us to reach the top. The spirit is just as breathtaking to me as before, maybe even more so now that I know it has only intentions of aiding its followers. The longer I stare the more its vibrant purple dust rubs off on me, making me loose the tension throughout my body.

I can't help but allow the spirit's essence to take over me because its feeling is so enticing. It's as if I was floating with it, through the night air leading me to safety. The creature gives off pure power, like nothing could stop it from doing its sworn duty. All of these sensations happen simultaneously and I almost can feel some newly emerged energy rushing through my body. I'm no longer drained as joy emerges, and I know I can get to the portal in minutes.

Once I get close enough the spirit is so bright it illuminates the forest around us, giving everything a purpled hue. If I could reach my hand up I'd be able to touch the creature, but a second passes and it's gone ahead so quickly as if it was blown by a gust of wind. I follow, almost running now that I'm no longer afraid of tripping.

I get at the top of the hill and know when the spirit stops it is time for us to part ways. Yards ahead it stays sparkling above a platform, the one I know will take me to the portal and to safety. It glitters down into the platform and before the purple hue has fully faded away I notice a figure moving behind the platform. I try to stop moving but my body can't let me until it is too late and I'm standing before the platform hearing the person switch directions in the now pitch darkness.

I'm unable to see them and so right away I begin backing up, bumping into Estelle who I forgot came with me. She whispers, "I think someone's here."

"Who's there?" A voice calls from somewhere ahead of us. At first the sound of her is frightening, causing me to panic and push myself away from Estelle. "Hello?" The familiar voice rings throughout the forest more clear and I instantly sigh of relief and run forward in excitement, "Jane?! You're okay!"

"Ellie!" Jane is the last person I would expect to run into again, in the forest at this time of darkness. I'm even more taken aback because the last time we were together she was taken by the Hunters.

She sobs, "I thought you'd be gone forever. I can't believe it's really you!" She follows where my voice came from and I do the same, leaving Estelle to follow wearily behind.

"You got away! What are you doing out here?" I question as I see her tall figure in the moonlight.

The sight of Jane triggers flashing memories of the last time we were together. Me almost drowning, suffocating, believing it was my last day of my life, then finding light and meeting Jane for the first time. The excitement yet tears in her eyes discovering me. Her taking me to meet our grandparents. Them wanting me to take them back to the horrifying woods to the building. I recall the last moments of physical peace yet I was draining my own self esteem and hurting my brain. I was angry with them, emotional, afraid of what would happen next. Should I be able to trust her still? Can I trust Koda after he left me behind?

"I'm sneaking back to our grandparents' house..." Jane distracts me from my harsh judgments on the events going through my head. "I need to get the book before something happens to it. I have to make sure we have it." Does this mean she was just coming back from Elyria? "Who is that with you?"

At the sound of her words my stomach drops, as if my perception of Estelle is wrong. I snap my head over to her and explain, "We just met today. She was locked away just like I was. Her name is Estelle, I saved her."

I frown back at Jane who doesn't know how to react, "Well, we have to go before we run into any more of those men." There's a shake in her voice. "Come with me, we have to be quick."

****

Dear reader,

It is your mischievous narrator here, I had to redirect the story just for one moment. You see, there are some things that you don't know that I would love to spoil right this very second. From what you know, my mother has run into her sister Jane in the forest, but what you don't know is that their brother Koda is not much farther away, making a discovery of his own.

I say this because of a hint I must leave you...

He holds a secret so big that it could ruin the whole story if I tell, but coming across somebody wasn't fully an accident. It was because he was at the right place at the right time.

****

Having to pass by the platform and walk to Jane's vehicle was something I never expected to happen tonight. Before now I would have thought this night was supposed to get worse, yet here we are sitting in Jane's car, letting our bodies take in the warm air blowing from the vents. I didn't realize it was that cold out until my hands started to defrost themselves.

We now make our way back towards the forest already achieving Jane's goal of carefully sneaking inside and snatching up the book about the portal at our grandparents' home. We also snagged some snacks for Estelle and I on our drive, and so my stomach was not wrenching in pain of hunger. Personally I was relieved to find nothing askew, as if the Hunters never came to invade and capture Jane and I. Along with the book we took a few days worth of clothing that Jane never grabbed beforehand.

On our way there Estelle spread herself out in the back seats, falling asleep like a light within minutes of being in Jane's car. Unlike Estelle, my mind was too jumbled to sleep so I stared out the window keeping an eye out for anyone watching. It didn't take Jane and I long before we both started explaining ourselves in more detail.

Jane started with admitting she thought she was a goner when she found the man standing over her that night. She told me how she ended up fighting the less beefier man off and escaping into the night. Jane also informed me about how the men sounded shaken up and turned back to leave when chasing her into the pine trees, so when she revealed herself they had already gone down the driveway.

Discovering that I was gone and my grandparents were unscathed she decided to take them to Elyria where more of our family lives. From what I assume we have a much bigger family than I intentionally thought, because now I am on my way to meet four more of my family members that seem to be very close to my sister and grandparents.

After some time I notice how Jane continues to glance back at Estelle who's in a dead sleep. I haven't spoke much to Jane so I decide to assure her, "You don't need to worry about her." I blink out the window to see the sky fully clear and the stars sparking down on us giving off a yellow light.

I admit, "She knows about Elyr-"

Before I can finish Jane is already speaking, "You didn't tell her did you? How does she know? I'm not sure if it is okay to bring her back with us." She sounds almost annoyed with me.

I explain, "I never said so earlier, we overheard one of the men talking about Elyria..." I make sure to leave out everything about me they spoke of. "...and Estelle recognized the name. She has some sort of power. She knows about Elyria because she dreams of it."

Jane's expression goes blank, "I've never heard of such a thing."

I stay quiet, keeping myself from revealing all of the most important information, knowing it's not the time to talk about it. I plan on telling Jane one day when I get enough of the information to tell. I can't tell her that the Hunters want me there for a ceremony, where it seems to me that they're planning to kill us all during it. Jane can't know that I think she's part of it as well.

Her tense shoulders eventually fall into comfort, "I think maybe she can tell us more about it when she wakes up."

I agree but then change the subject almost instantly, "And I have something else to tell you." I say softly. She glances over at me but I don't dare staring back at her, afraid I will break down, "I met Koda, but then something happened and he left me behind." She gasps so loud I'm afraid she awoke Estelle, who stirs in the back seat. "He rescued me from the men, and we were going to the portal but then the men came to take me away and Koda was gone."

I peek over at her, seeing how she deciphers my words. The biggest frown plastered across her freckled face, "After all of this time and he hasn't come to see us? But then you come back for one night and suddenly he shows up?"

"Are you sure he hasn't stopped by to see any of our family recently?" I'm suddenly curious, wondering where he has been this whole time.

"I stay in touch with our family on Elyria. Our aunt and uncle live so close that we stop by all the time, if they'd seen him they would've told me." She takes a long pause, as if wondering something. "Our cousin Luke was very close to him, they're the same age. After Koda left Luke hadn't heard from him."

"Maybe he's lying? Maybe he sees Koda regularly."

Jane shakes her head, "Luke can't keep a secret like that."

I never realized to ask before, "Is that where we are going now, to their house?"

Jane sighs, and I know she is still upset about me loosing my memory of our childhood. She eventually says, "We have an aunt Leanda and uncle Marek. Our cousin's name is Lucius, but we call him Luke. Then we have a younger cousin named Jarin. When I took Gram and Papa to their house in Elyria they were shocked when we caught them up on you and what has happened within the past day."

For once I let myself speak more, even though I don't necessarily want to, "What should I expect when I see them?"

"To be honest I'm sure they will be emotional. Jarin is younger and is special needs so I'm sure he will be ecstatic to see you after all this time, though he doesn't understand what you have gone through. So don't take anything personal but I'm sure he will give you some joy. Luke may be hurt that you have been gone this long, he was when you first had left us. He held a grudge for so long and his temper got worse, I think it will be good for him to see you again."

My mind whirls, something that has begun to happen on a daily basis, and I think about what it's going to be like when we get to Elyria. I wonder if I will be the one who's more shocked, instead of Estelle. I worry about what will happen when we get to the cave, afraid of the disturbing thoughts of drowning. Even though I got a small taste of it, and I came out okay, no matter the circumstances I will always be anxious around water. I shake my brain from the feeling of suffocation and blink out the window only to be reminded of the Hunters who could be lurking in the shadows of the forest.

"How old are our cousins?"

"Luke is eighteen, the same age as Koda. Jarin just turned fourteen."

I look at her discreetly, "So how old are you? And I?"

"You are now twenty and I'm seventeen."

I am left speechless from disbelief. We are all so young but I have assumed we were much older, not teenagers who are worrying about each others lives. Being that age should be fun right? Go on adventures with friends that aren't always perfect little angels, be in high school, graduate, go to events and parties after. Is that how life should be? I wouldn't remember.

I regain my voice recalling that we infact have a younger sibling, "And our other sister?"

"Sixteen," Jane responds with a dull tone, I can feel the pain in her voice. "Addie was always the rebel of the family. I wasn't surprised when she left, it's just that she never came back."

My next question pops out of my mouth unwillingly, "What is Elyria like?"

The name feels like home, yet I have never been there in my memory. I wish I could experience it like I have always known about it, but I don't think my memories will ever come back.

"To me it is normal, and Earth is the strange planet even though I've been brought up on both planets. To a human Elyria might be scary, well it is sometimes. The kingdoms are ancient, and each one is for a certain creature. There's kingdoms under the ocean, one in a jungle, some that are dangerous for others to travel through."

Should I be worried? I mean I don't know their customs, or have the knowledge that Jane does. I'll never be able to understand how to live correctly there without others thinking I'm human. The body thing I can hope for is to learn how to blend in with the crowds.

Jane adds, "We will only be staying in Provence, so you're not going to see other kingdoms. Eventually we can travel further but for the time being the fastest we'll go is the beach."

There's a beach?

The way Jane speaks of it sounds like she adores the place. It can't be that bad, even if there's dangerous inhuman creatures living there.

She adds, "Provence is prabobly one of the biggest cities on the planet, just because of its location. Don't worry though, it's not like a human city. It is absolutely beautiful with its precious stone buildings and every kind of creature walking the streets."

Well that doesn't assure me, "We will be safe there?"

"Of course it is prabobly the second safest place for any to live at. If you're worried about other creatures, they mostly keep to themselves. Especially the ones who live in Provence of Elyria."

"Tell me more about our family that lives there." I beg, finally feeling like I want to have a conversation. It's exciting and heartwarming talking to Jane again.

"Jarin has not changed one bit since you left," She takes a long pause. "He has always been in his innocent bubble where he believes the biggest problem in life is when the fridge is out of his favorite drink. He is a very pure and peaceful person who likes human Legos and gets overly excited to eat a meal."

Suddenly it hits me that I like hearing about other people. It makes me imagine what sort of things life has to offer and what types of people make up a great moment. I want to experience everything, the little things, the laughs, the adventures, the stories they have to tell me.

"Just wait until you see Jarin wound up for the first time. He is very fun but can be hard to handle sometimes..." She takes a look over at me and finally smiles, "...and Luke, you will like him too. He never sits still and is always finding something exciting to do. When we were young he'd always have ideas to get us in trouble, though I helped too. He was the troublemaker in the family and would convince everyone to do something stupid, now not so much."

Since the rest of the family had gone away it was just Jane and Luke, prabobly for a few years. My stomach feels queasy wondering about what it was like to have three people in your life just dissappear. If it happened to me personally I'd be in complete despair.

We pull off of the main road and I watch as the trees quickly move in on us and swoop overhead, making it so we're unable to see the night sky. I thought it was dark when we were driving here yet somehow it's even more black outside than before. I'm unable to remove my eyes from the treeline only feet away, even though it rattles my core to be back again.

Once we park and wake Estelle, the three of us are off with Jane leading the way. I can't help but look over my shoulder almost every minute of our walk. All I'm hoping is that we can get to the portal safely without any interruptions like usual. It seems like every time I plan to go to Elyria I'm stopped.

I'm exausted but my motivation forces me to continue, even though my legs are shaking. Estelle finally eats her bread that Jane brought, not having a care in the world that someone could come up behind us all and snatch us away again.

Jane almost whispers, "We are here, now get ready. Estelle, hold my arm." She reaches out for her but then steps back as if seeing a ghost.

I focus on where she stares and almost fall backwards as well, seeing two figures standing in the darkness frozen like a statue. I received the same feeling as I did when this happened earlier tonight, but this time it's not Jane were staring back at. I almost expect them to run for us until I realize they look nothing like any of the large beefy men that make up the Hunters.

The shorter one points at us and I watch as the tall one takes their hand. The small one then steps back slightly as if preparing to bolt back the way they came.

"Koda?" Jane yelps, suddenly running forward as if everything I told her in the car ride didn't matter to her.

I stand in shock as Estelle looks at me in confusion. I don't dare move, feeling like a weight has been put upon my shoulders. What is he doing back here with some random person like nothing has ever happened?

Jane pulls away from Koda to take a glance at his friend next to him, "Who is she?"

She announces, "I'm Lynn..."

With the sound of that voice Estelle starts running forward to her as I stand in even more disbelief.