CHAPTER THREE-1345 AVELINA

"You can't get me!" I shout giggling as Primeveire chases me.

"Oh yes I can," she laughs as she runs after me.

I can tell she's taking it easy on me, though I always have been faster so she couldn't catch me even if she tried. Smirking I round a corner only to bang straight into Ida knocking me to the ground.

"Ow, watch where you're going Avelina." She grumbles as she rubs her knee dramatically. Rolling my eyes at her dramatics 

"I wasn't the one with my face in a book." Sighing I get back off the ground and dust dirt off of me.

"You know if you weren't so focused on yourself all the time Avelina you would have seen me."

"If you weren't such a-"

"Avelina." Primeveire murmurs, a look on her face shutting me up instantly. A dangerous look in her eye locked on mine. 

"Argh so not fair!" I storm off, I know I shouldn't, I'm acting like a brat but for some reason Idas words play over and over in my head, if you weren't so focused on yourself all the time, and it infuriates me. We have a nice house, we're not lower class, but we're not royal either. Father and mother choose to stay away from most people, with lots of land and the creepy Forest surrounding most of the house. Not many people know us, and those that do only know us because of work or we want them to. Our house consists of two

rooms, one is the living attire, the other is where we keep our stone oven, it's the main room, we go there to eat or if mother and father want us there. We have a barn which looks much like the house, made out of stone, dirt and straw. I don't want to get to the details, it's quite boring really, unfortunately others aren't so lucky like us and their houses are made out of other things that break a lot. 

"Who does she think she is?!" I yell to myself. As I pace around the living courtiers.

"My mother?!" I know I'm acting childish but this anger in me, a darkness swirling raises my temper, what has gotten into me? Trying to calm down I breathe in and out. 

"Avelina?" Great, now I have to talk to my mother when all I want is to be left alone.

"What?" I snap. I didn't mean to say it with such cruel ness and hatred, but that's how it came out.

"Come here, I need help." Muttering some words under my breath that would definitely give me a beating I comply heading outside into the brightness of the sun.

"What do you need, mother?" 

"Can you go and get the eggs from the chickens." It wasn't a question, but a command.

"Sure thing." 

"Oh and could you also, after, go and get your brother for me, get him out of those trees." She laughs.

"Sure." I gather the eggs, giving them to mother before I head off to the woods.

"Nigel!" I yell. I don't have time for this, well I do I just don't want to spend it looking for him.

"Come on I'm not in the mood for games, mother wants you."

"Nigel?!" I never liked the woods; it always creeped me out. A shiver moves down my spine.

"Nigel? You know I don't like the woods, hurry up." I stare deeper into the woods, the darkness moving toward me.

"Nigel?" I say voice soft and whimpering.

"Boo!" 

"Eek!" Jumping at least five feet in the air I turn abruptly around. My heart pounding so loud I can hear it in my ear drums.

"Nigel! Don't do that to me!" Tying to remind myself to breathe my heart slowly goes back to its original beat.

"You should have seen your face." He laughs, I'm glad someone's amused.

"Come on, mother wants you." I slightly tug him in the direction out of the woods.

"But I haven't finished playing." He whines as he pulls back.

"I'm starting to lose my patience Nigel, you have finished playing and you are to come with me." 

"Only if you catch me first!" He screams as he takes off deeper into the woods. 

"No, Nigel, come back!" But he doesn't and the further he gets away the further I'm reminded that I'm now alone, in the dark of the woods, with the creepy noises echoing throughout the trees. Perfect.

"Let's just find him and you can get out, easy." But it's not and with every step I take deeper into the woods the more nervous I become. That's when I see them, people with long cloaks and grotesque bird-like masks walking through the woods, dead bodies being carried behind them. They notice me and come to a stop, even though I can't exactly see them staring at me I still feel my body grow cold frozen with fear. A knowing that they are peaking at me through those horrible looking masks. I start to shake, accepting that this is where I might die, by the hands of bird lovers with their creepy masks. But nothing happens. They look at me then continue on. I breathe a sigh of relief I didn't even know I had been holding.

I completely forget what I was meant to be doing in the Forest and run as fast as my feet will take me to tell mother what had just happened.

"Mum?! Mum?!" I yell frantically.

"Avelina" she says as she pops her head from around the apple tree.

"Where's Nigel? I told you to bring him to me." Oh that's right, the bugger ran off into the woods and I was meant to get him. 

"That's not important right now mum." But then I start wondering, was Nigel one of those bodies those people had. Pictures of Nigel's dead body somewhere sickening to my stomach.

"Avelina, are you ok? You look unwell. Come with me." 

"No wait I have something to tell you." So I do. I tell her about Nigel running into the woods and my encounter with the bird like people. Her face pales a little but she manages to keep a stern look on her face.

"Avelina dear, get inside with Primeveire and Ida, oh and make sure you get Denise as well."

I go to question her but she gives me a look that tells me she's not going to take questioning. So with a nod of my head I race inside.

"Primeveire! Ida! Where are you guys?!"

"What's wrong Avelina?" Worry caresses Primeveire face as she looks me up and down searching for any reason for my shouting.

"Mother said to get everyone and stay inside." A puzzled look appears on her face.

"Why?" I don't know why but I presume it has something to do with those people I saw. I wave her question away.

"It doesn't matter right now. We have to do as mother says." She nods.

"Ok. You stay here I'll get everyone." I open my mouth to protest, because I was the one that was sent to get them but realise it's not worth it so I nod instead, taking a seat on the floor. I keep shaking my leg as I wait anxiously for Primeveires return. At last she walks back with both Ida and Denise. My heart flutters with relief as I embrace Denise with a tight hug. She's the youngest of us all and I like to try and be someone she can count on. 

"This better be for a good reason." Complains Ida.

"It is. I promise."

"Why are we even hear Avelina?" Primeveire asks, staring at me with such confusion. I want to tell them I know exactly why, but the truth is I don't, I don't have any answers at all, I'm just as in the dark as they are.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure."

"Argh." Groans Ida. I quickly add.

"But I have an idea." 

"What's that?" Primeveire asks. She's not usually the one that doesn't know what's going on, and the small frown on her face indicates that she's not entirely happy about it. Hurt even.

So I tell them exactly what I know.

"That doesn't make sense." Points out Ida.

"I have to agree with Ida, Avelina, I mean people wearing bird masks and carrying dead bodies? That just doesn't make sense."

"It's the truth!" I'm almost hurt that they don't believe me. Sighing Primeveire speaks again.

"So let's just pretend what you say is true, why did mother act so strangely?"

"I don't know." I admit, "maybe it's because Nigel's out there?" I try to think of any other possible reasons but my mind goes blank.

"Maybe." Points out Ida.

"But still, why would she be so worked up about us all staying together."

"True." I say, before silence breaks as all of us try to figure out why mother acted so strangely. What's going on?