“How long will you be gone?”
Nix smiles, revealing her sharp pointy teeth. “As long as it takes.”
“Comforting,” I mutter slowly, crouching into the cramped space.
It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I still hate small, dark places. I blame that on my horrible foster brother, David. That wanker locked me in the damn closet too many times to count. He left me there once for a whole day, while my foster family went out. My continuous pounding on the door left my tiny arms aching, and the sound of my desperate screams for help mademy throat sore. My voice was strained and hoarse for two days afterward. After that day, I had kept track of the weeks, counting down until I was freed from that place.
“Don’t die,” Nix says, breaking me from my trip down memory lane.
I startle. What the hell?
“What kind of parting words are those?”
“Honest ones,” she replies bluntly, shrugging her tiny shoulders in response. Watching as she turns to leave, I take my pack off and drop it to the ground next to me. Then I remember my water bottle.
“Wait!”
When she faces me, I shake my water bottle. “Is there a stream where I can fill this up?”
Nix lets out a weary sigh and slowly shakes her head.
“Damn.” Defeated, I plop into the dirt and feel the cool dampness seep into my clothes. I scrub my hands on my jeans, leaving behind smudges of dirt. The ground under me feels like a soft cushion. Which is nice, but extremely unsettling. Nix looks back at me one last time before she disappears into the forest and a trail of sparkling, golden glitter follows after her.
Chapter three
Everly
Alarmed, I jolt awake and take a sharp, audible breath. The sound of a branch snapping nearby has me jumping to my feet, my eyes wide open and alert. From my spot at the back of the tree, I peer outside, but it’s so dark I can barely make out my hand in front of my face.
How long was I asleep?
I take several slow, measured breaths and focus my attention on the sounds of the forest around me. But the only sound that seems to fill my ears at the moment is the rapid beat of my heart. Another loud snap breaks the silence, and I instinctively crouch down. Whatever is out there wants me to know it’s there, and that thought terrifies me.
Moving closer to the entrance, I cling to the opening of the tree for support.
Squinting into the darkness, I try to make out anything in the night. I blink a few times, struggling to get my eyes to adjustand focus as I desperately search for any source of light, but the darkness is overwhelming. I can hear my breathing increase, and know that if I don’t calm myself down, I am going to have a full-blown panic attack. Just because I can’t see anything doesn't mean I’m trapped. Trying to keep my breathing even, I peer into the night, my fingers digging into the rough bark of the tree as I lean further forward.
The night sky is a blanket of darkness without even a star or sliver of moon to be seen through the canopy of trees. My entire body tenses up with fear as the heavy, oppressive darkness seems to close in around me thicker than before.
“Calm down, Everly. You're fine, it’s just the dark,” I mutter to myself.
Holding my breath, I lean further out of my hiding spot, needing to know I’m not trapped within the tree. That I can escape if I want or need to. A tremor runs through me as an icy chill wraps around my body, sending goosebumps scattering across my skin. Surely Nix will be back soon. She must have been gone for more than a few hours now if it’s this dark already.
Suddenly, the sound of a low menacing growl comes from my right, and I feel a hot, heavy breath on the side of my face. I freeze in terror, too afraid to move.
The creature lets out a loud huff, and the hair around my face moves, startling me into action. I scramble backward, landing hard on my backside, pushing myself deeper into the cavern of the tree. My breath catches as my back hits the rough bark and I can’t go any further.
Holy crap, what is out there?
My eyes are fixed on the opening, straining to see through the darkness. I catch sight of two glowing crimson eyes, all the airleaving my lungs at once. I can feel its piercing glare locked on me, and my lungs start to ache as if engulfed in flames.
The outline of the creature is barely visible through the opening, but I can see it is huge, like a bear. As the creature stalks closer, a wave of dizziness overwhelms me and a surge of alarm courses through my veins. Frozen in fear, I watch as it takes another slow and deliberate step toward me.
One more step and I would be sharing the same space with that thing. My heart is beating wildly causing a cold sweat to break out across my skin.
Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.
The creature takes another step then stops abruptly; it seems to struggle as if something is holding it back. It lets out a really pissed off growl and slams against what looks to be an invisible barrier across the entrance of the tree. Now I know why Nix said I would be okay as long as I didn’t leave the safety of the tree.
