The Secret of the Forest

Chapter 4: The Shaky Surprise

After a few minutes of silence passed, Phoebe finally collected herself and began to stand, using a tree trunk for support. She surveyed the area and found that the male had truly vanished, leaving her to again consider all of this as just a dream. Although, she somehow knew that if she didn't find her way out of the forest, this supposed dream would quickly turn into a nightmare.

She couldn't remember what direction she came from and so she simply began walking in the direction she was currently facing. As she walked, she had time to think over her encounter with Orion and the situation she was apparently in.

"How could I possibly be in another world?" she contemplated. "Earth is the only planet with living beings, so I can't possibly be anywhere else, right? So this has to be some alternate universe, a parallel universe, or another dimension, or whatever the hell it's called. No there's no such thing! I have to be dreaming. But those vines felt so real and I can still see the marks on my skin. Besides that, people don't have powers, yet no means of logic can explain what that boy did. I didn't think people could "rule" over forests, only in stories, but Orion seems rather confident with his ownership. I really haven't the slightest idea what he means by my "challenge" and he could just be lying about people dying in his forest. However, he did cause those vines to cut into me, and I have a feeling he won't hesitate to hurt me in the future. I just have to make it out of the woods and find someone actually sane to help me."

Almost two hours had passed and she had made no progress in her escape, if anything it seemed as though now she was even deeper in the woods. Her steps had grown sluggish and she trudged through the dirt and leaves with a hopeless aura surrounding her. The girl's eyes locked onto a large rock and she seated herself on top in order to have a few moments of rest. The true impossibility of finding her way out began to dawn on her and she buried her head in her hands. She hadn't even faced any of the "obstacles" Orion promised to throw her way and she was already tired and defeated.

She snapped her head upwards as she heard a low rumble from somewhere off in the distance. Her eyes darted around in fear but the area around her remained tranquil. The rapid beating of her heart slowed down somewhat and she heaved a great sigh until its pace picked up at twice the speed it was before as the rock beneath her began shaking. She jumped off only to have her legs wobble as the ground was vibrating as well. The branches of each tree were swaying violently and leaves fell to the ground in great masses. Phoebe realized the rumble she had heard must have been warning her of the upcoming earthquake that was now terrorizing her. She crouched down near the rock hoping the quake would end soon, but as it continued it seemed as though it was only growing increasingly powerful. Her body was jolted to the ground and she rolled to the side, narrowly missing a falling branch. She recalled how during earthquakes you were supposed to get to a clear area away from buildings and trees, yet how was she supposed to protect herself when in the middle of a forest? After being thrown to the floor a few more times, she was finally able to stand and clung onto the rock once again. Her wish was to simply wait out the massive tremor, but it seemed as though it would never cease. Just then, her ears detected a great grumbling sound from behind her. Twisting her head around, she stared in terror as the earth a few yards from her began ripping apart, causing a deep black chasm to appear. The dark canyon continued to grow as more and more dirt fell in and began rapidly making its way towards the girl's form.

Phoebe knew if she remained where she was, she too would be engulfed into the dark abyss. She propelled herself forward, attempting to run as fast as she could with the convulsing ground causing her to constantly loose her balance. Her lungs began to burn and her legs ached, but all desires of stopping vanished as trees began falling into the abyss as well. She felt a great pang of sorrow seeing the forest falling in on itself, with its colossal leafed giants and other lush plant life being taken from their spots in the earth and descending into the blackness. Although mourning the lost beauty would have to wait, in the meantime she had to think of a way to escape her soon-to-be demise. She had to somehow escape the path the crevasse was traveling and had to get back to where it first opened, where the ground was now stationary and no longer crumbling away. She was going to have to do something completely insane.

Her sprinting halted and she spun around to face the ground-devouring chasm. The quake had mostly subsided, yet the ground continued splitting towards her. She just had to wait a few more seconds until she could enact her plan. She took a deep breath as the gargantuan tree she had been watching began to capsize. Her feet began to move and before she knew it she was flying through the air, jumping with her arms outstretched toward the thick trunk of the tree. She gripped onto the wooden surface with all her might and secured her legs around it as well. The enormous tree was currently suspended at the top of the ravine as it's great length allowed it to be wedged between the two walls of the opening. She knew it would not be stuck much longer so she began crawling towards the tree's roots. It was beginning to dislodge and Phoebe realized that she wouldn't make it in time if she continued to only crawl. She stood up, using all her strength to stay balanced, and began moving towards her destination at a slightly quicker pace. The tree would fall any moment and she glanced up quickly to see that she was not close enough to grab onto the wall. However, her eyes landed on what seemed to be half of a smaller rock protruding from the earth wall. She took two long strides, gathering up speed, and she leapt once more, aware that if she didn't get this right, she would plummet to her death. She collided against the vertical surface and her hands clutched onto the edge of the ground, using the rock she had spotted as a foothold. Turning her head slightly, she could view the massive plant begin to slip down the walls until it fully plunged into darkness. She directed her head forward again and began pulling herself upwards. Her arms screamed in protest and she desperately wished for more upper body strength and that she had taken physical education classes more seriously. Her feet scraped against the earth until she was finally able to heave herself up and over the edge, sprawling out on the forest floor. She was panting immensely but she couldn't stay lying on the ground, no matter how much she wanted to. Pushing herself upwards once more, she began jogging back towards where she had been when the earthquake first occurred. She could see the opening and when she finally reached the firm ground that had not been disrupted, she bent over with her hands on her knees gasping for air. Her heart rate was finally able to steady and her gulps for oxygen began to die down. The sound of a small cough prompted her to lift her head upwards only see an undisturbed forest in front of her and a certain male lounging on the large rock she had sat on earlier. Every plant, rock, and ounce of dirt had returned to how it was before its descent into the great gorge.

She stared at Orion bewildered and gasping once again. "What the actual f...? How...? No, this can't be happening! How did you do that?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're referring to," He replied, blinking innocently.

"The ground literally ripped apart and almost sucked me down with it, I think you know what the hell I'm referring to!"

"Oh, that, yes I think I remember now," he answered with a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Here, come take a seat."

He patted a space on the rock and she held direct eye contact with him as she sat down in the dirt beneath her, resulting in him rolling his eyes and placing his head in his palm.

"I must congratulate you, you impressed me," Phoebe scoffed before he continued. "No one's ever actually escaped that challenge before, let alone jumped inside of it in order to escape. You're a clever little thing. In the past people usually curl up in a ball and cry, run clumsily while screaming, or climb a tree that's going to end up falling in as well. Sometimes I let them fall and die, but it would be quite boring if this was the only trick I got to use, don't you think? I like to let them drop a little just so that they can experience the exhilaration of death before I return everything to how it was before and leave them lying on floor, almost dead from shock itself."

"You're sick," Phoebe spat, horror laced in her features.

"Ouch, my heart," he mocked, placing his hand against his chest. "Darling, I've been called a lot worse. As I was saying, you have proven again that you're special and that you're the most fun plaything I've had in quite some time. I can't wait to see what you do next!"

"And by next you mean escape your magical little garden and shatter your inflated ego," she countered with a sneer.

"Confidence is key Phoebe, but just remember..." his voice dropped low as he strolled over towards her and stood tall casting a shadow over her form. "Just because you've piqued my interest, it doesn't mean I won't hesitate to kill you."

She tried to remain indifferent and fierce, but she could tell that he could see the fear that resided in her eyes.

"Well hopefully we get to see each other soon. Until then I bid you farewell," and with a final smirk he vanished.