Max bundled up in her baggy sweater and jeans, freezing cold and with her legs tucked in her slender arms as she watched the slow moving tides of the lake go over the gravel patch she sat atop
She sniffled and wiped away the lingering tears on her face, putting her head in like a turtle and reprimanding herself for even thinking about trying at that stupid contest.
"Idiot." She cursed to herself aloud as she sniffled a bit more and listened to the waves.
*Ding*
She picked up her phone, The light of the device illuminating her red nose and eyes as she read the text.
MOM- I know I'm a little late, I forget how far away you are sometimes but I know you'll knock em dead at the competition with your photos. Just believe in-*click*
Max turned her phone off and threw it to the side, it's metal casing clacking on the small pebbles.
"Someone's mad." A voice from behind said as max turned to see a man dressed in a blue t-shirt under a coat and sweatpants that read, "Blackwell academy" in bold letters.
"I heard about the contest. I'm s-"
"-just don't please. I've heard that phrase so many times I'll shoot myself if I hear it again" She bit out as Jack stopped his sentence and let out a puff of warm air into the autumn night.
The night was young, and the air was colder. The autumn weather was now quickly turning into winter. The frigid night air was starting to pester the Joyce boy as he sighed.
"C'mon. Let's go." Jack headed as Max turned her head to face him.
"Where?"
"Let's go, I'll show you a place I found nearby."
"Why do I feel like you're about to drag me to a secluded spot and kill me in the woods?" She asked, half joking and half serious.
"Even if I was, would you really care?" Jack asked honestly as Max shook her head no. She stood up and dusted her pants as Jack smiled. "That's a girl. C'mon my butcher's knife is getting dull."
"Wouldn't it get sharper? Cold usually makes things more structua-"
"-Just shut up and walk please." Jack pleaded, Max rolling her eyes before following him into the Oregon woods.
The tree leaves browned and drooped downwards before falling down to the paved ground, leaving the normally clear path to be obscured with a sea of yellow and orange.
Max and Jack trudged through the noisy clutter, Max practically shitting her pants as she was sure they would get caught by faculty. Jack just reassured her and said he'd done this before.
It did make her feel a bit better, but she still stayed alert as they went a little off the trail and hiked up to the cliff that gated the lake from part of the world.
The lake was encompassed by the cliff on the north side, with the east and south being on the ground level and where most people hung out. Most of the manmade trails and the pseudo parking were located down there.
Up here was practically a creepy pasta playground for denizens of the web as the tales of the creepy ongoing within these particular woods eluded the company of superstitious teenagers and so most never ventured farther than half a mile.
Jack however was leading them much farther than half a mile, and as the unsettling and eerie feeling got bigger and bigger, so too did Max's fear. The air somehow felt different and she could swear she saw a tree right there a minute ago.
"Jack, shouldn't we maybe turn back? The teachers will start wondering." Max asked, worried that they would be lost as the boy shook his head.
"We're almost there, a little farther. We'll be in and out promise" He replied as max sighed at his stupid bravery. She was joking about the whole " I wanna die" thing she said earlier. Who would take care of Lisa?
She lingered closely to Jack's backside, the other being completely undeterred and like he'd done this millions of times. She still questioned how he even found this place, since it was off trail and far away from anyone or anything . But finally after an agonizing 30 minute walk in the woods, Jack stopped.
"We're here." He said simply before gesturing his hands to the contrasting very open field in front of the two teens. The flower field was peppered with oak trees that sat contently, yellow sparkles flowing from in and out of them. In fact the whole field was glowing with them.
Max's eyes sparkled as she marveled at the absolutely beautiful sight before her.
"this is…..incredible" caulfield managed to say, as jack nodded.
"right? i cant believe no ones seen this place before." he remarked, confused at the elusive nature of this place. he'd been here a few times but could never find it on a digital or paper map.
he just kinda knew where to look.
"I have to take pictures! shit! I forgot my camera." Max cursed as she let out a sigh of disappointment.
"don't bother. this place messes with my electronics, hell i can't even seem to draw it without messing up." he said, slightly disappointed as well.
max raised her eyebrow.
"You're kidding right? doesn't that make you even a little suspicious?" she asked, dumbfounded at his nonchalant attitude.
"meh. i've kinda learned to tune out all the weird shit that happens around here. i dont have any proof and honestly I've never tried taking anyone here either." he answered honestly.
Max wanted to punch him but her spaghetti arms were unfit for the task. And besides it was an endearing, albeit infuriating on occasion, part of his charm.
As her anger subsided and she watched, her curiosity turned to confusion as she blocked the now blue light coming off the tree she was knelt at.
It's wooden crevices pulsated with energy in the shape of little geometric floating glass bits that glowed blue as the tree began to morph and twist
but it wasn't just this tree. Soon enough, the other few began to shift colors, from the warm fuzzy yellow, to an ominous shade of green and then completely blue, and then they began contorting as if a black hole was inside them
"uuuh. Does that happen often?!" Max asked, hoping she would see his relaxed face, but quickly being disappointed.
"nope. I think that's our cue to leave." he guessed, max agreeing and beginning to stand up as they both started running for the woodlands, the wind and energy now blowing violently like a tornado.
The trees began glowing brighter and brighter before..
*Boom*
The field was doused in energy, the two letting out cries of pain as the particles hit their bodies. Max and Jack laid on the ground in massive pain before blacking out.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*GASP!*
Max rose up quickly, in a cold sweat, her body shaking and shivering as she looked down to her body.
Everything was...fine? But how? She could've sworn just a minute ago that she was in the Forest with jack. It suddenly dawned on her, "these are my dorm sheets…."
Her eyes widened. What the hell was happening? She heard a knock on her door, unable to even utter a syllable as the knob turned to open and revealed jack, in a similar state to her.
"What the fuck just happened?"
