The Deep Prick

~Chapter 14~

 
           
 
           
 
      The forest was dark, nearly swallowing anyone who entered it. It was filled with Spanish moss trees, dangling chain-like leaves, which resembled lush hair, flowing and hanging all the way to the wet mossy ground. Sudden patches of algae-covered pools of water, found spots in the mossy earth, secretly unseen, like quicksand, at any moment ready to suck someone in. Thick roots weaved their way through the mossy floor, like snakes burrowing their way home.

      Caroline and Grace moved at a swift pace through the forest, attempting to stay safe from the uneven land. Frances trailed a little further behind with his heavy backpack. Caroline, still in her extravagant black Iris wedding dress, lost her footing and tripped over a root and fell to the ground.

    “Owe.” Caroline held her ankle in pain.

     “Caroline are you okay?” Grace asked. She kneeled over Caroline.

     “My ankle,” Caroline held it, her face distraught.

     Frances quickly hurried over to Caroline and bent over her injured ankle. “What happened?”

      Caroline was still in pain as she explained, “I twisted it.”

     Frances noticed the swelling that seemed to occur almost instantly. “You’ll be okay,” Frances reassured her. He helped Caroline up and said, “come on.”

      Grace looked at the two of them, weary and a bit skeptical.                                                   
     “We have to keep going,” Frances said, while Caroline leaned on Frances for assistance. Then the three heard a noise off in the distance. A loud crack and deep thuds to the mossy ground.

    “Someone’s coming,” Frances said quietly. They hurried to hide behind a mossy boulder. Both Grace and Caroline gazed at Frances’ sparkling mesmerizing eyes, as he watched Kenneth on a horse, ride by. They both had developed black in their Iris. The girl’s hypnosis was becoming stronger and the music in both of their minds almost became louder, as it played Faroa's “Tell a Lie.”

    “Let’s go,” Frances said. The girls followed wherever his eyes traveled.
 
     Frances still assisted Caroline through the forest, that was finally becoming un-smothered by moss. They eventually walked their way next to a vast marshland, where hundreds of trees were low and stumped, amongst the meandering small bodies of marsh water. The three were moments from entering the trail leading up the Bluff Mountain, but Grace stopped.           

    Caroline quickly looked to Grace and asked, anxiously, “Grace? Grace, what are you doing?”

    “You still love her more, don’t you?” Grace said. She glared at Frances in question.

     Frances asked, “what?”

     “I’m no match for Caroline, am I?” Grace asked Frances, as she looked at Caroline's hands that gripped onto Frances for support.

    Caroline asked, “Grace, what are you talking about?”

    Grace replied, “you can’t have us both Frances... I suppose it doesn’t matter. I have Kenneth now.” Kenneth conveniently rode up on horseback, like the moment was planned. Kenneth’s horse trotted to Grace. Grace stayed close to Kenneth and his horse, unmoved.

    “Grace you can’t leave, we have to go up this mountain,” Caroline demanded.

     Grace demanded right back, “why? Why are we going up there...? Do you remember? Because I don’t... Tell me, why are we going Caroline?”