𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 ✓

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙸𝚇

THE WALK TO THE WOODS went smoother than they thought. The two siblings stared at the long trees as they took big steps deeper into the place. Mal spotted small birds flying around a big, green tree and smiled softly.

It made her relax almost immediately.

"It's really beautiful here." she whispered, making her brother nod and hold her hand.

"Yeah. Really pretty."

She took another step towards a tree to take a closer look, and that was when she noticed it.

There was a big, wooden crucifix lying on the floor. She stared at it for a moment, slightly confused, then bent down slightly to grab it in her hand.

But the next thing she heard was a small crack.

She stood up and turned to her brother, who was staring around him, trying to look for the origin of the sound. He turned to her, a slightly horrified expression on his face.

"Did you hear that?"

She nodded, her heart beating loudly in her ears. She had no idea there was someone else in the woods. People rarely go there. They lived in a luxurious neighbourhood where people have important jobs and there was just no time for anyone to go there.

She took a few small, quiet steps towards her brother and held his hand protectively. He glanced at her as they heard another louder crack, a little more closer to them.

"Hello?" Rajwan called out, making Mal turn to him as she held up a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet.

Just then, a figure appeared in front of them.

A tall, bald man that they both knew very well. He had big brown eyes and a strong, slim figure.

"C-Chris?"

"Um, hello Mr Jupe."

Chris gave them a big, firm smile. "Hello, kids. It's the first time I see you around here."

Mal nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "Yeah, we actually wanted to have some fresh air..."

The older man smiled and nodded, and to the girl, it seemed as if it was a fed-up smile.

"Oh, well, I take this spot up for birdwatching, where I'm supposed to not have any interruptions. Because, you know, the birds are very sensitive to sound. Any sound and they just might fly away!"

It took the two siblings a minute to understand. As soon as they did, they both nodded while smiling, trying to remove the awkwardness from the atmosphere.

"Oh! Yes, we were just leaving, but we're sorry to bother you."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Just, do me a favour and don't tell anyone you saw me."

That was a weird request. Mal immediately thought.

"Uh, yes. Sure thing, Mr Jupe." Rajwan agreed. The pair then said their goodbyes to the older man and turned to walk away.

Maybe it was just her, but just like Noah, she was also afraid of creepy old men. Especially men that stared up and down at her.

However, Chris didn't stare at her up and down like most men did. And yet, as the pair got out of the woods, she was only thinking of one thing.

Chris Jupe scared the hell out of her.

And she intended on avoiding him at all costs.