The Missing Ones

Chapter 1

It's been 3 days since the witch came to my house. I would've thought it'd been a dream if not for the talking squirrels.

They come by when I'm walking back from school and say some random things. Mostly like, "Have you ever had an acorn? Better than the chestnuts you give us." But the most common thing they've said was, "They're watching you, making sure you're the right one."

I've thought about seeming like an idiot, but if they're watching me they know what school I go to and that's certainly not a place idiots go. I also couldn't skip school even if I tried, Mother and Father would disown me.

So I wait until she decides what to do with me.

***

Later that evening while I'm practicing archery (and failing miserably I might add) I feel a shift in the air. It's like the wind is holding its breath along with the rest of nature. I pause while I pull my bow string back and glance around. I've learned from my hunting instructor that the only moment when the wildlife goes silent is when it's scared. So scared that it doesn't run.

Then I hear a squirrel swing down from the tree in front of me, "She's here." Is all the warning I get before bushes start brushing against each other in the woods. I whip around and find a woman with dyed dark green hair jump out of the forest.

"Hello, Alvina!" She grins and sits on a stump close to the target. "Now I know you have a lot of questions, maybe about why animals are talking to you or why the sky's blue. But right now we need you to get to a safe place so I can talk freely."

She gets up and walks toward me as if she expects me to actually go with her.

"What are you doing?" I screech and point my bow at her. I was tired and couldn't think straight.

"We both know you can't use that even when your life depends on it." She grins.

"Well, doesn't my life depend on it? You'll take me to your house up in the woods and cook me into soup."

She snorts and points to the woods, "Better tell them that."

I looked closer and faces that definitely weren't there before, emerged and stepped behind her. Some seemed about sixteen and others were ten.

"Yalena?" I whispered, I would recognize her bronze skin and tight curls anywhere. She was my tutor at school before she went missing.

"Hey Alvi." She glances at the witch and then back at the ground

Before I could say anything more, two older boys had pulled my elbows behind me. My bow had fallen long ago, forgotten.

I was being pulled into the woods and I couldn't do anything.

"I really don't like doing it like this but it has to be done. You really should feel better, we need two people to restrain you."

"Er, Leo? She's asleep." I had only closed my eyes but I was slipping away now.

A/N Hi, sorry this is a short chapter, this is probably how they normally will be though, I'm still figuring out how I write.