Dark Woods Academy

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I laid in bed for the rest of the day ditching my appointment with the grief counsellor. I wasn't ready yet. I didn't see Elliott for the rest of the day and had just showered and was on my way out of the door dressed to escape into the woods. I had the map and knife tucked into my black hoodie pocket. I was also dressed in all black to avoid detection.

"All black huh?" Elliott asked when he saw me.

"Yeah life is depressing, it fits, don't you think?" I asked.

He lifted his hands up in a 'I surrender' gesture noticing I wasn't in the mood for sarcasm or teasing.

"I'm going to get something to eat and return these books to the library," I said.

"Yeah sure," he said falling into step beside me. It was around 5 o'clock which meant that daylight was fading away and the sun would be down by 6pm or before.

I got something to eat at the café and grabbed a coffee heading to the library after.

"Look I'm sorry I haven't been around much today," he said.

"It's okay you don't need to babysit me," I responded as I checked in the books at the front desk.

I was about to leave when I saw a newspaper lying on the desk. The front page caught my attention and I picked it up. University Students Attacked by Bear in the Woods, it read and I could feel that squeezing pain in my chest again almost as if it was physical.

"Ace?" Elliott asked glancing at the paper in my hand.

"Don't read that," he said trying to grab it from me but I turned and started walking away as my eyes scanned the page taking in the information.

Oh my God, oh my God, what the hell? No, no why? How? It wasn't possible. Breathe Ace, just breathe, breathe. I told myself over and over as my mind tried to process the information.

Apparently, the bear attack was real, there was no remainder of their...bodies. There was so much blood, all of their blood around the same stretch of area, too much for anyone to be alive after losing so much blood. Dear Lord. I put a hand on my chest and dropped the newspaper back on the desk as I made my way out of the library in a rush managing to get out the door and down a path where I threw up on the grass feeling sick to my stomach.

Elliott appeared a minute later with a bottled water. I rinsed my mouth and stood there for a while watching as dusk rolled in, the mist in the forests becoming thicker by the minute. Guards passed by giving us wary looks but left us to be when they realized it was me.

"That's what you didn't want to tell me earlier, isn't it?" I asked Elliott when I could speak again.

"Yeah, sorry," he admitted.

"I would have found out eventually," I said shaking my head.

"Ace, I'm sorry about your friends and everything," he said staring at me with concern in his eyes.

"Me too," I whispered back.

"Elliott I..." I paused unable to tell him about Blaze. I wanted to tell him but I couldn't bring myself to because Blaze had warned me not to tell anyone. It occurred to me then that he had dropped off the note at my door and that he was on campus and maybe if I went to see him at his office we wouldn't have to sneak out to the woods.

"I need to go somewhere," I told Elliott. He nodded and fell into step beside me.

"No, alone," I said shaking my head.