Twisted [Lady Lesso x OC] {S L O W B U R N}

Chapter 19

My heart was beating so fast I bet it would escape my chest if it could. The creature, whatever it was, was staring right back at me. The forest went completely silent as if waiting in anticipation. Suddenly, it jumped forward and I saw it in all its glory, though it wasn't literal glory. My eyes widened at the sight of a half-naked child, only a piece of cloth wrapped around its hips. It couldn't have been older than just five years old. The kid's nails were overgrown, almost clawlike, hair messy, and covered in dirt. There was also a single, frozen snot hanging from its nose. It stood on all fours, madness written all over its face. Fenrir growled again and neared the creature. It turned its eyes away from me, glanced at my dog, smiled evilly - the teeth looked more like they belonged to a predator rather than a human - and ran to the left. It got past Fenrir, grabbed my hand, and dragged me down to the ground. I screamed in pain when I felt nails dig into my skin. Before I could even blink, Fenrir came to the rescue and chased it away. The sound of creepy laughter followed.

I stayed down for what felt like just mere minutes but could've been hours. The flames died and everything went completely dark. Fenrir trotted around me nervously, his high-pitched whines urging me to get up. Once I had all of my senses in check, I stood up shakily and searched for his leash. It was gone, just like the damned torch that I could not find. I should've never touched it in the first place. I'd still be able to actually see anything if I left it where I'd put it.

I tried to at least find Fenrir's collar but with no luck whatsoever. I finally gave up and called him to me. I put my hand on his neck, right behind his ears, and hoped if I followed him, he'd find the way back, yet the dog was still agitated and kept going in circles, causing my head to spin.

After falling a few times, I almost let out a loud cry but refrained myself from doing that. The thought of the strange, probably wild child still being out there somewhere terrified me to a degree I'd never believed to be achievable.

What was it, though? It certainly did look like a human, or at least resembled one. What was it doing in the woods in the middle of winter? How long has it been there? Where were its parents?

A scream brought me back to reality. Then, someone laughed. Again, it wasn't a sound that would make you think someone had chuckled at a funny joke. It was bloodcurdling. I jumped up, ignoring the pain in the hand the creature had grabbed, and broke into a run silently praying it was at least in the right direction.

Luckily, it was. When I finally saw both castles, I wanted to yell happily. Fenrir was by my side, I only had to make it to the gates to be safe. My head started to pound very hard and all of a sudden I truly struggled to keep my eyes open. I basically dragged myself to the bridge, and then to the door. Once inside, I collapsed onto the floor and pressed my forehead on the cold wall. It helped me collect my thoughts. When it felt like I was ready, I slowly opened my eyes and wiped my face, realizing I must've touched something wet. I looked down and the sight of my hand covered in blood made my insides twist.

I couldn't figure out if I should go to the nurse or not and eventually decided not to, despite my gut telling me it was a rather stupid idea. I gathered all my strength and pulled myself up.
The main hall was completely deserted, meaning I'd missed supper. Just my luck.

I headed straight to the bathroom and made a mental note to inform Lady Lesso about my little adventure, even though it would result in me getting in trouble for breaking the rules, yet if it meant I'd get to possibly save a life, then I guess it was worth it.

Everything that had happened left me paranoid. I felt like prey being watched by a monster. I couldn't get the child's laughter out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. I knew there was no safer place than the School but I was still petrified.