Joe's world

Chapter 14

I found myself standing in the middle of the forest , searching around for some sort of movement . The sky had began darkening and grey clouds were dominating as the wind blew harshly . I breathed shakily when the wind smacked me right on the face . Why does it seem like I'm getting lost ?

I had been walking for hours but for some reason there was still no sign of life . It confused me to a point because I knew this was the same direction Atticus and I walked on when we started hanging out .

Now that I looked at it , it seemed quite different from when I had seen it for the first time . The atmosphere was darker than usual . The fogginess was blinding my vision that I had to blink every now and then .

Dread spread all over my body when no chirping birds were in sight . I looked around frantically , my heart picking up speed . The hairs on my arms stood erect when I saw movement in the corner of my eye . I turned around in a swift motion , my big hair swaying with the bitter wind .

" Who's there ?" I called out with a shaky breath , my eyes wandering aimlessly .

When I received no answer I breathed out in relief . I was so conflicted at the moment that I stood frozen in one place . My head was all over the place as I stared on the muddy ground . Now it seemed like leaving the forest in one piece deemed impossible . I didn't know what to do anymore .

" Atticus where the hell are you ?" I whispered gravely . I was hoping he'd hear me and maybe come to my rescue . It seemed I had all but forgotten about what Hunter had confessed the other night . It wasn't bugging me like it was supposed to or maybe I'd knew all this time but decided to live in oblivion .

But the truth was that I needed some answers from Atticus and If Hunter was right about everything then I deserved to know .

I was about to take a step forward and leave when my eyes landed on something or rather  someone . I could clearly make out their distinct features and my jaw dropped on the ground . Am I dreaming I thought as my eyes ranked the person person from head to toe . It was a truly breathtaking sight and I couldn't keep my eyes away . The person was definitely a boy this time , I was certain this time .

He had dark shiny skin that was a few shades darker than mine . His long hair whiter than anything I've ever seen before . Looking closely I could see that his eyelashes were white too , decorating his electric blue eyes . I gulped down in envy at the beautiful boy in front of me before clearing my clogged throat .

" Excuse me ..." I said dumbly , taking big strides towards the stranger . " Please don't go , wait ..."

When our eyes locked , I saw how he was looking at me with calculative eyes and his captivating irises moving with every step I took towards him . The look almost made me chuckle but I thought against it . I didn't want the stranger to think I was mocking him . First encounters were extremely important .

When I was near I took notice that he was my height , which made me smile a bit .  Finally , I meet someone who is not a giant I thought lamely . Even my younger brothers were taller than me so it made me feel good about myself .

I stopped in front of him and smiled warmly in fear of not chasing him away . I decided to extend my hand but he just stared at it for a moment before looking up at me again . His stoic face bared no emotion as he studied me from head to toe .

" Who are you ?" he spoke after a while .

" My name's Joe and uh , I think I'm lost ... do you perhaps know your way around here ?"

" How did you end up here ?"

" I was trying to clear my head you know , family matters then I found myself standing right here ." I chuckled awkwardly .

" No , I mean how do you know of this place ?"

" Oh , my friend and I came here all the time . Sadly Atticus hasn't contacted me for a while now and I was hoping I'd find him here ... but it seems now that I'm asking too much ."

" Atticus ?"  he whispered in disbelief .

I looked at the stranger with confusedly before nodding my head at his question . His stoicism had changed to one of confusion . He seemed to be acquainted to Atticus and that gave me a sense of hope that I might see my friend again .

" Do you know where I can find him ?"

" Who did you say you were? "

" I'm Joe , I met Atticus a while ago . He's basically in most of the classes I attend and we've been close ever since but now he's suddenly disappeared ."

" Kevin ." the boy spoke .

" Uh ... what ?" I replied confused .

" My name is Kevin ."

" That's a cool name ." I said awkwardly .

" Come on then , follow me."

I followed the boy without question . His dark and domineering aura was now gone . I kept stealing glances his way and weirdly enough , something about him seemed familiar . It was like I had seen him before but I couldn't remember when or where . I decided to question him about it .

" Have I seen you before ? You quite familiar ..."

" No you haven't ." he answered curtly , earning a deep frown from me .

" Maybe we had stumbled upon each other somehow because it feels like I know you ."

Kevin looked at me for a moment before redirecting his attention to the front . He looked like he was ready to skin me alive . I shrugged nonchalantly and fastened my pace when he walked ahead of me . Great , he's trying to get rid of me .

" So where are we going?" I asked , jumping over a mud puddle .

" To a place called shut up ." Kevin said without showing emotions .

" Wow , it sounds like a cool place ."

"..."