9 - THE FOREST OF SOULS

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We approached the forest we had to pass through. Did I mention I hate to cross stuff? What was my mom thinking? Was she ready for the apocalypse? I am sure not even that could pass this magical forest. We were walking at the entrance, still unsure if we should go in or not.

"Maybe we should, you know, go back, eat, then come back never." Jack suggests with his usual grin.

"Could you not? What? Are you a scared cat?" Julie asks him, clearly mocking the poor guy.

"No, babe. But, I like the idea of being safe rather than marching to our deaths." He replies, then stares at his girlfriend.

"And I thought you were gonna die alone, Julie. Here you are, all happy and smiley." I mock the already annoyed Julie.
"Anyway. No one goes back. We came here, we are going in. Let's find out what Kathy's mom was hiding in here." She said, then led the way into the forest. The moment I stepped in, voices crumbled in my head, telling me to free them.

"Come find us, Katherine. We know you can hear us. We seek your help."

I didn't know what to answer, but I followed them. Somehow, I got lost. I don't know where the others went, but having those voices in my head, I knew they wanted me. Just me.

So I walked a long way, till I reached a big, wonderful tree. A little tag was visible on the trunk of the tree. A name was written on it. I got closer to being able to read it. 'The Forest of Souls' it said. And I knew. This whole place was magical. I decided to wander the forest a little more, and found something that I didn't expect to find. A little house, so pretty. It was obviously my mom's. It was just like she described it in her stories. Small, but just enough for a brave little hero. I stepped inside, and was shocked to see everything so clean and organized. I was usually a messy person and never cared about how my room looked. I found a little notebook on the living room table. I picked it up carefully and read it.

"The Forest of Souls is meant to trap evil, dark forces, to prevent them from reaching The Bloody Cemetery. Warning: If you do succeed in crossing this forest, please keep in mind the Bloody Cemetery is a very dangerous place!" I read for myself, then ignored trying to ever cross this forest. I felt genuinely happy in this house. It felt like I was so close to my mom. She must've loved this place. It's so refreshing to have time for yourself, and no dream dude follows you around. Theo's absence was the best thing that happened to me in a while. I don't hate him, ok? He just doesn't understand what personal space means. I found some nice books in the library and packed them in a cute bag I found in the bedroom. I also took some nice clothes, since this world is almost as real as mine. My mom left a lot of nice things in this house. It got dark sooner than I expected. I decided it wasn't worth the way back to the hotel, so I stayed the night. I felt so free of problems, prophecies and people. Just me and mom's old house. That night, I slept. And I woke up the next morning. It's like I've been... stuck here. I prepared my breakfast happily, as thoughts of staying here ran through my mind. But then I heard a knock on the door. I hurry and face Theo's face as I stand in the doorway.
"Hi! We figured you found something around here. They went back, but I searched all night. I couldn't leave you alone." He spoke as our eyes drifted apart. "I was worried I was going to lose you, Kaths." He added.

"Well guess what, I don't really care. Because being here made me feel so much better." I reply, hoping to drive him away. Instead he stepped inside. His face was really close to mine, our eyes met once again. With a smirk on his face, his hand traveled on my back, as he pulled my body close to his. He started kissing my neck, slowly and with a lot of passion. His cold lips moved up, to my left ear.

"Stop me if you don't like it." He whispered in my ear. I didn't respond, instead I pulled him away, looked him in the eyes for a second or two, then kissed him. Our lips met once again. A kiss we were both craving, although it would be hard for me to admit it. I realized in that moment that Theo Reyes managed to make me fall in love with him, simply by doing nothing. Just the fact that he spent a whole night searching for me made it clear: he wasn't gonna give up on me and I'm stuck with him forever.
All I could say about what happened next: a moment I could never forget. The moment I realized I was in love. And love is a dangerous game. But I had to try. 

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