Never Ending Secrets

Prologue

*Author's Note

         Please, only give constructive criticism. Leave comments, advice, and tips to let me know what you think of it so far. Also, I am in no way fluent in any language but American English. Please let me know if you notice any incorrect words or phrases. Thanks, and enjoy!
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            "Alejandra," Dad cries out. "Don't go so far ahead, sweetie." I stop in my tracks and look back at Mamá carrying my baby brother Felix in her arms. I sigh and look down at my light-up shoes. We hike along a lonely trail in the forest, and as I wait for my family to catch up, I look around at the towering trees, the sunlight filtering down in pretty, pale yellow rays through the breaks in the leaves. A chipmunk scurries across the trail, it's tiny golden body vanishing under a fallen log covered in lichens and moss. I want to climb onto that log, walk across it, pretend it's a bridge over a rushing, roaring river, but it lies off the trail among a bed of dead brown leaves. Dad would scold me.
My parents finally reach me. "Sorry. I promise not to do it again," I say as I look at them from under my lashes, giving my best puppy-dog eyes.
"That's okay, hija. Just be more mindful of it next time, yeah?" My mamá's voice is sweet and gentle.
We continue to walk through the woods. I lead our little group, holding onto Dad's hand, walking over rocks and twigs, and venturing over the larger rocks while my parents walk around them. I look around us and see a little creek and hear light, airy chirping from the trees.
After a little while, we stop for a break. Dad takes a blanket out of his backpack for us all to sit on and spreads it out. It billows like a huge cape. Once we settle on a nice patch of grass by the trail and Mamá gets out a snack for Felix, I try my luck at venturing off just a little ways.
"Alejandra, where are you going now?"
I turn around to Dad's questioning eyes. "To that tree over there?" It comes out sounding more like a question.
"All right, but don't go too far away."
"Yes, Abba," I reply automatically.
I take off for a big tree that caught my eye when we first settled in our spot. Peeking over my shoulder to see if the coast is clear, I grab onto the lowest branch and pull myself up. I climb up a couple more limbs until I'm high enough, the ground is far below me.
"I'm the queen of the forest," I shout out to the world, laughing as I tear leaves from their branches.
Just as my voice stops echoing, there's a rustling sound from the brush down below.
My breath hitches before I call out, "Hello, who's there?"
I'm about to yell for my parents when the same rustling freezes me to the spot. I look at the brush, almost ready to come down and make a run for it until I spot a pair of glowing blue eyes in the greenery right below my feet. We stare at each other for the longest time, waiting to see who will make the first move. The glowing orbs disappear for a second before a large, furry animal jumps out of the bush. It kind of looks like a dog, but I know better. I remember a picture for 'W' and the word that helps me remember it from class. Wolf.
My own scream pierces my ears, and the animal backs away, its eyes narrowing. It lets out something similar to a bark, and then it's gone, disappearing like a ghost. Only the rustling of the brush is left in its wake, and everything else is dead silent. Even the birds are quiet.
Shaking, I climb down, and my feet take off as soon as they hit the ground.
"Mamá, Abba, help me," I cry. Dad is the first one to see me.
"Alex, sweetie, what's wrong?" He gets up and meets me halfway, wrapping me in the safety of his arms and lifting me up.
"I saw a wolf," I pant, my voice high and panicked. My vision starts to get blurry, and then I feel the warm wetness of tears on my cheeks. "Didn't you hear it bark? It was right over there by the tree I climbed," I manage to get out in between sobs. I point to the brush where the thing had just been. I then look to the sound of Mamá slowly packing up for the trek back to the car, being mindful of her growing tummy.
"Alejandra, calm down. You must have imagined it. We didn't hear anything, and we were right here the whole time. We would've seen it," Dad says.
I let out a frustrated huff. Of course they wouldn't believe me. I'm just a kid.
Dad shoulders our book bag, and Mamá picks Felix up again. He grins wickedly and sticks his finger at me, and I roll my eyes. If anything, why couldn't the wolf come back and eat him?
I follow my parents back onto the trail, holding my father's hand, but I can't shake the uncanny feeling that there's something out there. I turn and look behind us, but there's nothing. All I see is our patch of moss, grass, and the trees. Everything is just as it was, calm and serene.
But the birds still aren't chirping.