Old Places, New People || Phan

2-Phil's P.O.V

I trudged through the forest, my mind spinning. Leaves in mute fall tones crunched lightly under my feet. I ran my hands through my hair, my anxiety rising in my stomach. How could this have happened to me, of all people? Why did my parents decide to just up and move to this stupid, sleepy town? I had skipped school today, too nervous to confront anyone from this conserved, posh place. My mind suddenly drifted to my other worries. Why did I have to be different? Why did no one accept me for who I am?  All of a sudden, I stopped. My senses were heightened, my stomach churning. I felt uneasy, as if someone were watching me. I shook my head slightly, as if to clear my thoughts. I willed my legs to move again, wandering farther into the forest. Suddenly, I stumbled upon a peaceful glade. The sun cast muffled rays of light through the dappled autumn leaves. One lone oak tree stood in the middle of the clearing, vines wrapped around its solid trunk. I took a step forwards, my foot coming to rest on a branch. The branch loudly cracked beneath my foot. I winced, scanning the forest behind me for any sign of life. Come on Phil, be brave. I stepped forwards into the clearing, pacing towards the tree. I wandered around the towering tree a few times before spotting an opening between two roots. I nestled in between the roots, sitting in an overgrown patch of grass. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature, my mind put to rest for the moment. I had just started to drift off to sleep when, suddenly, something cold and sharp was pressed against my neck.
"If you want to live, you'll open your eyes and get up slowly," A cold, gravelly voice whispered in my ear. I slowly opened my eyes to see a boy, maybe a year or two younger than me, looming in front of my face. When I scanned him, I looked up into his face. He seemed taken aback for a moment, and it was all I needed. I grabbed the knife from the boy's hand and threw it into the forest. I pushed the boy off of me and pinned him down by his arms, straddling his stomach. "Who are you, and why did you just try to kill me?" I silently rewarded myself for sounding cold and vicious. The boy gulped hard, but still stared into my eyes defiantly. I looked over him, from his mop of slightly curly brown hair to his pastel purple Converse. I finally gazed into the boy's eyes. They were a rich brown color, like chocolate. I found myself transfixed in his gaze, I couldn't seem to look anywhere else. Then the boy opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it quickly. He didn't seem threatening, despite the fact he had held a knife to my throat only moments before. I felt something in my gut as I slowly climbed off of the boy. I held out a hand to help him up. He seemed to think for a moment before standing up, stumbling a bit. I drew my hand back, shoving it into my jeans pocket. We stared at each other for a moment before the boy stuck out his hand. "My name's Dan. I thought I was the only one who knew about this place, so I hope you can understand my confusion at finding someone strange here." His voice was warm and watery. I stuck out my hand as I glanced at his red cheeks. It looked like he had been crying just recently. Dan shook my hand firmly for a moment before staring at his Converse. I smiled, my lip piercing shifting on my face. "I'm Phil. I was just walking around, sorry to upset you." Dan looked up at me and slightly lifted the left corner of his mouth, a dimple forming in his cheek. I ran a hand through my hair, my hand shaking slightly. "So, why are you out here?" Dan asked. My smile vanished, replaced by a frown. I shifted my feet nervously through the leaves strewn on the ground. "My parents and I just moved here, and I felt like getting away, you know? Why are you out here?" I heard Dan swallow hard, a tear forming in the corner of his eye. Before I knew what I was doing, I gently placed my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me." I smiled at him. He took a deep breath before lifting his head to meet my eyes. "My idiotic dad kicked me out. He was drunk, of course." My heart beat loudly in my chest as we stared into one another's eyes, my hand still on his shoulder. What am I doing? I pulled my hand back and ran it through my hair once before stuffing it into my pocket. Suddenly, Dan turned and began to walk towards the lone oak tree. It took a moment before my legs started to work again. I followed him, catching up to him quickly. I silently watched as he knelt in front of the tree. Dan moved as if to pull the bark from the tree. "Dan-" I gasped in shock as he pulled back what I had thought was just vines growing on a tree, but was actually a curtain. Inside the hollowed out trunk of the enormous oak tree was a small home. A makeshift mattress made out of pillows was set up against the far edge of the trunk. A grey wool rug was sprawled across the ground, covered with books and stuffed animals. Posters were taped to the inside of the trunk, faded and crumbling. I shifted my gaze to Dan, my mouth still hanging open in awe. Dan caught me looking at him, his cheeks flushed a bright red. Then he moved to crawl inside, clearing some space for me to sit. Once we were both sat inside the makeshift home, I awkwardly cleared my throat. "D-Do you...live here?" I glanced around once more. "Pretty much. My dad's always drunk, and mom's n-not here anymore, so I-" He met my gaze, his eyes wide. He gritted his teeth, ducking his head. All of a sudden, I felt a drop. Then another. Then a downpour. Typical English weather. "Well this is just fantastic!" Dan yelled at no one in particular. Then he started ripping posters off the walls, stuffing them into his bag. I felt like I should do something, so I began to pick up the stuffed animals and tuck them into his bag. I grabbed one in particular, a Winnie The Pooh plush. I looked up to meet Dan's eyes. His entire face was now as red as a tomato. "I don't even know why I have that anymore," he grumbled under his breath. "I like Winnie The Pooh." I smiled and tucked the plush safely into my jacket. Dan smiled slightly before he looked away, still packing his makeshift home into his backpack. All of a sudden, I blurted out "You can come stay at my place, if you want. My parents won't care, and it doesn't seem like you have any other place to go." I internally facepalmed, cringing at my own stupidity. I just met this guy like 20 minutes ago! He could be a serial killer for all I know. But somehow, in some way, I knew that this was right. Dan's head snapped upwards, his chocolate brown eyes meeting my icy blue ones. "Really?! You'd let me, an almost complete stranger, sleep in your home?" I stroked my chin as if I was thinking before saying. "You don't look too much like the serial killer type, so why not? Let's go before the rain drenches us!" I stood and made my way out of the trunk, taking a little shelter underneath the leaves of the tree. After a few minutes, I poked my head back inside the tree. I watched Dan stand a bit and grab something out of a small hidden shelf built into the tree. It looked like a tattered piece of fabric. When Dan started to turn around, I quickly returned to my post, leaning against the tree. Dan followed shortly after. He lifted the left corner of his mouth once more, the shallow indentation of his dimple appearing. I smiled back at him, the strange feeling in my gut returning. He adjusted the straps of his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. "Well Phil, let's go."