Into The Woods

Chapter 26

Lark:

Pain racks through my body when I collapse on the ground. My eyes flutter uncontrollably, and an image passes through my eyelids. Piercing screams ring in my ears. Her face flashes in my vision, her warm brown eyes pleading for me to let her go. But I keep holding on, I can't let her go because that would mean that my life would be over. My world would crash all around me if she was dead.

"Lark, it's alright. You don't have to hold on anymore. You need to save yourself." She pleads with me.

I direct my gaze to her fiercely. I loved this girl with all my heart and now I was letting her go. The wind kisses my face as I peer into her eyes for one last time.

"I love you, more than starlight." She whispers one more time and then lets go. I can hear her scream echoing as she falls. My heart shatters into pieces around me, the only one who can put them together has just disappeared, and she's never coming back.

"Lark!" A voice calls, waking me up. My eyes shoot open to see Porter's face hovering above mine. A bruise has sprouted over his cheek from where I punched him, but his face is a mask of concern. "Are you okay?"

He holds out his hand to help me up, which I oblige and am pulled up to see my surroundings around me. Trees, nothing but giants surround me, with their scrawny arms blocking a clear pathway out of the woods.

I glance behind Porter to see Marin and Kendall both staring at him with their wide blue eyes. Hesitantly, Marin takes a step toward me. She opens her mouth to speak. "You collapsed after I told you some unexpected news. Do you remember?"

Suzette is going to die...

"Yes I remember. " I say.

Marin flinches, pain streaking across her pretty face. "I really am sorry Lark."

I frown, and direct my attention back to Porter. "I didn't mean to hit you."

Porter claps his shoulder. "I know. It's okay."

"I want to find her. Can we just find her?" I beg.

"Yeah, man."

I brush off my pants and close my eyes for a second. To feel her, to grasp any vision of where she might be. Someone speaks, interrupting my thoughts. Opening my eyes I see Kendall pointing to the trees.

"That's the way we're supposed to go." She says.

"How do you know?" I ask?

Kendall looks puzzled, like she doesn't know how she knows this. "Just trust me. I don't want anything to happen to Suzette. I'm not going to lead you in the wrong direction, I promise."

Porter makes his way over to her and wraps his arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head.

"Of course I believe you." Whispers Porter to her.

That should be me and Suzette, I think. I should be putting my arms around her right now, comforting her and telling her everything will be okay. Whispering I love you in her ear and then kissing her hard upon the mouth. But I couldn't do that. Because she wasn't even here. So I decide to trust Kendall, after all she did get me out of that cave with Chasity.

"Okay, let's start walking." I command.

I start in the direction that Kendall pointed to. Taking a deep breath I promise myself that I am going to find Suze. As long as that keeps running through my mind then everything will be perfect. I hope.

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We continued through the woods after about 20 minutes of walking until we came to a meadow. The meadow where I had met Faith and Tyson. The wind biting my face, and blowing pieces of my hair out of my face. I glance around the arena looking for any sign of Suzette. I can hear Marin's teeth chattering behind me from the cold.