Foreverland

Chapter I

Chapter I
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Her eyes opened to a bright light, straining to focus. Her fingertips danced across something cold and damp. After a few seconds, a blue sky came into view, and as she looked around, vivid colors danced across her vision. The green of the trees, brown of the dirt, the blue of the sky all seemed strikingly vibrant, more so than anything she could remember.

As she pushed herself off of the ground, she looked at her dirt-covered legs and arms, trying to remember where she was. The measly t-shirt she was wearing didn't cover much, and all she was had on underneath were thin undergarments. Around her neck was a small, golden locket that hung very lightly at her collarbones. The roaring of waves crashing against something echoed behind her. She was at the edge of a cliff, above a beautiful blue sea. The air tasted salty as she stared down at the water. The sunlight twinkled on the surface, dancing with the waves.

The sound of a branch snapping behind her was muffled by the sound of the crashing waves, and before she was grabbed, an arrow pierced through the wind. She watched as a body fell to the ocean, smacking against the side of the cliff with each new wave. Her feet scrambled away from the edge, spinning her around.

There was a vast green forest that was riddled with darkness. All she could see were the trunks of dark, twisting trees. Her eyes searched for where the arrow came from, where the man who fell into the ocean came from. A boy walked out from the edge of the forest, calmly placing an arrow behind his back. He came towards her as she stood completely still, the waves roaring louder and louder behind her.

As he neared, she took in his appearance. He was wearing dark pants covered in rips and holes with a worn leather vest. His hair was dark blond, reaching just above his shoulders. She could see the tips of his ears, which were slightly pointed, poking out from behind his hair. He had dark eyes and a thick scar that cut straight through his lips.

She felt intimidated by him. He looked down at the locket around her neck, and then stared her straight in the eyes, stopping in front of her. "You need to come with me," his low voice said.

She wanted to turn around and look back over the cliff to see if the body was still there, or if it had drowned yet. "Come where?"

He didn't break eye contact. "Somewhere safe."

Until he said that, she hadn't felt as though she was in danger. Even when she watched the body plummet into the ocean, she wasn't afraid.

"Why isn't it safe?" She asked.

He ignored her question. "What's your name?" he asked as he started walking towards the dark forest.

Her feet followed his before she could stop them. Now that she was told she wasn't safe, she felt like she wasn't safe. He seemed to know what he was doing, and she'd rather be with him than be alone at the edge of a cliff. "I don't know." He didn't seem surprised by her answer, but she thought she saw disappointment flash across his face for less than a second. "Who are you?" She asked.

"That's not important right now," he answered calmly.

As they neared the forest, the ground beneath her got rougher. She wasn't wearing shoes, and she knew her feet would soon begin to ache. He noticed this, and slowed his pace but continued on. She walked quietly behind him, feeling uneasy as they entered the woods. Her hand unconsciously touched the locket around her neck and tucked it into her shirt. 

Sounds echoed through the trees, and the beautiful blue sky was hidden by the heavy canopies above them. The chillingly  blue ocean seemed miles away. It felt like she was in a whole different world than where she had been not minutes ago. A soft wind whistled eerily in the distance.

"Stay close," he whispered.

Her heart beat faster as she did as he told her and followed him closely. It was difficult to see, and she wondered if it was normal for a forest to be so dark on such a sunny day. The boy stopped suddenly, and she almost crashed into his back. It was deathly quiet, and she watched him as he listened for a split second before grabbing her hand and breaking into a run.

She struggled to keep up. She wanted to ask why they were running, because she hadn't heard anything. He obviously had, so she kept quiet as they ran through the forest. She heard a snap from somewhere behind her. She wanted to turn around to see what it was, but the boy tugged on her arm and ran faster.

Suddenly, the boy's hand left her. She could barely make out his figure in front of her, and soon it was gone. She stopped when she could no longer hear his feet running. The only thing she could hear was her own heavy breathing as she stood alone in the dark forest. She couldn't see anything, and as she stood there completely vulnerable, it felt as though a hand was right in front of her face. Her eyes closed tightly, her fists clenched, but she refused to make a sound in case whatever they were running from would hear her.

Where had the boy gone? Was she dreaming? She wondered. Why had he left her? She listened for any sound, but could only hear the soft whistling of the wind. She felt like she was standing at the edge of the cliff again, only this time surrounded by darkness. A thump sounded from somewhere close. She held her breath, and something brushed her arm.

A scream threatened to break through her lips when a hand covered her mouth. "Stay quiet," the boy whispered in her ear, taking his hand away from her mouth.

Her cheeks were wet with tears, and her heart beat furiously in her chest. "Who are you?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward as he walked.

"Who are you?" She demanded, refusing to move her feet.

He stopped in front of her. "My name is Peter. We have to keep moving." With that, he pulled her until she began to follow him again.