CHOSEN: The Secret Of The Frae

Beyond Reality

Tessa wandered through the woods aimlessly for about an hour. She wasn't exactly sure what it was she was looking for but she hoped she was close to finding it. Everything looked the same. The tall evergreens and shrubs, the earth beneath her feet and even the sky; they all looked plain and boring. Definitely not what she still expected to find after wandering so far into the woods. Tessa thought back to yesterday. She remembered her experience vividly, it was nothing like she'd ever felt before and something told her that all the strange things that she'd experienced so far started from that very moment. She only wished she'd paid more attention to the direction she'd been running when she was stupidly fleeing from the red head.
Tessa stopped in her tracks and looked around. Clearly she was lost, again. "Dammit." She cursed under her breath feeling like an idiot. Why she hadn't taken the time to think this through she wondered. She sighed and crashed on a rock, exhausted. Just then, she caught something white scurry by in the corner of her eye. She turned to her left but there was nothing there but more shrubs and trees. "Hmm" Am I imagining stuff now? she wondered. With a sigh she stood and continued her aimless walk, hoping she'd at least find the way out.

Five minutes into her walk, Tessa heard tiny footsteps behind her. She looked back and caught a small white blur dart past her. She searched around for the creature but it was like it disappeared into thin air. Strange. She turned back to her original path and was started. The little white creature she'd been searching for now stood before her, eyes bright, staring back

"You again." Tessa voiced staring at the mysterious white squirrel and it's familiar pink eyes. It looked so lively, cheerful even. Like it was happy to see her here. It scurried some distance in a particular direction. As if disappointed that Tessa wasn't following, it ran back circled her legs and continued in the same direction. Tessa sighed and decided to follow. After the whole incident with the wolf, it was safe to believe that animals here had a really good sense of direction.

Tessa tried her best to keep up with the little creature and finally came to a halt, panting. The squirrel sat few feet before her, staring at her, occasionally swishing its bushy tail. She approached it slowly wondering why it had suddenly stopped.

"Hey buddy, you can't just stop here. We're not ho--"

Tessa gasped suddenly as a very familiar sensation washed over her entire being. It was as if she'd just walked through a force that sent mild electricity running through her veins. She fell forward onto her knees panting, relishing in the tingling aftereffect she now felt all over her body. She looked up and gasped. It was just as breath taking as the first time she'd seen it. A beautiful landscape in all the perfect shades of natural colors. Tessa slowly got to her feet. She looked around taking in the vibrant surrounding. Her vision seemed sharper and everything from the trees to the grass to the sky was bright and striking almost like it had all been electrified with some kind of energy. The air was fresh, the weather was warm but not hot. Tessa turned around and was shocked with what she saw. The air before her shimmered and it expanded to her left and right like a giant wall. It went all the way up too, so high she wondered if it touched the sky. She reached out and lightly skimmed her fingers over the shimmery wall of air. It rippled under her touch. She drew her hand back, amazed. She knew there was something strange about PineCreek but this was on a whole new level. Tessa turned back to the forest. Now that she was here she had to admit, she didn't have a clue of what to do next. Really she hadn't thought this through. She looked around for her mysterious squirrel guide but it seemed to have run off leaving her behind. Well there was only one thing to do now: explore.

Tessa wondered the forest for what felt like hours. The deeper she went, the more she realized how different this place was. The trees were trees but they weren't any trees she recognized. There were barely any animals. They all seemed to be hiding from her. She did catch glimpses of strange birds though. Their feathers were bright blue but only for a second before switching to green then orange and then seven different other colors. Tessa couldn't help but stare until they were shooed by small, palm sized, humanoid creatures that scurried out a hole in the tree. They had gray skin and ridiculously long braided hair. She watched them in awe for at least five minutes before they scurried back into their home. Almost as if they were shy that she'd been watching them.
Now Tessa stood before a spring. It was a large pool of water inside a cave she came across when searching for shelter. She stared at the water gushing out from the cracks high up in the wall of the cave. It glittered, reflecting the light coming from a giant whole in the ceiling. The water called to her. It's rippling surface begging her to jump in.