Spectral Solitude *editing*

Chapter 9

It was safe to say that I had the best time being able to spend so much of it with Riki, going into the woods and visiting my old treehouse. It felt great to be outside and allow myself to do the things that I used to love so much. Being able to distract myself from my thoughts, going about my day without a single worry in the world. Well, I was almost carefree about the whole situation. Three days have gone by since I took Riki out there with me and I have yet to go back out there, neither with her nor even on my own. Riki had gone away over the weekend, and she wasn't going to be back for another few days. She'd even encouraged me to go back out to the woods while she was gone so that I could 'get the treehouse all nice and ready' for when she came back. 

But how could I?

Time and time again I tried convincing myself that going back out there was inevitable, and I knew that I would feel better once I did, like it would be able to give me some sense of closure. Who knew I was so stubborn? I could practically see Riki's great eye rolls that she'd have for me. I just know that she'd tell me not to worry so hard over it, that everything would all be fine and work itself out. 

After a little while longer of scolding myself on how truly pathetic I was being, I finally managed to work myself up into going back. It was for the best, I knew, despite how much I loathed the idea. After all, it was just the woods! Right?

I quickly walked down the sets of stairs from the attic before I could convince myself otherwise, passing quietly through the hallway walls. The house itself felt eerily silent, what with the parents off working somewhere, Riki being away, and Dax nowhere to be found. There wasn't a single sound to disrupt this calm blanket of quiet. The back door was locked, of course, but I easily passed through and swallowed down any nerves that threatened to build up and erupt. 

Grey clouds blanketed the sky, preventing the sun from breaking through. It was a bit of a gloom fest, to say the least, but I wasn't going to let myself out of this that easily. I needed to be more firm with myself. I had to. I slowly began putting one foot in front of the other, taking my time as I passed through the gardens and ran my fingers along the tops of the hedges and shrubs, the tips of my fingers passing through the leaves and twigs as I hadn't yet faded myself in. The further I walked the more the trees seemed to be looming over me, a towering barricade of branches and leaves. A few small birds were darting about as I got closer, chirping amongst each other as they settled on the low-hanging branches nearby, no doubt waiting for a bit of rain to come. 

See, it's not so bad. 

It was different seeing everything when I was faded out. Usually, I would have come crashing through the woods, like a wild wrecking ball swinging through and disturbing this otherwise quiet sanctuary. But being faded out, being unseen, everything around me just continued with their routines. Following the slightly visible grass path, one that had once been a winding dirt path after so much use from my brother and me, I made my way past the first lot of trees and into the woods. 

I was walking around aimlessly, staring down at my feet as I trudged deeper and deeper through the trees when I thought I heard a rustling noise. At first, I thought it was just in my head, that maybe I had been so zoned out in my mind that it was just one of the noises of the woods around me. So I kept on walking, a little bit slower now, when I heard it again. Like something was scrambling through the grass, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. 

I subconsciously began to creep along the grass now as I went deeper and deeper into the trees, that incessant noise seeming to follow me as I went. It was getting closer now. I was not exactly sure what I was expecting to find, whether it be dangerous or safe, good or bad, but I couldn't control my curiosity as the sounds brought me closer and closer. The sound was directly in front of me now, seeming to come from somewhere within a cluster of shrubs around the base of a tree. As it began to cease I silently crept around the bushes and towards a nearby tree, hoping to steal a quick look from a bit further back instead. Some sort of instinct had me squatting down into a crouch as I listened out. 

When I heard the same rustling again I slowly peeked my head around the trunk of the tree, deflating slightly at the sight of a brown wild rabbit hopping out of the shrubs, its nose scrunching up as it sniffed at the ground. I huffed in disappointment as I fell back to lean against the tree. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I know I was hoping for something a bit more exciting than that. I glanced over my shoulder at it, letting out a sigh through my nose. 

So much for the excitement. The rabbit was pretty cute though. 

I kept on watching as it hopped around in a small circle, continuing to sniff at the grass. Suddenly it jumped up in the air, trying to dart away, only to buck wildly on the spot before it tried darting away once more with no success. It must be stuck. I've got to help it. 

I rise from my spot on the ground, turning towards the struggling creature right as I am about to fade in to help it. Only the sound of rustling caused me to freeze on the spot, this one was definitely way too loud to be a rabbit. I threw myself back behind the tree, feeling a small twinge of panic. 

Oh god, oh god, oh god. 

I let out a few shaky whisps of breath as I tried to calm my mind. Bloody hell, you're invisible and literally can't be killed! You're already dead! Stop being such an idiot! Of course, I didn't listen to that wise inner thought and I continued to hide behind the tree. Despite all other logic trying to tell me otherwise. The desperate scrambling noises coming from the rabbit suddenly stopped, and my mind immediately jumped to visions of the poor rabbit being killed and eaten by some other creature. It was probably a fox. 

I stood up slowly and turned towards the scuffle, daring to take a quick look to see what damage had been caused. I stepped out, preparing myself for the worst and expecting to see a mangled little creature lying there. I didn't, however, expect to see the rabbit there alive and well. Nor was I expecting to see a person there either. A boy. He was cradling the rabbit close to his chest, his back turned towards me, as he was pulling and twisting at the shrub that was wrapped around the rabbit's foot, keeping it trapped there. I just stood there behind him, staring in awe at the fact that he had stopped to help a little creature. Finally, its little leg was freed and the rabbit was gently put on the ground, looking around slowly for only a moment before scurrying away. I was still standing there, staring at them both as the rabbit fled the small clearing. The boy then stood up and turned around, but then froze as soon as they saw me. 

Wait no, they can't ... he can't see me, can he? No, no ... I'm faded out. 

He just stared back at me, mirroring the shock that I was sure was displayed all over my face, my eyes wide and mouth parted in disbelief. But perhaps what was the most shocking to me, was who exactly it was now standing in front of me. How the hell did he even get out here?! When the hell had he gotten out here? 

Standing before me, green eyes opened wide and looking wild, dishevelled black hair an absolute mess atop his head was Dax.