In These Woods

Chapter 1:Abscond

Control is just an illusion, Fate however is a wild beast that cannot be tamed, and no matter what somehow, what must be, will be. I believe that everything happens for a reason, every single thing you do in your life leads up to one defining moment. Each of us has a choice to follow our destiny or to take the easy way out, by tricking ourselves into believing that we are in control.

For me this defining moment was simply a flickering instance in time and I could have easily missed it.

The woods have always been a dark and dangerous place, but there was something about the woods that always drew me in. That was untouched and unchanged by Fortis's leaders. Ever so often I would sneak away from The Base and break away from reality beneath the green trees for a while. Luckily our cabin was on the outskirts of The Base and close to the woods so I have never been caught and I have always been home before curfew.

It was the week before my brother was supposed to return from deployment and I hadn't been able to sleep for the most of it. I kept dreaming about what happened when Dad died, except this time it was Harley that didn't return. This awful nightmare was replaying in my head without pause all day and I couldn't concentrate on anything else. In it I saw my mother grabbing on to me in terror, searching through the crowd of uniformed men for his face, but not seeing him anywhere. Our biggest fears being confirmed when one of his fellow soldiers give us a sympathetic look, as if to say "I'm sorry for your loss."

The Base was a flurry of women along with little girls and boys all busy preparing for The Returning. They were decorating the town square with hundreds of candles to welcome our loved ones back from war. Adding warmth to the otherwise dull square usually only tinted with the red, white and black of the flag here and there, The Leaders even closed the school and training centres for the day to ensure that we got everything done in time. This all proved too much for me and I needed some time alone. I made my way to one of the bigger pine trees around and shoved my pouch off my back. I loosened it's strings and opened the top and then carefully checked my surroundings, before I lifted my book out. I ran my hand over the old book cover, reading the name at the top of the black cover as I had a thousand times before "The Bible." If anyone ever found out that I had a book in my possession, I would be punished and possibly my mother too. Before my Dad had to leave again, he gave it to me, two years ago. I could still hear his words: "Wynter, Honey these stories have opened my eyes to something new. I might be crazy, but I think there is more to life than what the Leaders make it to be."

"Dad, you should never say such a thing! Resistance against Fortis will not go unpunished." I repeated our Nation's most important rule.

"Promise me you won't let anyone find out you have this ok?" he shook off my comment.

"I promise," I spoke the words aloud once again, which pulled me from my daydream back to reality.

As I opened the battered book I started to think about all of the questions and rebellion it caused in me. I wished my Dad was still there, so that I could tell him that I believed him and that he was not crazy.

The sound of leaves crackling startled me and I shoved the book back into my pouch before I jumped to my feet, frantically looking around to see if I had been found out, but I saw nothing. I was about to sit back down, when I saw a quick movement out of the corner of my eye, it happened so quickly I could have easily imagined it, except I didn't. This was it, my defining moment, I decided to trust my gut and investigate. I tried to stand up quietly but horribly failed since the leaves crushing beneath me gave me away.

What I saw changed my life forever. I was completely overwhelmed by feelings of both excitement and horror because across from me stood a strange young man. He looked about my age, but it was his unfeasible dark brown hair colour and the deep tan of his skin that made me simultaneously want to run away and stand there and stare until I couldn't do anything else but stare. I had never seen anyone like him before. His clothes were old, washed out and full of holes and patches. The shirt he had on resembled the vests we wore underneath our uniforms.