Venom

chapter 4. The Forest

I drifted towards my bedroom. It had been two days since I started school. Neil's presence in the house was becoming scarce. His training had intensified for the upcoming season, and he only came home late at night.

In the meantime, I had only the kitchen and home works to pass time.

I changed into tights and a sweatshirt. I plugged in my earphones and threw on the hood. Locking the door behind me, I sprinted down the now familiar streets and headed straight to the park nearby.

After twenty minutes, I was standing next to the small forest I was looking for. I removed my earphones and gazed before me.

I paced threw the woods, crushing dead leaves, making my way, even deeper into the little forest. The woods were strangely damp with moister and it made it harder to walk through. I could hear the sound of the river's flow clearer and clearer as I approached. In a sudden excitement, I started running towards it.

Stumbling over dead branches, I dashed to the ground and groaned as pain pierced through the skin in my hands.

Slowly, I struggled to my feet. Now covered in dirt and mud. I ignored the pain and continued.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard branches crack right behind me. Chills went down my whole body when I heard heavy footsteps head towards me. As they got nearer, I quickly hid behind nearby bushes.

A tall person appeared from behind the trees. He was wearing a long black cloak and his solemn back was turned on me and I couldn't make out his face. He moved in a regular pace, heading west to the river, slowly disappearing through the woods.
I waited for a few minutes until I couldn't hear any more footsteps but sound of the flow of the nearby river.
I sighed in relief and stood up. With caution, I continued towards the river. Sunlight reflected on the surface of the water, creating a breathtaking scenery. I washed the dirt from my hands and face and then I leaned on a fallen dead tree beside the river. The flow was calming and peaceful.

"You shouldn't be here." A cool male voice said making me jump from my spot in the blink of an eye, heart pounding hard on my chest. I whirled to see the person. My neighbor from the mansion next-door was standing a few pace away. I made a blank face.

"Oh, and why is that." I asked, my face betraying nothing though my mind was screaming at me to run for the hills and my heart was racing.
"You shouldn't be here all alone. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous? Why do you care?" I asked.

"I don't." He said. My stomach twisted.

"You're the danger I presume." I said crossing my arms on my chest. "Maybe." he threw me a look that made me shiver.

My eyes strayed to the left. There was no branches nearby that I could use to defend myself. He saw my eyes move. I showed nothing all the while. I was at the verge of a break down as I kept panicking. I saw a sharp stone on my feet.

"Well, thank you very much but I can take care of myself." I was prepared to grab it.

"I can see that," his chilled voice said. he was gazing down at my body. My clothes were still soaked with mud and dirt, and my arms hurt a little from the fall. I paused.

"What do you want?"

"What are you even doing here?" I asked, anxious. He gave me a hard stare. "You should return to your house, Your uncle must be worried."

He whirled and walked away. I waited for him to disappear behind the trees before releasing my breath. I stood there in shock, rooted to the ground.

'How the hell did he know Neil was my uncle? And how the hell did he manage to approach me without me noticing?! Was he following me?'