Evils ✓

Chapter XVIII

I reached the forest in a couple minutes. I kept wanting to turn back and bring Daniel with me, but that'd be too dangerous. He would risk his life for me to be safe. He did. I forced myself to keep running through the pain. My scars were healing, but my scratches started to burn and release more blood. My head pounded, creating a major migraine set off in my brain. I rushed further and further so fast that I didn't even watch the dirt and tripped on a big pile of soil. My face hit the ground, my eye making contact with a piece of bark. My body felt like it had just opened up and spilled a bunch of blood out. I winced and tried to view what the pile was, and something rose from it. It took all of my might to crawl backwards and grimace at the sight.

"Who are you?" the dirt piped out.

I tried to impulsively scream, but all I could do was let out a minor yelp.

"Wait..." the soil cleared, and out popped a human being, so familiar looking that all I did was pass images of people rapidly through my mind.

"Is that you Penelope?"

I erased everything in my thoughts. What is she doing out here?

"Mom?"

She knelt down and raised me up, wrapping her arms around my skin and taking in all the happiness I had left.

"I missed you so much dear!"

"I missed you too mom."

I smiled, all of my teeth showing, with honest joy.

"Don't go into the woods ever again young lady. You had me worried sick. Everyone looked around for you!"

I struggled to arise, stumbling over myself multiple times before I steadied myself.

"I'm home?"

My mom climbed upwards and grabbed my hand, getting ready to help me walk.

"We're a few streets away, but you're here with me, and that's what I'd call home."
I understood her language. She spoke so smoothly and slow paced that I knew what home meant now. I brang my right leg forwards, and we started off to our shed.
I couldn't believe I already made it back into the borders. It seemed so short of a time that I barely realized I had jogged so rapidly.

Once we hit gravel, I trotted normally. I've been gone so long, everything looks completely different. Then I thought harder. It hasn't even been a week. How could-
"GET HER!"

I was blindfolded, my arms tied into a knotted rope and my legs crossed in the air, my 'mom' leading me to a silk bag.

"Lets bring her to Adaine and show her who's boss!" one said.

"Penelope, it's Sydney here. You messed up big time!"

The voice echoed throughout the bag. The voice was identical. How did she know I was here?

"You can thank your little boy toy, or as I like to say, my fiancé, for telling us where you were headed!"

I couldn't believe her- I didn't want to believe her. She was so ignorant and diabolical... I knew she wasn't right.

Or was she?