I SEE YOU

CHAPTER 2- ENCHANTING FOREST

I tried to push myself through thick prickly bushes and ended up getting both my arms grazed.

"Owww" I said out loud and gently rubbed my palm over my arm, hoping it would ease the pain.

It had almost been ten minutes since I had made that crazy decision to stalk a stranger and now he was no where to be found. I'd searched all over the land in proximity to the place we had started from and still found no trace of him.

"Where could he have gone?" I wondered.

Venturing off into the core of the forest could be perilous since wild beasts roamed about freely there. I wondered how I had managed to lose him so easily.

I had followed him almost immediately after he entered the forest. Either he was insanely fast or.......

My heart rate started to pick up as I considered the possibility.

"No. It can't be" I said out aloud, as if in an attempt to reassure myself. I tried to push the thought out of my my mind but in vain.

I had imagined him. Just like I had imagined other people before. It seemed plausible. I had hallucinated again.

There were very few things in life that frightened me. Some people were afraid of darkness, some were afraid of water and the others were afraid of heights. But there was only one thing that could scare me out of my wits, make me numb with fear. And it was seeing things that other people couldn't.My psychiatrist called it "hallucination". 

But the last time it had happened was years ago. I thought I'd overcome it. So why was it happening again? 

My heart had started to pound wildly in my chest and beads of perspiration broke out on my face. I was having a panic attack. I needed to calm myself down. Quickly.

I decided to let the beauty of nature help me with the job. Knowing the forest as well as I did, I knew that there had to be a river near by. Letting my instincts act as my GPS, I headed off in the direction I felt was right. Soon enough, I reached a wide body of pristine sapphire waters snaking down the hilly terrain. Myriad fishes, big and small swam about lazily in the depths of the clear water.I sat by the banks of the river and dabbled my feet in it.

No matter how many times I came to this place, I was always in awe of its beauty. Around me, tall evergreen trees rose up to the sky and birds of different hues flew overhead every now and then. The water reflected the final rays of the evening sun that sifted through the canopy, making the river look like it was streaked with gold and glitter. How could people even call a place like this haunted? Their loss. They would never be able to experience the beauty of this place.

Suddenly, images a grey eyed guy - the person I'd followed (or attempted to follow)- flashed in my mind. Was he my imagination or was he real? And could it be that he was still somewhere in here?

No. I was overthinking. I had stopped imagining things a while ago. He was a real person who had probably just entered the forest casually and then exited almost immediately. That would explain why I hadn't been able to find him. And even if he did enter the forest with some purpose, it was none of my business. It had been really nosy of me to attempt to follow him. 

But I could understand why I did it. This place was my get away, a place where I could disconnect from the real world.And the thought of someone else entering it made me feel uncomfortable. It felt as if it was my property and someone else was trespassing.

I sighed sadly.

My heart had finally switched to normal mode as I took a deep breath in. I closed my eyes, thoroughly enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings. 

The next time I opened my eyes, it had become relatively darker.

I rubbed my eyes and held my watch up to my face, squinting as I tried to check the time. I gasped. God, I just always lost track of time here. My grandparents would be worried. I brushed off the dry leaves that had fallen onto my shoulders, dusted myself  got onto my feet, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, I got a tingling sensation on the back of my neck and got the strangest feeling that someone was watching me. I whirled around and my eyes scrutinised my surroundings. No one.

I scolded myself for being so paranoid and hurriedly headed off towards the road. Little did I know that my suspicion had been right. High atop one of the many tall, twisty trees, earnest grey eyes watched me as I began to leave.

So this chapter is dedicated to Twistedminds95 who is the only reason I'm still writing :) This is my first story so be sure to show me your support by voting, commenting and following me if you like my story. Peace. ^_^