Ghostly Love

Secrets of the Forest

Chapter 10

*TRAVIS POV*

Sitting in the meadow, the sun is perched high above Gem and me. Who knew it could be so warm in the middle of fall? Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I can't feel things.

Recalling all that Gem found on the internet, she lies down and I am excited by her closeness. She smells like vanilla. A smile creeps on my lips at the thought of this. I slip my hand over hers, and am glad when she doesn't pull away. We both turn our heads and look at each other.

Her dark eyes draw me in like a black whole, wanting to get lost in them. Her cheeks are slightly freckled and have a light pink blush. Then I come to rest on her lips. Plump and warm, with a cinnamon gloss, begging me to take a bite.

She stares at my eyes, and I'm suddenly conscientious of me checking her out. As pale as I am, I know she sees me blush a bright pink when she lets out a giggle. I look away; eyes closed, and get ready to tell her what she needs to know of the forest.

"Gem, the night my brother Spenser and I came into the forest...we weren't alone as I told you before. There was someone -something else here with us. And there still is. The witch," I say with a serious voice. I hear her swallow deep from beside me.

"So this witch, just how bad is she?" she asks a little shaky.

"She took the spell book from me. After I hit her with an acorn everything is a littler hazy. I remember Spenser running off. I stretched out a hand 'Spenser! Spenser, help!' I shouted, but it was no use. He couldn't hear me. With a huge gust of wind the witch pushed me up against a tree and I couldn't breathe," I say with an angry hand to my throat. "I tried hard to pull from her grip but all I could do was stare helplessly at the horrible sight before me. I thought I was definitely witch meat right there!"

Gem sits up. "Travis, I'm so sorry" she says with a choked and sympathetic voice.

"In that moment I looked past the witch and focused on the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. The pink and yellow light of the sun seemed to dance with the blue of night. 'Every day, this struggle between night and day always wrestled most in sync two times a day,' I thought to myself as I closed my eyes and prepared for the end." I sit up to meet Gem's eyes. "but then something extraordinary happened!"

Gem's dark eyes widen, beckoning me to tell her more.

"The tight grip around my throat lessened and I fell surprisingly lightly to the ground. I saw her run off and then that was it. I was out."

"What then?" Gem presses further with a wide eyed intensity.

"I woke up later that day and I wasn't exactly myself. Days, weeks, months passed and all I ever could do was wonder throw these woods. But one night, I found this cottage not too far from here. However, I went there to check it out in the day light, but it wasn't there!"

Gem looks at me with confusion painted on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I went to the exact spot I had the day before. I could've sworn it was there! The strange thing though was that I went a third time later in the day and the sun was blinding me but I could see was resembled the quaint little cottage. And then I saw the witch! I turned back to run, but I stopped myself and saw something quite interesting." I clear my throat for dramatic effect.

"You see what stood before me the night my body disappeared was a snarled tooth, ancient, old hag. And that's what I saw too near the witch's home, except the further and further she drew from her house she grew younger and more beautiful. She wore a perfect smile and the curly nest on her hair turned to fine smooth looking hair. She had transformed right in front of me!" I exclaim grabbing Gem with both ghostly hands and look her deep in her eyes. We are only centimeters from each other's noses and her breath falls lightly from parted lips falls on mine. I continued softly now, "Every day I go to the witch's cottage and study her until the day I can avenge my family and I. Avenge for all that she stole from me." My voice is low but filled with a purpose. And Gem can help me fulfill this purpose.

I finish with the last of the secrets of the forest. "The witch and her home are only visible and accessible in the evening. It disappears at sunrise. She is able to change her terrible form into a graceful and seemingly harmless one. And she has the book we need to find out what really happened to me," I say this as I close the space between us.

*GEMMA POV*

Travis grips my shoulders with his pale hands and continues speaking. He is so close now that when he speaks I feel his ice cold breath brush against my lips. He stops and fills the space between us. His touch sends a tingle through my spine.

He lets go of the grips that has made its way around my waist and I stand there, shock plainly on my face. Did that really just happen? Yes! How about take two?

This is a lot to wrap around my head. How can for all these years and evil witch be living in these woods with a ghost!? I let out a deep breath and he scoots away slightly.

"You should go now." He says with his eyes to the ground.

"Heck no! I want to see this witch," I say jumping up enthusiastically.

"Seriously?" Travis says incredulously.

"Yeah! Let's kick some old hag booty. We need to find out what really happened to you that night."

"Alright...This way..." he gets up and walks out of the meadow.

The only thing we are positive of this moment is that the witch would be stalking the woods soon.