1.1 | Lupus Paulo {NOW ON GALATEA}

C H A P T E R 1

All Star - Smash Mouth

C H A P T E R 1

WORD COUNT: 2035

  "Hasta la vista, baby"  

What movie is this from??? The person who guesses right gets a shout out in the next chapter :)

***

TWO days, four hours and fifteen minutes. That's how long its been since I left home. I had expected traveling through the woods easier than this. I had hoped to be a lot further along than I am but seeing as I don't do physical exercise at all, my body isn't accustomed to doing the things I want it to do. 

Every hour, I have to stop for a five-minute break so that I can catch my breath. 

My new goal is to make it to the other side of this forest in five days. I can just about ration the food for that long. 

As I hike through the dark forest, I think about my poor mother. Certainly, by now she is aware of my disappearance. I wonder what she will be doing right now. Will she be conducting a manhunt for me? Or will she be wallowing in sadness? 

A loud squawk resounds throughout the silent forest. My body freezes for a second and I pay close attention to my surroundings. When I see a crow flapping its pitch black wings, weaving through the trees, I release an anxious breath and continue on my trek. The canopy of leaves forms a safe passage for me from the harsh rays of the sun. 

For the third time today, I lean my body on an enormous tree and catch my breath. A small breeze picks up, causing the leaves to rustle together. I glance upwards at the almost green leaves, noting how they completely shield me from the sky. 

Exhaustion over washes me, my legs pleading for me to sit down and give up. But my mind does not agree. I must go on. 

When the wind has died down,  I observe the woodland. Most of it looks the same - trees, broken branches on the ground and small holes that lead to animal homes. There's something about this forest that is mysterious. It's an odd thing to think but a part of me thinks it holds dozens of secrets that are waiting to be uncovered - by me. 

The rational part of me thinks its a silly notion but on the other hand, my superstitious side is fully convinced. 

Before I can delve deeper into my thought process, a twig snaps. My head snaps to where I think it was, my eyes scanning the area closely. 

At first, I don't notice a thing. As I'm about to brush it off as a rabbit, I see a flash of golden hair zooming past a tree. But just as quickly as I saw it, it evaporates. For a second, I believe my eyes are playing tricks on me. 

But then I catch another crunch. 

My body stiffens with fear. If someone is there, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm not fast enough to run and I don't know if I can talk my way out of a bad situation. After all, I have been isolated my whole life. My social skills probably aren't the best. 

A tall form sneaks between two trees. My stomach leaps when I hear a giggle. A girl's giggle. 

Mustering up some courage, I swallow hard. "W - who's there?" 

No reply. 

Crunching leaves from the other side of me draws my attention away from the tree where the blonde form was. 

Staring in the other direction, I squint my eyes. Nothing. I see nothing. 

"Choose." A woman's voice says, right in front of me. Jumping in fright, my heart hammers in my chest.