The Broken Ones

Chapter 14

Felix:

My mind was going a million miles-per-hour at this point. She thought she was asleep for a few minutes? I didn't want to show how worried I was, or how confused, because I knew how much Taylor hated people showing any of those things for her. Yet, I couldn't help the emotions from slipping onto my face.

Taylor looked at Kat and me, bewildered, quickly chuckling as if what we said was a complete joke. "Very funny guys."

Again, Kat and I exchanged glances. She looked just as nervous as I felt. If this forest was already getting to us in the short time that we have been in here, who knows what could be waiting?

Even better, that . . . thing that seemed to possess Taylor. The thought made me shiver. The withdrawals weren't completely gone, only worsening the situation. I had to keep Taylor's words in mind, remember the way her tiny hands felt on my face. With that thought, I took a deep breath in and stood up.

"We should walk and talk," I suggested. I gestured to the surrounding darkness with an uneasy feeling bubbling in my stomach. The anxiety from Taylor's blackout still wasn't gone. "The thing could still be around here."

Everything seemed very . . . dark. Very surreal. Surreal seemed to be the norm here. I found myself not even shocked when I noticed a tiny blue figure darting throughout the trees. As we walked, it was like we were all trying to process the recent events, not one of us knowing what to say first. It was no surprise.

"Maybe we should look in the book?" Kat said hesitantly.

I forgot about the book. It was the best option we had.

I nodded at her suggestion, reaching into my leather bag and pulling out the thick, old book. Ancient runes lined the cover, while some sort of odd symbol was engraved in the middle. I didn't have time to dwell on it before Kat was eagerly snatching the book out of my hands from nerves.

She flicked through the pages, her pale eyes traveling quicker than ever across the foreign language. A sudden realization hit me.

"How are we even supposed to read that?" I voiced my thought.

"That man . . ." Taylor grumbled.

Kat glanced at the both of us like we had lost our minds. "You guys went to school. I was with you." She snorted. "Don't be idiots."

"None of us took . . . whatever that language is," Taylor said, throwing her hands up to the book.

"Pretty sure you took English, guys."

We watched her shake her head. And yet, I really could get more confused than I already was. Fantastic.

Taylor looked at Kat, then at me, then back at Kat, again at me, and finally, she burst out, "What is happening."

Kat let out a breath, adjusting the book before reading, "In past ages, this forest was often referred to as, 'Non Nomen Forest', that is, until one day, when it had disappeared spontaneously. Townsfolk shared stories of the forest, how whispers would sound at night if approached too closely, and how sometimes they swore they saw unusual creatures from behind the thick tree's.

"As if by magic, Non Nomen Forest had appeared once more, like nothing had ever changed. However, it was clear that something was off. Nobody knew what the forest held, or how it could have been affecting them so, but since it had appeared again, the feeling sticks. A prophecy is spoken, mentioned on page 693."

She stopped reading with a curious look on her face, unlike Taylor and I, who had gaping mouths and wide eyes, mainly due to the fact that she had translated whatever that was with no problem.