Collided Sky (Auras of Pneuma)

Chapter 5 (Wide Awake)

Darius began to explain what happened to him.
"Well, I was in the woods earlier over by the stream and I wanted to come back to the house to grab some food and water then head back to the stream and just hang out there for a while. While I was heading back, out of nowhere, I felt my eyes start to burn a little but I didn't really think anything of it but then it got worse and I couldn't do anything to stop it. All of a sudden it felt like I got the wind knocked out of me and then I started to feel like I couldn't breathe. It must have been for only a few minutes but then it just stopped. It was weird but like I said it was nothing. It was probably just something floating around in the air."
Aunt Syndie's face filled with worry as she seemed more bothered by it then Darius was.
"Dammit!" She muttered under her breath.
She brought her hand up to her face and began to rub her forehead.

"Did you come straight here after it happened?"

"Yea. Why?"

She ignored Darius's question and began pacing back and forth with her arms folded. Her uneasiness began to set Darius's nerves on edge.

"Ok that's a good thing that you did but from this point forward, I am really going to need you to not, for any reason at all, go back into that forest again."

"Aunt Syndie, your blowing this out of proportion, this is not that big of a deal."

"Darius, you have no idea how big of a deal this is. There are things that you don't know; things you don't understand"

"Things that I don't know, what things don't I know? What are you talking about?"

"Darius, I promise I will tell you everything but right now is not the right time. Look I need some time to think but in the meantime do not go back into the forest."
Aunt Syndie quickly started walking towards the greenhouse; quietly and franticly talking to herself.
Darius walked outside and sat down on the small set of wooden steps as the screen door slowly came swinging to a close behind him. Darius looked out into his isolated and quiet neighborhood. Staring at the paved road that didn't lead to anywhere and the completely silent homes that almost seemed like a ghost town, he couldn't help but wonder, how could anything can be as bad as his Aunt Syndie is making it out to be especially in a place like this. Everything was so intense and Darius, more than ever, just couldn't understand why. While Darius was sitting on the steps, the wind became breezy and had a slightly cool temperature. The pleasantly crisp breeze added a much-needed relief to the recent heatwaves they've been having. As the wind blew, it carried off some of the heat and along with it, some of Darius's frustration with his aunt Syndie's recent hysteria. The sun shined brightly and rose to its highest peak, but for some reason, the air temperature continued to drop as it became a little cooler. After a while, a light mist came rolling in; slowly dragging a shadowy overcast behind it. Darius slouched back a bit and allowed himself to enjoy the invigorating cool air and the refreshing mist, which was now turning into a somewhat opaque fog. As the fog fully coated the forest floor, Darius was quickly broken from his relaxation when he heard whispers of all kinds bouncing between his ears as if they were tethered to his mind.
"DAARIUUSSS." The light and eerie whisper slowly dragged out. Darius's eyes, deeply filled with curiosity, panned the forest immensely in search of where the voice came from. He was then brought to acknowledge a shadowy figure that stood deep within the woods.
"Demetri?" he said to himself. The strange and unfamiliar figure cheerfully waved at Darius then immediately gestured for Darius to come into the woods. Darius sat up on the steps and looked back towards the door of his aunt Syndie's house. He wondered whether he should go in the woods knowing that his aunt Syndie told him not to. He again turned towards the forest and seen that the figure was just standing there as if waiting on Darius to come. Then cheerfully, waving for Darius to come into the woods again.
His mind shuffled around thoughts trying to find a reason as to why he should not go but couldn't convince himself of one. Darius stood up from the steps and began heading towards the forest to meet up with Demetri.