Perfectly Imperfect

Chapter Thirteen: Abracadabra

We pulled the car into the clearing and parked at the tree line and I was once again greeted by a wave of pain in the form of a headache. They have become more frequent lately and the doctors couldn't identify the cause, and they were bordering on debilitating sometimes.

I thought back to the cryptic conversation Mauhreen, my adoptive mother, and I had this morning. Somebody who could help my headaches but they weren't a doctor and the meeting was today, it couldn't be rescheduled. Naturally, after the events of yesterday I would much rather have stayed indoors and as far away from the forest as possible, my parents even let me have the day off school.

And yet, here I stood at the border of the forest despite the recollection of yesterday fresh in my mind. All because my brain had decided to resonate extreme amounts of pain down the rest of my body. I took a deep breath as we exited the car. The weather had calmed down since yesterday, grey clouds still hovered threateningly but it wasn't as cold. The only thing that remained of our harsh storm was the wind occasionally still whipping violently.

I took another breath in a bid to calm my nerves. I eyed up the woods distastefully, and there I noticed a group of people stood as ominous shadows against the treeline. I glanced to my parents, realising that they were already looking in the direction of the people. 

"Are you taking me to a cult?" I asked, completely serious.
My dad's head shot round to me and raised an eyebrow, "A cult?"
I nodded, "A cult, you've brought me to the middle of nowhere, we're about to go into the woods and this 'doctor' happened to bring mean-looking friends who are incapable of stepping just a little further forward into the light," I gestured to the group of people.
"I told you it wasn't a doctor," my mum said.

"That's the part you focused on?" I mumbled. She must have heard me as she shot a look meant to silence me.

We began walking to towards them, despite my absolute attempt to make them walk first I somehow ended up leading the way, my parents following closely behind. Every time I stopped to say something or to try to get them to go ahead in front I would be ushered along by one of them. My suspicions rose with every step, something wasn't right.

As we reached them I noticed they were all unimaginably attractive. All shapes, sizes, colours and genders but all insanely and equally attractive. The only thing that was consistent was that they were all significantly taller than what I would have equated to 'normal'. And well, they were all equally attractive baring the one stood in the middle of them all. He was something else entirely.

It was he who addressed me first, "Hello, Luci. Welcome back," he smiled.
"Back?" I asked, I was fairly certain I had never been here before.
He raised one shoulder before addressing the others, "Luci and I will go for a walk, we'll meet you back at the... house."
I glanced back at my parents, wondering if they were actually going to leave me with a random man in the middle of the woods.

Dad kissed my forehead, "We'll see you back at the house sweetheart."
My mouth hung open, as mum waved as they walked away with some of the other people. Two large men stayed behind.

We started walking in the opposite direction but still further into the woods. I felt off-balance, out of my comfort zone. I had always felt more of an outdoorsy kid and was never particularly bothered by the woods or forest but after the events of yesterday I didn't feel comfortable anymore.

Now I was stuck walking through with a random man, being trailed by two other random men that look like they eat people my age for breakfast. I eyed them up in my peripheral.

"Don't worry," the main man said softly, "I promise you'll understand shortly, actually, in about 5 minutes as soon as we get home." At least my headache, in the meantime, had ceased. I don't think any further recollections had come from it, unlike usual.