Because We Fell

11. Penelope

A/N: Hey everyone! New chapter.

I hit 1K reads! That's so amazing, I'm beyond honored. Compared to other Wattpad writers, I feel incredibly inadequate, so to get even this many reads is a huge deal for me. Thanks everyone for the support.

Also: What do you guys think of my story cover? I've been thinking about changing it. Any suggestions for new covers? Submit any ideas if you have any please :)

Anyways, new chapter, so vote, comment, and enjoy!

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Tessa's POV:

"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked Jake as I followed him towards the forest. Jake had started to walk towards the forest, so I guessed that we weren't going to hike up the towering green hills that stood next to us.

The forest looked dark and mysterious, though not exactly mysterious in a serial-killer-hideout kind of way, but more of an intriguing type of mysterious, like the forest was begging to be discovered. As we walked, I squinted at what was in front of us, trying to see through the darkness where exactly it was that we were going. Jake had promised to show me something beautiful tonight, and from the look of where we were heading, that something beautiful was hidden somewhere in the forest. I scanned the outside of the forest, seeing the dark green trees that were all huddled together tightly, their branches outstretching to one another. I tried to look into the forest to see what beauty was hidden in there, but there were so many trees and bushes that it was nearly impossible to see what lay ahead of us.

"Up," Jake answered, flashing me a grin. He outstretched his hand towards mine as we reached the outskirts of the forest. "Hold my hand. It's a little tricky getting through this area."

I complied, and held on to his hand tightly as he led me through the forest. His hand was warm but as soon as I felt his on mine, a small shiver ran through me.

As soon as we entered, the night sky disappeared, and the air above us was now painted with the greens of the tops of the soaring trees that veiled the forest. There were tiny spaces in between the tops of the trees, though, so that the moonlight could shine through and illuminate the forest brightly enough for us to see our surroundings. We walked forward for a couple of minutes, and I looked around me as we passed rows and rows of plants and trees, moss growing on almost every inch of the area. Trees, bushes, shrubs, and stray leaves were scattered everywhere, and there weren't many flowers in the area, save for the few lavender hydrangea that appeared every now and then on the moss carpeted ground. Mostly though, the whole place was colored completely in what seemed like thousands of shades of green, speckled with a few blessings of lavender every couple of hundred yards.

The air reeked of wood and eucalyptus and citrus, a strangely pleasant combination that left the impression that the forest was ancient yet excitingly alive. Jake's familiar scent of cedar and sandalwood became lost in the air, the forest's odor overpowering his and permeating our surroundings as the chilly winds carried its scent. As we walked through the area, stepping on crackling twigs and rustling leaves on the ground while dodging the extending tree branches that hung over in the air, I had only one word in my mind:

Beautiful.

The forest was so luring, so enchanting, holding the aura of mystery in the air, all the while boasting its beauty as it flirted its secrets to its onlookers. And as I looked around me at the marveling sight, I couldn't help but look back at Jake, thinking to myself that if this forest was a person, Jake would be it. The flirtatious crooked smile that he beamed at me and the mystery and naughtiness that lay beneath his deep, forest green eyes were just as captivating as what I saw around me now, and as he looked over at me while we made our way through the forest, I couldn't help but feel mesmerized.