Evanesterrin

Chapter Four

The fire crackled and cast dancing light and shadow over the clearing as the scary stories continued. Naeren noticed that Lumina had seemed tense since coming out of the hut, and she saw that Lumina would gaze into the flames for long moments looking as though her mind was a world away. Lumina and Naeren shared some food as they listened to Alden who was currently telling the story.

"...So then, the monster jumped out of the wall! Cuz he was a monster, so he could go through solid walls, you know? So anyway, it jumped out of the wall, and it was between the kids and the door in the haunted house! And it attacked this one boy, like, slashed him in the face! And so then his blood goes everywhere and he dies and then his friends try to run but the monster eats them and rips off their heads and no one has seen the monster since but IT'S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE AND IF IT FINDS YOU IT WILL RIP YOU APART TOO!" Alden finished with an excited shout.

There were a few people who weakly applauded, but most people were quiet. Then one girl stood up and rolled her eyes.

"Your story was completely cliche," she said. Silence fell over the clearing as Alden looked at her in shock. Lumina and Naeren exchanged a glance. This could get interesting...

"Uh... well..." Alden sputtered, looking appalled that someone had called his story cliche. "I bet you can't do better!" He finally said.

"Oh yes, I can," the girl said. As if the forest were listening to her words, a cool breeze swept through the trees at that exact moment, causing the fire to dance and sparks swirled in the wind.

"Prove it," Alden said, sitting down with a huff.

"I will," the girl said. She grinned and flicked her short red hair out of her face. She had a bit of a punk vibe. Naeren glanced at Lumina and saw her staring intently at the girl, her eyes wide in anticipation.

"Once upon a time-" the girl started, but was cut off by Alden.

"Now that's cliche!"

"Once upon a time," the girl repeated, giving Alden an icy glare as she continued, "there was a group of friends."

"That's the same as my story!" Alden complained, getting to his feet. "They all get killed by a monster right? The end. Equally cliche."

"I am not giving spoilers. Now if you shut up and listen, you might actually find out what happens!" the girl smirked. There were several ooooooooo's from the surrounding people as Alden gaped at her and slowly sat down. Lumina chuckled. Several other people stared at the girl with looks ranging from awe or interest to hate or disgust. She seemed oblivious to their looks as she continued.

"Anyway, there was a group of friends, two girls, and a boy, and they decided to explore a beautiful forest, so one day they packed up some supplies and left to go to the forest early in the morning. The morning was cool, especially once they got to the forest and were in under the shade of the trees, but as the day progressed, it started to get warm. The forest was filled with flowers and wildlife, and the three friends decided to stop for a bit to enjoy the scenery and eat their lunch."

"This isn't even a scary story!" Alden interrupted again. Lumina and a few other people shushed him, but the girl acted like she hadn't even heard him.

"After they had their lunch, the three friends lay down in the soft grass and looked up at the sky. Through the trees, they could see some clouds drifting softly, and soon the gentle breeze, the beautiful view, and the soft nature sounds around them lulled them to sleep. Hours passed. When they awoke, night had fallen completely," she stopped, letting her words sink in. Naeren looked around and she could see that the forest outside the firelight was pitch black, and she shuddered involuntarily.