The Last Theiro

03

Tessa
•••

We were walking back to the cabin, our clothes soaked and the winter breeze gave me goosebumps. The only thing I could hear was the treading of my feet, the cracking twigs and leaves underfoot. I wished Eden had told me before we left that we would be diving in cold water so that I could have at least taken an extra set of clothing.

"How did you know about the waterfall, Eden?" I asked the question that had been gnawing at the corners of my mind.

Eden inclined his head and gave me a closed-lip smile. "You're not the only one who likes to go out into the forest alone." He ran his hands through his wet blonde hair, pushing it back off of his forehead.

There was rustling in the bush and I turned around but there was nobody there. I could feel someone's eyes on me and there was another rustling, but this time faster and closer. I shook my head slowly and decided to ignore it and reluctantly continued to walk with Eden.

The rustling became louder and it was as though something was following us. I came to a halt and the rustling stopped. "Eden, did you hear that?" I asked as I strained my eyes, trying to listen for the sound that was following us.

Eden turned to me with furrowed brows and shook his head slowly. He looked around and bit his lip. "No...there's nobody here," he muttered, unsure of himself as his eyes focused on a place in the forest and he clenched his jaw. I looked in the direction he stared in, but there was no one there.
"Let's just go, " Eden said and looked at me, his brown eyes widened as he gasped. "You're bleeding again."

Eden ran over to me and I touched my temples lightly. The blood had trickled down my forehead and was now plummeting on the forest floor with a loud thud.
"We need to leave now!" Eden said as he glanced back in the forest in the same direction and he scowled. Eden grabbed my arm and we sped through the forest and towards the cabin, all the while the blood from my head dripped down my head, never-ending.

We reached the cabin and Eden ran up the stoop frantically, banging on the door and screaming for Cassia to open up.

I heard muffled footsteps from behind me and spun around on my heels. Two jade green eyes stared back at me wearily.
His clothes were still torn and ragged like before. He clutched his side where a large crimson mark had formed and his face was twisted in pain.

"Heath," I whispered as I approached him. He took a step back and held his hand that wasn't clutching his side out, telling me to stop
"It's not safe for you here." He muttered frantically. "You need to leave, Tessa."

I wanted to ask him how he knew my name but I opened my mouth and no words seemed to escape. I just stared at him in silence and awe.
"Just listen to me, " Heath said carefully and he clutched his side tighter. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor, screaming in agony from the pain.

I ran to Heath, who was now crawled in a foetal position and his eyes were screwed tightly from the pain, and I bent down. I removed Heath's hand and lifted up his top, examining his wound.

The wound was slowly bleeding and it was stitched poorly, the stitches coming loose with every move Heath made. I touched the wound gently, like the first time, and Heath began screaming. The wound was now glowing a bright red and I could feel the heat radiating off from it.

"Let me help you." I urged Heath and he shook his head slowly, unable to talk from the pain. His body twisted as he let out another ear-splitting scream. I looked back at Eden through the trees, who was still banging on the door, calling out for Cassia.

"He must not see me, please," Heath whispered as he clutched onto my arm. I nodded my head slowly. "Why?" I asked him, forcing eye contact with his green orbs.