Forest of Riddles (Reverse Falls, S1)

CC: Part Three

It was a few minutes later (and when she reached the town) when Pacifica skidded to a stop, glancing behind her with a triumphant grin on her face. It was nice to run again after being stuck in a car for a couple days.

Gideon finally caught up with her, panting from lack of air. "That was -" He paused to take a breath, and then he grinned. "That was fun!"

Pacifica managed a smile in between taking breaths of air, too. Yes, it definitely had been.

The town was full of notably cheery people - people who greeted each other with a friendly smile when they crossed each other's paths. The cousins passed by a plump woman in a flashy red running suit, jogging through the town. She waved to the cousins and shouted, "Good afternoon, kids!"

Pacifica and Gideon shared a look. Okay, the town was turning out to be alright. Then why did Pacifica still feel uneasy?

She didn't stop walking until the cousins had reached a large brick building, and then Pacifica stopped. She peered inside a window, seeing dark yet orderly hallways.

"What do you think it is?" she asked.

Gideon took one look and made a disgusted face. "School."

Both the cousins shuddered.

Pacifica turned away from the window and glanced at the playground. This didn't feel as familiar as certain other parts of the town, but it felt familiar enough that she began to explore.

She moved past bushes, and she walked right past the playground.

"Where are you going?" Gideon whispered, trying to catch up with her.

"I don't know," Pacifica whispered back, her eyes on the small forest ahead.

"So I guess we're going to the forest?"

"I guess so," Pacifica said. She moved past two trees, stopping at the edge of a large hill.

Before her lay a couple more rows of trees, the huge and grassy hill that would in no way be safe to roll down, and beyond that, from what seemed like miles away -

A huge and elaborate mansion stood atop a precipice, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Pacifica could make out a limousine driving down the safer side of the precipice, and the mansion - speaking of the mansion - looked to be complete with a fancy bush garden, a few fountains, a huge backyard.

"Wow," Gideon breathed, staring down at the mansion as he joined Pacifica. "That is some mansion."

"Yeah," Pacifica agreed. She tore her eyes away from the mansion (it gave her a headache just to look at it), glancing around again before starting to explore again.

"Where to now?" Gideon prompted. 

Paciifca glanced around before settling on the forest. "Into the woods!" she declared.

~

It was a while before either cousin found even a spark of excitement.

Gideon had decided to mesmerizingly watch a butterfly dawdle on a dandelion, so Pacifica had chosen a nice bush and sat down beside it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched her cousin crouch down and hold his breath as long as he could so he wouldn't scare the butterfly away.

Pacifica closed her eyes, breathing deeply. What would've happened, she wondered, if her parents hadn't picked this town to visit? "It'll be interesting," they said. "You'll get a break from school," they said.

Okay, yeah, the break from school was nice, and the town was certainly interesting - Ford had six fingers on each hand, after all - but something seemed off.