The forest

Chapter 5

Ps: I didn't know if my house descriptions were the best so I decided to find what I wanted The house to look like to show you guys.

" What did you just say?" I can't believe my ears this boy isn't much older then me and he somehow knows where I can find real facts about the forest.

"I said I overheard you asking about the forest and I know where you can find the information you seek. Oh and I'm Eric." He tells me.

I'm still mostly in shock that someone else knows and is actually questioning what happens to the kids who go missing. Well it's not that shocking because it is strange that kids have kept going missing for thousands of years. If anyone truly thinks about it, people disappearing often like they do here, shouldn't happen.

"Yes yes ohmygoodness how did you find information about the woods?!" I ask feeling suddenly very jumpy.

He sarcastically laughs slowly "I've been trying to figure out the big question of why for a long time, and I've only found a little information, but maybe if you'd help me..."

"Then we could find something worth telling the whole town. Enough proof to let them know how it might be better to stay out of the woods." I state excitedly.

"Before we start we need one thing..." I say

I think we're on the same track and have a cosmic connection because the next thing I say he does too.

"Licorice!" The best snack food that ever existed on this planet. It helps study and go over information, it's a stress chew, I use it constantly to study for my tests.

I hope that me and Eric can find something about these people or maybe some interesting facts about the history of this town. Literally anything would help and if we end up finding out that all the kids were kidnapped then we can help save them. Just a hunch, because why would every single one of them just decide to kill themselves?

We walk to the gas station and the little Needs attached to it to go buy the licorice. I don't know why but I think I actually found a friend in this town who shares some of the same interests and thinks really similar to how I think. As we walk I notice how much taller he is then me, a good couple of inches so I only stand at his nose level and always seem to be looking up when I talk to him. He has light brown hair and those unmissable green eyes. 
But I can't seem to pin point where I've seen him before.

After grabbing the licorice we head out of the shop (after paying of course) and Eric leads me to where he lives and where we'll start our search. But we walk past all of the town houses which I'm familiar with and keep going until we enter the richer side of town.  The homes are gigantic compared to my house, they're so beautiful with stunning windows, siding, and some even have fountains.  I stare in awe each of the homes and wish that I could be given a tour of each one. Don't get me wrong it would be nice to live there but I'd rather just look around and imagine the scenes that play out in each room rather then actually living inside one.

We stop at a large white house with a black roof, the house has black rimmed windows on each level and is stunning. I imagine a skunk for some reason but a beautiful skunk. The grass is well trimmed and bright green, it seems to be reflecting the sun coming out from behind the clouds. I can't say how flawless it is, nothing sticks out and everything different part blends in with the other aspects of the house. There's a round fountain in the front yard and the driveway loups around it in a circle.

"This is where you live?!" I blurt out

The house is soooooo big, how would you not get lost in such a structure. I'm sure I would.

"Yeah." He laughs from my reaction.

"Your house is like three of mine smooched together." The shed is almost as big as my whole home.

He leads me in the front door where I stare at a massive staircase that goes upstairs. Kicking off our shoes we head up. We occasionally pass fancy paintings of different landscapes as we walk up the stairs. Each seeming to be extremely expensive made with lots of precision and probably taken lots of the painters time. The second level is beautiful I notice a grand kitchen and then Eric leads me to a small study area. Well I can't say it's a small area because this whole house is huge. Book casses line the walls and cute little white chairs are seated in front of a small coffee table. There's a fake fire place that looks incredibly real underneath a flatscreen tv mounted on the wall. I don't even think I have a working tv in my whole house.

I walk over to one of the chairs and sit down while Eric goes and looks through a book case he seams really concentrated on finding one specific book maybe the one on the forest. Once he spots it he does a small victory dance pulling it out and sits on the chair across from mine.

"This is the best source we got." He states. " All I've found out is that eye witness reports have seen the kids killing themselves, also someone previously had tried to stop one of them, because it was their friend and couldn't even grab their attention." Eric pauses. "The witness tried to sue the mayor saying that he drugged his friend, but failed and was deemed crazy and put into special care. But the thing is I don't think he was crazy."

That does make sense, if you saw someone walking towards the forest where people go missing then who wouldn't try to stop them. " I don't think the mayor drugged him because this town wouldn't have had enough money to buy drugs for thousands of people. But I do think he's hiding something. When I asked my parents about the kids they shushed me and sent me away. But of course I spied on them afterwards." I say proudly.

"What did you find out?" He asks interested in what I might've been able to find.

"Well mostly the same things that you already found out about, that those kids aren't running away. But my parents didn't want me to know in fear that it could be me next. Strangely enough I would never even think about running away and wonder why they would say that." I say

" That is strange, I've never been brave enough to ask my parents about those kids. I'm sure they'd make fun of me or send me to another camp to get my mind off of that subject. So does that mean it could be anyone?"

Our little meeting is interrupted when we both hear a door slam shut. His parents must be home.

" Hey would you like to stay for lunch? I know we don't know each other that well but I'd like to get to know you better. Because it was nice bumping into you..." Eric starts and I realized that I never told him my name.

"Sophie." I tell him

" Well it was nice meeting you Sophie." He says

I think about the offer and my parents won't be bothered by me not being home, I'm supposed to be at the library and knowing me I could be there for hours.

" I'd actually love staying for lunch." I answer