In The Dark

six

"Hi," He said, his face brightened with a lopsided grin. "What're you looking for?"

I felt myself tense, terrified to be trapped between a stranger and the graveyard in woods that I knew to be odd and not in the favor of safety. But at the same time he stood slightly slouched and a good foot away now. He seemed to sense my discomfort and react in a way, physically, to make it lessen. His energy wasn't threatening, and he didn't exert the same 'I have an agenda' vibe as the great majority of people I had met in Maudit Falls.

"I had come to look for my Grandmother's grave," I said, hoping he wouldn't think I had just been watching him.

He smiled.

"Any luck?"

"I didn't actually look," I said, "I think I may wait and come another time. Maybe I wasn't as ready to see it as I thought."

"Maybe the woods wanted you to see something else?" He said with a laugh.

"The woods?"

"They do seem to have a mind of their own," He replied, "Don't they?"

On that we could definitely agree.

"That they do," I nodded.

I could see up close that he seemed to be around nineteen like I'd suspected. I looked behind him and checked the path. As odd as it may sound, I was looking to see if it had changed. The trees seemed to move, and the dirt almost vibrated with energy. He noticed where I was looking.

"Making sure it hasn't switched up on you?"

I was taken aback.

"Yes," I said after a moment of confusion.

"Well," He said, "I'll let you get going then,"

I smiled slightly, but also felt anxiety stir in me. My last attempt at leaving these woods hadn't exactly gone swimmingly. He seemed to notice the nervousness on me, and pushed his hair back.

"Would you like an escort?" He asked, "I know the woods pretty well."

I nodded, "Yes, please,"

"Where do you live?"

"The old house on Crown Lane,"

"The old Barker house?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed, "I didn't know anyone was living there."

"My grandmother left it for us in her will," I said, "A final goodbye, I guess,"

"Amelia was a pretty severe woman," He said.

"You knew her?"

"Yes and no," he said, "She, like quite a few other people, wasn't fond of me. I knew of her, and we spoke a few times, but that was the extent."

I nodded.

"I've heard a lot of mixed feelings about her," I said with a laugh, "And I've been in town less than a week. Us Barker women just don't win folks over"

"I can hardly imagine that that's true."

"You would be surprised," I said with a laugh.

I half-noticed the distance we had walked, but more than that I noticed the confidence of movement. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, regardless of what he himself said about the paths 'changing'. He moved gracefully and I couldn't help but watch him carefully.

"How do you know the woods so well?" I asked.

"I'm here quite a good deal," He said.

"At the graveyard?"

"Not always, i'm pretty fond of the lake and I like the woods. They're peaceful."

I stopped myself from responding that they seemed to be less than peaceful.

"Most of the time," He added with a smirk.

He was obviously observant and seemed to know what you were thinking before you said it. This didn't necessarily mean anything about him was weird, there are plenty of people who have become observant as a reaction to their family relationships or even the amount of attention that they didn't get. Not to imply he's attention thirsty. He comes across as kind, though that doesn't mean anything when you don't know someone. Plenty of people come across as nice when in reality they plan to use you.

"You shouldn't roam the woods when you don't know it."

"How am I supposed to know them without wandering?" I said back with a slow grin.

He returned it.

"I suppose you're right," He said, "But the last thing you want is to upset the creatures of the forest."

He said it drastically, like a fairytale character and I couldn't keep from laughing.

"Maybe the woods are on my side,"

"I'm sure they are, I can hardly imagine they would leave you in harm's way." He said, "A little thing like you has gotta be in good terms with the spirits of the great beyond."

I looked down at the ground, smiling.

"Well," He said, "Here you are."

My head snapped up and saw that he was right. A few inches ahead of us was the treeline, and just beyond it the cottage sat quietly under dark clouds.

"You found the way out so fast,"

He smiled at me and looked back down at the ground, where the grass was tall around his ankles. He gave me a nod in the direction of the house and with a smile, I turned to walk away.

Part of me wanted to stay in the edge of the woods with him, even as the first few drops of rain dropped from the sky.