The Secrets of The Forbidden Garden

| Chapter VIII - Paranoia |

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I sat near a pond, with my feet in the water. That book... It was so detailed... with horrifying details. I closed my eyes, trying to remember all the things the book had said. But, my brain couldn't comprehend all the new information. My heart began racing, my breathing quickened. I felt guilty as hell. I was definitely NOT supposed to have read that book.

Yet again, time seemed to slip by, without anyone knowing. Logically speaking, I'd probably been in The Forbidden Garden for a few days, yet I wasn't sure. Many Souls said that it was common to lose sense of time when you die. I should appreciate that I at least had a thought about how long. Many can't even think of any numbers for that question. To be honest, the amount of time I'd been here wasn't my biggest of concerns right now. After reading that book, I'd begin to act 'strangely'. I couldn't talk without stuttering. Some had grown to vary from me, and some whispering began spreading. It made me uncomfortable. The pretty girl I'd met, and her friends, tried to stand up for me. I really appreciated it, but they shouldn't do that for me. I knew too much, after all. The Elders of our group in The Forbidden Garden went to meetings a lot more than usual, too. It made my skin crawl thinking about what they were talking about. I'd thought about finding the book again, but I was too scared If I'd get caught. So I kept away, like I should've from the start. ... In the end, I couldn't hold myself back. I returned to the forest, searching for the book. I found it in the same place, wiped off the dirt and leaves. Should I maybe show this to The Elders? ... No, I'd probably be punished. They'd know I'd read some of it. I took the book and opened it. ...What the- The pages were all blank! I swiped through each page, still careful not to break it. Nothing. There was nothing on the pages anymore. I tried closing and opening it, as if expecting to see the text reappear. Nothing happened, though. I stood up, leaving the book on the ground. When I turned around, I stopped in my tracks. A boy, a Soul, was standing right infront of me. He had long black hair, covering his eyes. He just stood there. I hesitated a few seconds, before slowly side-walking my way out of there. Out of nowhere though, he began chasing right for me, like an angry bull. I slipped on my heel, trying to escape and face-planted head first into the grass. I flipped over, and saw him standing right infront of me. I was shaking with fear, I couldn't speak. Did he know about the book?! Was I gonna be punished now?! I closed my eyes, as if trying to protect my brain. 1.. 2.. 3 seconds. Nothing happened. I opened them slowly, to see a hand in front of my face. I looked up, the black haired boy was stretching his arm out to me. The wind blew his long bangs, exposing dark blue eyes. He smiled at me. I took his hand, and he helped me up.

"Greetings! My name is Marius, nice to meetcha!" He shook my hand, cheerfully. Wait, did he say his name was?- I stared at him, shocked. He snickered, seemingly expecting this reaction. He looked over at where the book was, then back at me. He, too, obviously knew something he shouldn't. 

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