It’s dark in the woods. Max has been running off this anxiety for some time now but it’s just not going away.

Wait.

How did he end up back in the woods? There’s a strange energy in this town that keeps pulling him here against his will. Max shakes his head. He’s not panicking but he still feels a bit like he’s underwater. Is the panic coming? For some reason, he’s not too sure of anything.

He keeps running. Panting… Looking for something?

That’s why he came into the woods, isn’t it? To find something? The trees are too tall and it’s too dark to see much else but what’s in front of him so he just keeps going in one direction. Then he’s out of breath.

New mint green sneakers stop in the shallow mud. Why did he wear his new shoes? How stupid of him to bring them here. He kneels down to brush them off when he hears a sound.

Ssss….

Hhhh…

It’s faint.

Max’s feet are moving on their own.

Sob… Sob…

It’s a girl. Someone is crying. Someone is stuck out here, probably running from the beast, too? That’s what he’s doing, right? No, he’s looking for something, that’s right. He starts walking toward the sound. Calling out would be a bad idea.

We wouldn’t want the beast to find him.

He keeps walking.

The sobbing is getting louder and louder and the trees are getting smaller and more spread out. Then, Max can see the faint outline of a house. Who would be living out in the middle of the woods with a beast on the loose? Maybe he reached the edge of town? No, it’s still too dark.

“Oh god…” The girl cries and Max finally sees her at the bank of a small lake. There are flowers growing in abundance around the lake, but Max can’t identify them. If he had to guess he’d say Hyacinth, but something inside him knows that’s not right. “Oh, no… No, how could this happen?” She's sobbing harder now if that's even possible and Max feels a pain in his chest like deep, deep regret.

“H-hey.” He says softly, but she doesn’t hear him. He moves a bit closer and reaches a hand out. “Um, are you… okay? Miss?”

She must’ve heard him that time because she stops crying. He shoulders are tense like she’s been caught and her hands are covering her face. She’s not moving.

“Miss?” He calls again.

Then she speaks and it’s calm and not at all like the fragile voice he’d heard before.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Max.”

Time freezes.

Max’s muddy sneakers are stuck in place and a chill runs up his spine.

How did he get into the woods again?

Was there always a house out in the woods?

Where did this lake come from?

Was there a car sticking out of the lake when he got here?

Was there… blood on this girls clothes when he got here?

“Max?” She says again, but now she’s standing.

He can’t move.

He can’t speak.

She turns. It’s quick and her face is horribly distorted with deep gaping wounds in her cheeks and ugly, jagged teeth sticking out through the holes. She opens her mouth wide, a sickening smell seeping out like exhaust.

Suddenly she’s right in front of Max’s face and all he can see is darkness and vague outlines and bright glowing yellow eyes.

“MAX!” She shouts and he opens his mouth to scream but nothing comes out. “Wake up!

Max shoots up in his seat. The classroom is empty of everyone but Narhi who’s leaning over his desk and a long, thin woman with short, straight, violet hair sitting backward in the desk in front of him. She’s Max’s English teacher, Ms. Berry, and she doesn’t look as angry as he’s starting to think she should be considering class is apparently over.

“I…” Is all Max can seem to get out. Somehow, he still feels like he can’t speak. Is he still dreaming? He looks down at his hands on his desk and notices they’re shaking. Oh. He’s not dreaming. He’s just terrified.

“Are you alright, Max?” Ms. Berry tilts her head to see his face better. There’s something calming about her presence and Max finds himself looking into her eyes. He thought they were black before, but as he looks closer, he sees they’re a deep purple oasis amidst her paper white skin. Her undercut becomes strikingly obvious as her hair falls delicately over her face.

“I… I was… in the woods.”

Narhi looks like he’s about to say something, but Ms. Berry’s long, sinewy fingers reach up to gently signal for him to be silent.

“Why were you in the woods, Max?” Her voice is like velvet and Max is zoning out again.

“I was… I was… looking for someone…”

“Who were you looking for?”

“I was… looking for…” A vision of bright yellow eyes floats in front of Max’s face and he shuts his eyes tight, tears falling to the desk in harsh streams. “Oh, no…” He says, and he isn’t in control of his words anymore, nor his tears. “How could this happen?”

Delicate fingers snap and the sound is piercing and Max suddenly realizes he’s in the classroom. He looks over at Narhi who is hardcore fretting, hands moving up and down like he doesn’t know what to do. Max wipes his face in confusion and watches Ms. Berry tuck her hair behind her ear, having just enough length to do it. He can't remember the last time he actually cried like that. It's embarrassing, but mostly it's concerning because, frankly, he wasn't sure why it was happening.

“My apologies, Max. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have compelled you. It seemed to me that you were connecting to a spiritual plane and I thought it would be helpful to get as much information as possible while you still had a foot in the door, so to speak.”

“I… what?”

“You fell asleep.” Narhi finally says. He still looks really worried. “And you were dreaming about something. Like, something not fun.”

“I understand you’ve been raised mostly with humans. Is that right, Max?” How many times has she said his name, now? He wants to respond but all he can do is nod. “This might be an overwhelming transition for you, so perhaps you should see a counselor that can help you to understand your more… spiritual side.”

“Oh, you never took Link Therapy.” Narhi ponders, as if that clears anything up for Max, who is more confused than ever.

The confusion on Max's face must be obvious because Ms. Berry is already explaining before he can ask. “Link Therapy is a required course for our K-12 students that help them to adapt to living a more human life. It’s a kind of therapy that helps you to have a better grasp of the energy that links you to the spiritual plane, the realm our kind are all derived from. Since we all have human blood, we cannot exist there solely, but it is dangerous for us and those around us if we have no connection to it at all.”

“Can I… Take that now?” Max’s hands are clasped together.

“I’m afraid we don’t typically offer that course here, but I’ll tell you what.” She smiles a small gentle smile. “I’ll take care of finding you a counselor that is trained to teach Link Therapy and set something up for you.”

Max finds himself looking at Narhi for reassurance and there’s a dumb smile and two thumbs up waiting for him. A half smile finds it’s way onto Max’s face and he nods to Ms. Berry.

“In the meantime. Why don’t you go home and I’ll call your aunt?” Max looks back at Narhi and suddenly feels his anxiety coming back at the thought of going home alone.

“Can you take him home, Usko?” She sounds a little bit exasperated, but her face doesn’t let on. “I’ll let your Uncle know, of course.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Narhi salutes her for some reason and Max finds himself letting a little laugh out his nose when she rolls her eyes at him.

“Go on, then.” Ms. Berry calls back without looking. She’s already at the whiteboard, preparing for her next class.

The boys collect their things and Max walks toward the door while Narhi slips out one of the long open windows next to it.

“Use the door, Usko!” Ms. Berry calls out, still facing the whiteboard.

Narhi pouts. “It’s like she has eyes in the back of her head.”

Neither of them notices how close they're walking to each other until Max slips on the linoleum floor and Narhi catches him by the shoulders.

"Hey, you alright?" Narhi asks and Max takes a moment to process his terrifying realization.

"Th-there's... some mud... on my shoes."