He held me on his lap and touched me in places that would give anyone a good beating! Thankfully before he could do anything to stupid Madam stepped in.

“Don’t touch my waitresses like that you nasty wolf!” He immediately let go and I scampered behind the bar. Hazel reached out a hand to me and helped me up and we left to our rooms. I laid in bed staring at the ceiling. It was to loud down stairs as more and more of the town's men got drunk. I rolled to my side and looked at the beams of light coming through the window. The eerie presence of light would have been enough to drive most people to hide under the covers but to me. It felt like I could finally breathe from this musty old town. I got up and crept over to the window. I had one of the best views of the forest and just by having the moon light there then any bit of water in the branches maybe the forest shimmer like stars! I heard the door creak behind me and half expected it to be the boy but thankfully it was just Hazel.

“No luck sleeping?” She shook her head no “Well me neither.” Hazel grabbed a chair and sat next to me and we both stared out upon the vast forest. “What was it like to live on the edge of the forest?” I had often asked that question but I never really got a straight answer. From really, anybody! And every time I asked Hazel she would always find a way to change the subject or tell me a little bit and then run away.

“It was a hard…” she said after a moment “There was always barriers in the back and the stories my family told of human eating monsters always kept me from heading into the forest.” I nodded. This was the most information she had ever given me about her past.

“Do you miss your family?”

“Yeah, of course! But I never really felt… free there…” I knew exactly how she felt. Here, even though it's a small town, still feels like a never ending prison and with are Pope it feels more like an underground cave suffocating and dim with only one exit. Hazel got up and waved as she left. I nodded and turned back to the forest, and letting out a sigh I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep.