Chapter two
Sometime before
After years of traversing forests and woodlands, Lillian had become accustomed to walking with a deadly silence. This was a very evident side effect of a childhood occupied by staking rabbits and deer. Her feet were silent on the soft foliage. The fraying canvas bag that held her textbooks sawed into her shoulder, sending prickles of pain through her skin––she ignored it. The trackless woods were dappled with peppered sunlight––she jumped from pocket to pocket.
Lillian held her arms out like a child mimicking an airplane, taking large exaggerated steps, her dark blue boots treading swiftly and carefully, dodging each twig and branch who’s splintering crack would break the beautiful bird song. She let her mind wander, the pinpricks of dread scraping away her clay smile didn’t bother her. Forcing a smile becomes painful after a while, so, when she was alone she let her beautiful, porcelain mask fall and shatter. That was why she enjoyed her little walk to school, it was a rare breath of fresh air.
Her little short cut sliced through the forest. It was marked by a barely visible track of trodden grass––to the untrained eye it would have been simply some disturbed grass but this was her track; a bending route that ran through the woods heart. Lillian took this path to and from school when the clouds decided not to cry. It lengthened her journey to collage considerably but it didn’t bother her. She had no car and would barely be old enough to drive it if she did. The roads on the outskirts of the city were winding and dangerous for pedestrians so she took the road less travelled through her father’s forest. She enjoyed taking the time to think anyway.
Lillian’s lips perked up as she entered a large clearing. A ring of silver birch trees marked the bare patch in the woods. It had been a mysterious and magical place since she was a child. Pretending there was fairies and gnomes living in the freckled mushrooms or perched atop saddled finches in the silver branches above; that had been her favourite games. This place was very precious to her. Lillian treaded along the outskirts of this little bald patch in her woods. She glanced at her watch. Twenty minutes until school started. She breathed a soft sigh, her breath releasing in a puff of silver fog in the biting air. It was unusually cold for late spring.
Branches crackled and snapped under frantic feet stampeding through the forest. Desperate hands dragged fronds of leaves out of their owner’s way. Two pairs of feet followed close behind in a brisk chase.
No, not a chase, a hunt.
Lillian blood froze as she was suddenly and violently ripped back into reality. She leapt to the side, ducking behind the closest tree. Her mind spun with possibilities of who or what could be there, what was going to happen? Her mind reeled with horrors for that small moment before her questions were answered––in part–– as three boys rampaged into the clearing, crushing the delicate greenery littering the forest floor. She could hear sharp, maniacal laughter from two of the boys, pleading sobs from the other. They hadn’t spotted her. Yet.
The scream of frantic, fleeing birdsong filled the atmosphere as the winged creatures burst through the sparse leaf cover into the pale sky. Lillian’s heart thundered in her chest. Each beat drummed in her ears. She looked out from behind the tree, she felt so helpless in that moment.
The two sniggering boys pinned the third to a tree by his collar; Lillian watched with unblinking eyes as she sung her bag from her aching shoulder. She could smell the detergent staining the tan canvas. Silently she popped a button open and pulled her phone out and––with a shaking hand she opened her camera and pressed record––her gaze fixed on the scene unfolding before her.
Tears stained tracks on his pale cheeks. He tried to lash out, flailing and screaming curses but they silenced him with a punch to the stomach––causing him to buckle and sputter as he choked on his own fluids.
The boy who hit the crumpled human that grovelled on the forest floor swept his dirty blond hair to the side, grin still plastered to his freckled mouth. His splitting laughter slapped Lillian in the face. He turned to his partner, slamming a meaty hand onto his gangly shoulder.
“Did you see that pathetic attempt at fighting back?” he snorted.
“Come on Blake,” he addressed his victim. “Did y' really think that’d do...anything?” he began snickering again, his thick city shaped accent layering a coat of tar over his words.
“Hey Jer,” the skinny boy barked. “I think he deserves more than that” a twisted smile tugged at both of their lips.
Jeremy Hunter cracked his knuckles, standing over Blake’s broken form before grabbing Blake’s muddied jumper, pushing him up against the tree once again. “Your turn Tom” the slim boy rolled his shoulder and balled his fist, reading his attack. A glint of cruelty flashed through Thomas Myers eyes. He threw his fist towards the boy.
The impact of Tom’s fist into Blake’s jaw sent a shot of pain through Blake’s already throbbing brain. His head lolled to the side, the tang of blood invaded his mouth. He had bitten his tongue and the gash was steadily gushing blood.
As he lifted his head, the sweet scent of the earth tickled his nose, sweat and blood drenched hair clung to his face. Then he saw her.
A girl with rusty hair staring, pale and terrified, half hiding behind a tree. She was clutching a phone, a small red blinking light flashing. Was she recording? He looked into her with begging grey eyes.
Help me.
He mouthed, before the next assault battered his body, hoping for something, anything to end this.
She saw this plea and tilted her head at him in acknowledgment. Lillian propped up her phone against the base of a tree, leaving it recording and stepped out from behind her hiding place, inhaling a sharp breath before shouting,
“Stop!” she snapped, her small voice plastered with authority. The two boys simultaneously turned their heads her way. Jeremy burst into laughter
“A girl huh?” he smiled crudely. “Well that makes this a little more interesting” he sidled over to Lillian.
She could smell his overpowering deodorant from where she was standing, its intensity growing as he approached her with irritating confidence. Her blood galloped through her veins.
Blake reached a hand towards her, “No leave her alone!” Blake coughed––attempting to drag himself to his feet.
Tom kicked him hard, stamping down on his chest. Something groaned, then cracked dully. Blake yelped, falling to the dirt.
Jeremy grabbed her jaw. She met his gaze with a ferocious glare. She was more than a head shorter than him.
“Huh, what an ugly scar,” he groaned, running a chipped nail down the thick, white scar marring Lillian’s face “it’s a shame, you would be so cute if not for it” he tightened his grip on her jaw, forcing it to bend painfully. “Let’s strike a deal, I’ll let him go,” Jeremy stroked her hair with two of his fingers “if you kiss me…” his smile said it all. This was a dare and it barely took Lillian a second to register this. Oh how she adored a good challenge––so she returned his taunt with one of her own. But even through her fizz of exhilaration and adrenalin she still shook at his touch, revolted––but hid it well, as always. Lillian batted her eyelashes at him, forging her most alluring smile, returning the challenge.
Blake’s heart boiled with anger and confusion. He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to provide some semblance of comfort in his slowly declining situation.
“That’s why I called to you.” Her voice quivered slightly but she laced it with sugary charm. She swallowed the lump in her throat. He leaned down towards her. His breath was sickly sweet, causing a wave of nausea to slosh through her.
Roughly grabbing her face, Jeremy slid his other hand around her waist, pulling her close to him. But it didn’t stop there; it steadily made its way even lower down her body. She barely managed to still herself as his hand slipped past her back pocket. Lillian waited until he was deep into the kiss. The she snapped open her eyes and bit down on his lower lip. Hard.
Blood flooded both their mouths, dripping down Lillian’s face. He staggered backwards, spitting and growling with rage. With a bear-like lumbering rage pulled back his shoulder, throwing and landing a blow on his targets hissing face.
“Bitch!” he yelled, as Lillian staggered and fell. “I’m goanna make you regret that!”
He stormed towards her. She didn’t cry out as Jeremy jerked her up off the ground, readying for his next attack.
“She’s not worth it Jer,” Tom grabbed his friend, dragging him backwards. Lillian stumbled when he let go, but stood shooting daggers at him with her eyes.
Tom mumbled something to Jeremy that Lillian didn’t catch, she was preoccupied with staying upright in the tilting world. Black speckled the edges of her vision as she glared.
“I’ll make you wish you never did that!” Jeremy spat after Tom was done with his whispering. Lillian just hissed something vulgar and smiled a spider’s smile. Jeremy shot her a threatening look before the two crashed back into the woods, shouting at each other. Lillian could hear them as they disrespectfully stomped out of her woods.
Once she was sure they were not going to return Lillian let go of the breath she held in her chest––a gasping sob escaped her lips as she clutched her face. Blake dragged himself to his feet and limped over to her.
“Are you ok?” he coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. She didn’t respond, only heaved herself over to her phone, stopping the recording.
“I caught it all…all of It.” she smiled at him, tears streaming down her blood streaked face. He stared shocked and confused.
“We can get them arrested,” she said quietly and almost laughed. This was too easy she thought, smiling as her eyelids fluttered and closed. She slumped to the forest floor with a soft thud. Blake did not managed to catch her before she fell.
He shook her limp body. Then––holding her to his chest he grabbed the phone out of her fallen grasp, dialling 999.
Comments (0)
See all