The Treeline.

My feet pounded against the ground, brambles again whipping. His footsteps sounded from behind me, Matthew’s shouts echoing through the trees.
I tried to pick up the pace, my legs burning, my lungs in much the same state. My eyesight was blurry, tears ran down my street and merged with the sweat. Nothing mattered now, no stupid sentiment about this day and the woods, all that mattered was running. Keeping him as far away from me as possible.

I took a sharp right suddenly, hoping, wishing it would lead back to woodland I knew where I could surely loose him, then I could run back to the house, raise help, Matthew. My stomach lurched whem I realised there may not be a Matthew anymore. Because of me, my stupidity, my immaturity. The trees grew no more familiar although the sky grew lighter. I felt a familiar sensation around my ankle and met the leaves headfirst. I scrambled up, wincing as the wire began to slice into the thin flesh of my ankle, it was another of Matthews rabbit traps. I clawed against it again desperately, my eyes flickering erratically upwards as he approached me, his face seemed permanently stuck in that sadistic grin, his eyes wide, pupils large.

“Like a little rabbit caught in a trap, but oh...” he teased, one hand grabbing onto my chin, the other leaning down and pulling the pocket watch from my hand, “Oh so late, for a most important date.” I leant back, sending a coursing pain down my neck as I ripped my face from his grip, spitting with as much venom as I could, satisfied when it landed close to his mouth. No anger flashed in his eyes, instead he chuckled, a high pitched noise. The kind you hear in nightmares.

“Wouldn’t do that if I was you love, if you’re good I might let you live. But if not, we’ll bury you next to your head-wear wearing little buddy.” my two front teeth dug deeply into my bleeding lip, my body growing tense as his hand again held my face, the other moving gently down my neck.

“Good girl.” he whispered, recoiling with a yell as I smacked his eye with my free hand, against struggling against the wire, my fingers leaving blood all over it. I screamed as his hand swung, hitting me square across the face, a ring that didn’t belong to him cutting close under my eye, again his hand found my face, covering my mouth whilst the other pressed me down, his body clambering on top of my own.
“I’m beginning to loose patience with you girl.” he spat, ripping open Edward’s shirt with his free hand, the tears flowing freely from my eyes and I contorted my body as much as possible, tried to slip from his grip. I was unsuccessful and his hand had travelled downwards, the trousers slipping down my thighs.
I started to scream, my throat raw, my hands scrambling either side of me as he kicked his own trousers off. His hand pressed harder onto my mouth, index finger and thumb pinching my nose. My sight began to blur, lungs began to scream. But then my fingertips felt something hard, I struggled to the side, momentarily causing his hand to slip from his mouth as I gasped a lungful of crisp moist air, my fingers contracting, gripping as my arm lifted, smashing to the left.
Smashing into his skull.

He dropped instantly, his body landing heavily on my own causing a hearable crack to emit from my ribs. I heaved him off, leaning the opposite way to finally empty my stomach, the pain erupting through me. The shame, the possibilities of what could have happened. I turned to look at him, skull concave where the rock had hit, skin loose and blood sinking into his thick hair. I collapsed back again, every part of me aching.

I had just killed someone, his corpse was still warm, blood still oozing. I was a murderer. It was defense, from him, no doubt a murderer himself. The guilt still overcame me like a shadow, it sank into me, poison. I eventually pulled myself up, reaching as far as I could until my fingers clasped around the pocket watch that was close to two. How had it been so long?

I leant down to the wire again, my flesh was ripped in two where it had torn, I was woozy from the loss of blood, every breath hurt from my ribs. I was going to die of bloodless unless I got out of here. I glanced around, there was nothing of any use unless... I felt my stomach turn again at the thought of touching him but I had no choice, crawling slightly until I could search through his pockets, smiling lightly with relief as I pulled out a pocket knife.

The wire snapped easily, and I slid the pocket knife into my pocket, more aware of danger now than I had ever been in my sheltered life. The wire was still ingrained in my skin and I grabbed a close stick, placing it in my mouth so any screams wouldn’t alert more of them as my hands moved slowly, fingers trembling as they dug into the open flesh. Teeth threatening to crack as they bit down on the stick, tears running down my face, the salty taste burning my tongue until eventually I was free.

The pain was unlike anything I had even known, it ripped up my leg, a ring of fire on my ankle. I tried to stand, collapsing the minute any weight was put on my leg. My nails cutting into my palms as I tried again, hopping slowly past the body, leaning on every tree available, the cuts on my hands stinging, my shirt still torn, purple swirling like spilled ink under my skin.
I stumbled for a while, time seemed to switch between going too fast and too slow. I saw the clouds move quickly, more rain falling, cleansing me of him. But then I saw a single leaf fall,a graceful dance to the ground.

My ankle was leaving a trail of blood behind me, staining the leaves, I used the penknife to rip one sleeve off of the shirt, tying it tightly around it but within seconds the dirty white had turned a rich red. My vision began to grow blurry, the tree’s blending into one.
I could hear voices, Alice and my own. I spun smiling as the ghosts of the past ran past me, teasing me, indicating I follow them in the silly blue dresses with the aprons Grandmother always made us wear to avoid the dirt as much as possible. She appeared next, walking stiffly with her stick beside me, lecturing me on my appearance, her speech always perfectly pronounced, the hat on her head turning to a grown, her red gown blending with my blood as she continued to scold.

She vanished and I looked up at a thick Branch, I could imagine Edward, he was always lounging, always smoking. He would love it, a perfect place to avoid the world like he did in his sleep.
I sometimes wondered if he really loved me. I realized with a snort I had never cared either way.

Everything became crisp, my ankle no longer hurt, breathing didn’t pierce me. I grinned, spinning as I stared up at the high branches, the sun again out, damn English weather my father always complained, so unpredictable. The sun warmed my face, and I lifted my hands to feel the heat, surprised by their numbness and paleness.
Matthew ran part me, rabbits still attached to his belt as he offered me a smile, his hat turning a multitude of characters in the light.
I turned again, whispers breezing past me, tempting me forward, I spun again, enjoying the way the shirt swung loosely, my hair dirty and lank caught the air and swirled in tendrils. A family of rabbits went past, each looking at me with interest, their fur a similar colour to my light blonde hair, I smiled at them, deciding that I could take a detour on my way home, could see their home.

I took a step and everything lost its light edge, the sky was clouded again, rain spitting gently, my ankle returned with a vengeance, sending me to the floor, each gasp burning, each becoming harder. I saw a figure, shadows coming.
The smiling man approached, head still concave, the knife in my pocket now in his hand as he staggered, teeth still bared, blood coating them and making them stand out more. I pulled myself up, terror striking me and turned, limping desperately, my head turning backwards to see him catching up at an increasingly fast pace. I took one step but didn’t meet the ground.

The fall took an age, every inch seemed to take minutes, I could see the dark ground below growing closer, I could already feel the impact, the crack of my ribs, the breaking of my hip, my leg. I could see them as I fell, the ghosts, lying looking up in the center of the ground, me and Alice, so young. I vanished, and so did Alice, leaving behind her tattered dress, barely fabric anymore, a skull lay sprawled, the skeleton lay at different angles.
She had fallen, the ghost was the position her body had fallen, the way her corpse had lain. Mine would the same.
She wouldn’t have felt it, a simple snap of the neck. The woods had been our place, our little heaven on Earth.
Our wonderland.

The pocket watch fell out of my grasp, the arms spinning madly until they settled on 12:01.

I was only a minute late.

I would always be that minute late.