Anticipating Forrest

"Miss Jalena Amethyst Rose," The letter starts off, and I scoff at the use of my full name, the name my mother always used to use when she was mad at me or my teachers used when I got in trouble. No one ever called me Jalena anyway, they usually just referred to me as Rose. I sit down at the kitchen table and continue reading the letter, the words printed in silky gold ink.

"I bet you've been wanting answers, and I would love to give you all the answers you've been waiting decades for in this very letter but unfortunately it is not do able. So thus, I invite you to meet me at my current place of residence tomorrow evening, wear something fancy as I am also inviting you to a dinner party.

Sincerely, Forrest Jaspar Peirce."

I throw the letter down on the kitchen table, but then find myself repeating that name inside my head about a thousand times.

'Forrest Jaspar Peirce' The name roles off my tongue just as easily as the words to my favorite song would, the familiarity of it all filling my head with a sensation that I have never experienced before.

Is this the same person whom I had run into years ago, that changed my entire life the moment I laid my eyes on him?

I race up the stairs and into my room that I haven't set foot in since the day my life changed, throwing open my closet and grabbing a handful of my most fanciest dresses on the bed. They all still fit me perfectly, but all held the same qualities that would not seem so "stylish" in this decade. I groan and lay back on my bed, and close my eyes.

For the first time in half a century I find myself drifting off into sleep, the world around me fading to black as I let this missing sensation take over me.

I awake hours later, at about five the next morning. The room still dark, but a barely lit light from the street lamps fills the room gracefully. I sit up groggily and my eyes peer to something hanging on my door. I groan and walk towards it, my hands reach out to turn the light in my room on. What lays before me is a beautiful blue ballgown, I gasp in surprise and grab the note that lays upon it.

"I see you couldn't find a dress of your own, hope this little gem helps."

Part of me feels giddy, like my own fairy tale coming true right before my eyes, the other part of me is confused and almost creeped out. For one, how did this stranger know I don't have a dress for the event, and two how did he get it into my house without me knowing.

"A soulmate knows all." I hear a voice whisper to me in the back of my mind, like my very own thoughts placed it there.

I look around confused, but no one is there. I am alone, like I've always been. I continue staring at this mysterious dress wondering if this 'dinner party' is an event I should even be attending.

"Where the hell is the location of this party anyway?" I say out loud, hoping for an answer to be given.

Silence.

"Oh now you choose to be silent!" I scream out loud, surprised at the anger that comes out in my voice. "Whatever."

I go back downstairs, with the dress in my arms. I check the time on the clock, it is nearly six am. I decide whether or not to continue my search for the man, or to accept the invite as is.

Wherever this party is, I am surely not going out in public in such a fancy dress. I was never one to have the attention all on me, and wearing such a fancy outfit will surely give me that attention and more.

A knock on the door echos through my house. I pause in confusion, as I haven't had a single visitor in decades.

I get up cautiously and inch my way slowly towards the door, I reach out to grab the handle and as my hand touches it I feel a spark.

"Ouch!" I call out and back away from the door. It begins to open despite the lack of human contact to it. Another envelope makes its way into my house, and flutters to the floor.

"Seriously." I say, reaching down to pick it up. "Have you ever heard of a telephone?"

I hear a chuckle outside the door and then feet shuffling away and out onto the sidewalk past my house. I shake my head and sit down at the table, anticipating what this mysterious stranger has to say next.

"Miss Rose (As I so recall you prefer to be called),

Directions to my place of residence? You don't need them, just take the five thirty bus, on south street. You'll know where to go from there.

With all my love, Forrest Jaspar Pierce. Xoxo''

I groan, what a cocky bastard. Why now, after so many years is he making an appearance in my life

I run to the bathroom and play around with my hair, that I haven't even cut or washed in decades. Since I haven't had the need to, as nothing ever changed for me.

I decided on a half up-do, allowing my naturally curly brown hair to cascade down my bony shoulders.

Only being in the bathroom for only a half hour, I walk out thinking maybe it would only be nearing seven AM but I find myself startled looking at the time on the clock and seeing that it is nearly four PM.

Where in the heck has the day gone?

***

An hour later, after fighting with the inner demons of my mind. I find myself flying out the door and down the street to the closest bus stop as instructed. The dress is in my arms, stuffed in a garbage bag. As the thought of wearing it and causing my any unwanted attention to myself made me nauseous.

I shuffle around anxiously as I wait for the bus, every so often glancing at my grandfathers pocket watch for the time.

It flies around the corner at promptly five PM on the nose, I walk up to the door of the bus to get on and realize something.

I don't have any money on me for the ride. Fumbling around in my mind, I try to come up with some excuse to the bus driver but as I approach him he just winks and ushers me to sit down.

"Are you sure?" I ask, knowing that if he changed his mind I still wouldn't be able to pay for it.

"You'll have to thank Forrest." He said, winking again.

I groan, and sit down at the nearest seat possible to avoid all the stares from the strangers I received.

The bus rolls along in silence, and I watch out the window. The same thing I've been doing my entire lonely life, watching the trees, and the people go about their lives while I wonder what this strange life has next in store for me.

Suddenly, an abrupt stop is made. In almost the middle of nowhere. I hear the bus driver clear his throat and he turns to me.

"This is your stop." The door to the bus creaks open and I find myself standing up and walking towards the stairs.

"Where am I?" I ask him.

"Forrest will guide you." He relays to me, and I groan.

"I'm really getting tired of Forrest's shit." I say, grinding my teeth as I hop off the bus and glance around my surroundings.

When I say, "middle of nowhere" I literally mean...middle of freaking no where. There's a long road ahead of me, not even any tree's or houses around for what feels like miles.

"Okay then." I whisper to myself and start walking down the road, hoping to come across a house or a store or something to indicate where I happen to be stranded.

Because of not aging the past decades, I can't feel warmth or cold, or anything like that so I find that's one less thing I need to worry about as I ascend down this path of nothingness.

I look up from the ground I am watching, the boring, cold and incredibly wet ground to see what looks like a mansion forming in the distance.

I blink my eyes to find it still there, not leaving my sight and coming more clear into focus the closer I get to it. I am in awe of what I see, 'this Forrest guy must be filthy rich.' I think to myself greedily.

I stop and think for a moment, 'What am I getting myself into? Oh right, answers.'

That is enough encouragement to ignite a fire under my ass and I fly towards the door, I lift my hand up sweaty from nervousness that I never thought I could feel again. And as I am prepared to knock, the door opens swiftly before me.

"Rose, I've been expecting you."