In My Own Little World

Miles and I followed the trail of footprints until it hit the treeline. I don't think either of us was very eager to cross the threshold. The world under the trees seemed eerie and stifling in comparison to the grasslands we were leaving. Always the bolder of the two, I took the first cautious step into the trees, but not before looking back towards the field that seemed so serene. I wondered briefly if we would ever see it again before I forced myself onward. Miles quickly followed suit.

It was harder to pick up the trail under the trees because of the vast amount of fallen branches and undergrowth. Within 5 minutes we had lost it completely. By this time the woodlands had closed in around us, playing with my eyes and I found myself hopelessly observing the scenery, unsure of how to get back out.

"Damn. So much for that plan." Miles muttered under his breath. He noticed my frown and quickly added, "It was a good plan Eevee, we just screwed it up, that's all. I have no idea how to get out of this place. Everything looks the same. Green. I'm beginning to hate the color."

I scanned our surroundings and unfortunately he was right. All I could see was green, in EVERY direction. No particular way seemed brighter, as if it would lead us out of the trees. No, it was stifling and quiet, TOO quiet.

"I didn't want to forsake Angie and Drake to their fates so soon. I thought we might just stand a chance, just a little!" he moaned, running a hand through his hair in a way that made it deliciously untidy.

Back off Eevee, he would never want you as a girlfriend. I mentally slapped myself.

"I agree with you. I refuse to let some Faeries cart off two of my best friends."

"Faeries?!" he scoffed incredulously, "Like tinkerbell with the bitty wings?" he started to laugh at me and I quickly became angry.

"Do YOU have a better explanation to what we just saw?! Oh yeah, freakish midgets with green hair that live in the FOREST just carted off our friends. Not to mention the fact that they moved WAY too fast to be normal. I think it's safe to say we are dealing with something supernatural here. This whole PLACE is supernatural." He sighed in exasperation.

"I know alright?! I just don't want to believe it. Do you? I mean come on Eevee?! I wake up and it's DAYTIME. We're in some kind of f*cking parallel universe or something, and 2 minutes in it all goes wrong and suddenly it's just us. And now we're lost in the woods. And there's no going back is there? We're stuck here Eevee, wherever "here" is. And there's no way back. I'm never going to see my dad again. He can't lose me, he's barely holding on as it is!"

The finality of his last statement struck a chord. I glanced up and was startled to see a tear rolling down his face. Miles NEVER cries about anything. Since his mom died, he'd had a really close relationship with his father, and his little brother Nate. They were probably crazy with worry right about now. His dad worked two jobs to make ends meet, and he had never really gotten over Nina's death. Losing Miles was something that would definitely push him over the edge. I had never been that close to my parents. They weren't mean, I was just a very independent person. Even though I seem cold and distant to strangers, I save all my emotions for my friends. I felt so bad for Miles in that moment that I flung my arms around him and he clutched me possessively to his chest, as if I would slide through his hands.

"What am I supposed to do if it's just ME all of a sudden. All alone..." he murmured into my hair.

"It won't be." I stated firmly. "I'll stick with you to the end. We'll find them, lets just keep looking." This seemed to lighten his mood, because he broke out in a smile and started to tug me in a random direction.

"Okay, lets go!" I let him bound a few yards ahead of me, and thats when the hand fell over my mouth before I could even scream. I felt the knife pointing into my back and I stayed extremely still.

"I want you to move backwards... VERY slowly."

I was terrified. I couldn't scream for help because my assailants icy hand was covering my mouth. I pretended to relax and do as he said, but I'll be damned if I was going to go without a fight. Not after what I had just said to Miles. I could barely even see him anymore, he was so used to my silence in his company that he hadn't thought to turn back to make sure I was following.

"That's it, just like that. Carefully now, I would hate for you to stumble and accidentally stab you."

Anger flared up within me, and I kicked out without warning. There was a light "oomph" sound as my heel met it's mark between his legs. I managed to wrench his hand away from my mouth long enough to shriek, "MILES!!!!!!"

That's all it took before he whirled around and saw me, and possibly my attacker.

"Eevee!" he was bounding back to us through the dense foliage, and I could hear my assailant curse under his breath. Whoever he was, he was alone, and I was confident that Miles could take him in a fight, regardless of the knife he was jabbing into my back. Miles was closing the distance between us quickly, and I could hear my assailant muttering again.

"Come on...come on! Go down already..."

"Go down? What is he on about?"

My visibility was getting worse, and I realized that the sun was setting. Under the trees it was already like dusk. Miles burst back into the clearing and began sizing up his opponent. I still couldn't see him, but the way Miles was hesitating was not exactly encouraging.

"Let her go! Please. We're just two lost kids in the woods. We don't have any money, or anything remotely valuable, so if robbery is your goal it would be pointless. Please, just don't hurt her."

The man was getting colder by the minute, and his hand was actually causing goose bumps to rise on my skin. He seemed to be considering Miles proposal, maybe he WAS just looking to steal something.

Miles didn't wait to find out. It must have been a diversion tactic because he threw himself on my attacker and I stumbled to the ground as his grip loosened. There were shouts and grunts behind me and I rolled neatly to my feet.

Thank you very much gymnastics class.

Miles was getting pummeled by this guy. I couldn't see his face because his back was to me, long black hair hanging over it, torn loose in the struggle. I saw his knife had buried itself in the trunk of a tree to the left, good thing it wasn't buried in Miles chest.

I let him pummel on Miles temporarily until I managed to wrench the knife out of the bark. Now it was MY turn...

I placed the knifepoint between his shoulderblades and he stopped attacking mid-punch.

"Leave him alone, or I'll stick you good! Don't think I don't mean it!"

"I know you mean it." came an amused reply.

"Stand up. Turn around. Slowly."

He did as he was bidden and I was left speechless. He was beautiful, too beautiful to be human. I was expecting some dirty robber with greasy hair. This man was tall and elegant, his raven locks tumbling over his face, shrouding a pair of piercing blue eyes. Eyes that saw right through me and made me feel vunerable and naked. This man was fearsome to behold, that's for sure, but he couldn't be much older than us.

Miles had taken this golden opportunity to stand up as well and make his way over to me. Even when he was close enough for me to feel his body heat, I still didn't feel safe. Something told me that this man could kill us both if he wanted, regardless of his current predicament. He had almost sounded amused when I had threatened him, as if he knew I had never killed someone before, and that I didn't intend to start.

Now we had a problem. We could leave this strange man here in the woods and continue our search for the others, but if we leave him behind he may just find us again and make trouble later. On the other hand, I could kill him. He certainly wasn't the type you'd expect mercy from, he probably was planning on killing us both. Why was still a mystery. But could I really take someone's life? I wasn't sure if I could or not. After all, maybe his family is starving, and he was hoping that we had some money he could buy food for them with? The way he was dressed however suggested otherwise.

"Who are you?" he asked with purpose, jerking me out of my thoughts.

"Who are YOU?" I demanded, brandishing the knife again to remind him that he was in no position to be asking us personal questions.

"That is none of your business." he stated stiffly.

"Oh really? Well if that's how you're going to be, then we don't have to tell you anything either." I spat. He grinned at me and addressed Miles.

"Cheeky isn't she? You should learn to train your woman."

"WOMAN?!" we cried in unison.

"We aren't involved like that." Miles stated firmly, but I could detect a hint of sadness in his voice.

Miles has had a crush on me for years. I don't want to spoil the awesome relationship that we already have, so I choose to ignore his advances, and I try to keep my own dirty thoughts in check. I think he still clings to an absurd hope that we'll end up together.

Mystery man seemed surprised, but he quickly concealed it. "Well, since you are trespassing on MY land, I suggest you explain yourselves. I have every right to kill you for such an offense. The fact that you think you are entitled to question me at knifepoint is revolting."
Every so often his eyes would flicker upwards, searching. Did he have men at his command, hiding nearby, ready to dispose of us?

My eyes darted frantically around the clearing, trying to catch a glimpse of an unseen foe.
Miles broke the tense silence, his voice echoed loudly and unexpected.

"I already told you. We just woke up here okay? We were driving our car and it crashed into this hedge and into a stone cottage-"

"Stone cottage?!" he interupted rudely, "The gateway has been opened?!" This information unsettled him, and he looked nervously about the clearing as I had just done a moment before. Miles continued on, undeterred.

"And when we woke up, we couldn't get back. And then our friends got kiddnapped by faeries or something, and we were trying to find them again. That's when you showed up and threatened Eevee-"

"MILES!!!" I hissed.
Mystery man laughed.

"So Miles and Eevee is it? Not that it matters much I suppose."

Our explanation about how we had arrived did not seem to bode very well with him, and he looked quite troubled. He sighed and attempted to tame his unruly hair, without success. What he said next surprised me.

"My name is Maurus. And you need to come with me." he pointed at me.

"Oh no! We have to rescue our friends. Just leave us alone man. "

Miles was adament, but I was unsure. After all, he was the only person we had met so far, and he obviously knew his way about. Those thoughts were quickly forgotton.

"I didn't mean YOU. I meant HER." he gestured to me again.

Miles stepped angrily between us. "I don't think so. You already tried to pull a fast one on me before. You aren't going to take her."

Mystery man didn't seem to be listening, he was caught up in the information Miles had revealed, and again his eyes drew upward, searching for something. Finally he rested his intimidating gaze on Miles once again.

"Oh I really think I am, Miles." His eyes dared him to object, and I was starting to get frightened again.

"Can't he come too? I don't want to leave him behind Maurus. Please." A flicker of doubt crossed his face, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"If that is your wish. I don't really care."
Miles was looking back and forth between us, shaking his head. He locked eyes with me.

"Eevee no... I don't trust this guy... he already tried to make off with you once... he's bad Eevee..."

"I'm going with him. I don't think we have much of a choice."

"And what about the others? Are we just supposed to forget about them?!"

I opened my mouth to argue, but quickly snapped it shut. In all of the excitement I had completely forgotten about Drake and Angela. I turned to Maurus who was still scanning the treeline suspiciously.

"If we go with you, will you help us find our friends?"
Maurus gave a snort of impatience but when he looked at Miles' stony face he sighed in defeat.

"Fine. You say they were taken by the faerie folk? That should be easy enough for me..."

If he WAS the owner of this woodland, and he wasn't lying when he said we were trespassing, there was probably a good chance that he could help us find them. Maybe he could reason with them, or threaten them or something.

"Then it's settled. Can I have my knife back yet?"

Miles shook his head vigorously, but I yielded his request anyway.

"Thank you. Well, come on then if your coming." Miles still would not yield. I wish that he had.

"NO! You're not taking her and I'm not going with you!" It was at this very moment that the last rays of the sun dissappeared behind the horizon and suddenly Maurus's eyes lit up. He turned his face to the moon and took a deep breath, a small, "finally" escaping his lips. Then he fixed his eerie eyes on Miles.

"Last chance Miles. I think you're making a big mistake..."

"NO WAY! Come on Eevee, run! He's not human! Look at his eyes!" Miles turned to run and I began to follow suit but suddenly Maurus was in front of us again.

"Of course I'm not human you foolish mortal. I didn't want to do this... but you give me little choice. " He reached forward and grabbed Miles by the throat, lifting him with ease.

"Run Eevee run!!" Miles rasped, kicking feebly. I tried to do as he said but Maurus raised his other hand and I was rooted to the spot. His eyes blazed with intensity as he glared into Miles' terrified face. He opened his mouth and fierce canines split his jawline, extending past his bottom lip. It was at this point that I began to scream. With a whip of his hand that had been rooting me to the ground I was silenced, no sound would come out. Miles was turning sickly shade of blue, I doubt he could have screamed if he wanted to.

"If you won't come with me willingly, I will take her by force. Goodbye, Miles." He wrenched Miles neck to the side and plunged his awful fangs into him, drinking deeply. Again I tried to scream, but no sound would come. He continued without mercy until Miles was horribly pale. Tears streamed from my eyes, the only evidence of my sorrow. I reached out to him, and Maurus dropped him carelessly to the ground.

He didn't move.
Maurus released his hold on me and I fell to my knees in front of him.

"Miles..." I sobbed and crawled over to his prone form. He was breathing, but I doubt that would last for long. Before I could protest Maurus had me in his grasp and jerked me to my feet, pulling me quickly through the trees, leaving him there on the forest floor.

"Nooooo!" I shrieked, kicking and clawing to get away from this man. But he held his grip firm and in my moment of grief I wished he had drained me too. I continued to shriek and to fight before he bellowed, "SILENCE!!" and just as before, no sound would come out. I couldn't move again and he started to drag me through the brush.

And just like that I was alone. Alone with a total psycho who had just killed my friend. I thought back on his promise to help us find the others and bitter tears forced their way out of my eyes. Surely he had been lying, just a ploy to get what he wanted.

Me.

I was alone.