SELENE POV
"Wake up, we have a long way ahead of us"
I slowly opened my eyes upon hearing Eve's voice, the damp dusty ceiling of the cave in my view. Ugh - unfortunately nothing here resembled my room. "Katherine, it's time to go," I said, tapping her shoulder.
Eve was going through her small sack, and took out two robe dresses.
"Change into this" Eve said, handing the dress to us.
We quickly stood up, taking off our uniform that stinks of sweat and mud. I really need a long bath.
"Selene, What's that mark on your back?" Katherine questioned, tracing her finger on the center of my back. " Is that a tattoo?"
"What are you talking about? I have never drawn a tattoo" . I said, trying to look at my back but couldn't. " What type of mark is it?"
"A white butterfly, covered in red rose thorns,"Katherine said quietly.
"Are you sure you didn't draw a tattoo?" Eve asked, standing beside Katherine. I felt her warm breath on my back.
"How would I have drawn a tattoo on my back and wouldn't know anything about it" I exclaimed.
"Well it's there"
"We don't have time right now to think about how that tattoo appeared. We will find out what it is later" Eve said, picking up her bow from the ground.
I quickly put on the weird robe.
"Let's go," Eve ordered.
We left the cave and walked east. Thank God the decision to follow the east was a good idea. I stared at Eve back - I still can't believe she is real. Well a matter of fact, everything here doesn't look real.
"How long will it take to get to Camelot?" I asked.
"It's a day's journey, if we walk fast then we will get there by noon tomorrow" Eve said, looking straight forward.
"At least now we know, we will be out of the woods very soon" Katherine said, gasping for air.
For some reason the heat isn't as bad as yesterday. And it all thanks to this robe. It has a split in the front and a long thin sleeve. It's very breathable.
"What's that?!" I asked, my face turning pale and wide.
"Run!!" Eve said running fast, " No matter what you do, don't stop"
" Why, why isn't there a normal day here!" cried Katherine, right beside me breathing heavily.
The ground beneath me felt like it's shaking. A Big green looking monster hot on our tail, pulling out any trees in his path and hurling them wildly at us. My legs began to cramp.
Thud.
"Do not run straight, so he won't be able to hit you" Eve said, gasping.
"I wish you could have said so earlier before we almost got crushed" I said, my chest heaving unevenly. I glanced back, that ugly beast is pulling up another tree to throw at us.
I thought it couldn't get any worse.
Unfortunately.
There was nowhere else to run.
" We have to jump," Eve said, moving to the edge of the cliff.
"Are you crazy?" Katherine yelled, looking down, her eyes moist.
"How are you sure we're going to survive , if we jump?" I said, my voice getting weak.
"It's either you jump or get crushed to death" Eve didn't hesitate. She took two steps back, then launched herself toward the edge without scream, but like an arrow leaving a bow. " Oh my God, she really jumped "
"That girl is insane!!" Katherine said in disbelief.
A shadow of an uprooted tree darkened the ground beneath us. There was no more time. 'KATHERINE, We HAVE TO JUMP NOW!' I screamed, holding her hand. We ran for the edge as the ground behind us shattered with the sound of shattering wood. The solid ground beneath my feet couldn't be felt anymore.
"Ahhhhhh" Katherine and I screamed in unison
________________________________________
KATHERINE POV
My belly felt full with water "cough,cough" . My clothes were sticking to my body, and my hair was wet.
"Are you ok?" Eve said, squatting down in front of me.
" Do I look ok?" I snapped, my eyes red. " What the heck was that thing and why was it chasing us?" I asked, standing up. My eyes , piercing through Eve.
"Katherine calm down," Selene said, sitting on the wet ground.
"Calm down you say, how can I calm down!!" I shouted, clutching my hands.
"Do you think shouting will solve the problem we are in? If it could, I would also want to shout and cry. Do you know how scared and confused I am!! But I'm trying to be strong for both of us!"
The blend of fear, exhaustion, and desperate emotion in Selene's eyes pierced through my anger like a knife. It wasn't strength I saw.. it was someone desperately clinging to the edge of a cliff inside herself. And I was yelling at her to hold me tighter.
My chest tightened and I looked away, my own tears mixing with the water on my cheeks. My clenched fists trembled, not with anger anymore - but with a helplessness that made me shiver ."
"I will answer your questions, when we are out of the woods" Eve said, breaking the silence. " So let's go"
Selene walked past me, following Eve. The chilly air made my body feel cold. I took a deep breath and followed along.
The cramping of my legs was making me walk slower, and the twisting of my stomach was disturbing. " I'm hungry"
"Let's rest and eat here" Selene said
"We can't rest here," Eve said, scanning the surroundings.
"We have been walking for hours now. We need to rest and eat" Selene said, collapsing on the ground in exhaustion.
"Not here so get up and let's keep moving princess" Eve said, sarcastically.
"Dont you dare call me that" Selene said, getting up on her feet and stands in front of Eve.
Then silence
The only sound I could hear was my heart beat, the birds and nothing else. " Will you guys stop with your staring contest?" I said, pushing them apart. "Eve, why can't we rest here"
"We have to keep moving, if we want to avoid encountering an ogre again," said Eve, walking away without turning back.
We followed her, it's not like we have any other choice. I can't die here.
"There's going to be a cave up ahead" Eve said turning to us "we are going to rest there for tonight"
"Have you been at the side of the woods before?" I asked, my eyes darting forward and behind as we walked. This Forest creeps me out.
"Yes, it might look scarier than the other part of the forest but it's safer"
We followed Eve, our footsteps crunching on the hard earth. My eyes darted ahead and behind us, my skin covered in goosebumps. These parts of the woods were unusually quiet.
The chirping of birds is now absent, leaving nothing but an awkward silence broken only by the sound of our own footsteps. For some reason, I almost preferred the horror of the other path. At least the monster was a danger we could see and hear. This forest was just creepy - covered in mist and the canopy of the leaves was huge. It felt nothing like a path and more like walking into a spider web of a monster spider .
"I hope so cause I have had one horror adventure for one day" Selene said, shivering. Her face looked flushed.
"Me too, I thought I was going to die when I jumped off that cliff" I said, dread washing over me.
"Is not that bad" Eve said.
"Are you kidding me?"Selene snapped, scratching her head in frustration. "Where I'm from we don't have giants trying to kill us!!"
Eve rubbing her hands together for warmth. "Sorry to break it to you but this is not your home. I don't know where home is, or if it truly exists but if it does that means your very, very far from it"
Selene looked at Eve's back, a storm of emotions in her eyes, and said nothing. She just sighed, the sound was swallowed by the silence of the creepy woods.
"How much farther is the cave?" I asked, my stomach growling. The sound was loud and embarrassing.
Eve stopped, stretching her beautiful slender arms forward. " There it is" relief was clear in her voice.
As different as she was from us, even her posture betrayed a deep exhaustion. Thank goodness. I could finally rest.
I ran toward the dark mouth in the cave but hesitated at the entrance. "Aren't you going to check inside first?"
"Mmm," Eve murmured, already moving past me. Into the darkness, her knife shining faintly in her hand.
Eve came out, putting back her knife at her waist. " You guys can enter now"
I hurriedly entered the cave. I shivered, the air is very cold here, with green moss clustered on the surface. " Can we eat now"
Eve put down the small sack on her shoulder, pulling out dried meat. Its foul smell contaminating the air but my hunger was worse. I took it from her, my teeth sinking into it.
"Just imagine you are eating beef" Selene said, disgust clear in her voice as she timidly took a big bite and swallowed it.
"When will these end?" I murmured, forcing the earthy, gummy meat down my throat.
Thud.
"Selene!!''.