Light of the Unexpected Adventure

Chapter 9 Forestry

Gabriella's POV

The air is cooling down my body, which is feeling nice, but it has no effect on my mind at the moment. So, I need the fresh air from our favorite area to help with my mind. Storming through the busy streets of our village, I watched as the people push their carts full of items to sell, yelling out what they have while walking past me. I then walk past the many people who have bought some of their items as well, getting what they need and probably their main purpose of being out here. I huff out, weaving back and forth through the many people, trying my best to get away.

Some are walking entirely too slow in front of me, putting my frustration at an all-time high. I scoff before quickly slipping between the many people to hurry this along before I explode out of straight frustration and impatience. These actions by me are gaining lots of curious looks thrown my way, I think, because of noticing the frustration that is encapsuled in my movements and features. The ones that don't notice me are not even looking at anything surrounding them, right before bumping into me, causing me to huff out before clenching my fists. I want to swing them, but of course I hold myself back, knowing that I can't start anything with anyone since they are not the one I am mad at, so that wouldn't be fair to them.

Even with all the surrounding madness, I can still hear my friends quickly walking behind me, calling to me to get my attention, but I don't want to stop. Besides, they know exactly where I am headed because there is no place I would rather be. So, I won't slow down until my feet let me, and at this moment they have too much fire under them to stop even remotely. My trek goes through most of the village before being able to slow down, right we get to the tree that we regularly use to get on the other side of the wall. I abruptly stop below it, letting the random people pass by while taking their imposing looks with them.

I casually glanced around, seeing my friends joining me, but looking concerned about me because they know I have been way too close to leaving this place. Plus they know that Mother Ann will be the one to push me over that edge one of these days. But is that day today? That is yet to be decided. I look over at my friends as they get closer to me. Victoria nods, giving me the signal that no one is around to see us get out.

I quickly hop up, grabbing the branch in both hands, then using it and my legs to help pull me up as I climb the tree. I squeeze between the branches and into its camouflaging leaves, just to pass through and exit the other side. I jump down, seeing my usual spot amongst the blades of grass along the side of this hill that sits across from the deep forest. I start wandering that way, but can't get myself to lie down there like I normally would. I am too incredibly frustrated and need to do something to make these stresses go away.

I start and can't stop pacing around the grassy area as I hear the thumping of my friends jumping down from the tree, one after the other before joining me on this side of the wall. "Gabby, are you alright?" Grace asks me as I shake my head. "I am tired of that woman, exhausted of her actions and false ideas of me. She knows nothing of me but thinks she can dictate me and everything I do as if I am just her.. slave! I am no such thing! I am a human, and a decent one at that! I know I come from nowhere special and will never be seen as anything more than that.. but.. I just wish to get some type of respect and love that I feel I deserve.. Is that too much to ask? I am dedicating my every waking minute to the horrid cow, and all she can do is come up with any reason to yell at me or beat me for her pleasure. Or just making the hard work I do, even harder than it needs to be, but why? How can someone hate a person so much for unknown reasons? I don't know what I ever did to earn her heated hatred, but I can say confidently that I never deserved one ounce of it.. no one does." I spat pacing even faster as the words spill from my lips filled with frustration and anger.

"Gabby, don't speak such words loudly, we know you're frustrated, but if the wrong ears heard such things, then you could be the next hanged or beheaded. You know if she saw fit, then she would make sure it happened." Merida warns me as I huff out, shaking my head while flailing my arms, wishing I could slap that smug face of hers. Merida grabs my hand as she pushes up my sleeve to see the fresh bruises that were left from the mother's tight grip upon me, at least one of those times today. I watch her shake her head as she huffs out. She knows exactly why I am worried for me, and we all know that my worry is for good reason.

I look into Merida's eyes as I plainly state for all to hear. "I don't care about her or what she thinks about anything. She doesn't have a right thought in that thick head of hers! I am done with her and this place! I want to leave and never see this place again." I spat back louder than before. "No, Gabby, you can't.. We love you.. and besides, where would you go?" Grace asks as I shake my head. "I don't know. But at this point, I really don't care as long as I am away from her and that place that has become my prison. I won't die in that place. We all know that she will see to my death if I go back, I don't want to and I can't let myself."

"See, you have nowhere to go, so stay here, and maybe we can figure a way out together. We have all talked about leaving as well." Victoria states before putting her hands on my shoulders, trying to calm me down. I look into her concerned orbs as I keep shaking my head relentlessly, I think that she can see there is no convincing me of staying at this rate. That is before she softly says to me. "I have some coin saved from over time.. If we plan this out just right, we could leave together. I feel that situations such as that are safer in numbers." I stare for a silent moment before letting out the deep breath that I barely realized I had been holding in. I know she is right, but I hate how right she is.

She has sent a type of relief through my body, but what else are friends for in times of utter distress? These girls have always been the relief that I have needed, they are family. "You're right.. I am sorry for my hasty words. That woman just knows how to bury herself under my skin like the bones within my body." I declare as Victoria nods with me. "I think that is why she comes after you the most, because she can see how easily she now gets to you, so that makes things fun for her. Don't let her win by leaving like this. Get back at her by getting out in the way we all should, by succeeding, finding a husband or just surviving the long road that would be ahead if you decided to actually leave this place." She convinces me as I huff out while nodding, knowing she is right once again.

"Yes.. thank you for talking me away from that edge." I softly say to her as she sends me a small smile before pulling me in for a hug. Her warm and embracing hug helps calm me down faster than what the cool, winter air that is seeping through my clothes. I let out a wavering breath before wrapping my arms around her back, letting her hold me just as tight as I am with her. These women are my sisters, even if it is not by blood. I don't know where I would be without them. So, after a longer than expected hug, I let go, feeling a little better, even stronger than when I first got here.

The girls sit on the grass trying to relax as we usually do, but even though I am feeling better, my mind is not at the point of lying down and relaxing. I find myself meandering back and forth between trees and bushes on the edge of the thick forestry that covers many miles behind the village itself. I do this the entirety of our break. I just pace back and forth through the forestry, distracting my mind for a long time. I see my friends standing up and heading back, so I do the same, slowly making my way back towards the wall. Especially since I know just as much as my friends do, that my time is almost up before I have to get back.

"Gabby, she said that you have an extra short break today. So maybe we should all head back." Victoria says to me as I nod, which is followed by an annoyed groan. "Yeah I was thinking the same, no matter how much I wanted to tell her otherwise." I state before my full attention is grabbed by a loud groaning, maybe growling in the distance of the thick forestry off to my side. My head whips in that direction, looking all around, trying to figure out where that sound came from. I cannot see anything in there because of the darkness taking over the entirety of the forest.

The trees are so thick that they are even blocking out most of the sun. I can only see tiny bits of the sun's rays making it through, but still not enough to see anything within the bushy, full trees. I have heard warnings that people who have entered into the forest, whether led in or going by their own accord, won't be able to make it out. They say that time itself doesn't pass through the leaves within those thick trees. So anyone making it into the deep part of the forest will be stuck in time itself, not being able to make their way out. That is only the superstitious words of the people who fear anything new and unknown, but it is something that makes the mind run rampant with ideas of what could be in there if given the chance to enter.

I stared out into the darkness that seemed to be engulfing everything within the forest. My eyes panned around for anything that would be making those sounds, but I could not see anything that would tell me what it was. I hear the same sound again, but this time, it's sounding a little closer or maybe just louder. "Did you hear that?" I ask my friends while my eyes squint, looking into the darkness with all the strength that have within them, but not seeing anything moving at all. Which is confusing and a little frustrating, especially since I am not getting anything but confused looks on my friend's faces in response.

That is probably because they are already next to the wall, getting ready to jump up and away, so they are probably too far to hear anything that I heard. They just look back and forth between one another until I hear. "I thought I heard something, but I figured that is just the wind playing jests with my ears.. Besides, you know what people say about that place." Grace states as I look back to see Merida and Victoria nodding before I looked back into the darkness, letting the curiosity get the better of me.

They are right, we have heard many stories to keep us away from this forest, but that has never stopped my mind from wondering what is within. "Don't even think about going in. You know you won't be able to make it out. You will wander, being lost until your last day." Merida states as I scoff at that, "That's just what people say to scare anyone of going into there." I declare as they all shake their heads in unison, showing how much they believe those stories as well.

It's not that I don't want to believe the stories, because I can tell you that many a night I was kept awake thinking about those stories just hoping I never saw the trees. But as the years passed by with us sitting outside of them, I can honestly say that my fear has shifted into a curiosity. The curiosity itself was never strong enough for me to search within, even for a second. So it feels strange that I can't seem to shake the strong feeling inside of me saying that I need to explore further.

I look back at my friends, seeing their curiosity is now an extreme worry, since they might know what I am thinking. I hear that same sound again, tearing my gaze from the girls to the thick trees, because this time around it sounded like a person groaning out in pain within the darkness. Maybe it's a trap, or maybe it's someone's last breath just begging for help. If that is the case, then I would be this person's one and only chance to survive. Can I turn from this and go back to my day acting as if I never heard it at all? I am not sure that I can.