SELENE POV
I slowly opened my eyes and hissed. My body felt like a truck ran over me. The back of my head throbbing terribly. " Mom"
"Ssssh" Katherine whispered, her hand closing my mouth. She looks pale.
Clang.
Where is that noise coming from?
I scooted closer to Katherine and peered around the rock. My chest tightened as I grabbed Katherine, whispering "what's happening".
" I don't know, but whatever this is, it's not good news"
" Where are we"
" It's no where near home"
"My lord"
We immediately hid behind the rock on hearing one of the soldiers speak.
"We have to get out of here" Katherine whispered.
"And how do you suppose we do that without drawing their attention". I whispered.
"Get the knights ready, we have rested enough".
" Yes my lord"
" Looks like they are preparing to leave," whispered Katherine, her hand tightly clutching my arm.
The sound of hooves became distant.
"Thank God" Katherine said, wiping her forehead with her sleeves.
I got up, brushed the dirt off my skirt, and scanned around. The only thing I could see were trees, and a stream not far from us. " Where are we?".
" Only your mom can answer that"
"But all these don't make sense, how did we even get here? This must be a dream" I mumbled.
"What are the chances that were both having the same dream"
" Shit, what are we going t?... Yes your cell phone. Are you with it," I said anxiously.
"Yes," Katherine said as she quickly took out the phone from her pocket and handed it to me.
"Damn it, there's no signal ,none at all"
I paced around, the sound of my footsteps was the only thing I could hear in this godforsaken shit hole.
"Selene, let's think this carefully," Katherine said, while taking the phone away from me. "Why don't we go, drink water, calm down and think of what we should do next"
We walked towards the clear stream. "Ahh! wha..what happened to my hair!!" I screamed, staring at my reflection in the water in terror.
"It was turning like that when I woke up. Selene something is seriously going on" Katherine said, nervously scanning our surroundings.
"Of course it is, look at my hair" I snapped sharply, holding my hair. A quarter of my hair had turned white.
Why is this happening to me? How did I end up here? That light that came out of my mom's hands... Could be what brought us here. But how is any of this possible? Is mom even human? If she isn't, then what is she? God, why do unfortunate things always happen to me?
My breath came in short, heavy, ragged gasps. I felt a tremble starting in my legs, creeping up my arms.
"Selene! Selene!!"
Katherine's voice cut through the chaos in my head.
"Snap out of it! You're shaking." Her own face was pale, but her grip on my shoulders was firm. "I don't know what's happening. I'm terrified, too. But you're not in this alone."
"I'm sorry," I whispered, the words choking me. "I got you into this."
"You better be," she said, forcing a smile that didn't reach her grey eyes. "Cause you owe me big time." But the tremor in her hands as she let go betrayed her.
The wind blew, rustling the trees with a scent I'd never known…damp and something wild. It was a smell that told me, more than the sight, that I was somewhere I was never supposed to be.
We had to move. Sitting here meant dying of hunger - or worse, being found by whatever else lived in these woods and made into food. I pushed myself up and tied my hair into a bun. "We need to get out of here," I said, my voice firmer than I felt.
"But which way do we even take?" Katherine whispered, her eyes darting between the overgrown trees.
I pointed at the obvious trail of churned earth and crushed leaves leading east. "The same way those soldiers went."
"Are you crazy?" she yelled, grabbing my arm. "Do you want to die that badly? Following armed men in a forest is a death trap movie 101!"
"It's the only logical choice we have," I argued, pulling away. "Their tracks lead somewhere. A road, a city... a better chance to find my supposed aunt than wandering in circles until I don't know, maybe die!!."
"A city!! Open your eyes, Selene!" Katherine gestured wildly at our surroundings. "No one dresses or rides like that anymore! This isn't just some remote village; this is... I don't know what this is!"
I looked from her moist eyes to the ominous trail leading to the east side of the woods. She was right. Everything in me screamed that this was a very horrible idea.
But it was the only choice.
I took a deep breath, forcing a certainty I didn't feel into my voice. "This is the only way to find out what this is. And I have a feeling I'm going to find out a lot more than I bargained for."
Katherine stared at me, her protest dying on her lips. After a long silence, she simply nodded, her expression shifting from fear to grim resolve. "Then we'd better get moving before it gets dark."
__________________________________
We walked through the eerie forest. My legs ached, sweat dripped down my cheeks, and my clothes clung to my body like a second skin. The cheerful chirping of birds in the trees felt like a cruel joke in our situation.
"I'm tired," Katherine gasped, sinking to the muddy ground. She fanned herself with sticky hands.
"Let's sleep here tonight," I said, collapsing beside her.
"How long do you think it will take to get out of this forest?" Katherine asked, staring down at me, her eyes wide and tired.
"I don't know, Kathy," I sighed, pulling the crumpled paper from my pocket. The pencil drawing of a woman stared back. I lightly traced the lines of her face. "Mom never told me she had a sister. It was always just the two of us."
"Auntie Mariam might have had her reasons for not telling you," Katherine said calmly, though her voice lacked its usual conviction.
"Ha! Reasons! What reasons?" I said slowly, my vision moisty. "I feel like everything I've ever known about my mom was a… lie." My throat tightened. "And I'm scared."
"I'm scared too," Katherine whispered, her voice breaking. "We don't know where we are. My parents must be looking for me desperately, and I'm scared I'll never see them again." Tears traced silently through her cheeks.
I glanced at her, head resting on her knees. I wanted to comfort her, but words felt empty. Sometimes, it's better to just let the tears fall.
Crrrrh!
I jolted up. Something was coming -fast. The canopy of leaves exploded as a monstrous, ugly winged bird dove down toward us, its shriek tearing through the air, leaves falling to the ground.
"Run!!!"