CHAPTER 1

Khloe

"Hey, slow down would you?" Michael said to me as he tried to keep up beside me.

" I don't have time for your little chitchats Mike, I have a presentation to make" I replied, walking briskly ahead of him.

"Hey, at least have water would you" he said again, stopping me by turning my shoulder toward him.

" Really??" I said with a frown on my face.

" Teen Wolf is finally out. Wanna see with me?" He said, waving his phone in my face.

" Shouldn't you be in a class or something?" I asked, smiling at his childish behavior.

" Oh shit, well I got us tickets already. I'd be going tomorrow and you're coming with." He said walking away.

"But.." I tried protesting.

"No objections!" He yelled from a far end of the hall.

Smiling, I simply walked down to the conference room where I was to make a presentation on my assignment.

Few minutes later***

"Hello" I said shyly, peeping into the conference room.

" Oh, Hello there. Come in please." the chairman who I recognized from my last presentation said.

Walking into the conference room, I lost every confidence I had built up in me only a while ago.

" Curse you Michael." I muttered to myself blaming my best friend for my lost confidence.

Maybe if he hadn't distracted me, I'll still be as confident.

"What was that?"the chairman enquired.

" Nothing" I replied gesticulating with my head and my hands.

" Ok Miss Khloe Smith. Right?" he asked.

" Yes, Miss Khloe Smith." I confirmed.

" What do you have for us today?" he asked, adjusting on his seat.

" Well today, I'd be making a presentation on the need for poems about the environment." I replied, surprised that I didn't stammer.

" Ok, may we know why?" he asked, interested in my presentation; at least he looked interested.

" Lately, the environment that we live in is slowly going into extinct. What I mean is, most if not all poets rather write poems about love or other factors if life, forgetting the location where all other factors take course. The few poems written about the environment, are not even written well. So I decided to bring that to notice." I answered, earning a wide smile from the other orators.

" Well what are you waiting for? Dive in." the chairman said, smiling to his team.

I was only halfway through my presentation when something unusual happened.

" What in the world is that?" I whispered, to my hearing.

Inside the room, something looking like dust and smoke filled the room out of nowhere. And sooner, the whole room changed. The once conference room turned to a thick forest.

" Miss Smith" I heard Mr Bene call me but as if hypnotized, I just found myself walking into the forest.

Before me, was a thick forest with wet ground, trees everywhere; both short and tall. With every step I took, I felt watched, I felt accompanied.

I looked behind me but saw nobody, nothing other than the other part of the forest.

A particular tree suddenly caught my fancy. Unlike the other trees in the forest, this one was with a bark with ash color, branches without leaves. Everything within the immediate environment of that tree was just too gloomy.

The closer I walked toward the tree, the more unclear whispers I heard but instead of feeling afraid to go on, I felt more compelled.

Touching the heart of the tree, I felt something rough so, I decided to take a closer look.

Behold, it was a love symbol enclosing two names I couldn't quite read.

Suddenly, I began to feel a burning sensation on my arm, it felt so hot, I thought my skin would peel off. Immediately, I took my hand off the tree.

In the next second, the burn spread throughout my body, I felt hell.

I suddenly began hearing loud screams in the forest. I covered both my ears with my hands and went in search of the screamer(s).

I walked to and fro the forest until I saw something, it looked like a hooded figure. Too small looking to be a human.

Walking closer to the figure, I began hearing whimpers and sniffs amidst all of the screaming.

"Hello, are you okay?" I asked whoever was crouching before me.

Taking a closer look, I took adequate note; it was a female. She looked my age but with a body figure of a sixteen years old. Her cherry coloured hair waist-long hair was scattered all over her forehead, shoulder and knee. She was crouched on the ground, leaning on her knees without her face buried in-between her knees.

The closer I went, the louder the sniffs became.

" Are you okay?" I asked, with an attempt to touch her.

As if aware, she immediately rose her head to look at me.

Her beauty was stunning but her facial expression was heart breaking.

Tears flowed freely from her glassy blue eyes. Despite the darkness of the forest, I could still see myself in those beautiful teary eyes.

Her jaw was almost perfect, except for the blood and mud stains that visible.

Her full cheeks seemed swollen from probably physical abuse?

" Why are you crying? Did anyone hurt you? Oh goodness me, you definitely look hurt. Why are you here all alone?" I rushed my words.

" Ita shka seru matelsal hem Motsora matelsal hem. Shku sha, molehfej shku sha." She said, shaking as she sobbed.

" Uhm, I don't understand your language." I said, scratching my head confused.

As I tried reaching out to her, she suddenly faded away.

"What the heck?" I whispered in fright.

I lost balance and fell to the wet muddy ground.

I was still trying to get to my feet on the slippery ground when when a big wild dog appeared before me.

It was big with a hunched back. It walked as though it was limping. I became frightened when it walk toward me, dangerously. Its eyeballs deprived eyes shone wickedly and it's black fur only made it look scarier. 

Obtaining a closer distance with me, the beast smirked wickedly like a man. I could see it's canines elongate as it gained on me.

I had frozen; couldn't move, couldn't breath, couldn't do anything but shake in horror. 

""Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"" I screamed with my eyes closed just as the beast aimed at me.

The forest was mysteriously gone, I found myself back in the conference room.

""Oh my God!""

""Quick, someone call 911""

""Is she still alive?""

""What happened to her?""

""Is she always this weird?""

I could hear a million whispers as I sank into unconscious.

I couldn't decipher any of what I heard, except one word, a word from a very unfamiliar voice.

""Help"" was the last word the last word I heard as the picture of the beast came to my mind again but this time, it wasn't looking fierce, wicked nor dangerous. It looked helpless and stranded as it howled quietly as if it was in pains.