Chapter 5: The Forest

When I stepped outdoors, Claire was no longer in the garden. I inhaled deeply and started to move in the direction of the woodland. I began to run as soon as I entered the woods. As I made my way down a short track that went along the edge of the forest line. My skin was stroked by the warm, muggy morning air while being practically lulled to sleep by the sound of birds. The feeling was wonderful.

I wasn't sure how long I ran, but the wind and sun felt lovely on my skin, and the sounds and scents of everything around me had me dozing off. I slowed down till I came to a complete halt. A broad smile spread across my face as I sat down on one of the large tree roots. I made the decision to return after five minutes, but as soon as I did, that peaceful sensation vanished and was replaced with a tense feeling.

My brows furrowed in confusion and dread. Uncertain of what I was feeling, I took a glance around. Seconds passed. And suddenly it dawned on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Dread fluttered in my stomach as my head started to imagine unpleasant scenarios.

Damn, someone’s watching me.

My heart started to race as I spun around and hurried back toward the village, trying to fight the desire to run that was burning inside me.

"There was nothing here," I murmured to myself and ran my hands up and down my arms in an effort to fight the chill.

I crossed the forest lane and moved straight for the cabin's entrance. I would phone my mum and perhaps let her know that I am now on a different continent. Right. I ought to have done it from the beginning. I paused and scanned the forest once again over my shoulder before stepping into the house. Though I didn't see anything, I had the impression that I wasn't alone. A chill spread down my arms. With my eyes closed and convincing myself that it was all in my imagination, I shut the door and rested against it.

For the remainder of the day, I remained indoors. I made a call to my mum to keep myself busy so I cannot remember the incident in the forest earlier. She chastised me for leaving alone hastily during the call, as I had anticipated. By the way she inquired about Anthony, I inferred that my ex-fiance had not informed her about Anthony and myself.

I was unsure of whether to be relieved about it or not.

I sighed as a sudden sense of exhaustion crept into my bones. I had been reading books for the previous hour and making every effort to focus on the channel on the television in the living room. Sufficient enough to kill time. Simply put, I was looking forward to Claire picking me up so we could go out to a fun bar to close the day. Perhaps to ignore the odd sensation I'm experiencing as well as the earlier incident in the woods. I had, at the very least, take action. I wondered whether I would depart earlier than anticipated throughout the time I was by myself.

Claire came to my door at five o'clock in the afternoon and asked whether I was prepared to leave. It's a good thing I had prepared beforehand. We both walked up to the black car that was parked directly in front of my cabin. Two ladies waved at me while standing in heels and tight outfits that revealed their slender legs. 

They were both stunning, as was Claire, who was wearing a short, dark blue dress. In a high ponytail, she had her dark blond hair pushed back.

As soon as I came close to them, I said, "Hi."

The two simply widened their eyes, gave me a warm embrace, and cast a knowing glance in Claire's way.

"Is she…..?” One of the women questioned Claire.

"I'm what?” I questioned them instead.

“Nothing. You're just as stunning as we heard,” An attractive brunette woman reaches out her hand and says, “Sally.”

The one with dark hair chimed in, "Kate."

I extended a handshake to them. “Jaidyn”

"What have you heard about me?” Curious, I questioned afterward.

Sally gave me a wink before crossing to the other side of the door as Kate moved toward the driver's seat. "Good stuff,"

I nodded, burying the curiosity deep in my head. My door was held open by Claire. Before entering, I murmured my gratitude to her. Throughout the ride, I chuckled and joined in on the chat among the three. I discovered that Kate was the one who kept to herself and, like me, simply laughed at the other two's antics from a distance. I was appreciative of Kate's leisurely driving, which allowed me to fully appreciate the stunning outside environment. I should have brought my camera along to record the recollections of these people, so it was a waste.

I decided to address the question that had been on my mind after giving each of them a careful look. "Do any of you know somebody who resides in the woods?"

I forced a little awkward grin on Sally and Claire as their heads abruptly turned to look at me with startled eyes.

Claire questioned, "Did you see him?"

"So, someone actually resides there?"

Sally and Claire shared a brief moment of eye contact similar to what Claire and Cayden did in their home. They exchanged unblinking glances for an extended period of time.

With a little smile on her lips, Claire replied, "Yes".

“So, Jaidyn, what do you do in the States?” Kate abruptly asked as she looked back at me in the rearview mirror.

Even though I had more questions I wanted to ask, I went along with the topic shift. “Me? Uhm…I’m a college professor”

“Really?” Sally responded, "That's cool.”

“Are you on leave, that's why you're here?” Claire chimed in.

I shook my head. “Yes. I took a leave of absence. Since I was meant to be here with my fiancé—now ex—this vacation was made on the spur of the moment.”

I afterward regretted saying that, since there was immediate quiet in the car. The reason I said that, though, escapes me completely. Perhaps because I feel like I have to say it out loud for it to sink into me.

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Sally said.

“No, not at all, because I also didn't know,” I said with a dry chuckle. My attention shifted to my ring finger, which was suddenly bare of the gold band I had on it before. It's not the best idea to wear an engagement ring to a nightclub. "He simply informed me out of the blue that he wanted to break up with me, exactly as I told him about this trip. I ended up taking this trip impulsively because of that.”

"Heck, I cannot imagine the pain. When my boyfriend for three years and I broke up, it really left me devastated", Sally said, shaking her head.

"He was my boyfriend for eight years and we're engaged. About to get married next year"

Sally snapped her head at me, her mouth opened as if to speak. But she ended up giving me a reassuring smile. 

“He's a jackass,” Kate grumbled.

“A f*cking asshole” Sally seconded.

I giggled at their response. It turns out that telling that isn't that horrible. My chest felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. "He is."

Claire squeezed my hand. “He doesn't deserve you. Someone does.”

She looks and speaks with such genuine seriousness. I quipped, "Well, maybe I'll run across him years from now," but no one laughed. 

They merely gave me a knowing look, as if they were aware of something I wasn't. And for some reason, that made me nervous.

I overlooked those stares and took a deep breath before turning to the window, opening it, and sticking my head out to let the wind blow my red hair. A smile tugged on my lips at the feeling of the cool breeze caressing my cheeks. I'm afraid they'll think I'm crazy. Normally, it would be enough for me to hide my head inside and close the window, but just now, the joy of a calming feeling caused me to stay, temporarily relieving the pain in my heart. After a little while, I heard Sally and Claire laughing, and I looked over to see the two doing the same, while Kate with her arm outside and her other hand on the steering wheel.

Yup, this was fine.