Chapter Three - In The Woods

Eleanor's P.O.V

I couldn't believe. I couldn't believe the scene that was floating before my eyes. Blue balloons, petals of lilies creating a small path to the tree trunk, a small beautiful cake on top of it. Dark clouds which could rain any moment began to form in my eyes.

"Eleanor!" Jason, Carla, Pheobe, Stephene, Ariel and Christian shouted in unison as they ran towards me. I threw by head back and laughed at their excitement as if it wasn't mine but theirs as I crouched down and opened my arms as each one of them including Marie and Joshua ran into it's range and we had a big group hug.

I swear, I would give up anything. Anything to make this moment. This peace. This happiness to last forever.

"El..." Pheobe called out making me open my once closed eyes. I looked down at her small frame which had a big frown on it.

I released them from my embrace to look at their expressions but somehow each one of them wore the same expression as Pheobe. The same sadness lingered in their eyes.

My heart sank seeing them like this. But, swallowing the lump in my throat, I found the courage to ask them what it was about.

"What happened?" My voice came out heavier than I thought it would. And, it caused their frowns to deepen.

"Tears... You are crying on your birthday, El. Is it because of us?" Pheobe asked in a low voice as she lowered her head, feeling guilty for something which she... they never did.

I raised my hand as I wiped my cheek and there indeed was moisture present on them. I was so drunk in happiness that I couldn't even realize when the dam broke and all my emotions came flooding out. I wiped again and again but the tears just kept flowing out for some reason.

"I... I... really don't know. It just doesn't seem to stop." I said with a frown on my face as Carla walked up to me and held my hands in her small little ones. "Then, let them go. It's okay, El. It's just us. And, you are not Knife right now. Just our Eleanor." Carla said with a smile on her face as she walked up closer and stroked my head with her small warm hands.

I let them go. Just as Carla said. I cried and cried and cried till there were no more tears left. And, the children just stood there. They just stood there all the while not saying a single word of how it was all gonna be okay. They just stood their feeling my pain and comforting me with their understanding silence.

After, a few moments I sat there on the ground. Tired and worn out as no more tears would feel. Sensing my tiredness, they are surrounded me and hugged me once again and I just melted in it.

"Thank you guys." I spoke finally breaking long comfortable silence. "We love you, El." They all said in unison and as if it was a magical chant, all my tiredness seemed to have vanished somewhere into the cool breeze that blew.

The cool breeze... Wait! Why do I smell blood in the air!?

"Are any of you bleeding?" I asked the children worried as they all shook their head in a 'no'. I took in a deep breath. The smell was indeed not coming from them. My senses got alert as I slowly got up from the ground.

"Hide behind me." I instructed the kids as they formed a small mob behind me. "El..."

Stephene called me in a scared voice as she tucked the sleeve of my dress. "Are there vampires here? Will they kill us? Will we die, El? I don't want to die."

I don't want to die. Her words rang in my ears again and again as mom's face flashed in front of my eyes. I closed them trying to gather all the strands of courage in my body and opened them again.

"I'm here. And, as long as I'm alive no one can touch you lot." I said as I stroked Stephene's hair. Then returned my attention to the lurking threat in the woods.

"COME OUT. I KNOW YOU ARE HIDING SOMEWHERE HERE! COME OUT THIS INSTANCE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs keeping my ears and eyes open.

One mistake. Only one mistake was all it would take for me to lose the kids to those damned monsters. I can't afford it. No.

I put my hand in my hair to take out my silver hair pin for it to serve as a weapon against these monsters. But what happened next shocked me to the very core.

A bleeding man surrounded by three others came in view. The bleeding man seemed to be barely alive. He seemed severely wounded.

"We are sorry!" The man supporting the wounded man shouted. He had very pretty chocolate brown hair. "We were attacked by the vampires. My friend here is gravely injured. Can I request some help? Please. I don't want him to die." Tears welled up in the chocolate brown hair man's eyes. The other two also looked sad.

After accessing them completely from head to toe, making sure they were of no threat. I finally spoke," Is it too serious? Why don't you give him first aid?"

"We wanted too. But our supplies dropped somewhere in the woods during our escape. We barely made it through." He spoke back, eyes brimming with tears. After accessing them once again, it indeed seemed safe to say that they looked like they just escaped after a good chase.

Even though it seemed like a very very bad idea to help them. I just couldn't... I just couldn't leave them there in the middle of the woods.

Not after everything that had happened to me. I lost my mother in these same woods. I couldn't let them lose their friend in their friend in a similar manner. My consciousness just wouldn't let me live in peace for the rest of my life if I did.

So, I did what deemed fit to me in the situation.

"Follow me. My house is not far from here. Let's be quick. Wouldn't want you to lose your friend."

I turned around and looked at the children's face. Smiles. That was all I needed to know the choice I've made was right.

I smiled back at them as all of us started to make our way back to the old wooden house. My old wooden house.

You've got this, El. You can save this man. He won't die.

Won't die like your mother...