Present Drifter

Chapter 27

My feet stumble beneath me momentarily. I twist my foot and kick my shoe off behind me. I repeat the action as I bring that foot forward, avoiding losing more time than I need to. The grass tickles at my bare feet. Each step sinking gracefully into the weed. My pace immediately quickens as my shoes take off behind me. Who knew they were such an anchor.

The trees before me come closer and closer with each step. I let my right hand fall to my side, the book still tightly clutched to my chest in the left. There, it can remain out of her view.

Below me, the ground becomes rough as the trees begin to appear around me in scattered intervals. Slowly, they become more and more abundant as I run until I'm in the heart of the forest.

Leaves and twigs crunch under my bare feet as I dart through the darkened area, the sky blocked by the heads of the trees. Heavy footsteps barrel behind me as I struggle to weave through the thicket of trees. Stripped branches grasp at my ruined updo, some breaking, caught in the tangled mess. The hum of insects fails to cover my labored breathing or the daunting steps echoing me.

I need to find a place to hide to lose Victoria. I need to be able to find a place to hide this book. Hundreds of trees and yet there doesn't appear to be any good hiding spots.

As I run, a little bit of luck decides to join my side. Ahead of me, a small break in the trees appears. A small section of land that is mainly covered in a thick tall brush. Just enough space and height to hopefully hide me from sight.

I duck into the brush and curl forward, trying to make myself as small as possible. My dress snags on the loose branches surrounding me, shredding the bottom further. They don't leave my bare arms much better off, covering them in small scratches. I wrap both arms tightly around the book. It and the tedious ballgown have made this chase ten times more painful.

My breath catches in my throat as her footsteps from behind me become louder. I might've left footprints. The blood runs cold inside of me as the thought causes me to freeze completely. The leaves above me shudder from the gust that occurs as she runs past.

Carefully, I let myself exhale as her footsteps fade into the distance. For what is only a couple of minutes, but feels like an hour, I stay huddled in my hiding spot. I don't move until I feel that she is safe enough away.

My muscles ache as I stand from the uncomfortable position I used to hide. I carefully stand and push myself forward, out of the bushes surrounding me. The book stays tightly secured to my chest as I enter back into the dense forest.

Each step I take is calculated, carefully avoiding crunching in the trees debris and revealing where I am. I move slower through the forest, but my body may have given out on me if I kept sprinting. With the book and the absurdly tight dress, running is difficult.

My heart still races in my chest even though I'm no longer sprinting. Each breath is a tense struggle. Every muscle in my body aches. In every possible way, I'm on edge.

After a while, the trees drastically fade and disappear, giving way to a large meadow. Poppies are randomly dispersed through the tall unkempt grass giving the space a beautiful pop of color. In the center is everything I would have hoped for from a hiding spot. A large willow stands confident.

It's strong trunk twists around itself upward where its streams of leaves rain down to the ground below it. Each string of greenery is like its own individual river. Where the dirt is thinner, its thick roots poke out of the ground showing just how vast its foundation is.

My pace quickens as I make my way to the brawny tree. The grass tickles at the bottoms of my feet and my bare legs, but it's a welcome change to the scratching of the twigs on the forest floor. The earthy smell the grass offers fills my node, offering comfort after chaos.