In The Woods ➳ H.S.

☙ e i g t h

And that's how this unlikely friendship begun.

And really, I like having him around but it was times like these where he would get annoying that made me want to slap him.

"Go away." I mumbled, pressing my face against my arm that I had used as a pillow.

"No." His simple answer was both stubborn and annoying.

I groaned again as a response, although I didn't move my body.

I didn't want to get up, because then I'll have to face working with those obnoxious women again. My fingers had had enough of getting pricked by needles, and my butt could only take so much of sitting down on a hard, unbalanced wooden chair.

I hated my job already, and it had only been three months.

"Get up!" Zayn says a little bit more sternly. I feel a small nudge to my back, telling me he either just shook me, or kicked me - either way I was not going to get up.

"No." I copy his short reply, hoping he'd leave me alone to my slumber.

"Annalyn, get up. Christian has been looking for you." This time I could feel his breath fanning the side of my face. "Anna," He's whispering now "you need to hide."

My brows furrow in confusion, and at that statement I moved my head to the direction of Zayn's voice. I kept my eyes shut, still refusing to get up, but I spoke anyway. "Hide?"

"There are knights in the town, demanding for payment again."

The moment the words leave his mouth I jump up. I was once again dressed in rags as we had chosen to sell of the dress after ripping it into individual pieces of cloth.

The wolves and the cloth had given my family the status of those who don't starve often anymore, but that I was sure that would change when these knights demand for everything we have.

But the possible loss of money wasn't what worried me. It was times like these that the knights usually abused their power. Getting, not only, the needed payment, but unnecessary and un-consented pleasure from anything with that resembled a woman's body.

"Where's Lea?" I panicked, now fully awake.

Zayn frowns at me. "Already hidden in my house. Christian just got and carried your mother to hide her there too, like last month."

"Are you sure they are safe? Are they well hidden -"

"Yes, yes, they're fine, Anna. But you aren't. So I suggest we get going before -"

Both of us were cut off as a loud pounding came on the door. Dust fell from the poorly made roof of the house just as a voice spoke out. "You are under the rule of King Styles and are therefore required to open this door and give us the payment due for this month."

My eyes were wide in complete terror, not far from the expression printed on my companion's face.

As we stood there completely frozen, the pounding on the wooden door continued. The force behind the knocking was visibly shaking the entire thing.

Zayn immediately whips his head around to look at me. "Hide. Anna, hide now." He hisses.

I snap out of my frightened state, though my eyes remain wide. "Where?" I asked, panic laced in my tone.

Despite our slightly better standards in living, our so-called house was still as small as ever. There weren't much space to hide in. Only a few chests and the small space behind a ratty old cloth for our mother - both of which the knights would obviously check.