Why Me?

Leave me alone.

Why me? What did I possibly do? I thought as I walked down the wet stream.

I had just been kicked out of my house, just for having a dirty room for a couple of weeks! I knew my parents were strict, but never to the point where they would kick their own child out!

Hello, my name is Jenna. I'm a 14-year-old girl who had just been kicked out of her house for not cleaning her room. I know, stupid reason. But I'm here to tell you about how that day changed my life. Not forever, obviously not. This isn't gonna be some magical fairy tale! Just be quiet and listen.

. . .

"Jenna! Where are you?" I heard my mother call as I hid behind a pine tree.

It was absolutely disgusting to sit here because there was a mud puddle around the tree that I had to sit in.

I started my way up the tree slowly and quietly.

"Jenna!" I yelped and scrambled for a branch because I slipped when I thought my mother found me.

She thought she found me but she was wrong. She just found some rock with branches on it.

Wow, did she really think that I was the size of that rock?

Keep in mind, that rock was 4 feet wide and probably 7 feet tall.

Gosh, that woman can be so dumb sometimes. Dumb enough to kick me out of the house! What is she even doing out here anyway? It's not like she could take me back without some gift or something. (yes she probably could actually.)

I continued up the tree after I realized she wasn't near me anymore. But I could hear her voice echoing through the dark green forest.

"Jenna! I will kill you when I find you! Come on out, or you're grounded for eternity!" My mother screeched.

Sheesh lady, you think that will bring me back home with you? Such a menace.

Once I reached the top of the tree, I sat on a branch to take a humongous breath. Then I heard a branch crack behind me.

I slowly turned around, praying it wasn't my mom.

And then I saw her. A girl around my age. She had ginger hair and freckles on every part of her face.

She wore ripped, muddy clothes and looked like she hadn't eaten for several days.

I yelped out of fear and fell to the branch below. What is she doing here? That girl went missing from town 6 years ago!

Why in the heck was she like that? She looked like a skeleton covered in skin. When was the last time she ate? Maybe she came out here for food?

So many questions ran up and down my brain, ready to climb back up and ask those questions.

But I already had another problem to deal with.

MY HAIR. It's ruined. It's so frizzy from the humid air today. Maybe I could go back home and get a brush.

Nah, my parents would 100% find me and ground me for eternity after locking me up in my room.

I climbed back up the dark brown pine tree up to where the girl sat.

"Hey, why are you here? Didn't you go missing from town 6 years ago? Why don't you go back home?"

It took a few minutes before she turned her head in my direction.

"That town is not safe. That town will never be safe. No one there is safe."

What is this girl talking about?

"What do you mean by that? The town is completely safe! I lived there for 10 years."

She turned her head back in the other direction so the moon could reflect on her face.

"There are things there that no one could think or imagine. Those people are in danger."
She looked at me again and I guess I looked pretty confused because she went on.

"Everyone there is in danger. There are traitors. Like your mother, for example. She was going to kill you with that log she was holding."

"She was holding a log?"

"That's not the point." She said as she climbed up a branch. "She was holding a log."
"Okay, but what is your name? What should I call you now, since we're friends?"
"We are not friends, but my name is Shayla."

"Beautiful name-"

A branch from below cracked loudly so Shayla and I looked down below us to see someone unexpected.

My mom?! Why is she still here? It's midnight.

"Jenna, oh sweet dear Jenna. Come back home! I made a delicious pie full of blueberries for you."

"They're poisoned." I laugh knowing her plan.

"UGH. Just come down here before I climb up there myself and kill you! And isn't that Shayla? I bet you dragged Jenna into this, you monster! Come here, I'll kill you and take sweet Jenna home."

"Okay, try climbing up this tall tree, you fattie."

I guess she wasn't that fat, even though she's 200 pounds, but she started climbing.

I yelped and scrambled to get up to Shayla when I felt that my mom caught my leg. Then I felt Shayla grab my hand.

"Let go of my daughter, you disgrace of a child!"

"Shut up, you old hag!"

Shayla won this tug of war fight because I suddenly felt a huge pull and was being lifted to the next tree.

"Come on! Follow me, unless you want to die."
"I'm coming!"

Shayla jumped to the tree next door by swinging on a tree branch.

I was very confused but still grabbed the tree branch and pulled myself back.

I looked behind me to see my mother just inches away from me on the nearby branch.

I yelped and launched myself towards Shayla just to stumble onto her.

"Sorry!" I said as I helped her get up.

"Doesn't matter. We got to go!" She said starting to jump from tree branch to tree branch.

My mother had climbed down from the first tree and started climbing the tree we were on.

I followed Shayla, jumping from branch to branch behind her until I eventually tripped and fell to the ground into a mud puddle.

Great. I lost Shayla, I fell in a mud puddle, and now I was on the same floor as my mother.

My mom jumped to the ground and started towards the mud puddle with a log.

Thankfully, Shayla jumped from the tree and slapped her in the face with a stick from the tree, and helped me out of the puddle.

"AGH. YOU LITTLE BRATS! COME BACK." My mother screamed as she tried to reach for me with her, but I got up in time and was running behind Shayla.

"Try to be less clumsy, Jenna? Right?"

"Yes, Shayla. Thanks for remembering my name, unlike some other people."

"It's fine."

"Now, I think it's the right time to ask, but please tell me . . ."

Why are we in danger?