Cleo paces her room back and forth. It was going to happen in about 4 days, and she still needed to find out where she was going to prepare this. She was thinking of a lie to tell her parents to let her leave for a couple of hours, and she thought about using Sky as an alibi but she didn't want her parents to call Sky's parent, but she decided to just go with it. She leaves her room and heads downstairs to see her parents sitting at the table
"Hey, is it okay if I head over to Sky's house for a couple of hours? We have this huge project due for art class in a few days and we wanted to finish it tonight"
"Sure Cleo, just be safe and remember to come back home before 10 p.m."
Cleo nods, and heads upstairs to grab grocery bags filled for the ritual. As she headed outside, she walked a few blocks away from her house to the forest. As she enters the forest, she admired how the forest was so vast and endless. It was like a never-ending maze, except with towering, strong trees filled with woodland creatures. She stopped for a moment, seeing a buck pass by her. It didn't acknowledge her presence, but she stared at it with admiration. Cleo wished she could take off in the woods, but sadly she had a life that was waiting for her on the other side of this boundless forest. Once she found a clearing, she pulled out the hourglass, chalk, and books such as the magum and le fay. As Cleo created a circle, set the books at opposite points of the circle, then sat in the middle of the circle and held the necklace tightly, and whispered
"Narcissa Le Fay"
As her eyes were closed, she felt a sweep of cool breeze brushes against her face, and a ghostly hand on her head. The forest felt alive for a minute, as she could sense all of the animals and their locations, furthermore the trees roots beneath and how they moved ever so slightly. All things felt connected to her, and once she opened her eyes, those feelings swiftly faded away. Had her meeting the Figure a dream? Had she gone crazy? She sighed, and got up, putting the necklace on her neck and shoving the supplies back into the grocery bags. Cleo figured, she should go to the Therapist tomorrow and get herself checked in. She carried her bags out of the forest, yet, before she left, she looked back to see the buck right behind. All the fibers in Cleo urged her to jump, but she simply stared back at it and smiled
"Hello there young one, are you lost?"
The buck backed away and shook its head, as it turned around and galloped towards the deeper part of the forest. Cleo turned back and started making her way back home. She checked her watch and saw it was 9:50 p.m. But when she got there, it had only been 8 p.m. Cleo has been there for too long and just made her way back home. When she got home, the air was filled with scents of turkey, cakes, and cookies. It must be her parents' anniversary. As she swiftly puts the bags upstairs, she finds her parents in the kitchen smiling at her, and hugging her once she stepped inside the kitchen
"Hey, kiddo! How was Sky's?"
"Fun, and is it your anniversary?"
"What would ever make you think that Cleo? Your home! You're back"
Cleo felt a bit confounded, however, she grabbed a plate and secreted it with as much food as she could put into it. As she was eating, her father started to pour milk into the blender, with at least 3 large Hershey bars and Godiva chocolate. As it whirred, her father pulled out one of their special, pink translucent milkshake cups, and poured the contents from the blender into the cup, and put whipped cream, and a cherry on top of it. Mr.Wyllt handed the cup to Cleo, and as Cleo was drinking her milkshake and finishing up her plate, her mother took her plate and started to clean it up for her.
"So darling, what're you gonna do tomorrow?"
"Not too sure, maybe hang out with Sky again"
"That sounds like a fantastic idea! Hope you have fun!"
Cleo was a bit taken aback by their newfound optimism, but no matter, as long as there was no more therapist or psychiatry talk, everything seemed like it was getting better. She hands her mother her cup and heads upstairs to her room. As she closes the door quietly, she walks over to her mirror and touches her face lightly
" I wish my face wasn't so pale"
She sighed and checked out her body. She wished for so many things, such as a thinner body, long, curly hair, and a pretty face. Cleo goes over to her bed, and slips under the cover and holds herself tightly. She wanted to believe that would work, but seems like everything was fake. What a shame. She closes her eyes and falls into a deep, long sleep.
