Everything Was Unreal (Edited and Revised Version)

2

Anytime I find myself in Bens self contain apartment, the first thing we did was caress each other for a while and suck in our lips. This was almost a tradition before starting any reasonable conversation.

"I told you to be careful around your brother. Here!" He'd grabbed hold of a pack of weed and threw them to me. Due to my fast reflexes, I caught it instantly and headed to his mini fridge to grab a bottle of water. I smoked the weed for a while before he started a conversation on the upcoming school dance.

"Drake is sure to bring is bae on that day!" He said with a smile.

"I heard it will be the best in town...." I puffed out some air.

"Of course it would be. Too bad we cannot go due to that Gregory boy who pisses me off. Tell that dude to stay away from me."

"What did Gregory do this time? He is just a family friend and we've known him since childhood. I am sure he knows no harm."

"I have told you before that your family attracts toxic souls. Gregory is no different from your brother in boring values. How dare they try to tell you what to do?"

I placed the smoke on his glass platter and laid in his arm, letting him cuddle me.

"Gregory is an annoying fool I can say for sure. As for my brother, I am certain he is just looking out for me."

There was silence for a while, as my mind went down the memory lane and reminisced Gregory. He was a good guy, but Jeremy hated him. This wasn't because he was the head of sport in college, or he was our senior who got all the hypes. The pale white skinned boy just hated the heck out of him. Funny enough I did too and that's for a reason I would never forget.

I shifted my focus realizing I was about brooding a hurtful memory, I had no intention of visiting.

"I heard from someone you both were ones close though. Is that true?" Jeremy asked. He'd picked up the stick of weed I left and placed it towards my lips. I pushed his hands off.

"It's enough, I do not want anymore!"

Jeremy hadn't taken that well. With anger, he'd turned me rudely towards him and squeezed my hands tightly. This caused sharp stings. I would swear that stings from bees do not hurt that much.

"What are you doing? You're hurting me! You promised you wouldn't hurt me again." I cried out remembering the moments he had hurt me in that past. We'd broken up so many times because of it, but he hadn't hesitated to remind me of my slow intelligence. He never left a chance reminding me of how unattractive I loved and how reluctant guys were to date me. Being among people with working relationships, sticking out as single was something I was insecure about. 

"I do not wish to I promise." He'd gripped me tighter. "But at times you make me fear you're listening to those people. You're going to give up on what we've built and follow their boring path right?"

I shook my head instantly feeling tears roll down my cheeks. He smirked and let me go. Then he'd drawn me closer and kissed my ear.

"I have to go!" I said, giving up on this and getting up.

"You can't be serious right now Ava...." He had thrown me a dreadful look.

"I just need a break, that's all. I can't handle your mood swings."

"See you in school then."

I was a bit surprised he'd let me go easily without another round of emotional blackmail. I had covered the bruise with my long sleeve shirt and called a cab.

Jeremy Slepis used to be a wonderful man, I promise. He was one I dreamed about in the past, one I cherished so much and one whose paintings I admire a lot. But he'd changed. Since he'd introduced me to drugs and I'd given him all he wanted, he'd changed.

Thinking about this in the cab, I'd tried not to release tears. My eyes couldn't leak. There was no way I was proving my brother right.

As the cab driver drove along the busy road, he'd switched the slow music that played to a latest broadcast announced on the Gor Channel.

Three hunters have been declared missing after leaving their apartments to a mysterious forest for their usual hunting. They've been considered missing for four days now, and were last seen in their homes. The government is trying all level best to comb this forest and burn it out.

"They can't stop that forest. The forest isn't normal." The cab driver said with annoyance. I stared at him through the rare mirror in confusion wondering what was going on. "There is something in that forest. The government haven't been successful in figuring it out."

Though the topic fascinated me I was in no mood to discuss.
We'd arrived to my stop and I had alighted down.

"Dinner's ready love." My mum said with a smile, as she'd stared me up from the table.

"I will be there soon." I said with a stern look before rushing upstairs.

"Get your brother down here. I have no clue what he's doing up in his room"

I had no intention of doing that. As I walked down the hallway towards my room, I heard an unsettled voice of Ben as he spoke with someone on the phone.

"The myth is real! There is something going on in that forest. 30 people have been lured into it for the past 5 months, and none have been found till this day."

I was confused on whether he spoke of the same topic the cab driver spoke about.

"Ben, what's all this? Why do you all keep talking about a forest and monster?" I rushed in.

He'd removed the phone off his ear and stared back at me.

"Ava, you can't just barge in like this."

"I know but everyone keeps panicking about a forest. I am concerned now. If people are truly dying, then this is no joke. Could you tell me exactly what's going on here?"

Ben sighed with reluctance and hung up the call he was on.

"Ava, you do not need to know this. This information isn't for you. You hate scary things.... "

I wasn't bothered. I had sat before him and gazed into his eyes waiting for him to continue.

"You better start talking now, Ben."

Ben knew there was nothing he could do to keep me away from the topic anymore. He'd sighed and took out the earlier novel. I was surprised at the sight.

"The forest has a thing to do with this novel."

He informed causing my jaw to drop. I had gazed at the novel more intently now, it did have the image of two red glowing eyes on them and a scary font. Why the hell does the image trigger the voice in my head sometimes? Does it have a thing to do with the forest?