The Enchanted Woods: book 1

Chapter 1

Everything that happened that day was just a big dull blur after I ran off. All I remember is that me and my best friend, Ashlynn, were headed for a party at the haunted house on the corner of the street. Well, it's not much of a party. More along the lines of... initiation; an initiation into the dark life that Ashlynn lives. She has been pushing me for months to see it her way. And I finally broke down...

Ashlynn was running ahead of me on the street. I lingered slowly behind kicking a small block of cold snow. It was a cold, dreary January evening, and snow was lightly falling overhead. My blonde hair was ice cold, and dusted in a thin layer of snow. I gave a light shudder underneath my light gray jacket and tight black skinny jeans.

"Alice! Hurry your ass up back there! It's almost 11!" Ashlynn shouted back to me. I looked up from the sidewalk and lightly nodded my head. She just sighed heavily and rolled her eyes before turning around and walking further ahead.

At that moment, a fridgid late winter breeze blew through, only causing me to shudder even more. A million thoughts were crossing back and forth between my brain. The main question that quietly lingered in the back of my brain was: Am I making the right choice here? I shook my head, ridding myself of the awful thought and kept walking. Of course I was making the right choice!Throughout my brief 2 years of high school, I have been bullied and harassed constantly. Being 5 foot 2 inches didn't get me very far. I didn't make the basketball team. The only people who ever dared to accept me were Ashlynn's friends. While I was still lost, deep in my thoughts, I bumped into Ashlynn. I jerked my head up, only to see her pale, cold, grinning face.

"Ashlynn I'm not sure if this is what I want..." I said to her reluctantly. I couldn't hold that one thought that had been biting me at the back of my twisted brain for weeks. She just stared at me in complete, utter awe. I just softly shrugged my shoulders, no words left in my cold, now purple lips. She grabbed me harshly by the shoulder and dragged me into the old, creaky house.

It seemed to get colder and colder as we journeyed the dark house. I so desperately wanted to turn back and run to the door. But I couldn't... I had this odd compelling feeling that I was being- watched. Just as the wretched thought was about to escape my mind I heard something rustle behind me. I jumped back, startled and I swear I saw a pair of big green eyes flash by. Slowly I started to walk backwards, hoping that what ever had made the noise wouldn't come popping out of no where. Then I cautiously turned around, only to find that Ashlynn was gone.

"Shit..." I cursed softly under my breath. I had the urge to call out her name, but I couldn't take that risk. Anything could happen if I did that. What ever I had seen before could come and attack me... Someone could come out and murder me... The possibilities were absolutely endless! Then I could hear whispers building up around me.

"She really came..."

"I told you she would..."

"What should we have expected from a girl that is afraid of her own shadow?"

All 3 of the voices were strangely familiar... But from where were they coming? Then my heart stopped as I heard loud footsteps protruding the eerie, disturbing silence. I closed my eyes in hopes that all this was some horrific lucid dream... But I was terribly wrong. My breath came out in small white wisps of smoke.

"Alice... we have been expecting you." the voice speaking was... so oddly familiar. I turned around to see someone's lucid silouhette, grinning. He must have seen my look of both confusion and mortal terror. The figure took one soft step towards me. I could see clearly who it was now...

"Jason... Is that really you?" I spoke softly, but clearly... It seemed to ring throughout the entire building. I gave a light chuckle of astonishment. This only made him grin. I just gave a small... soul-free smile.