A Ghost Among Trees

4

Ellie pulled away.

"Stop that!" she ordered. "You're creeping me out."

Instinct told her to run, and Ellie listened. She didn't know where she was going, but the girl stumbled her way through the darkness. Twigs snapped cruelly underfoot as she ran. The trees were ominous in the moonlight, expanding in an endless mass of grey and black. Thorns tugged at her clothes. Everything that once seemed beautiful was now out to get her.

Why had she admired this place? It was dangerous, confusing, and much scarier than the cheerful forest of her paintings.

Ellie was fighting her way up an incline when River's hand came down on her shoulder.

I told you, River hadn't spoken, but Ellie swore she could hear the other girl's voice in her head. You aren't going to leave.

River's lip was pulled back in a snarl, and Ellie sensed the threat of danger in the girl's expression.

Ellie was frozen in place. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears, and felt her knees knocking against one another. If she tried to run away, she imagined that her legs would no longer support her.

You like it here, River insisted telepathically. You want to stay.

Ellie suddenly felt very relaxed. A lightness had taken over her mind, and she forgot to be afraid. That wasn't important anymore; nothing was.

She shook her head. What was wrong with her? She wanted to go home, didn't she?

You never want to leave.

Ellie nodded. River's statement felt true. She had a friend here, and she was enjoying the emptiness in her mind. She didn't know where it had come from, or what was going on, but that didn't matter. She liked the way it felt, and decided that leaving was a bad idea. All the anger and confusion would return at home.
Ellie didn't want that to happen.

Ellie reached for River's hand, capturing it in her own, agreeing that it would be best to stay here indefinitely. She let her companion pull her back the way she had come.

River began to skip, an angelic smile playing across her face, making her eyes sparkle in the moonlight.

Ellie wondered if there was a name for her new friend's expression. Was there a way to capture such a free, happy portrait on canvas? She didn't think so. The thought was a fleeting one. She didn't think she would be able to replicate River's smile, or the way the girl's nose curled slightly when she laughed. River was too real, too special, to be painted in Ellie's old world.

Ellie wondered if her own eyes would sparkle like that. She decided she would skip, too, maintaining her grip on River's small hand. The two of them disappeared into the depths of the forest, where no one would dare to disturb them.

~*~

The police investigated Ellie's disappearance. Ellie saw the officers once or twice, but they never brought her back with them. They seemed to forget about her seconds after laying eyes on her. Each time, the officers would wander away in a daze, convinced there was no evidence to be found.

The cops' eyes would glaze over, and they would stumble around. Ellie thought it was funny, and she always laughed along when River made jokes at the men's expense.

Sometimes, Ellie wondered what those faces would look like on canvas. She wanted to dip the brush into the paint, to recreate the way the police officers' mouths curved down on one side.

Then, she would forget herself again.

Ellie didn't want to be an artist anymore. All she wanted was to be free, and to be a good friend to River.

The forest was her happy place. Going home meant anger, confusion, and that big, ugly truth.

Ellie wanted to stay lost, and River made sure she remembered that.