Guardian of the Forest

9

"What just happened to your cat?" Nic asked, his voice went up an octave every other word, I groaned. This wasn't going to be fun.

"That, that wasn't my real cat, Isla. That was just a clone, she can make unlimited clones and can also open portals to different places. When you touch her or one of her clones, they disappear like what just happened. Also there's this spot on her back that when you itch it she glitches all over the place and opens a portal underneath her to a random place." Nic looked curious instead of like he wanted to run,

"Your cat has like, magic power stuff?" I suddenly felt all defensive,

"Well you can't call me crazy without calling yourself that as well. You saw what Isla did too, with your own eyes!"

"I'm not calling you crazy!" Nic defended, "I can do something similar to," He whispered the last part but I heard it loud and clear and had me asking:

"What?"

"I can do something similar! You saw the force field too? Well I did that! I don't know how and I don't know why! All I know is that I woke up this morning and a force field protected me from my Mom!" I looked at Nic with awe,

"You can make a force field? Wow that is so much cooler than mine!" Nic's eyes locked on me,

"What?" I laughed a little, trying to ease the tension,

"I can heal super fast. Like all those cuts and bruises on you?" Nic pulled on his jacket self consciously and tried to hide himself, "Those would have healed on me already!" After scraping my knuckles against the concrete last night while drawing with chalk and watching my skin knit back together before my eyes, I was pretty sure I was just as different as Isla now. It felt good to tell someone else about the strange things that were happening to me, my cat, and the Whispering Woods. Even better that this person was also magical! How had that happened? I smiled giddily at Nic,

"Did you know that this whole forest is magical?"

"Really?" His stunned expression amused me,

"Yeah! All the animals are! Come on I'll show you! And then you can show me more of that cool force field stuff!" A thought struck me and I sobered, "You can't tell anyone about this okay? Not about me, you, Isla, or the woods, okay? Not even your Mom or Dad can know." I was scared to ask my next question, "Does anyone know about you? Or has anyone noticed anything weird about the forest?" Nic looked at the ground with guilt and my stomach seized up,

"My Mom knows. That's how I found out about the force field. But if she ever says anything about it, people will just assume she's drunk." Nic screwed up his face in thought, "And from what I've gathered, most people don't come in here often. They choose to avoid it so I don't think anyone else knows." I nod my head at him,

"Good." I gave a sly smile, "Now come on! You have to show me more with your force field! But not here, we'd have to go deeper in." We start walking to a spot farther away from my house, soon Nic looks at me sideways,

"What?" I ask, starting to feel self conscious. He smiles,

"I think you might have a second power," I stare at him,

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Because yesterday I never even sensed that you were following me. I didn't hear a thing and when you were standing by the woods you looked like you blended in like an animal. And when we were walking, I couldn't hear you and you were moving so stealthily! I felt like I was stomping around compared to you!" I thought about what Nic said, it made sense, it had been easier to sneak up on people and animals lately, maybe he was right and I was more stealthy. I smiled at Nic,

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I am stealthier, like a raccoon."