Hey guys! Just wanted to say that ITEOTW will be updated AT LEAST every Monday :D
Chapter 2
-Farley-
I love my family dearly, but I needed some space. Rowan wouldn't stop bugging me about a mistake that I made during training. Going for a long walk was the only way that I would get away from him; he'd be far too distracted by chores. He had procrastinated to the point that he was doing last week's work.
The leaves on the trees were lush and green. The dirt under my trainer-clad feet was soft and untouched. Little ants went about their usual work, gathering food for their families. I liked to stop and watch them, taking the time to notice how quick they were scurrying. They were rather cute.
The forest was a place of peace for me. It was far from my home and far away from people. The walk wasn't too far after a thirty-minute-long bus journey, and it was definitely worth it every single time.
The path I favoured ran across a stream. It always calmed me down when I was feeling aggravated, which seems to be my default emotion. The air was warm, despite it being late in the day.
Today I was going a different route. I was too frustrated to visit my specific spot by the water, I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been before. The path that I had found was like any other, but not as defined. I wanted to pay attention to every step, in fear of stepping into holes or bumping into trees.
The silence was unnerving, but what was more unnerving was the fact that it wasn't complete silence. The forest never was, there was always a creature lurking in the shadows or the wind making branches hit whatever's nearby. Distinct footsteps met my ears, before the cause came into my line of sight.
There was a man, he had curly brown hair and was walking mindlessly. He walked slowly towards me. He wore simple clothing, much like me, typical attire for a walk in the woods. He stared down at the space in front of him, watching his feet.
"Hello," I said whilst putting my hands in my pockets.
The man's head snapped up towards me, where I could see all his features much clearer in the fading light. He had a sharp jawline, and his fair skin was flawless. One feature which captivated my attention was those caramel brown eyes which did not stare back at me.
"What's a person like you doing in the woods?" I wanted confirmation of my suspicion. His eyes didn't find me at all, even though I was standing right in front of him.
"A person like me?" He tilted his head in a rather adorable manner, he looked like a puppy who wanted to know what kind of food was in their owner's hand. "What makes me any different to you?" I breathed deeply through my nose. His tone was slightly rude, but I didn't blame him for that. Despite being stereotypically polite, Britain wasn't the nicest when it came to conversations with strangers. You never knew who you would bump into, especially in a place so secluded.
I continued to step towards him. "I'm here for a walk. It's quite late for someone to be out by themselves." His jaw clenched. A small smile worked its way onto my lips. I didn't mean to antagonise him but nothing that I said was false.
"You are." He didn't look at me as I approached either. His voice was strong, and his back was straight. He was on guard. "You're on private property."
"There's no notice to say that I can't be here," I pointed out in a tone which was far more arrogant than I had intended. "I come here often, how come I haven't been stopped before?" I hadn't been on this path before, but I had been to the woods many times. Surely the entire woods would be private property, not just a small path?
"I'm not usually the one on this path. Who are you?" he interrogated.
I chuckled and shook my head. This scenario wasn't one I expected would ever happen. "My name's Farley Andrews." I was about one foot in front of him now. He stepped back, his head lowering. "Nice to meet you."
"Pax," he stated. "Now, I don't believe that you're just here for a walk."
I raised an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms. "Why else would I be in the middle of the woods?" I couldn't help the curious grin which spread across my face. I was sure my amusement was clear in my voice.
His eyes opened with alertness. "What's so funny?" His shoulders rose to his ears once again. "Did you come alone?"
My smile vanished. "I did." My eyes wandered through the trees. "Why? You've been worried since I first laid eyes on you."
He scowled at me and shook his head. "Never mind, I've got to continue checking the path." He moved around me, nudging my shoulder. "Don't let anyone see you."
The warning was ominous, so much so that I followed him. "I think I'll join you."
He moved further away from me on the path, making the dead grass brush against his leg. "That's not necessary." His words were harsh. It didn't surprise me much. I was the one interrupting his walk and trespassing on supposed 'private property'.
"Of course, it's not." I walked beside him. His steps were small, yet quick. He kept his hands by his sides, fists clenched, and head facing forward. "I'd appreciate the company."
Pax scoffed. "I'm not much company to anyone." That piqued my curiosity. How many people came to the woods?
"Has anyone joined you on your walk in the trees before?"
His steps became louder, and his frown deepened. "No, must you ask questions?" He turned to look at me, not noticing the branch which was about to hit him in the face as he continued to walk. I reached a hand out to pull him back, only for my hand to be smacked away. "Don't touch me."
"Fine, if you'd prefer to poke your eyes out." I shrugged and started to walk ahead of him. "Asking and answering questions is how conversation works. Though, it's quite clear you're not used to that." I, once again, sounded ruder than I had meant to.
He moved the branch out of the way and followed me with a sigh. "Why would you want to converse with me?" It wasn't a bad question; I had debated it since I started talking to him.
"I'm a talkative person," I told him bluntly. "I like conversation. I've never met anyone in these woods before."
"There's a good reason for that." I waited for him to continue. "I'm not a talkative person." Yet, you continue to humour me.
"Aw, are you sure?" I teased. "Maybe you just haven't been talking to the right people." I slowed and moved to the right, so that I could keep the same pace as him. "How long have you been coming round here?"
"Ten years."
My eyes widened in shock. I tried to keep an even pace. How come I hadn't seen him before? I would've certainly remembered seeing him.
"This is the only trail I use." That would explain it. His words almost made me a little suspicious that he could see my shocked facial expression. I didn't believe him. I wasn't going to ask him to tell the truth to a stranger.
"I've been coming here for a few years, since I got my first job and found out how buses work," I told him. "Wait, didn't you say you don't go along this path?"
He ignored my question, furrowed his eyebrows, and raised a hand to his chin. "Buses?"
I spluttered slightly. "Yeah, you know...the wheels on the bus go round and round?" He looked at me as though I had grabbed him and started to do the waltz. "You don't know what buses are?"
"No."
I would have to try rather hard to crack this one. I hadn't actually had to try to get someone to talk to me before. "Well, it's a kind of transportation. People get on it, and it goes along the road and takes them somewhere else." I tried to explain the concept of a bus. Who didn't know what a bus is?
"Like where?" His voice was lighter than it had been earlier. The crease between his eyebrows softened.
"To the shops, to work...anywhere." I shrugged. "It doesn't take you directly to places, there's bus stops and you've got to walk from there. There's a bus stop about half an hour away from here." He hummed in thought, but made no move to speak. "Maybe I could show you one day? If we meet on the trails again."
"No," his response was quick and panicked. "Really, you shouldn't be here. I can't go." I frowned and stopped walking, turning to face him. The change of emotion startled me. It made my ears ring and my heart move to my throat.
"Why? This is just a forest; I'm assuming you live close by. You don't know what a bus is, that's incredibly strange. Don't you want to see the world?" His breathing became laboured, his eyes flickered all over, and he shook his head. He lifted a hand, ran it through his fluffy hair before taking a deep breath and bolting. "Pax!" At first, I wasn't sure if I had actually called his name, but it echoed in my mind as though I had.
He was fast for someone who looked rather skinny. I wasn't expecting him to run. I paused for a few moments before following him. His footsteps were barely visible in the dirt, but I had a good indication of the turns that he made. I didn't get far before I heard some talking.
"Hey there, calm down," a deep voice came from in front of me. I moved behind a tree; I wasn't sure who could be just a few feet away. "What's got you spooked?" The voice was male, teasing. They reminded me a bit of Rowan.
"It's nothing," Pax said quickly. "What're you doing out here, Cedar?" I moved around the tree to get a view of the people. I resisted the urge to let out a sigh in relief when I saw that Pax was facing me. The man who had his back to me had a strong build, with curly brown hair which was darker than Pax's.
"Checking in on you, out for your first lone patrol, eh?" The man, who I now know as Cedar, joked. He nudged Pax's arm rather roughly. I didn't like the way he was talking; it was as though he was teasing a child who had their first crush. "How's it going?"
Pax crossed his arms. "Yeah right," he puffed out the words. "Did Kian send you to spy on me? You gotta make sure I do the job right?" Pax's tone was hard, more so than when he was talking to me.
"Just looking out for you, pup." Cedar raised his hands. Pup? I stepped back slightly and turned around. "We've got to take care of each other."
"Because we're part of the pack, I know." The sound of their voices became louder as realisation dawned upon me. My ears started to ring, and my breath caught in my throat. I took a deep breath in; the scent of forest mixed with nuts and play doh filled my nose.
"Exactly." The sound of a back being pat was loud in the otherwise silent forest. "Now, let's go home. I'm sure Kian would love to hear about how well you've done."
"No need to be sarcastic," Pax muttered. Two pairs of footsteps then started to lead away from me. "It wasn't too bad, and I didn't go off course."
If my assumptions were correct, I was in an extremely dangerous position. Cedar probably knew that I was there, if he were paying attention. I didn't move an inch. My eyes were trained on the forest which was slowly being devoured by the blue hue of night-time.
The forest felt a lot smaller as I was making my way out to the gravel path. The bus ride was even quicker than that. I eventually arrived at my house.
It really wasn't anything special, a three-bedroom and two bathroom. Caspian got a bedroom to himself because he said so. Iris and Clementine shared a room whilst I had the wonderful pleasure of sharing a room with Rowan. I had argued extensively that Iris and Rowan should be roommates, due to them being twins, but I didn't get very far.
"There he is," I didn't get two steps away from the sage green door before I had two redheads in front of me. It was Rowan who had spoken, I could recognise the hyper tone anywhere. "Where've you been, bro?"
I chuckled and gave him a playful glare, pointing towards him. "Don't call me bro, it doesn't make you cool."
Iris silently nodded in agreement. She was wearing a white button up with a blue jumper over the top, her usual smart attire. She had her hands behind her back, causing me to look at her with suspicion.
"What do you two want?" I asked.
Rowan shrugged, the hood of his hoodie resting awkwardly on his shoulder. I lifted a hand to fix it, I didn't like it when things like that were out of place. "Just to remind you that-" Iris swiftly jabbed her brother in the ribs, "-we love you very much."
I laughed and shook my head. "I'm not doing your chores tonight." Rowan's mouth dropped open and his eyes became the size of coasters.
"But why?" he whined, stomping his feet on the ground. "I've helped you out loads recently." I turned to him with my arms crossed. "Like...I woke you up Wednesday because you asked me to."
"I asked you to wake me up at ten a.m., not p.m." I kicked my shoes off and placed them on the homemade shoe rack that I helped Caspian make a few months ago. "I had barely been asleep for an hour."
"Because you have no social life," he retorted. "Where you going like? Come in and head straight to bed?" The two followed me upstairs and to my room, on the right of a short corridor. The door was always left open.
The room had two beds, a desk, two sets of drawers and two wardrobes. It was simple, but full of personality. The walls were a pale blue, and had been since I could remember. My side of the room was covered in objects such as fake plants, a corkboard full of photographs, and a random football which I used as a distraction when I'm bored. My belongings were always neat, organised and clean. Rowan, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He had clothes strewn everywhere and not even his corkboard was on the wall properly. It was as though the room was perfectly built to hold two adolescents. It wasn't cramped, but it was getting there.
Iris immediately went over to her brother's side of the room and started to clean up. Not the entire room, just one spot on the bed, where she sat herself down, and crossed her legs.
"I'm not telling," I told Rowan, who was still looking at me expectedly. He groaned and face-planted his bed. I walked calmly to the desk and sat in the chair, which had been reduced to only a stool at this point. The arms and back had snapped off, and the sharp edges were filed down.
"You always sneak out though," Iris said in a soft tone. She placed her hands in her lap and watched me. "It's getting a little concerning."
I frowned at her, swaying the chair left and right. "What's concerning about going for a walk? And I'm not sneaking out, I tell you guys I'm leaving."
"Nothing," Rowan said as he lifted his head. He tried to move but ended up falling off with a groan. He made no move to stand up again, just looked at me. "It's the fact you're not telling anyone where you're going. We get worried, you know?"
I sighed, my friends from school stared back at me from the pictures on the wall. They were poking fun at and belittling me for not staying in touch with them. I'd been meaning to take some of the photos down for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "It's nothing." I stood up and stepped over Rowan. "I'm going to talk to Caspian about something. In private."
QUESTION OF THE DAY!
What's your favourite pass time?
I suppose writing is a bit obvious...but I also enjoy roleplaying with my amazing friends! -and maybe a quiz or cooking show here and there with my parents :D