"Wow, it's so beautiful here," Clarice sighed, breathing in a deep breath of the fresh woodsy scent.
"You can say that again," Jennifer grinned.
Opening the boot of the truck the girls started unpacking the car and moving their luggage to their designated rooms. For the duration of the program they rented out a home five minutes drive away from the sanctuary. The house was positioned on the edge of the suburb giving them a clear view of the surrounding forest.
Glancing over around at the environment, Desiree couldn't help but agree with the other girls. Rivenwood was beautiful. Its abundance of nature and the fresh scent was one of the many reasons why she'd loved this town so much.
Seeing the others head inside with the last of their belongings Desiree turned to follow when she heard rustling in the trees nearby.
Turning back around to locate the cause of the noise, she could hear soft whispers and giggles.
Feeling a grin tug at her lips, Desiree quietly walked forward towards the trees. Coming up close she peeked between the branches where she spotted them. The little beings have always been overly curious creatures, and a little mischievous. No doubt they'd want to pull a prank or two on the newly arrived group.
Slowly pulling back, Desiree felt her smile disappear. No, it was better if she kept away. She'd long since decided that she would stay away from this world. She didn't walk away four years ago just to fall back in. She had a deal to uphold, and no matter how much she longed to return, it wasn't an option.
Feeling an ache in her chest, she walked back towards to the house. When she got close to the front porch, however, she heard a gasp.
Suddenly, a cold wind picked up sending a shiver down her spine. Looking back at the trees, she gulped.
They'd recognised her.
Her heart jumped to her throat. If they knew, then soon the whole forest would know, which means he would know.
Considering their reactions, it is clear that no one has forgotten what happened four years ago.
This is going is going to be one hell of a month, Desiree thought bitterly walking into the house and slamming the door behind her. Leaning against it, she sighed. Day one of thirty, here we go.
Her suspicions were later confirmed when she had finished drying the dishes later that night. Hanging up the drying cloth, she moved to sit on the couch. The other three girls had already retired for bed, tired after the long day travelling and settling in. For Desiree, however, sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was wide awake, filled with a constant anxiety and restlessness.
Looking at the clock, she sighed seeing that it was almost one in the morning. She'd need to go to sleep soon considering that she had an early start at the sanctuary tomorrow.
It was then that she heard the crunching of fallen leaves and twigs. They were here. It wasn't hard to guess who it could possibly be. Only two kind of species would come in this far from the forest. Deciding it was best to ignore their presence, she started scrolling through her phone as a distraction.
Seconds later she heard a long howl which startled her, causing her to drop her phone onto the ground. She quickly jumped to her feet and ran to the kitchen window.
Heart beating out of her chest, she listened with bated breath as she searched into the black night looking to see if she could find him.
Eventually her gaze met a pair of ruby eyes, peering from the shadows of the trees.
Her breathing stopped, eyes blurring with tears.
She turned away and dropped to the floor, covering her mouth to conceal her sobs.
She didn't think it could hurt this much.