She barely slept over the night. The tree branch she had been sitting on didn´t get any more comfortable throughout the night, keeping her awake. The noises coming deeper down the forest had given her chills and goosebumps, already creating nightmares in her mind before she had even fallen asleep.
Ava stretched her neck and arms in a desperate attempt to shake off the tiredness in her body. As she tilted her head forwards, she looked back down the tree she had climbed up last night. Her heart stopped for a brief second as she realized that she had to climb down in a matter of minutes.
If there was anything that truly frightened her - it was heights.
Her arms and legs had the consistency of soggy bread on the entire climb down. Her breath was rapid, and her vision had started to fade out of complete fear. She couldn´t catch her breath until she felt her feet hit solid ground. Ava leaned her forehead against the stem of the tree, only to laugh ever so slightly by her fear.
Glancing up one last time at the place she had been sleeping, she took a mental note to find another place to sleep than in a tree.
After adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she started to head further into the forest. Growing up, she had realized early how the forest had its own life during the morning hours. The sunlight barely came through the thick branches above her head, and the air was fresh and cold against her skin which quickly woke her up.
The further she got into the forest; the air started to get more humid. If she hadn´t known any better, it would have rained last night. The damp moss started to affect her shoes, and soon she was stepping in what felt like mud.
Curious as to why the ground was so damp in this area, she continued further into the forest. It didn´t take long before she could see the sunlight coming from outside of the forest, alongside hearing the sound of flowing water.
For a split second, she looked directly at the scenery in front of her in relief. She could finally find a place to sit down, wash her feet and clothes and take a break. It was everything she had hoped for, without even realizing it. She had no idea that she needed the water and sunlight so much before this very moment.
Then, her gut turned as reality set in. She knew that if there were water here, most likely there would be people nearby. If she gets discovered, she could be facing the hanging again. Or something worse.
She was thoroughly touch starved by sunlight. Her body had lacked sunlight for weeks now. Every fiber in her body told her that she should move on and continue towards the sunlight. Still, her mind was screaming at her that it was false security and that she wouldn´t be safe.
Her gaze moved around the ground around her, well aware that she wouldn´t be able to choose on her own. She found the perfect-sized stick and placed it in front of her feet.
"If it breaks, I walk back. If it doesn´t, I go."
Ava walked over the stick whilst confirming that her foot hit it perfectly.
Right away, she turned to look at it, desperate to see what was going to be her choice. The stick laid perfectly on the ground where she had stepped on it, without a single crack.
She turned her head once again and looked over at the water. With a sharp breath, she drew in air to give herself courage. Her feet trembled in both excitement and fear as she started to get closer to the water and sunlight. As she walked, she glanced nervously around to see if she could see anyone.
She couldn´t hear or see anyone. Her senses were on high alert. She could easily hear the animals walking through the forest - down to the wingspan of the bees and how the wind rustled the thin branches above her head.
It was both scenery and a feeling she had never felt before. Her stomach filled with butterflies, her steps were light as she floated through the forest.
Ava looked in each direction as she stood in the treeline to confirm that she was alone, which she was. With her heart pounding in her ears and chest, she stepped forwards and into the sunlight.
Her body was filled with energy by the single touch of the sun, making her smile. The tiredness and the cold feeling left her body right away, making room for the positive emotions which had been desperate for sunlight. For a brief second, she had forgotten why she was here in the first place.
The warmth of the sunlight brushed away the memories and emotions regarding everything which had happened back home. For a moment, Ava forgot the loneliness she felt back at the unknown mansion, along with people she did not know. The sunlight removed the desperate feeling of her being on her own in the middle of nowhere. Right now, it was just herself and the sun.
After soaking in every bit of sunlight she could, she sat down by the riverside and soaked her feet in the clear water. The mud which had reached the middle of her leg was now slowly getting washed away and drifted further down the river.
She continued to clean her arms, face, legs, and shoes without bothering to look around at her surroundings. An eerie headache started to murmur in the back of her mind, which she didn´t pay any attention to as she assumed it came from her lack of food for the past day.
As she reached out for her bag, she managed to take a look at the forest across the river. Her eyebrows furrowed as her headache completely vanished as if it had never existed. Her lips parted in confusion as she lifted her bracelet so it would be right beside one of the trees, recognizing at once one of the engravings in the tree.