CHAPTER 11: SHADOW IN THE WOODS
"Boots? Seriously. That is what you are going with? You do know that it is the woods that we are going to, not the damned park." He said looking down at her feet as Gaia crossed her right leg over her left, shrugging.
"What? I like it. Deal with it, besides I don't reckon there being a rule that boots were prohibited from heading to the woods. You do know, I like my fashion, right." She said smirking as she jabbed him, on his shoulders.
Michael rolled his eyes and said, it is only you that would think boots are a good idea for the woods. Sure, whatever. It isn't as if I can change your mind can I? so are we going or not?" He said gesturing, to the door.
"Of course we are, let's go." She said pulling his hands, but he held her back and asked,
"And did you tell the mayor where we are going? To be on the safe side?" Gaia smiled sheepishly and said,
"Funny story actually, I was going to, but an idea pooped up in her head. Why not give him a little heart attack and let him worry about us for a while, before we get back. That is a pretty good idea right?"
"We are going to be in so much trouble with him, if we do make it our alive from the woods. He is more dangerous and yet you want to annoy him? to be honest, I don't see the point, in this. He will just send some of the guards after us." He said as Gaia said,
"Then they will find us, duh. Can we just go? Before Mia comes out of her room, and says she is coming along, and you do know trying to get her to change her mind, is like pouring water on stone." She said pulling him again as he went willingly this time to the back door.
"Fine." He said simply as they got to the wall, and using their enhanced abilities scaled over the wall, swiftly and quickly onto the street.
Michael landed softly beside Gaia, as he said,
"You know that we do have human beings as neighbors. What if someone saw us? How are we going to explain, scaling over that wall, without any ladder, or booster but by a mere jump. We should have used the front gate." Gaia looked right and left before replying.
"Luckily for us, nobody saw, besides there is no fun walking out of the front door, just like that. Duh, you need to loosen up more and live a little, after all you are the rebellious cousin." She said patting him on his shoulders.
"Let's do a race. First person to get to the woods, gets to call shotgun for a week and the loser has to obey his every whim. Good idea right? She said and before waiting for a response, started running at an enhanced speed as Michael shook his head and went after her, throughout the city.
Few hours later, Michael watched, sitting on a branch of a nearby tree, his hands in his pockets as Gaia tore a rabbit from the neck drinking the blood, and draining the carcass on the ground where 50 dead rabbits laid.
Gaia, wiped her mouth, walking towards him saying, as he jumped down, landing smoothly on the dried woods,
"You know, you didn't have to watch me, while I fed. I felt very uncomfortable eating this night."
"It didn't stop you though, did it?" He asked gesturing to the dead rabbits littered all over the place.
Gaia, flustered tried to throw him a punch but was skillfully dodged by him, who grabbed her hand and threw her, making her land on the ground on her back, as her oxygen was cut off abruptly for a second there.
Michael stood over her, gloating a bit as he bent down a bit and said,
"You know the fact that you drink blood and I don't, doesn't mean that you are stronger or I am weaker than you. you need a lot of juice going up against me, in the future." He continued as he held out his hand and she took it, getting up as she dusted her clothes saying,
"You know one of these days, when you are so weak and fragile, that is when I will come for…" she paused as her eyes darted to a tree, in the distance, her heart beating ferociously. She knew something was there. Something dark, mysterious, dangerous. Something not human. She grasped on to Michael's hand whose eyes were also there, as she minds linked him.
"Can you hear that?"
Michael nodded his head, as the stranger's heartbeat rang clearly in his ears as if it was being played on a big drum beside him. the heartbeat was steady, not hurried, so the thing, he couldn't call it human, because of the aura, it oozed out.
"Did he see us? Is it attacking? What do we do?" Gaia mind linked him again as he grasped her hand tightly and pulled her behind him in case of a sudden attack, she wouldn't be hurt or taken unawares.
Just then a twig broke as a hooded person came out in an overflowing cloak stepped out from the shadows and for a moment, Michael could see the haunted green eyes, before it turned and walked further into the woods, the heartbeat receding with every step it took, until it was out of range. He unknowingly sighed of relief as he turned to face Gaia.
"I won't lie, that was scary. Who on earth is that? Do we go after it? Or what?" She asked as he shook his head.
"The thing didn't disturb us, or looked for our trouble so I don't see the reason why we go after it. Let's just head back home, it has been hours since we left and it is almost getting bright. What is the time on your watch?"
"Almost five." She said sheepishly after glancing at it. Michael nodded his head, and he said,
"Let's go home and refresh up. Today is the day that I go to school and I can't afford to go looking like this."
"Why not? You look dashing. Why don't I add a twig to your hair to make the boys swoon over you as well?" She said laughing as she took in a half sprint, to save herself from what he would do to her.