Sylvan

Chapter 9

"Gabriel!" I cried out as I walked through the tall trees. My gaze wandered in all direction to look for my brother as I took hurried steps. A sense of déjà vu washed over me taking me back to the last time I was here and in the same predicament. Only this time I was more angry than concerned for my brother.

The sound of birds reverberated through the woods above me. Sun had started to set and I was getting cold. A part of me wished that Noah and the boys would show up again with Gabriel, even though chances of that happening were very slim. So I just shouted my brother's name and moved in no particular direction.

Minutes later I was about to give up and call Mom when I found Gabriel's gray woolen beanie lying on the ground. I picked it up and marched ahead, hoping that this was the end of my search. I wanted to go home.

"Gabriel!" I strode forward, yelling his name. 

I felt bumping into something, like a gelatinous wall that slowed my pace for a second, even though there was nothing but air. I didn't give much thought to it and continued looking for my brother. But as I kept going I realized my surrounding had changed drastically. 

Trees had gotten taller and broader, and they were no longer just plain green. They were covered in flowers of different colors, many shades of purple, yellow, blue and pink. The bushes around me were larger. The ground was too uneven and I saw small hills in the distance.

I had been to the woods many times but I never ventured this far. I wasn't even aware of it. It was beautiful. Maybe that was why Gabriel insisted on coming here. He had seen this sight. Still, as breathtaking as this part of forest was, it was also eerie. The change from plain woods to this colorful land was too sudden.  

As I moved forward, the forest got thicker and denser and I even had to evade some branches hitting me. The chirps of birds changed too, they got louder and... sweeter. I saw a bird on a  tree branch. It looked like a sparrow but little bigger and with long pointy beak. When it flapped its wing I almost took a step back, stunned at how huge they were for its size. I was no bird-watcher, but I had never seen this species before. 

My eyes now started taking in more details, seeing weird insects, large blooming flowers, or a posse of fireflies that had started coming out as the evening light faded. It felt like exploring a wonderland.

I stopped when I came across a waterfall. It wasn't huge but the pressure of falling water sprinkled droplets around the area, bringing down the temperature further. Alarms blared inside my head looking at it.

There was no waterfall in Easthallow. I'm not in Easthallow.

Before I could comprehend where was I or what was happening, I saw a familiar four feet figure not far away. Gabriel. Someone else was with him too. I couldn't make out how they looked aside from their tall, lanky shadow.

"Gabriel!" I stomped toward him and he turned to look at me. I saw his eyes widen. Yeah, you better be scared brat!

The person who was with him vanished. I stopped and blinked my eyes. They. Vanished. Just like that. What the-?

"Giselle, h-how did you get here?" Gabriel asked me, snapping me out of shock. He was now standing in front of me.

"Who was with you?" When Gabriel didn't answer I glared at him. "Who was that? And what the hell are you doing here?! You ran out of school!"

He still didn't say anything and just looked down.

"Either you answer to me or Mom. The choice is yours."

His brown eyes once again widened. "Don't tell Mom... Please." He gave me his best puppy eyes, but I was too angry for them to work.

"What is this place and who you were with just now?" I hissed.