𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

38. 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿

     "DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS PLACE?"

     Eszter and Wesley stood out in the open field of trees, engulfed in utter darkness, only lit by the shining moon hanging over their heads. While silence fell between Eszter and Wesley, they were surrounded by hundreds of sounds; there was croaking and buzzing, and it was so loud Eszter looked around for the source of the noise.

     The bushes rattled with the wind, trees swaying like a gentle dance. Croaks and clicks sang among the dark.

     They were teleported into the deep forest, far from civilization. While there wasn't a single soul with them, nature's music gave Wesley a shiver.

     Wesley turned and studied their surroundings; even though the trees looked the same, Wesley could never forget this place. The trees are the same as it was, with powdered snow starting to shape over the earth. Wesley remembered the first night of the white winter; it was the start of a nightmare. 

     Eszter acknowledges Wesley's silence. "Wesley?" she frowns hesitantly. Eszter felt an unexpecting urge as if something was telling her not to ask, to keep her questions to herself, but she couldn't. "Is this your memory?"

     He swallowed. "Yeah," Wesley uttered.

     Wesley supposes Eszter will finally get the opportunity to know more about him than he likes to admit. While he knew more about her, Wesley wasn't prepared to tell Eszter anything about himself. Wesley wasn't ready. After all this time, he wasn't prepared to accept his chosen life. Everything went downhill from there, and Wesley wasn't sure if he could bring himself to move forward.

     However, as smart as she is, Eszter seems to sense the sudden shift; with no ability to access Wesley's mind due to protection, Eszter recognizes the broken look on his face. She knew it all too well. They knew the risk of taking this door as their only escape, and while they agreed to go through with it, Eszter was beginning to grow worried. There's so much they've kept from one another, how they felt during traumatic events, their biggest accomplishments, and their greatest mistakes. It would unfold before them, exposing their scars and making them feel small.

     There was no going back. Eszter needs to get to Wanda before Agatha can take her powers and possibly kill her. That was the only thing keeping Eszter from turning around and running scared; she needed to warn Wanda before she was too late.

     "Why are we in the woods?"

     "Because we're near my home," Wesely collects his memories deep in his mind. He looks toward the direction of his cottage. "Come on, it's this way."

     Eszter followed. "You live in a cabin or something?"

     Wesley shrugged. "Something like that."

     "How long is this going to take us? We need to get back to Westview before Agatha kills Wanda."

     "My mother likes to put on a show. She was always fascinated by how quickly someone can break from themselves. Agatha always tested me, tested my strength and weaknesses," Wesley started. "She always told me that the past will only drag me down, make me weak. I was conditioned to believe my opinions . . . my emotions were nothing but a distraction for success."

     Eszter had a sense she knew where this was going. She breathed, distraught, afflicted for Wesley. A teenage boy she had just met, who she knew nothing about, yet Eszter felt for him.

     "It used to take me hours to find my way out of here."

     "I'm sorry--"

     "I don't need your pity," Wesley retorted. He felt embarrassed.