nymph ⚣ joshler

seven

i gave tyler a smile as i set off towards the cabin, feeling guilty for leaving him alone in the forest in the dark. i wish i could have had the opportunity to escort him to wherever it was that he lived, or invited him into the warmth of my dad's cabin, but i doubt he would have accepted either offer. besides, dallon was already going to be pissed at me for being so late, i don't want to imagine what his face would look like if i brought a stranger from the middle of the forest into our temporary home, where supposedly no one else resided for miles.

where did he even come from? i'd question if he was even real if i didn't have my missing sweatshirt as proof. but then again...maybe i was going insane? maybe brendon slipped an acid strip into something and i've been imagining all of this. or maybe i'm having a psychotic break. i don't know which one i'd prefer.

tyler was extraordinary, even though i've only heard him speak a handful of words his voice is like silk and lavender. its too beautiful to be real, but also too beautiful for me to imagine.

what am i saying? this is a stranger—who might not even be real—who wandered practically to my front door! we're in the middle of the woods and he's probably been stalking me and my friends! he's captivating to no end but what if that's a facade and he's out to murder me? maybe i should just stay away fr—

my thoughts came to a halt as my body hit into something. i huffed at the impact and opened my eyes to where i had been looking at the forest floor and saw a pair of bare feet standing before mine. i gasped and flung myself backwards into the dirt before looking up to meet a pair of green eyes staring down at me.

i held my hands up in surrender and didn't speak as i held eye contact with a woman, who looked back stoically. i breathed heavy through my nose as adrenaline rushed through my veins and i slowly stood on my feet again, attempting to regain composure.

the woman eyed me, before her expression softened. she never smiled, but her gaze became far less fierce.

"joshua?" her voice seemed to echo in the dampened forest and her stoicism brought an extreme air of power to her being. how did she know me? this has to have something to do with tyler, i know it.

oh god, i have to answer! i can't just stand here blubbering. what does she want from me? "yes?" i gulped.

she exhaled through her nose as she seemed to contemplate what to say next. "what business do you have with tyler joseph?"

oh shit, this is about tyler. what the fuck do i say? should i lie?

"w-who? i don't k—" she held up a hand to stop me.

"please spare the lie telling, it will do you no gain. now, what do you hope to acquire through tyler?"

i stared at her with furrowed brows. acquire? "i...i don't hope to acquire anything from him. i'm not sure i understand what you mean, ma'am."

she remained stern-faced as she stared back at me. "why are you talking to him? do you think he can offer you something?"

"what, i—no, w-who are you? am i supposed to know who you are?" this was getting more confusing by the minute.

"my name is donella, and the rest of my identity is of no concern to you. all you must know is that i am a protector of young tyler. you came out to our forest, to the very trees he abides in, you make yourself at home in his sanctuary, you seek him out. humans like you cannot be trusted, you are impure beings of greed and tyler is the very embodiment of innocence. i only wish to know what business you have here in these woods."