Oakfall Woods

Chapter 18 Scared

Black eyed children. Inky black holes staring mournfully back at me. seated neatly on the wooden floor,faces still,frozen. They all held a bored expression. " Move!" Delilah shoved me forward making me stumble and fall.

I felt like a statue. Cold. frightened. struggling to move. The crowd of black eyed children smiled devilishly. " You're scared aren't you Elodie?" Delilah laughed. I said nothing. The black eyed children stood,silently. They began to close in on me, circling me like I was their prey. Chanting some unknown spell. Whispering words I couldn't understand. " Stop!" Delilah yelled, " Don't kill her... yet" she threw back her hair., stomping her way through the circle. " Your not out of the woods yet Elodie" she placed a cold hand over mine. Pain flew through me. It felt like being stung by a hive of wasps, a hundred needles prickling my skin, knives stabbing me. I gasped " stop! please!"

Children's laughter echoed. " Stupid girl"

Darkness enveloped me, making me loose consciousness.

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I woke up in my room , feeling hungry and sore. Long red scratches covered myself.

" Your not out of the woods yet" Delilah had said to me. But what did it mean? I slipped into some warm clothes that covered my grazes and trampled downstairs. Had anyone noticed my absence?

Mum stood scrubbing dishes, back faced me. Gran sat at the table sipping tea while Violet was eating cereal. Not crying or sobbing. Gran looked up smiling " Good morning Sweetheart" her eyes looked darker today but I didn't say that" Morning" I felt anxious, whats happening?

Mum and Violet turned around, smiling too. Violet's eyes looked a dark hazel no longer green, mum's too looked darker. "Did you enjoy the party?" I shook my head" I didn't go, I stayed home" They all laughed.

" No! you came, you were very excited" Gran grinned.

" But I didn't go" I protested.

Violet giggled " You said Jenna was a nice child and that you thought the cake was absolutely scrumptious." Violet grabbed her mug of hot cocoa,raising her pinky in the air " you sounded so fancy and proper, it was really funny!"

" But I don't talk like that" they all shrugged. I felt confused. " I'm going to the library" There might be some books that could help.

" Alright, be back before twelve for lunch"

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" Hello? Do you have a fantasy isle? With maybe.... um.... children with black eyes"The women looked up from the counter, peering through her small glasses. "Follow me" she rolled her eyes, leading me to the back of the building.

" only along this shelf" she sniffed. A name badge was pressed over her coat: Jamie Mit. She swiftly walked off, hands pressed firmly on hips, shoes hitting the ground loudly. I pulled the first book off the shelf: Black eyed children encounters.

I stuck it back. That wouldn't be useful. The next one was large, an old maroon spine: Black eyed children abilities.

I flipped it open to a random page, dust flying in the air.

Most Black eyed children are born with the ability to hypnotize humans, change others into them and have abnormal strength.

I flipped the page over: Black eyed children have a ruler. A queen, the most powerful of them all. One who has the ability to control people, shape shift-

Shape shift.

Maybe that was what had happened to me. To Tessa.

How do you become one of them? The book held no further important information that could be useful so I shoved it back. I took a seat silently.

The Black eyed children's queen was the one who had tried to make me jump, had shape shifted as Tessa that first morning. The day it all began, and the Queen who had spoke to me in that harmonic voice.

But who was the queen of the black eyed children?