Invisible String.

Part I

She used to sit in the forest behind the college. It was quiet there. The trees were green and beautiful and the birds chirped high above her. She could sit and read or listen to the birds sing songs and trade stories amongst each other. She could draw the faces of the people that wandered past on their way to class, or sketch the sky as hues of orange and pink lit up the morning and chased away the night. It was a peaceful place; it was a sanctuary all her own.

The air around her was never too cold; a light sweater was all she ever needed and even in the mist of the morning she sat and day dreamed of a different life and someone to tell her secrets too.

Today didn't seem any different. It was just past sunrise as she wandered into the edge of the trees. Her boots crunched on dried leaves and sticks and she wound herself deeper and deeper in, towards her favorite spot.

At this hour only the professors were just arriving for their first classes. Not a single student was in sight and she cherished the time she had alone.

Getting to school four hours before class was the price to pay for a cheap bus ride. One day she would have a car; but for now it was either a car or the crummy little apartment she had saved to rent. She was finally on her own, no more foster parents telling her what to do or for that matter taking pieces of her that couldn't be returned. All she had now was the apartment and this forest, and that was all she needed.

She could smell the change in the air the further she went. The spice from the pepper trees and the pine trees filled her  lungs and she smile as her spot came into view.

The old fallen tree must have given way years ago, before the campus was even built. It was ancient. The roots had once stood tall on one end but as decay set in, they seemed to reach back towards the ground as the years passed. It was covered in moss and tiny plants that made the old log their new home. There was one empty spot, the space she had cleared so she could sit and be surrounded by the ferns and wildflowers.

As she got closer, the sidewalk fading behind her, she noticed that  there was someone in her spot. Whoever it was was very tall, their face tucked back into the black hoodie they wore and their eyes cast down to a book in their lap. It must have been a man, she was certain that none of the girls on this small campus were that large, nor did any of them wear black chuck taylors.

The sound of her footsteps gave her away and his head snapped up and turned towards her. She recognized him as one of the students in her art class, but she couldn't recall his name. He didn't speak much in class if at all. Most of her classmates steered clear of him for one reason of another but she had never seen any reason to avoid him.

His coffee eyes washed over her and he seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

"Good morning." she smiled and he nodded before turning back to his book.

She didn't move, her eyes wandering around the forest briefly before they returned to him only to find him staring at her.

"Did you need something?" he asked. His voice was quiet, as he watched her where she stood unable to answer as quickly as she wanted. She was too busy watching the way his mouth moved around his words. She wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed his features before. He wasn't classically handsome but she could see beauty where many probably wouldn't. His ears were just slightly too big, but they were almost perfectly hidden behind hair that was as black as a midnight sky. His eyes seemed sad, almost as if he was lost and still trying to find his missing piece. Sad or not she could feel herself sinking into them.

"Ahem." he cleared his throat and she blinked.

"Sorry, what?" Her face flushed red and she could have sworn he smiled slightly.