Chapter Text
I sat on an old brick, enjoying the view. The wind blew softly. The sunset was orange-red that day, shining everywhere. My body glowed with the sunset color; the grass and wildflowers did, too. Nearby, the forest glowed red-orange. I stood up, wiping the dress where I was sitting, and moved slightly, but stayed standing.
Looking sideways, I saw someone. He wore the cat mask, which covered only the top half of his face down to his nose, a black shirt folded to his elbows, black formal pants, and black shoes. He looked at me intensely with a smirk. He slowly walked off, still smiling, and disappeared into the forest.
I knew that was the dangerous part of the forest. I yelled, "Hey! That’s the danger zone!"
He was gone. I rushed after him. He was far in the distance and I tried to grab him, but suddenly fell deep into the ground. Water flowed nearby, leaving me soaking wet.
He stared down at me and walked off. Is he crazy? I wondered. I climbed up and shouted, "What are you doing?"
He was gone. "Are you trying to get yourself kille—" I stopped and thought for a second. Wait, am I trying to get myself killed? Am I setting myself a trap? No. I was out.
I turned to head back to safety, but then, a faint, roaring echo drifted through the trees. A waterfall. My anger instantly melted into pure curiosity. I absolutely couldn't resist. The threat was gone anyway, right? Just a quick look, I promised myself. Two minutes, and then I'll leave. But when I stepped through the brush and saw it, my jaw dropped.
It was a big waterfall. The sunset lit the upper section. The water was white but looked like it was sparkling, like fairies lived and bathed up there. Bricks surrounded the waterfall.
I stayed there for twenty minutes. Looking down, I saw the water was deep. So deep. I feared deep water. I turned back, but a sudden push propelled me forward.
I fell into the deep water. I couldn't swim. I struggled so much, a panic attack seizing me. I choked on the water, sinking deeper and deeper until everything went blank.
I woke up frantically and looked around, not knowing where I was. I started panicking again. My body lay under a bridge with water flowing nearby.
I peeped from the side of the bridge and saw two men with white wings approaching. They talked and laughed until they saw me. They looked shocked. I sprinted out fast to hide under the black water. Near the bridge, the water was a little deep, enough for me to hide under.
They rushed forward, searching everywhere under the bridge. One asked, "You saw it too, right?"
"Maybe it was just some creature," the other wing-man said. "Let's go."
After a few seconds, I came out coughing, desperate for oxygen. Looking sideways, I saw him and screamed.
He snapped, covered my mouth, and whispered, "Shhh." He dragged me to the bridge and checked sideways for others. While he covered my mouth, I saw his black wings. They looked just like crow feathers, but they were black mixed with silver and shiny.
After he uncovered my mouth, I pushed him. He stumbled to the ground. I started striking at him. He grabbed me, his grip tightening slightly. I neared tears. He looked shocked, confused, and very uncomfortable.
"It's all your fault!" I cried, yanking his hand away.
I started thumping his shoulders again until he grabbed my hands. I yanked them off once more and curled into a ball, looking at the black water.
He scratched his head, not knowing what to do. He said quietly, "I thought you were coming with me. You were running after me, so I... I pushed you."