Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Dara
I take several steps forward and my foot tangles on a tree root. I wait for the impact, but it never comes. My body continues to fall, tumbling down a black hole. I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Time seems to slow as I keep rolling down and down until I finally hit the ground. Sitting up, I try to get my bearings. The soft grass tickles my bare feet. Closing my eyes, I spin around and smile. I feel alive. As I blink my eyes open, the sun peers through the trees, lighting up the forest in a soft orange hue. Wind wails through the tall surrounding trees; they have huge pink, purple, and blue flowers that are connected to the branches.
“Wow,” I whisper into the forest. Moving closer to the tree, each one is actually a house. There are doors made of grass attached to the trunk. Running my hand over the velvety grass, I sigh, “Beautiful”.
The house is hidden well, not noticeable unless you look closely. It’s how I’d imagine my dream home—a tree house that’s literally inside of the tree. Living in the forest, having it at your doorstep, is a dream come true for someone like me.
This place feels mystical, like something out of this world. But it also feels familiar to me, like home, like I have been here before. And I couldn’t have been here before. I would remember, right?
I press against the door. It creaks open and I step forward. An arrow flies past my head and lands with a thud against the tree. I scream.
“What the hell was that?” I fall to my knees and look up at the arrow stuck into the tree. Wait—that’s not your typical arrow. It has three arrowheads, with red leaves attached to the end. More arrows continue shooting around me. My heart pounds faster and faster. I try to move out of the way, but my leg gets caught on something, stopping me in my tracks. Fuck. I try desperately to loosen my foot. Someone grabs my leg and removes it from the trap.
“What the hell? Let me go,” I scream at them, trying to break free.
Next thing I know, I am being lifted and carried away.
"I’m trying to save your pretty little arse. Unless you want to get hit by one of those arrows?”
I open my mouth to reply but stop as I can’t see a thing as I am hauled over some guy’s back. I do, however, have a nice view of his arse.
“Hold tight, Princess. We are nearly out of sight,” the mysterious guy yells over his shoulder at me.
We make it to a huge tree and slip into a groove. He pushes me against the rough tree wall. He leans down. His crystal blue eyes meet mine …
I wake in a state of shock, running my hands through my hair, trying to calm down. Sweat covers my forehead, and I look around frantically. I’m safe. I’m in my room. It’s okay, I repeat to myself over and over again.
It was the same dream I’ve been having for the past few weeks—every night. It always feels so real, like it’s actually happening.
I sit up straight as I suddenly remember why Mr Mysterious at the bar last night looked so familiar. He was in my dream—he’s the one who rescued me. The guy with the nice arse. I’ve been dreaming about him for months and then he shows up in real life. This is all so confusing. I fall back landing against my pillow with a huff, needing a moment to clear my mind.
After a few moments of self-pity, I jump out of bed to have a cold shower then pull on my comfy clothes. As I head to the kitchen to make some breakfast, my tummy rumbles, telling me I most definitely am hungry. Coffee first—that is necessary to help get my head clear.
I glance up at the clock and to my surprise, it’s eleven in the morning. God, I must have been out of it to sleep in that late. I never do that. I’m always up at the crack of dawn. Last night definitely did a number on me.
Kayla is nowhere to be seen. She’s probably still in bed sleeping off her hangover. I don’t know why she does it to herself every weekend. You’d think she would learn her lesson. She is always complaining about how hungover she is and how it’s such a waste of a day after a big night. Yet, she never learns.
I make myself a coffee and cook up some bacon and eggs. This should wake Kayla up; the smell of bacon always gets her arse out of bed. I make a plate for her and leave it on the bench, knowing she’ll be out shortly.
Bringing my breakfast with me, I head over to the kitchen table and open my laptop. It’s Saturday today, and I have the daytime off until my shift starts at seven. This gives me some time to start planning my hiking trip.
I continue searching on Google Maps, sussing out where I am going to go.
Kayla’s footsteps thud down the hallway toward me.
“Did you smell the bacon? Is that what woke Sleeping Beauty?” I tease.
“Not so loud, Dara. You don’t need to yell,” she snaps back at me while rubbing her head.
I laugh. “Ooh, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” I tease, passing her a plate. “Here. Have some breakfast and coffee.”
“Thanks, Dar. I need me some greasy food to soak up some of this hangover.” Kayla makes a huge cup of coffee and brings her food over to the table to sit next to me. “What are you doing? Still planning your trip?” Kayla mumbles around a mouthful of food.
“Yep. I think I have it all figured out. Going to go higher up east way, to the Wet Tropics, part of the Dandenong Ranges.”
“Sounds good. How long are you going for this time?” she asks, scrunching up her nose. Kayla hates being home alone. Every time I go away, she has to head out or invite someone over to entertain her.
“Not sure. I told work that I would be away for four weeks. So, I am going to see how it goes, but at the most, four weeks,” I admit. I am so bloody excited for this trip. It is just what I need—some me time with nature. Ahh, bliss.
“WTF? Four weeks! You can’t leave me for that long, Dara,” Kayla yells.
“You could come with me, you know?”
“Yeah, right, Dar; me and nature do not gel. You know that from our last trip together.”
Ha! She couldn’t stand sleeping in the outdoors, having no shower or luxuries. That was the first and last time she ever came along on one of my hiking trips. “Yes, you’re right. You’re never allowed to come with me again,” I tease.
Checking the time on my watch, I quickly jump up. It’s midday. Shit. I better get moving. I want to go into town to get some supplies for my trip. I’m planning on heading off next Friday.
“Do you want to come?” I ask Kayla, even though I know she won’t be keen. She still looks hungover as fuck.
“Yeah, nah, I think I will pass. Just going to laze around today. After all, we’ve got a big night coming up for your birthday,” she mumbles with a yawn.
“Just like you do every weekend after a big night.” I laugh back, walking out of the kitchen before I get the backhander that I probably deserve.
I make my way outside, put on my runners, and start walking into town. It won’t take me too long to get there. It’s such a nice day—blue skies all around with the sun shining. Perfect weather to be out enjoying it. I don’t understand how kids these days can stay indoors on phones. They sure are missing out.
I decide to walk through the bushland to make the walk a bit more interesting. The birds are out singing, and the air smells of freshly cut grass and pine cones—my favourite smells. They calm my entire body from head to toe. I seriously wish I could just live out here in the wilderness. Life would be bliss.
A twig snaps, and I shiver, glancing over to my right shoulder to find a baby kangaroo with its mother. They watch me intensely before going back to eating.
Thirty minutes into my walk, another branch snaps behind me and goosebumps spread all over my arms. My eyes dart around the forest as I quickly scan the area. I can practically feel my heart leaping out of my chest. After several moments of looking around and finding nothing, I sigh. It’s nothing. You’re okay.
I give up searching and continue my route. I am so on edge lately. It was probably just another kangaroo or some animal passing through. But I can’t shake the feeling of being watched.