Louis

My breaths became heavier with anxiety and fear. I knew it was due to my previous encounters in the area, and I knew something would come for me. I was standing vulnerable, out in the open. The odds were not in my favour.

It seemed as if every sound was enhanced at this moment. In itself, that certainly ignited the fear in the pits of my stomach. My eyes began flickering to every shadow or movement, even the breeze rustling the leaves. I started to back up towards the tree for some isolation. Slowly and deliberately.

My life has been flipped out of control these past few weeks. Nothing can be kept contained, and the emotions I've been experiencing were very unusual for someone such as myself. I'm a man of pride, power and bravery. Why must I be put in this position?

I finally reached the trunk of the tree and I gripped the bark for support. Suddenly, I experienced the most peculiar sensation.

Pain swarmed my body and immense pressure is placed in my head. Several colours swirled across my field of vision, creating patterns. The dizziness threw me to the ground and I clutched my head, groaning in agony. The pain became almost unbearable to the point that I could feel the throbbing throughout my whole body. I scrambled to my knees and tried to steady myself. My breaths came out in short puffs, an attempt to ease the pain. It only made it worse, causing a ringing sound to overtake my hearing.

Something thick began dribbling from my nose. I slowly touched the substance.

My once clean hands were now coaxed in blood.

It felt as if someone was mercilessly snapping each individual bone in my body. I've always hated to express the pain I was feeling but this time was an exception. So that's what I did.

I screamed, trying to find some release. The noise intensified but never seemed to travel anywhere. I looked up at the sky and began to say my goodbyes. I think of how I expected to be unafraid of passing. I felt as if my business was not yet completed. Slowly, rage consumed me. I beat my fists against the tree trunk and released a shaky scream. My throat tightened as black spots began to engulf my vision. I reluctantly placed my forehead to the tree and grunted. I didn't want to give in to the darkness but the more I endured the pain, the more inviting the dark void seemed. With one final howl I collapsed on the hard ground and fell freely headfirst into the endless abyss of darkness.

~*~*~*~*~

The air was cold, the darkness, thick and heavy, and the ground was reduced to mud from the rain.

I walked slowly, enjoying the tranquility of my own presence and the scenery around me. I was coming home from the fields as I spent most of my days alone, thinking out there. I wasn't the most accepted child.

"Aye! Freak! What makes you think you're allowed to be here?" A young boy with a face dotted in freckles yelled in my direction. Fuelled with fear, I apologised and began to walk backwards but the boy just gave me a malicious smile and cackled loudly.

"Yeah, you disgusting piece of no good dirt! You can't be around us! You're not normal."

I whipped around to bump into a large looking child. "But that doesn't mean we'll let you off the hook." He looked down at me and smirked. "You're lucky Ronald isn't here to see you. He'd have beaten you to a pulp." The large boy inched closer to jab a chubby finger painfully at my chest. "I guess that means we get the pleasure of putting the monster in its place."

"Gregory, Phillip," I acknowledged. "Listen, whatever I did, I apologise, but please there is no need for this to end in violence," I began to reason. "Please just let me go home," I begged, hoping they'd show some mercy.

"Tell us, what's the big secret? Why do you spend all your hours alone? Is there something we should know Tomlinson? After all, as your friends we deserve to know what's happening in your life right?" The oversized boy, Phillip, clasped my shoulder in false affection.

"Who, me? No, nothing's going on. Um, nothing's new at all. Why... would you think that?" I chuckled nervously and tried to squirm out of Phillips hold. The mischievous boys exchanged glances and made silent agreements to throw me to the floor. I landed in a heap scraping my palms and dirtying my trousers in the thick mud.

"Listen, you monster! That's what you are? Aren't you?" Gregory spat offensively. "I guess since your a filthy liar we might as well cut to the chase. Rumour has it that your mother's dead. Is that true?" He placed his hand on his heart in a mocking sympathetic gesture. "Well, we offer our deepest condolences." He began pacing back and forth in front of my hunched over body.

"You see, mamma told me that there is something wrong with your family, as if you all are cursed! You're all dropping like flies! You have no relatives. Your poor mamma is gone. And your dearest father isn't with you anymore either! Ha! Would you look at that? Everyone you seem to love simply just..." he dragged on dramatically, "Dies!" I knew were he was going with this, and what was I going to do? They were bigger, stronger and faster.

But I had one thing they didn't possess– wit, although that wasn't the best choice of defence.

"You killed them! Didn't you? What kind of rotten scum kills their own parents?" Gregory screeched. "My father said that you deserve to rot in hell for this. Monster, freak! You're not normal. You're a product of evil and you know it. So tell me swine, why did you do it?" He fisted my collar and pushed me back so that I was pressed against Phillip, who held my arms back, restricting me of any movement.

"I didn't do anything of the sort," I lied straight through my teeth. To be fair my actions weren't intentional, but it never subsided the guilt that practically ate me alive.

"Now you see, neither of us believe this for a second." He paused for a brief moment and dragged out a disappointing sigh, shaking his head lowly. "We didn't want it to come to this, isn't that right Phillip?" He asked cynically, a ghost of a smirk plastered on his face.

"Oh definitely not, why I was dreading this outcome, truly. But you seem so hesitant that we might just have to...beat it out of you," he almost questioned.

My eyes widened in fear, though nothing too obvious that they would suspect my shock. But it was far too late for both boys had already noticed.

Menacing laughter escaped from each of them and they inched closer, once again taking their positions; one restricting me, the other rolling up his sleeves preparing for the bloody mess. I subconsciously clenched the muscles in my body in an attempt to prepare for what was inevitably coming.

"I'll give you one last chance. This is your final warning," Gregory threatened whilst cracking the kinks out of his own neck.

"I'd do what he says, once he starts, he's not himself," Phillip added.

I began to assess my options; tell something the world wasn't ready to hear, or endure a few cuts and bruises. Contemplating my decision I felt an overwhelming feeling of what was assumed to be a panic attack arising.

Gregory quirked a brow and I knew my time had run short. I put on my best game face and bravely questioned them. "Why are you doing this? After all I deserve to know!"  He looked as if he was gonna fire a rude remark back, but then he nodded considerably.

"Very well. The town wishes to investigate the death of your mother. The witch doctors claimed they'd seen nothing like it before, so anyone with valuable information gets a reward," he explained as if it made up for their reckless actions.

"So what's your decision?" I looked at Gregory dead in the eye. If those greedy idiots are using me as their leverage for their own selfish needs, then they have another thing coming. Sucking in a courageous breath, I growled.

"Bite me." 

~*~*~*~

My mind slowly drifted back into consciousness, allowing the dull ache from earlier to settle beneath my bones. I gasped for the air, that was desperately needed to soothe my erratic beating heart. I forcefully opened my heavy lids and gave a generous moment for my vision to set in focus. My eyes were immediately met with a blurry pair of green, blinking consecutively the blurry haze soon enhanced to the set of familiar orbs that have haunted my every sleepless night. I clawed at the ground beneath me in an attempt to prop myself up into my elbows, but my body proved weak as I collided against the damn ground once more.

"Relax, your body's still adjusting," a voice sounded above me, in an almost robotic attempt of communication. Just as I was about to make out a snarky reply in order to send the unknown savage on its way it continued, "Not many beings survive that kind of pain, I'm impressed. You give me hope Louis Tomlinson."

That got my attention. Survived? Was I expected to die? Confusion swarmed me. What just happened?

As I finally managed to prop myself up onto my elbows I noticed it was the women I was chasing earlier. "You," I ground out in the most menacing tone I could conjure. "What have you done to me, insulant women!" I barked out, no longer caring for her as I did before. She tried to kill me, surely she was some kind of witch.

She raised a brow. "I just needed your permission," she growled out in equal force, testing my patience.

"Permission? I gave you none of the sort now step away before I hand you into the authorities an-"

"Tomlinson! Shut up or I swear to my boss that I will have your body drained and quartered!"

I stared at her curiously and looked for any faults in her façade to figure out if this was some kind of practical joke, but of course there were none. Her face stayed inhumanly emotionless and her body was uncomfortably stiff. It seemed as if there was nothing to indicate if she was thinking anything, except for her eyes. Her eyes contained an unnatural glow as she fixed me an unwavering glare and I could feel the burn that came with it, it felt as if she was analysing my soul and everything that it contained, I felt exposed.

"Listen? Why should I listen to you? I haven't known you for more than an hour and you've proved to be nothing but trouble! So please, enlighten me, why I should listen?" I glared warily in her direction and began to creep away from our close proximity.

She quirked a brow at my unsubtle gesture but in spite of that, carried on nonetheless. "Listen to my words and mark them well, Louis. Do you know why you are here? Because I can assure you that it was no coincidence," she began and I shook my head in disbelief "That pain you experience? It was a bonding proccess and by that I imply that this is strictly for your protection and wellbeing. We now have access to your location, emotions, and your thoughts. Now, as to why you are here, you seem to be quite important to the people upstairs, you have been causing trouble for some time, young one. Nine years I have been keeping tabs on you and suddenly your activity has spiked, how very curious? It seems to be that many creatures want what you have, although we don't seem to know what exactly you possess that makes you so resourceful, care to explain?"

My eyes flicker over nothingness in an attempt to register all the newly provided information. I swallowed thickly, what the devil is she speaking about? "Listen lady, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I'm just a regular gentleman trying to make a living, so if you would be so kind as to excuse me, I have a business to run," I finished, quite proud of myself for brushing her off so politely.

She scoffed at that comment and shook her head sarcastically. "You and your petty human society, trying oh so desperately to fit in whilst surviving off of useless knowledge when there is a bigger picture at stake at this point in time. Your worried about your pathetic business? Try worrying about the lives of millions of humans and the balance of peace in the supernatural society, now wake up and grow up, or be a coward and die without purpose!" she bellowed with such intensity that I could practically feel the ground rumble beneath me. I stared at her in utter confusion. "Supernatural?" I sputtered out hesitantly. She stared at me and squinted her eyes in a look that could only translate to 'is that seriously the only thing you managed to remember?'

"Are...are you on those things that those mad men are handing out? What are they called again?" I pondered on the word that was on the tip of my tongue. "Ah yes! Drugs! Are you on drugs?" I questioned.

She huffed exasperatedly and growled out. "Ask one more stupid question and I won't hesitate to hit you." Gulping noticeably, I decided to take things a little serious.

"Okay, fine. But what am I to you? I don't understand how you can need me, without knowing what is so special about me," I sassed. If she thinks she can talk the talk without giving me a damned reason she can bugger off.

"That's exactly our problem. We haven't seen anything like this before, so we need to ensure your safety while we solve the problem. We can't have The Cold trying to kill you before we figure out what makes you so special."

That made my ears perk. The Cold. I looked up at her in shock and mentally smacked my self for not piecing the puzzle together sooner. "It was you! You're the women from my dreams! Why did you do that to me? Do you have any idea how much suffering you put me through? Why didn't you just talk to me in person? You put me through hell!"

"I couldn't communicate with you without making the bond, I needed your permission but you were so stubborn, the easiest way was to communicate to you whilst your body was in its most venerable state, sleep," she concluded as if it was the most basic piece of knowledge that any fool would know.

I raised an accusing finger in her direction as my voice wavered in fear. "Nine years of nothing but repetitive fear seared into my brain-"

"That's the bad news I'm afraid," she trailed off. "Those reoccurring visions were in fact protecting you, not a threat. When the first sign of inhumane activity picked up in your direction. everyone, or, everything I should say wanted you. By my consecutive dreams looping in your mind, it prevented any other messages being received, but I'm afraid now that we've made contact, other dreams are able to seep into the connection." When she saw my horrified expression she continued. "Not to worry, Louis, you are safe now, you are with me." She smiled softly, but it looked too forced, to strained and full of lies.

"But, who are you? How can I trust you, if I don't even know you?" I pointed out.

"My name is Aspen, and I'm here to rescue you."

"No, I mean what are you?" I squeaked out dreading the answer.

"I'm a dryad. A tree nymph, but that's the least of you're worries. I'm just the messenger. Come now, mustn't keep them waiting." She reached out her hand for me to take. "We've got a long journey ahead of us," she stated with sincerity.