chapter one

A strong breeze whooshed throughout the room, the curtains that hung over the small, open window danced along with the tune of the trees rustling outside.
A girl, no older than eighteen moved the slightest bit, and silently sat up in a bed.
She looked around, half awake, and quickly realised that the room she was in was not her own.
She screamed out, and jumped up from the bed she was in, flinging the blankets and duvet that cosseted her small frame to the side.
She quickly scurried to the side of the bed, her back leaning against a cream wall.
The door to the bedroom slid open, and a man came in, his muscular build shown through his loose-fitting shirt.
He had long, curly hair pulled up into a bun and sharp chartreuse eyes.
"W-who are you?!" She stammered. The man's eyes widened and he took a step in the room, closing the door behind him.
"Don't come any closer! Where am I?!" Her messy, long black hair shuffled slight and her hand tightly clenched the sheet below her.
"Don't worry, I saved ye' life," His deep, but soft voice replied,
"I'm, Ethan, this' my room." He finishes. A strong accent was present in his voice for Grace, and it reminded her of a light American accent.
"Why am I here?! How... did you save me?" She asked, her voice quieting at the end of her sentence.
Ethan's green, leafy eyes looked the girl up and down, he saw how frightened and threatened the girl felt. She wore one of Ethan's large shirts which length went down to her bare thighs.
"You's in the woods, alone. That's ya death. What'er you doing out there alone? There's many dangers even taking a step out 'ere." Ethan sighed deeply, and rubbed his temple.
"The forest? You mean a national reserve right? They're meant to be safe..." The girl was confused, and she took a gaze around the small bedroom.
There was a small set of drawers at the opposite side of the bed, and on it a frame and a small, glass bottle. There was a small ensuite door and a main door.
"What's a national reserve?" Ethan asked.
"And, what's ye name?" He peered down at the girl as she looked around the room. She brought her gaze back to Ethan, and stuttered.
"My name is... G-grace.." She replied, and looked down to her legs. There were bandages wrapped around them.
"What happened to me...? Last time I remember I was clearing my house to move..." Grace admitted.
"Maybe ya blacked out? It's August 15th today." Ethan stated. Grace's eyes shot up at Ethan's.
"A-August 15th?! It was April 27!" She exclaims.
"You're tricking me, aren't you?! Where am I really?!" Grace pulled her hands to her chest, and moved further away from Ethan, closer to the end of the bed.
"I'm ain't tricking ya, do you even want the year? 4046." He chuckled, and glanced toward the girl. He stiffened as he saw her freeze, and slowly turn her head toward Ethan.
"40...46...?" Silent tears fell down her face as she cupped her reddened cheeks in her palm.
"W-woah! Why are ya cryin'?!" Shocked, Ethan asked.
"You kidnapped me! It's 2023! Oh my god... I'm going to die here!" Frantically, Grace leaped from the bed and sprinted toward the main door, but before she could reach she was slammed against it. Ethan's strong arms pressed the door, making a barrier. Her brown eyes stare into Ethan's, and tears trickled down her cheek.
"You'll die out 'ere Grace! Without me, you'd be dead already!" Ethan shouted.
"Two thousand years! Stop lying to me!" She yelled back and she closed her eyes, taking in a sharp breath.
"I'm serious, Grace! It's the year 4046 and you're living in it! You must've teleported from your year to mine!" Ethan released Grace from the barrier he made, and walked to the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"It's possible that ye teleported, but two thousand years? Anyways... I'm gon' make you something to eat, what'dya like?" Ethan asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Um, just a cup of water will do." Grace replied, still standing at the door. Ethan stood up and walked toward her, and cupped her check in his hand.
"You'll be alright here, 'kay? Don't worry." Ethan whispered, then exited out the door, locking it behind him.

"I need to get out of here... What would he do to me if I don't?" Quietly, Grace mumbled. Her eyes rested on the ensuite door, and slowly she made her way to it. Opening the door, Grace was welcomed by a small bathroom, with a shower, sink and toilet.
There was a small mirror above the sink and the walls were tiled. Grace looked around, and tried to find anything, like a key, to escape. She could only find a toothbrush, and a comb to her disadvantage, so she walked back into the bedroom.
Grace pulled out one of the six drawers in the set, and found men's clothes.
She opened another, and to her surprise held the jeans she was wearing the day she supposedly teleported from. She slipped them on and opened another drawer.
In it was a white mask with an over exaggerated face, Grace quickly slammed the door shut, not wanting to imagine what Ethan did with it. She spotted her black slip ons and tucked her feet inside them.
She turned around, and scanned the room again, and her eyes landed on the window. Grace immediately went for the window, tugging on the lock that latched the window in place. Swiftly, the window opened and grace peered outside.

Tall, dark oak trees surround the small house she stayed in. Grace wondered if he was talking about the trees as the forest. She looked around the room one more time, before leaping from the ledge, and landing in a bush. She quickly stood up, and bolted for the forest, hoping never to see Ethan again.

Ethan had prepared a full breakfast for Grace and himself, with chicken broth and orange juice. He unlocked the door to the bedroom to tell Grace but once he stepped in he noticed the missing presence.
"Grace?... Grace!" He yelled, looking around the bedroom. He slammed the ensuite door open to see the drawers of his bathroom sink open. He mumbled a curse to himself and marched back into the bedroom, now realising that the drawers to his cabinet were open too. He closed them, and noticed that Grace's clothes that he put in there were gone.
A slight breeze hit the back of his neck and he turned around to see the window wide open, and the oak trees staring back at him.
"Damnit!" Quickly, Ethan slipped on a large black jacket and his boots, and he took a large, threatening shotgun with him and stormed out the front door towards the forest.

Grace tripped over a tree root and fell to the moist ground, damp leaves surrounded her. She hissed at how out of breath she was and collapsed back on the ground with a deep sigh. "Where am I? There should be a road somewhere." Grace said to herself. She looked around, it really was a forest, an endless one.
"G-Gugh! What am I doing?" Grace said aloud. She turned over and stood up, shifting her weight to lean on a tree next to her. Her small frame shuddered, and she sighed loudly.
"Why hello, Miss." An unfamiliar voice whispered into Grace's ear. She screamed, and fell forward, but before she could move an arm snaked its way around her waist so she couldn't fall.
"You ain't going nowhere, princess. What'sa young girl like you doin' out here alone? Dangerous people lurk through these woods." The man gruffly said, pulling her closer to him.
"Who are you?! G-get off of me!" Grace's breath became rigid, and she gripped onto his strong arm. She tried prying him off of her but she couldn't in the position she was in.
"You'll fall if you struggle." He claimed, and he took in a deep breath.
"I'm Yassan, I take care of the people in these woods, it's exasperating." Grace grasped his arm tightly, and turned her gaze towards the man talking. He had short, black hair that was messily styled. She looked at his face and sucked in a breath. His gleaming, burgundy eyes connected with hers, and she could see bloodlust and sadism seeping though them. She blinked, not believing what she was seeing.
"What are you going to do to me?" She whispered, her lips quivering.
Yassan breathed heavily, then chuckled.
"Oh, I'm gonna--"
"Stop talking, and let go of her." An angry voice demanded. Grace cocked her head to the side, and gasped.
Ethan's gaze never left Yassan's, and a massive gun was clutched to his side.
"If you don't let go of her, I'll shoot ya dead and give the head to ye' family!" Ethan shouted.
Yassan's eyebrows furrowed, and he let go of Grace.
Ethan's arm went around her waist before she fell, and he pulled her toward his chest roughly.
"She's mine! You can't touch her!" Ethan shouted before raising his scary gun to Yassan's head.
Grace's eyes widened and she gripped on the thick fabric of Ethan's coat and dug her face into his chest.
A loud shot echoed through the forest and Grace shuddered. Looking up, she saw a  dangerous man, but the man's gaze softened after looking down at her.
"You shot him...?" She whispered, her body trembling.
"Yes." Ethan answered, his grip on Grace's waist tightened, and he looked away for a second.
Grace tried to look back to Yassan but Ethan stopped her.
"Don't," he breathed, "Y' don't want to look."
Grace nodded and sighed heavily, her auburn hair swayed lightly in the wind.
"Let's go back, 'ey? It's noon." Ethan whispered, letting go of Grace and turning around to put the safety on his gun.
Grace didn't turn around to see the lifeless body, but instead wrapped her arms around Ethan from behind, and squeezed softly.
"I was so scared, Ethan! What would he have done to me if you didn't help!" Grace cried into Ethan's back.
He stiffened at her confession, and a slight blush formed on his cheek.
"I should've listened to you! I'm sorry I didn't believe you! I was just scared to be in a strangers bedroom and being locked in and apparently being teleported... I couldn't believe that!" A tear streamed it's way down Grace's cheek.
She let go of Ethan and wiped her face.
Ethan turned around and looked down, he raised his palm and lightly cupped her cheek.
"I forgive you. Let's go back now, Grace." He gently said. He let go and stepped back.
His eyes wandered down her body, and he noticed that she was shaking.
He pulled off his large coat and draped it over Grace's shoulders, and pressed his lips together.
"C'mon," he breathed and looked behind him towards Yassan's body.
Ethan strode forward, and Grace trailed behind as they made their way back to Ethan's house

The food Ethan had prepared was cold already, but he heated it back up and served it.
"It's so good!" Grace smiled, and she took another spoonful of the broth.
Ethan watched her as she ate, and slowly ate his serving too.
Grave finished, and stared at Ethan.
"What's up?" He asked.
"How could I have time traveled? Is that even possible?" She asked, tilting her head like a puppy.
"Ya' skipped two millenniums... After the Third World War, A Swedish scientist discovered how'ta travel through time using nuclear matter that was used during the war. He tried to keep it secret until the Russian Army invaded Sweden and took it from him, as well as terminating the poor man," Ethan breathed, and took a sip of his juice.
"I don't know how you did it since all that happen around 2728... But it is possible." He finished.
Grace nodded, and took in all the information just said.
"All I remember was when I was packing.. I found some weird object in one of the boxes that was going to be thrown out... After that my memory went fuzzy." Grace said. A look of sadness wafted over her face, but she quickly diminished it.
"Did you know that man? Yassan..." Grace asked, thinking back to what he said to her earlier.
"Take care of the people in the woods," she repeated, and she looked up.
"What does that mean?"
"He killed people who got lost in the forest to then steal their belongins'. I wasn't acquainted with him. Those sortsa' people are scum though. They're dehumanised. They're monsters."
Grace's eyes widened, and she looked down, not wanting to imagine what Yassan would've done to her.
"Don't worry, Grace. I'm here, nothing can happen to you." Ethan reassured.
He stood up, and took the empty plates to the kitchen. Grace followed behind with the cups and cutlery, and placed them in the sink.
Ethan's kitchen was small, it was connected to the dining-living room and it had a small fridge and oven. The bench was made up of wood, the walls and floor were tiled.
"I'll wash." Grace offered.
"No, I know how women's rights were in your time. It's different now." Ethan said, turning on the tap and plugging up the sink.
"Oh." Was all grace said before she was ushered out of the kitchen and landed up in the lounge room.
She looked around, and took in the style of Ethan's house.
Paintings hung around the cream room, a couch was facing a fireplace, and there was a wooden front door and grey carpet.
A loud smashing sound echoed its way into Grace's ear. She turned her gaze toward a closed window.
"What was that?" She asked herself as she made her way to the side of the room.
She looked out, and took in a sharp breath.
"E-Ethan!" She cried out, stepping back.
Out of the window stood many men. They surrounded the house, and they all had shocking firearms. Each man wore a red band around their left arm, and they were planning to attack.
"What is it, Grace?" Ethan asked, peering out of the kitchen.
"T-there's... people outside! So many, Ethan look!" She ran back into the kitchen and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the window, but before they could reach, the front door slammed open, and the window shattered.
Grace squealed out, and grasped Ethan's arm.
"Shit!" Ethan yelled, pulling Grace with him as they made their way down a small staircase.
After was a small room was another metal door, and Ethan pulled out a set of keys from his breast pocket.
He opened the door, and shoved Grace inside, slowly walking in beside her.
"Ah! Ethan, where are we?!" Grace quickly asked, her breath rigid.
"Stay here. And don't ye' dare come out until I come back, do you hear?!" He yelled, his voice deep and full of dominance.
"But Ethan! What are you going to do?!" Tears stream down her face as she asked this, not wanting him to leave her alone in that dark room.
"I'm gonna sort this out, okay?!" He sighed, and looked away.
"Please Grace, I don't want anything to happen to ye'. Don't make a sound, okay?" He whispered, and he grasped tightly onto her arm and pulled her towards him.
"Ethan..." Her eyes closed, and she wrapped her arms around Ethan's waist tightly.
"Please... Don't go..." Her voice cracked, and she started crying.
Her body was feeling hot, and she didn't want to let go.
"Don't cry, Grace. I promise I'll help you, okay?" He said, looking down at the brunette.
"O-okay..."
And with that, Ethan let go and walked away, closing the door behind him.
The sound of the door closing, was masked by the distant sound of gunfire.