Chapter Three

New Hope

Crystal opened her eyes while thousands of thoughts swirled in her head. She gasped for breath as she scanned her surroundings. Trees surrounded her on all sides and each one was as tall as the Statue of Liberty from New York. Each tree had an ominous glow and yet still their shadows swallowed everything below it.

Crystal could not even see a glint of sunlight through the canopy of those massive trees. She closed her eyes again and took in all of the coolness of the shadows.

The air was thick with scents from the trees. The smells of flowers were blossoming and pollen filled the air. She smiled with comfort.

"You should not be here..." Her eyes snapped open and then darted across her surroundings. "What was that?" she asked into the trees. She closed her eyes after a few minutes and tried to relax like she did before.

"Get out..." Crystal began to sweat and opened her eyes again to see what had hissed those words. Turning her head from side to side, she did not see anyone.

"...You will ruin my plans...GET OUT!" the voice screamed.

"Who are you? What plans would I ruin?" she called out to the voice. Silence fell. She listened. Nothing replied.

After a while of listening to the silence, she stood up feeling very uneasy. She dusted off her skirt and straightened her sleeves.

Suddenly, a panting sound came from behind her. Warm air on her neck made the hair on her neck stand up.

Crystal turned around very slowly to see a pair of yellow eyes staring straight into her face. She was not sure what form the owner of the eyes was in but she instinctively began to run in the opposite direction.

She would have screamed but all that would come out would be warm air. Instead she ran. Running for her own life was something that Crystal had learned to get accustomed to.

Exhausted and completely out of breath, Crystal collapsed in front of a smaller tree. It was a beautiful weeping willow placed directly in the middle of the forest of gigantic trees. When she fell, Crystal managed to fall into the drooping branches of the willow and be completely hidden from sight.

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Crystal clenched her teeth together and struggled to rise from where she fell. All attempts were to no avail and she continued to lie on the ground with her eyes closed.

She could hear the snarling and the clawing coming towards her. The hissing sound of its breath sent a shudder down her spine. A shock of fear ran through her like no other and she tried again to get up.

Crystal felt like she could not rise when suddenly, the same pair of yellow eyes peered at her through the leaves and branches of the willow.

She screamed and jumped up while throwing her hands up in the air. She did not seem to notice two hands grasp her arm.

The eyes looked cross and began to turn red with frustration as Crystal began to lift off the ground. She gazed down and her mouth shot wide open when she noticed herself rising. As Crystal rose up into the tree, her head hit a branch and she became unconscious.

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Groggily, Crystal blinked her eyes open and a pair of green eyes stared into her own. She raised her head to witness a man sitting and staring at her. He was around Crystal's age and his hair was mid-length with a color between red and brown. To Crystal's surprise, the man had pointed ears much like her own. She studied them carefully. As Crystal studied him, she could not get past how he was dressed. She thought at first that he resembled Robin Hood. He was clad in a green tunic with light and much looser shirt underneath that covered his arms. His pants and boots were dull brown. She noticed a chain loosely tied around his neck and he tucked it into his looser shirt.

The man smiled warmly when Crystal laughed and lifted his head to talk to her. "Got a little frightened, did we?" he said with a mocking smile. "You were screaming like a banshee with a hang nail!"

A small chuckle was released from his lips and Crystal blushed slightly. "Yes," she said clearly, "But, I was attacked by some monster!"

The man smiled at her and didn�t look alarmed, "What monster was it? You were acting like you had seen Sinister himself!" he said.

Crystal looked down at the ground below the branch she was sitting on, "I am not sure what it was."

The man gave her a reassuring smile and tapped her leg playfully. His hands were long and slender. His touch was soft and gentle. "It's alright. Whatever it was, it is gone and wasn't able to touch you."

Crystal smiled at him very relieved with what he said.

With a slap of his own head, he blurted out, "I am so sorry, me lady. I have been so rude!"

He smiled again showing his pearly white teeth and said, "I am Aiden White of Salcurien. Who are you, miss?"

Crystal softly said to Aiden, "I am Crystal Johnson and I am not from around here."

Aiden grinned and explained, "Neither am I. I am from a small town a few leagues away from here."

Crystal laughed at his dorky grin and said, "Well, thank you for saving me."

With a sincere smile, and a look so deep that Crystal could have seen his soul, he said, "It was my pleasure, Crystal."

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Crystal began to climb down the tree and said as she climbed, "I must be going..." and then slipped.

"See you when or if our paths cross again," Aiden said as he caught her at the bottom of her fall and placed her gently on her feet.

Crystal waved friendly through the willow's branches. "Until we meet again," she whispered.

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