The pain in his eyes reached depths i hadn't seen before. The crushing pressure in my chest felt as if a tree had fallen on me. I could only nod when what I really wanted to do was wrap my arms around him tight.
he stares at me puzzled. "how come you can see me?"
that particular question was tricky to answer.
before i get a chance to explain what he was going through mason floats past the door and into the communal hall mumbling incoherently.
I couldn't understand the words and went to follow him when i was still naked. "Mason." i whisper cautiously so as to not startle him. "wait where are you going?!"
I struggled to pull on my sweatpants over moist freshly washed skin.
I heard masons voice trail as i shoved in a second leg and tipped over against the door. Pulling on my sneakers I still struggled as I managed to open the door and stumbled into the hall.
i speed walk after him making sure to shut the door completely. "wait up." i whisper fully aware that it was late even by my standards.
my head snapped from side to side on high alert as i counted doors. there were only a few open doors which meant most of the girls on this floor were sleeping. Which meant I had to stay quiet because I didn't want to draw anyone out of their rooms.
that attention would spiral a whole different kind of trouble. then i wouldn't be able to help Mason with his disturbing dilemma.
"where are you?" i run across the hall and race down the flight of stairs heading out the front door to the girls dormitory.
i didn't see mason anywhere but it was dark and i'd wondered if i'd lost him.
suddenly mason re-appears looking quite distraught. and a little grey. "how did this happen?!" he cries out loud falling to his knees. almost immediately he hiccuped and tears flowed.
after some time when he couldn't cry anymore mason wiped his face clear and somberly stood up. it was as if he'd come to the realization dead was dead no matter what way you looked at it.
he stared across the quad from where i stood in front of my building.
alarms ring in my head when he concentrates on the woods.
cautiously i walk over to mason and try to calm him down mostly because it was too dark for me to go walking through the woods alone. "you don't remember anything, nothing at all?" i ask careful not to set him off.
the last thing i wanted was to chase him down all around campus. if anyone saw me running back and forth in the quad they'd think i was nuts. i could imagine it now and i shook my head.
finally mason looks at me as if he were considering my question for the first time. "i woke up like this." his throat raw and scratchy.
despite my pleading for him to stop mason floats ahead not giving me a forethought. i generally made it a rule to stay away from the woods. every nagging thought was screaming not to go inside but i went.
my tolerance for long distance was getting better thanks to ms. pratt and her boot camp endurance training.
swiftly i run around a tree and high jump over large pointy rocks on my way over to mason who was now floating high in the air just above my head.
i look around panting heavily. "where are we?" the dead calm of my voice covered the fact that my adrenaline amped to maximum and my heart jumped between my throat and my collarbone.
judging by how far we got we were some place deep in the neck of the woods far away from stark house, far away from buildings in general.
"i'm not sure. for some reason i'm compelled to this place." masons eyes glass over as he floated onward without letting me know what he was planning to do.
i groan rotating my sore ankles. "great." i pick up the pace pursuing mason.
never once did i think i would end up in a high speed ghost chase. i literally couldn't catch a break. where i was bound with two legs of equally proportionate length, mason hovers in massive orbit for a better picture.
it didn't take long for me to hear a twig snap causing alarm. since it wasn't me and because mason was out of question that meant somebody was out here and judging by the sound that somebody was relatively close by.
the twig could only break under a massive load of weight equivalent to that of a boot walking careless through scrappy bushes. or, you know, a wild animal. from the sound of it whatever made that noise wasn't far behind.
i stop moving and stand perfectly still, heart hammering in my chest, letting mason roam ahead in a hypnotic spell. if it was an animal i didn't want to spook it by making noise.
it was an absurd idea that someone would deliberately choose to have a stroll in the woods as a means of a pleasurable activity when it was nice and cozy and warm inside with plenty of board games to pick from.
"who's there?" i call out against a quick rush of wind.
when no one answers i feel like an idiot.
because i didn't have a concealed position to hide from i was basically a moving target. given my severe lack of competence in defensive tactics i would not be able to protect myself if someone crept up and ambushed me.
a mere stick would have proved insufficient when held up against a pocket knife in a dual.
i kept on going secretly wishing for mason to buckle under a loss of faith so we could leave and go back to my dorm where it was safe and sound.
with that in mind i run faster causing my legs to cramp up but i forced myself to go on. minutes passing by were equally precious. i had to choose what was most important; filling my lungs with fresh pine air or not stumbling off-track and getting lost.
i didn't have the luxury of free will. there was no time for a quick breather.
mason wasn't ready to slow down and i was put in a difficult position since he was taking charge.
heck, i wasn't surprised to hear we were looping in circles. all the trees looked similar it was impossible to set them apart.
after a devious bee line circuit without piggybacking onto a shorter route mason halts abruptly. to my unfortunate luck he didn't stay motionless for long.
to regain my strength i had to lean on a tree and watched as mason floated away from the sidelines.
i hold in tears swallowing through a dull twinge stuck in my throat. i couldn't break down in front of him. this was his moment and it was best to give him privacy.
it wasn't fair. he was young, had ambition and dreams to help build a better future.
overwhelmed with grief mason drifts forward hanging over what i presumed to be his dead limp body.
i lifted my head pulse thumping between my ears. I didn't know what to say.
my chest ached so deep i couldn't form words. who would kill my friend and why? mason was nice to everyone he didn't have a mean bone in his body. why did this unfortunate thing have to happen to him?
the heart that had climbed so far up my throat sank deep now into my churning gut. i never saw a dead body in person. the stench was unbearable, a scent i'd never forget.
even though it was late he wore the same outfit i'd seen him in earlier during class. from what i could see broken twigs and crumpled leaves were entangled between locks of his wet dirty hair.
the way his body was laid out just like that for anyone to see did more harm than any good. i wanted to run over there and scoop him up in my arms like a mama birdy so that he wouldn't be lonely until someone more qualified could take over for me.
wesley stood around him in a trance staring with a blank face at nothing specific because thankfully, trees kept me well hidden. it would have been difficult to explain what i was doing gallivanting in the woods.
at a loss for words kira hunches over touching his face in a downward gesture near his eyelids.
a brilliant glare caused me to look away from mason.
toby stood on a slope by himself apart from the rest. he eventually descends to flatland without difficulty over to where masons cold body lay.
captivated i watch as he removes the covering over his face. i was surprised that he showed such remorse.
from our previous conversation i realized toby was not a bad guy like i presumed. it was too bad other people thought toby was this terrible person.
it was heart wrenching to know a lot of people thought of toby as being ruthless. the sad part was toby allowed others to perceive him in that light.
a part of me wanted to stand beside him and grieve in my own right but that was impossible. they didn't know i was close by. how could they when the very reason for our coming together was lying limp on the muddy ground.
as i keep watch on toby i'd noticed he was dressed in strange foreign clothing that looked from out of this world. the poncho was a smart move and covered the majority of his body well from head to ankles.
toby somehow forced a ray of light to shine directly on him. like a halo.
i glance at both kira and wesley but they weren't paying attention.
i look back at toby and stare open mouthed when his long black hoodie vanishes into thin air as if he never had it on.
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