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“Perfect. Pack your bags and we can go.”
“They’re already packed. Where is the entrance?”
“In the kitchen, at the back of the storage room.”
“You said there are more entrances…” said Delyse.
“Yes.”
“Well, where are the other ones?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” answered Amelia with a smile. It probably didn’t do much to keep this information to herself after everything she had told them, but it gave her a feeling of comfort. She felt safer and less of an idiot desperate to make some friends if she still had a secret.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Avelyn while she was reaching for the bag under her bed. “The one in the kitchen is enough. It’s all I need.”
“Ave,” Claudia interrupted her. “Maybe you should change that dress and put on warmer clothes. It must be cold out there.”
Avelyn looked at herself and realized what a mess she was. The green dress she had put on that morning was all crumpled, and she was still not wearing undies.
“Do you think I’ve got enough time to shower and change?” she asked Amelia.
“Yeah. Once you’re in the tunnel, it takes one hour to reach the surface. Getting out of here is not the problem. Better think of how you’ll find your way to Myrtle Valley when you’re out in the woods.”
Avelyn didn’t want to think about that. She knew her best shot was to wait for sunrise and then find her way to town. On the other hand, once they realized she was missing, they would send people to look for her. What if Blackmane sent his wolves? They would probably sniff her out in minutes. No, she couldn’t think about that now. She had to focus on getting out of Alma Venus, and then she’d deal with one thing at a time. She made a mental note to grab some kind of weapon while she was in the kitchen.
***
Avelyn felt like she had been walking forever. Down here, in the cold darkness, time seemed to hang suspended. She felt like the stone walls were closing in on her, and the humidity in the stale air pressed down on her nape and her shoulders, sneaking under her skin and chilling her to the bone. Regularly, she had to make a stop to calm her breathing and flash her light on the walls and the celling to make sure the slimy creatures which were ready to jump on her back and her face were just a figment of her imagination. After she’d inspect her surroundings, heart beating wildly in her throat, she’d squeeze the handles of her bag and move forward. Amelia had said it would take only one hour to reach the surface, but Avelyn wasn’t sure anymore. Her roommate had explained to her exactly what route to take once she had descended the wet stairs which led to the dungeons. Twice. While she could swear she took the right turns, Avelyn still couldn’t chase away the fear that she might have confused one of the galleries for another and she was on the wrong path. The tunnels under Alma Venus proved to be much more than a route to escape. Not long after she had descended the stairs, the underground passageway led her to a wide opening with a fairly tall ceiling. Avelyn estimated that the room could hold at least 100 people, and it seemed like a place for refuge. Six tunnels were connected to it, and she was supposed to take the second one to her right. She had left that wide open space behind in a hurry, although she would have liked to study it more. Her flashlight, however, didn’t manage to chase the darkness away, so she couldn’t see much. God knew what creatures and insects were hidden in the crevices of the walls, or were stuck to the tall celling that Avelyn could not quite see from where she was. As she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, she kept thinking back to that room and counting the tunnel openings. “Second one to the right. Second one to the right. Oh, just stop worrying. You took the right one.”
The silence was almost unbearable. She could only hear her own steps on the stone floor, and the shuffle of her clothes as she moved. She tried to step as lightly as possible, not wanting to disturb the silence. She thought back to the story Blackmane had told her in the office and decided that it was, indeed, just a legend. It had to be. No one could have lived in these godforsaken dungeons. She couldn’t believe how Amelia was capable of going down there once or twice a week without going insane from the cold, the impenetrable darkness, and the little oxygen trapped between the stone walls. The moment she had stepped over the threshold of the secret door at the back of the storage room, Avelyn fought the urge to ask Amelia to come with her, to guide her through the tunnels. She hadn’t wanted to go down there alone. Even though she hadn’t said a word, Amelia probably saw the way she begged with her eyes
because she had said “This is as far as we go”, and Delyse and Claudia, who were standing behind her, hadn’t contradicted her: “You’re on your own now.” Avelyn had hugged them for the last time. She had smoothed Claudia’s frizzy hair only to see it stick back up, and held Delyse in her arms for a long minute. When they had parted, they both had tears in their eyes. She had only nodded to Amelia and whispered a rushed “thank you”, and started down the stairs, afraid that if she hesitated more she wouldn’t have the courage to do it.
Even under her warm coat, Avelyn was trembling, and her feet were cold as ice. Her winter boots didn’t seem to do much. “I have to get out of here,” she thought. She quickened her pace, not caring that she was disturbing the silence anymore. She’d have started running if the bag hadn’t been so damn heavy. After a couple more minutes she felt a slight change in the air. She wasn’t sure, but she thought that it smelled fresher and warmer. It smelled like earth and pine, and that gave her hope. She was getting close to the exit; that had to be it. The dim light in her hand shone over the old stone stairs which would lead her up to the surface, and Avelyn could finally breathe in relief. She slowed down her pace, sweat trickling on her back, but not making her feel any warmer. She was tired from her sprint, and she could barely feel the fingers which were squeezing the bag handles. As she got closer to the first step, her heart seemed to fall back in her chest and, for the first time in over an hour, she could swallow her own saliva without having to force it past the lump in her throat. She stopped in front of the stairs and flashed her light up, trying to spot the latch she had to maneuver to push up the hatch and get out of there. When she found what she was looking for, her breathing calmed down and she started up the steps.
The hatch squeaked when she lifted it, and Avelyn cringed at the noise. She sneaked her head through the opening, peered at the starry sky and the tall pine trees, then set her flashlight on the edge and struggled to lift her heavy bag over her head and throw it on the ground. Then, she pulled herself up and closed the hatch.
“Now what?” Her voice sounded strangely invading in the stillness of the night. The forest was dense, and the pine trees towered over her small frame like sleeping giants that would crush her to the ground if she were to awaken them by mistake. She saw that the hatch was well hidden, covered in moss and a thick layer of dirt. She could see its shape now, but she was sure that in a couple of hours the wind would spread the dirt and pine needles around it and cover its edges completely. She turned around and started walking in that direction. Amelia had told her that a couple of meters away from the exit there was a small clearing where she used to spend some peaceful hours reading or drawing. For now, the clearing seemed like the best option for Avelyn. At least, she would be in an open space from where she could keep an eye on the forest that surrounded her. She had asked Amelia if she had ever seen any wild animals around there, but her roommate had only mentioned some squirrels, some rabbits, and a fox. On the other hand, she had only come out there in daylight, so she had no idea what the forest looked like at night. From the safety of their room at Alma Venus, Avelyn had heard wolves howling almost every night. She knew they weren’t werewolves, because there were no shifter packs around Myrtle Valley, and she also knew they could find plenty of food in the forest, which meant that she had nothing to worry about. Wolves rarely preyed on humans, and that only during the harshest winters, when food was scarce. She was more worried about bears, although the huntsmen who provided Alma Venus with fresh game said there weren’t many in these parts.
Avelyn found the clearing and was glad to see that the shy moonlight could penetrate the forest in this place. Right in the middle of the clearing there was a medium sized rock, a bit rough around the edges, which Amelia had carried from somewhere in the forest. She had told her she needed a decently comfortable place to sit, so she had found this rock and struggled to carry it to the middle of the clearing. Each time she came here she never forgot to take a small pillow with her. It made her life easier. Avelyn surveyed the clearing before approaching her target, and shuddered when she realized how creepy it was to stand in the open space and look around her, trying to make out whatever could be hiding behind the trees. She forced herself to calm down, and finally sat on the rock, setting her bag beside her on the ground. She placed the flashlight on her lap and started rubbing her cold hands, blowing hot air into her palms.
Soon, she noticed the forest was not as silent as she had thought at first. Small, dark creatures were shuffling under the leaves and roots. They could be rodents or lizards. She could hear the thick screech of an owl somewhere behind her. The forest seemed to stir with life, branches cracking once in a while, the wind blowing lightly between the trees. Avelyn would have loved to be back in her warm bed, away from the cold and all the creepy noises surrounding her. But, no, she couldn’t think like that. She had made the first step towards her freedom and now the only option was to go through with the plan. She looked around her again, but this time with other intentions in mind.
“All right,” she whispered. “Amelia said I’ll have to go around the school and try to reach Myrtle Valley from the West. That means I should take the path to my right.” She studied that part of the forest reluctantly. It did not look inviting, and she couldn’t see any kind of road. She’d have to find her way through the trees and keep the direction with the help of the small compass Delyse had given her. It had been a present from her brother, a golden compass necklace she always wore around her neck. But Avelyn needed it more, so she hadn’t hesitated to give it to her friend. “All right. Now the question is: do I wait until morning, or do I start moving?”
That was Avelyn’s biggest concern, so she took long minutes to weight the possibilities. If she left then, she would have to find her way with the help of her flashlight and the moonlight that barely penetrated the thick canopy. She had no idea how dangerous the forest was, but it surely looked like it could eat her alive. It was one thing to wander around in plain daylight, like Amelia used to, and try to find her way at 3 AM. On the other hand, if she waited until dawn, she would probably walk right into the hands of those sent to find her. Myrtle Valley would probably be full of Guardians looking for her, and she’d have no chance of reaching the train station and catching a train without being seen. Of course, the headmistress would ask them to keep an eye on the train station above all. And to spend one or two days in the heart of the forest, hoping everything would die down, was insane. The only good option was to start moving now and hope she’d reach Myrtle Valley before morning. She had until 8, and even 9 AM, to find the train station and board the first train that made a stop. If she was lucky, Delyse and Claudia would be able to buy her some more time, until 10 AM, telling Miss Delacroix and Blackmane that she wasn’t ready yet, that she was taking a shower, or whatever.
Avelyn rubbed her arms and shoulders through her coat, trying to make the blood flow faster. She could see her breath in the air, and she wiggled her toes, which had started to hurt from the piercing cold. “I can’t stay here anyway, or I’ll freeze to death.” She couldn’t believe the huge difference in temperature between day and night. Yesterday, she had spent long hours in the garden, in her thin dress, under a friendly sun, and now the air was so cold that it almost smelled of winter. April was a tricky month. She gathered her courage, stood up, and grabbed her bag. Flashlight in hand and golden compass dangling freely on her chest, Avelyn crossed the clearing and allowed the forest to swallow her whole. She stepped firmly, crushing branches under her boots, her lips whispering one mantra: “I’m going to make it.”
After a couple of minutes, she got used to the noises of the forest. From time to time, a bird would jump from one branch to another, or a small animal would cross her path, startling her. She thought about that first time when she had tried to run away, and how much the forest had scared her. On the other side of the school, the trees were not as old and tall, and there were portions where they were fairly scattered. But for her 10-
year-old self, it had looked threatening even though it had been a little past noon. She had gotten lost in minutes, having lost sight of the main road that led to Myrtle Valley. She couldn’t remember having had a plan then. She knew that she had gotten out of the classroom, run down the stairs, and gone straight to the gate-keeper and told him about her hat that didn’t actually exist. She hadn’t taken anything with her, because she hadn’t really wanted to run away, but to scare the teacher who had upset her. It had felt like taking revenge. Now, at 24, the forest terrified her just as much, but she could keep her fear under control. Avelyn stepped carefully, avoided obstacles, and listened to the hum of the trees. Now and then, she checked her compass to make sure she was heading in the right direction. Sometimes, she would see pairs of small green or yellow eyes, and those were the moments when her heart jumped in her throat, threatening to make its way out through her mouth. Each time she flashed her light in their direction they would disappear and leave her alone, so Avelyn thought that the creatures couldn’t be more than foxes. She kept walking and repeating her mantra.
There was a pair of green, sparkling eyes which appeared regularly, mostly to her right. Avelyn tried to pay them no mind, but when another pair appeared to her left as well, she started to freak out. She stopped for a moment, put her bag down, and wiped the sweat off her brow. She moved the beam of her flashlight around her, in a circle, studying the trees. It didn’t seem like there was anything there, but the feeling of being watched was growing stronger in her panting chest. She bit her lips, trying to stifle a moan of fear. She had to keep her panic at bay and keep moving. There was no other way. She grabbed the handles of her bag and tried to keep her eyes focused in front of her. A noise, louder than the others, came from her left and made her stop in her tracks. When she looked that way she could swear she saw a flash of green, closer this time. “Oh God,” she whispered. She resumed walking, now flashing her light from left to right, hoping it would scare away whatever creatures were watching her, because she was almost sure there were two. The same noise she had heard to her left now came from her right, and it sounded too close. Tears stung the back of her eyes, and adrenaline urged her to walk faster, as if she had any chance of reaching the edge of the forest before those things with green eyes decided to attack. “I’m going to make it.”
This time, the noise came from somewhere ahead. Avelyn stopped and tried to see in the darkness. She was trembling like a leaf and she was barely able to keep her body from collapsing on the ground and simply giving in to whatever fate was awaiting her. She took another tentative step. She heard branches cracking softly, like someone, or something, was treading lightly on the ground. Then she saw them. She saw the green eyes getting closer and closer, growing larger. Her whole body stiffened and she was ready to turn around and run for her life. If she had to, she would hide inside the secret tunnel and endure the cold, the darkness and the humidity, if that meant survival. But would she make it? What if the creature followed her? What if it was way faster than she was? She took a step back, but the loud crack of a branch somewhere behind her alerted her it wasn’t a good idea. “Shit. I’m surrounded.”
Avelyn was frozen in place, panic slowly overtaking her senses. She didn’t dare turn to see what was behind her, her eyes trained on the large green eyes that were slowly approaching. As they got closer, she could see they belonged to a tall, massive creature whose shape became clearer in the beam of her flashlight. It looked like a large wolf. A werewolf, she realized. Avelyn looked at the creature in confusion and disbelief. Why would a werewolf, or two werewolves, because she was sure the thing behind her belonged to the same species, roam the grounds of Myrtle Valley? It made no sense. Unless… unless they were rogue werewolves. Werewolves without a clan or a pack, independent beings that didn’t abide by any rules and didn’t care about the treaty. There weren’t many left because the leaders of the factions hunted them down right after the end of the war, but it was common knowledge that some of them escaped. Avelyn’s whole body was shivering feverishly, and her mouth and throat were so dry that it made it impossible for her to scream. No one would hear her anyway.
