Chapter 15: With Threat Brings Guilt

He finally slowed down
After what seemed like a pleasurable forever. He sighed out of breath. “Your let out easy. I’m the one who has to run.”
He laughed as I got off his back. I started to walk away but he grabbed me and held me up against his chest my feet dangling just above the ground. “Not so fast crazy girl.
I’m not done with you yet.” He whispered in my ear. He kissed my cheek and jumped catching a tree branch with one hand and me in the other. “Let’s have a little fun and then we can go back to the house.” He laughed. I made that giggle noise again.
It was sort of uncontrollable now. He smiled at me and shook his head. He let go of the high branch and jumped up onto it. He was sitting there now with me on his lap.
“See this is fun.” He jumped higher and higher until I was actually afraid of heights.
I wasn’t normally scared about them but I guess a lot of people would if you were dangling over one hundred feet off the ground. “Scared yet?” He asked climbing from branch to branch.
“No.” I lied. “Yes you are.” He protested. “Hold on, you said you can’t detect emotions.” I realized. “So you lied, you are scared.” He said squeezing me a little tighter.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I stuttered. He stopped. “Aar, I know you way more than you think.” He told me. “So since you’re scared…” He started.
“Drew don’t!” I squealed. He put me over the side and shook me so my legs dangled. I screamed as loud as I could. He seemed to be enjoying this, I heard him chuckle behind me.
When he pulled me back to his chest I kicked his legs. ‘”Fisty now huh?” He asked. “Get ready!” He slurred slowly in exaduration. He jumped down from the tree.
I screamed as we flew downward. He landed on his feet knees bent. He laughed. “How did you like that one?” I laughed sarcastically as he put me on the ground.
I stumbled for a second struggling to get my balance. He laughed and helped me up. “See…perfect example of you being mean.” I said breathlessly. “That wasn’t mean,” He laughed.
“That was fun!” I laughed sarcastically again and started to venture the woods. “Wow…hold on. There might be a couple people in the woods you don’t want to meet.” He told me his tone serious.
“Yeah, I already met one.” I spun around on my heels to look at him. He grimaced. “No, see your mean.” He told me smiling. As I walked I saw something behind a large bush.
I stood perfectly still, not breathing, listening, eyes not blinking. I heard nothing and let out my breath. My breath turned into vapor in the cold air. I kept walking again I thought Drew was behind me.
I turned around for his reassurance for his blithe smile and his white teeth. But he was gone. I stopped dead in my tracks trying to figure out what was going on.
I didn’t know what or how this could happen. I closed my eyes tight, shook my head, and turned around. When I opened my eyes he still wasn’t there. I cleared my throat before being able to speak.
“Drew?” I whispered. I heard nothing. Then out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw something sweep across the area. It was grey and the shape was unintelligible.
Behind it I saw a vivid torso of a dog. The colors of its coat streaked across my mind.
It was black, gold, brown, blond, all different shades. I knew I had to run but my feet were still and I couldn’t move.
“Drew! Drew!” I screamed. The colorful flash ran in front of me, turning out to be a large wolf. His teeth were bared, his lips curled over his teeth showing bright white fangs.
He made a snarling, growling, petrified noise, and I immediately knew what he was telling me. ‘Run.’ I couldn’t…my feet were stuck like gum on the ground.
I breathed heavier and heavier starting to panic. I saw a flash of red coming up behind him.
I put one hand to my mouth to keep from screaming and I put my other hand up to warn him what was behind him. My hand shook terribly and I tried balling it up into a fist but it still shook.
His eyes widened. He yelped before he jumped up in the air, but fell on his back and scrambled to get on his feet. The red flash swooped past his reach and over to me.
Natural instincts kicked in eventually. I twisted my body to run. I twisted as fast as I could, took a step, but my feet got caught underneath me and I tripped.
I scrambled onto my knees and tried to move on them for a while but it wasn’t fast enough.
I got up onto my feet as quick as I could and ran. As soon as I reached a tree I started to pant out of breath.
My eyes started to water and I felt dizzy. My head spun in circles, and I leaned against the tree. I blacked out again. All I could remember was Drew’s face in front of me when I woke up.
I faintly heard, “Dad, she’s awake I think.” “Ok, just let her rest, she ought to be fine now.” “Ok…I’ll watch her. She didn’t come out of this one as well as the last.”
“No son, she didn’t…were going to have to talk about this…I think there is a problem.” “Oh, my God,”

He drove me home silently that night and walked me to the door. He barely put his lips to my cheek before he walked back to his car. He didn’t look back, he didn’t seem happy.
It began to rain and he put on his hood and put his hands into the pockets of the grey sweat-jacket he was wearing. I walked inside and waited for him. He never came.
He wasn’t at school for two days. He didn’t call and he didn’t text. He was ghost in my memory.