10

Okay, this is very strange. Why am I kissing someone I don't know? I backed away from Kessler, still looking at him like he'd made the worst mistake of all, it's wrong, really wrong, I mean, I barely know him and I can't go around making out with someone who has a girlfriend and who's getting married very soon. This is bad.

“What are you doing?” I scolded, walking away.

Kessler looked agitated, eager, like he wanted to keep kissing me more and more.

"Eva..." he wanted to say something but didn't say anything else, "... you wouldn't understand," he spoke, willing to leave and leave me alone here without understanding anything at all. Outside he began to drizzle.

“Instead of wasting time with me, you should put a stop to your girlfriend” I wiped my mouth “she's a psychopath” I murmured. Kessler looked at me.

“What are you taking about?”

“A few moments ago I was about to be attacked by a huge wolf, and you know what? It's so strange that she ordered the wolf to kill me. That was what she said and it is even more strange that the wolf has captured her order. I'm sure my father will be very excited to go hunting wolves this afternoon, plus Lottie is missing and I'm pretty sure the wolves have a lot to do with it.” Said that, I passed him to one side and left the classroom. My heart was beating faster. I can't believe I made out with Kessler Walton… I brought my hands to my lips, they were still throbbing. I looked for my classroom and went in, luckily the teacher didn't say anything to me. Does the fact that I'm the sheriff's daughter have anything to do with it?

•

When it was time to go to lunch I didn't even want to go to the cafeteria, I feel so bad Lottie doesn't show up, I mean, no one else cares about her? It seems that not because I don't see them desperately looking for it. Are disappearances in this town so normal that they are no longer even surprised? Just when I was going to enter the cafeteria someone took my hand.

"Lucas," I murmured. My brother looked even more worried.

"Do you know anything about Lottie?" he wanted to know “I've been calling my father who doesn't answer me and nobody here gives me answers. This town is very strange, Eva.”

"No, I don't know anything about her. I'm just thinking exactly the same as you” I frowned “Did you know her?”

He tensed up.

“Sure… we took a class together. Eva, I can't be here doing nothing. The last time they saw her was in the library.”

"Do you want us to look for her?" I half smiled. My brother hardly took me into account for his things and the fact that now he wanted to do it compressed my heart.

Sigh.

"Yes, if you want to help me.”

"Of course, I'm very worried about her. Let's go." I took one last look at the cafeteria where most of the students were and left with Lucas. When we got to the library we began to carefully search for everything we could find, anything would do. But were we sure she was here? She could have been anywhere else, maybe she even made it out. I checked every corner and there was nothing.

“Did you find something?” Lucas asked me.

“Not you?” I looked at him.

“I found this” he showed me a red bracelet as if it were a red thread of protection “Do you think it's hers?”

I remember the last time we talked, it was in the cafeteria. Yes, she had that pus was red.

“It's Lottie's.”

"Do you know where Lottie lives?"

“No, maybe dad yes.”

“We won't ask dad because he won't tell us anything, besides he won't even let us get into the investigation we have to do everything on our own. Wait for me here and I'll go ask one of the guys if they know where she lives," he told me to which I nodded. When Lucas left, I kept looking at some books in the mythology section. A small one, made of leather, which had strange drawings engraved on it, caught my attention. I took it and read the title, it said: What is hidden in Telluride. How strange, I thought. I opened the book and began to read the first page:

Everyone knows the small town of Telluride, where the people are mysterious, where you can get lost and no one is surprised, where the strangest things happen and no one says anything, why? What is hidden in Telluride that its inhabitants are used to or afraid of? On my journey through that place in 1890 I discovered everything there could be, strange creatures, magical places and devilish people.

“That's it, let's go” Lucas appeared behind me making me jump.

"Yes, I'll go," I replied, putting the book in my bag. No one had to know that I had stolen it. I walked out with Lucas into the hallway just as Kessler, Riley, and another guy came walking up. Kessler gave me a questioning look, surely he was wondering what I was planning with my brother. I took my brother's arm as we walked past him without even looking at him. "Its far away?"

"No, it's around here. We can arrive perfectly walking. If Lottie made it out of school she could run home. It is better that we go on foot, we will check the road and its surroundings.”

It seemed strange to me that Lucas wanted to find Lottie safe and sound. That is to say, he hardly cared about others more than himself. Did he like Lottie? If so, I would be very happy because Lottie also showed interest in him. When we left the school we walked down a lonely road.

“It's over here. You look to the right and I'll look to the left.” He tells me, I nodded. I entered the woods to my right, stealthily looking for the girl.

"Lottie," I called, "Lottie, are you here? Lottie, I'm Eve.”

I went forward and forward but there was nothing. I took out the book and kept looking at it, the truth is that it caught my attention:

On my trip through Telluride I fell in love with its lush forests, its clear waters and its women. There are very beautiful women but behind that beauty is a spell, something that makes you go crazy for a person without an explanation. If you're in Telluride and you're especially attracted to someone you've never met in your life, run, run far away while you have the chance because once you accept those feelings there is no one who can help you.

I thought about Kessler and how I thought I felt about him. Wow, this book is very specific. It is seen that it is old but the writer seems to have suffered in the flesh what is narrated here. I put the book away and kept looking.

Lush forests.

Clear waters.

Beautiful women.

indescribable beauty.

Here people had different features, some guys were so cute that even their beauty scared you. Women are beautiful but full of evil. Like Riley. I advanced down a hill until I found a small waterfall. I've strayed too far and maybe that's not good. I took the book out again and went to the last page where there was a map of Telluride, a map where they introduced you to the lakes, waterfalls and certain caves. I positioned myself in what seemed to be called The Oblivion Waterfall, which was near the school. Why was it called the waterfall of oblivion? Ahead of the waterfall was a wall of rocks. I followed the path until I reached it, there were large rocks here, as if certain people used this to sacrifice animals or hunt. The book said the place was called Moon Rock.

"Lottie," I kept calling her. "Lottie!" Lottie I'm Eve! Lottie!” The good thing about this place is that you could hear an echo when I screamed. I sighed in resignation because it was obvious that there was no one here either. I feel a little disappointed, tired and confused. I remembered the kiss I had with Kessler, his lips on mine, and how much I wanted to kiss him again. I blinked several times because I can't believe I thought that. "What an idiot I am," I muttered, turning to go back but just then I heard a voice.

“Eve.”