Chapter 36: What do you know about The Temptress?

I looked around at everyone staring down at me. Their faces all mixed with fear, concern, and uncertainty about what transpired beyond the edge of the forest.

I brought my hands to my face. They were caked in dirt and had scratches running down them and up my arms. My clothes were stained and riddled with small sticks and leaves from crawling on the forest floor.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you what happened to us. To her." My eyes wandered over to Lily.

Dr. Richards was crouched and leaning over her, checking her hands and arms. I must have pushed her hard because she was bleeding near her elbows and her forehead had a gnarly gash.

"Evangeline, I will believe whatever you tell me. We couldn't find you anywhere. We couldn't see you until your hands came out into the light and then I pulled you out. We heard screaming from the forest, but we didn't see anything. I was so worried about you."

Finley bent down to where I was sitting and grabbed my dirty hands. He almost looked as if he was going to cry.

"Promise you won't say I'm crazy?" My eyes met his. What I had told Lily in the forest plagued my mind. I pushed her out of the cottage so she could live a normal life again. So she could tell her truth. Yet here I am being the biggest wuss, not even attempting to make people believe our stories.

Finley yanked me into a bone-crushing hug.

"I would never call you crazy Evangeline. I promise."

He pulled away from me and sat in front of me with his legs crossed. His knees were touching mine and his hands still wrapped around mine.

I drew in a heavy breath. I knew where to start, but how was I going to explain everything?

"Something lured me into the forest. A shadow. I don't even know what it was. So I followed it. But when I stepped into the forest, where I entered was gone and instead of the moon lighting the grass, it was just an eerie darkness. I thought someone was messing with me, until I found Lily's cottage. There was a woman in the forest outside of her cottage. Screaming, crying, begging. It took Lily's mind somewhere else when we tried to escape. And then when we killed it, or so we thought, the edge of the forest appeared. When we tried to run to it, the woman has reappeared and was screaming again, so I had to push Lily out because she couldn't take it. That thing tried to grab me and drag me back in before you grabbed my arm and pulled me out. It's still out there. We can't stay here."

Everyone around me was silent. Eyes were wide, Finley had stopped rubbing the backs of my hands, and Dr. Richards was now standing among the small crowd around me, listening.

"Are you sure that is what happened Evangeline?" Dr. Richards was quiet, but I probably could have heard a pin drop.

"I'm sure. I know what I saw. I'm not crazy. Lily was there! Where is Lily? Where is she!"

I stood up quickly and stumbled forward, the crowd parting and forming a small aisle that led right toward Lily. She was lying on the ground, face up, taking slow deep breaths with her eyes fixated on the clouds above her.

Three other people were around her, whispering. As I got closer, I recognized exactly who they were.

"You. Get the hell away from her. You are a wicked, twisted, two-faced, scheming bitch! Is this what would have happened to me? Huh? Because you're obessed with someone who has no feelings for you!"

I stepped over Lily, bounding for Serenity and her friends. Her eyes widened, her hands coming up defensively around her body.

"What are you even talking about! I don't understand!" She backed up away from me as I kept coming toward her.

"You have no idea who this is?? Who was forced out of the college because of you? There is something deranged when it comes to you!" My finger was jabbing in her face with every word. She deserved this. She was going to pay for this.

"Evangeline?" Lily's small voice came from behind me. I whipped around to see her in the same position she was in a minute ago.

"Lily! Are you okay? I'm so sorry I pushed you that hard, I just didn't know if you would have made it out and I wasn't leaving without you!" I kneeled beside her. Serenity getting what she deserved would have to wait.

Her clothes were also in shambles. Dry leaves were stuck to her clothes and small twigs were tied in her hair. Blood was dried and caked on her skin. We both looked truly mad.

"I'm fine. Did we beat it?"

I sighed. "No. I think it's still out there."

"We can't leave until it's gone. We can't let anyone else experience that." Her voice cracked and small tear trails washed away parts of the dirt on her face.

"What is 'it' Ms. May?" I looked up to find Dr. Richards boring a hole into the top of my head. I realized I never really answered his question before when I was explaining to Finley and the others what had happened.

"There is something out there. A woman. Or a ghost. Something. Lily drove a knife into it, it disappeared, then reappeared minutes later."

"The legends are true then." Dr. Richards mumbled.

I stood up as Lily sat straight. I held my hand out to her and helped her up as she brushed off some of the debris clinging to her.

"What legends?" My face was flat. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear about any of this. I really wanted to go back to the campus, curl up in my bed, and forget that any of this ever happened.

"The legend of The Temptress. How you both got out of there is astonishing given what we know about her. Every person who enters those woods does not come out."

I frowned. That meant that the stupid story Serenity told around the campfire that night was true. I looked around for her and found her huddled with other students, listening to our conversation.

My eyes landed back on Dr. Richards. He was pale, eyes sunken in a bit more than usual. He looked defeated. Something about this situation was taking a toll on him.

"Are you okay Dr. Richards?" I moved towards him, afraid he would pass out, when he put a hand out to stop me.

"Were you the only two in there? You didn't see anyone else?"

Lily and I exchanged a glance.

"No." We said in unison.

His face faltered. "I thought so."

There was something he wasn't telling us.

"What do you know about the Temptress Dr. Richards?"