Tell Us

Tell Us
Evangeline P.O.V.

Watching Dean Lainey and Susan bicker was not on my bingo list for my new start at this school. Neither was being chased in some weird, enchanted forest by some crazy ghost woman, but here we are.

I was shocked when Dr. Richards stepped in, his face was full of amusement as they continued to get louder with every passing minute.

Now that Dean Lainey and Susan had admitted to kidnapping Lily and placing her in the forest, I was at a loss at what the next move was.

Whatever was in the forest needed to be dealt with, and Dr. Richards seemed to have some idea of what it is or maybe even what to do, he was just being secretive about it.

I felt a nudge at my side. I glanced over to Lily, who was still slightly cowered behind me.

"What now? Do we call the police on her? Both of them?" She stared at me expectantly.

"No. We still need them. They know things about this forest. We can't leave knowing what will happen if someone comes back out here and gets lured into the forest. If what Serenity said was true, and she didn't lead me in there, then something or someone did and they'll do it again. You said it yourself, people don't come back out, and that woman or thing hunts them until they're gone. We have to stop it. And maybe even bring closure to Dr. Richards."

Lily nodded and left the conversation there. Eventually, Dean Lainey and Susan would probably be arrested for what they did, but for now we needed their knowledge, and probably their tunnel.

"Dr. Richards?" He turned around and raised his eyebrows at me.

"Now that, whatever that was, is over, can we get back to the actual problem at hand?"

"And what would that be Ms. May?"

Was this guy for real? He knows something and is acting like a complete idiot about it.

"Oh I don't know, how something wanted to kill me in the forest, has killed or done something to every other person who has entered the forest, and how it magically came back to life after we attempted to take it out the first time? Any of that ring a bell for you?"

I was becoming impatient. He had to be joking. Part of me understood, he knows something, or at least knows of something happening in these woods that haunts him, and it probably keeps the poor guy up at night.

Dr. Richards sighed and looked down at the ground before connecting his eyes with mine.

"Yes Ms. May, it all rings a bell. Too many bells in fact. There is a lot to unpack with these woods and what we know about it."

"So tell us. We can't leave here without taking care of this thing and you know it. So please, tell us."

I was trying to be patient, but my patience was wearing thin between that whole argument, Serenity getting away with her cheat little lies, and Lily being stuck in the woods like some dirty little secret, which to be fair she was a bit.

He sighed again, this time longer. It almost looked like tears were forming in his eyes, almost.

"You may want to sit down for this."

Dr. Richards motioned everyone over to the campfire. Smoke was still coming from it, presumably from last night's fire.

Even though I was only in the forest for a day, it felt like a week. Hell it could have felt like months and I would've never known because the light never changes once you're in there. It makes me wonder what year and month Lily thinks it is.

We all gathered around the fire pit, some looking more worried and scared than others. I wasn't sure if I should be scared, or if I should be relieved. Maybe both? I made it out, almost dead, and now it's possible we may have to go back in there to end this once and for all.

Dr. Richards clearing his throat snapped me out of my daze.

"Right, so, I've never been in the woods myself of course, but I do know someone who went into the woods and never came back. We also have the accounts from people who have come here before to try and encounter what is in the woods. But up until today, no one has ever truly seen what is in the woods and come out of them alive."

Everyone looked over to Lily and I. I could feel my face heat up from all of the stares. I looked away as someone grabbed my hand. Finley.

He smiled sweetly at me giving me a subtle nod of reassurance. I gave him a small smile back and went back to listening to Dr. Richards.

"My partner, Jennifer, was a hiker who went into the woods. She knew something was out there. We all knew something was out there. And she wanted to see if she could find it, and take it out so her students and others would stop disappearing. Unlike some one..."

Dr. Richards shot a glare at Dean Lainey. Or do we even call her dean anymore?

"You know as well as I do that I did everything in my power to stop students, and faculty, from traveling here. You always pushed back and wanted to bring them out here to camp knowing the danger and shit that could unfold. And here we are! In a shit storm because of you!"

Lainey's face was beet red, steam rising from her face after every word.

"Bullshit. Shut up and sit down."

Susan's meek voice echoed over the crowd of students. When I first met her she seemed very shy, and definitely not capable of whatever was possessing her right now.

Lainey sat down on the grass with a thud and everyone turned back to Dr. Richards.

"As I was saying. She went in and never came back. Someone found bits and pieces of her hiking gear scattered around the camp site but no sign that she struggled with anyone or thing. There was no blood, no marks on the ground if her body was dragged, she willfully went into those woods."

I could see the fight going on in his brain. This was impossibly hard to talk about for him. Not knowing where the person you love the most disappeared to, and not even being able to say goodbye one last time. Gut wrenching.

"Anyways, since her going missing, a few other students go missing each year. We have no idea what happens to them or what possesses them to go in there."

"That's it?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at him.

"Yes Ms. May. Unfortunately that it is."

"What about the people before Jennifer? Or the legend dimwit over there was telling everyone? Is that even true?"

"They are true. Ask someone who still lives in town why there is no one there." Susan spoke up before Richard could get another word out.

All heads turned to Susan.

"How would you even know that?" Lainey spat her words in Susan's direction. Yeesh, that'll be bad blood for awhile.

"Because my grandparents lived in this town. Thought you knew everything about me didn't you?" She crossed her arms and gave it right back to Lainey.

"You bitch. You knew. You knew this whole time and you didn't say a damn word!"

Lainey jumped at Susan and was about to claw her eyes out when a scream came from the forest.

"And that is how you will have to defeat the Temptress."

What did that even mean?