The Sun's warmth enveloped Glenn's body, the absence of pain was pleasant no longer being hauled to the shores of death. Beneath his eyelids, twinkling lights of stars brightened the drowsy nights awake for but a moment. Old magic, long dead in the annals of time, eased the aching soul nestled between a girl's limbs and chest. Glenn's clothes were dry but his shoes were soaked in water not able to experience the magic that spread throughout his chest. The Moon at peace followed the child and miss now heeding to the laws bounding mankind, restored to their original heights.

Resting on walls of stone, the rain grew tired of mourning granting freedom to the luminescent Moon, as it snapped free of the ash-clouds. It saw a lady of youth donning skin paler than snow, Sapphire-eyes that glinted with guilt and a body resembling that of an angel. She possessed no wings though, they were stripped away by the monstrous world that birthed sinister people. A mask of war coated in blood lounged near the flickering flames of a torch secured by a sconce on the wall. The girl found herself lost, staring at the brown hair meeting the tip of the boy's shoulder. She had faulted him at first glances being a maiden in distress. In truth, he was a boy pleading for his mother. Brushing his hair against her soothing fingers, remembering an elder witch who had done the same action. The smell of the boy's hair reminded her of someone precious. In a delicate tone, she whispered a name inside of the hushed cave, "Bela I missed you."

Glenn succumbed to his bodies needs of rest. He embodied the virtues of sloth snoring audibly in the expanses of an unexplored cavern. Droplets of water descended upon his brow awakening him from the deep slumber. Ensnared in the warmth of arms he sensed a woman sobbing behind him and heard her cries leaking tears with every word, "Bela I'm...sorry."

She halted her wails regarding the boy awake now, hastening to place her mask on. Glenn had already memorised her face, at first sight, recollecting when he had fainted near a stream of water. The boy could never forget an angel comprised of beauty beyond a goddess. He asked bewildered at his surroundings of a cave, understanding the grim reaper had not harvested his life. "Hello..um thank you for saving me."

Glenn bowed in sincere appreciation for the girl who saved him, he did not grasp how the cuts on his chest had healed but he did not need to know. He had mistaken his saviour being an angel and blushed glancing up to the miss bearing a frightening mask, was she trying to scare him, he thought.

"You must leave now, follow me." She spoke in a much lower tone, gone was her sweet voice. His saviour reached for the torch and guided him away from darkness.

Two figures dawdled through the distant tunnel that pointed to the external world no longer bombarded by storms. A pair of footsteps echoed in the murky cave, shadows grew alive twisting in unimaginable forms behind the beacon of light. Glenn watched the torch flicker in deep shades of red. He felt the bruises on his face, shoes soaked in water and the fresh scars smeared against his chest. The boy followed a girl only a few years older than himself, pondering who she was, why she was here or if she knew the man that searched for her. A question rang within his skull, ‘Have you seen anyone of blonde hair in these woods?’ He remembered the teenager worn down by heavy emotions, wrapped in camouflage attire.

Too many thoughts troubled him and provoked the spirit of curiosity that moved his jaw. "Um...thank you for saving me again miss, my names Glenn, could l get to know your name?"

"No questions." That was the answer Glenn received, understanding the polite underline meaning to be quiet. Silence prevailed over the cave and slowly they approached the entrance. Glenn noticed the cave was buried under a hill, the stream that once was the size of a river. They strolled out into the open lands of nature untouched by poisonous gases. It was still night, as he stood in front of the older girl, Glenn brushed nails across his wrists puzzled why the woman gawked at him.

"Go home." She pointed far away into the bodies of trees with an intense glare underneath the mask.

Glenn kicked the rock beside him that was once the size of a boulder and bowed again. He begged for aid, "Please help me again, l don't know how to leave these woods."

An average child's heartbeat per minute is seventy but Glenn's heart drummed against his ribcage pumping madly in fear exceeding ninety beats per minute. The boy remained to grovel for help until a sigh arose from the mouth of his benefactor. Her stare was serene hiding none of its prior ferocity. "l will lead you to a path l know of."

Glenn wanted to enclose his arms around her in thanks but cautioned himself of manners, she seemed sensitive to touch keeping distance between him and her. They halted in their tracks as the young miss stopped to peer at the boy. She hinted with an ominous voice garnering respect, "Promise me you will not return here again."

Glenn nodded suppressed by the chilly tone, "l promise."

These woods were a maze with prowling monsters, Glenn observed for any creature such as the one that chased him only a couple of hours ago. Nails dug deeper into wrists whilst his eyes darted vividly across the dirt floor and branches of trees. He felt calmer after he heard a hushed voice, "Do not worry, you will be safe in my presence."

There were many twists, as Glenn remembered each turn drawing a mental path in his mind. This place was too strange containing secrets untold to the world, would he be the first one to uncover them. A statement of trust prompted him to block such ideas in sorrow, 'Promise me you will not return here again.'

The trees grew less dense and fewer, as their journey came to an end. Glenn stepped onto the dirt path he had previously walked to school now home he went. Bushes rustled with the breezes plucking leaves away from their origin. The moon sank below stalking the boy's quest to home. What was home the astronomical body of rock contemplated, was it the place of your loved ones or the comfort of safety. It would never know, billions of years pursuing a one-sided crush and it never gave up faith for a single glimpse of its love.

Entering through the window pushing it up, Glenn sneaked through wary of producing any noise. Taking off the soaked footwear and socks he fainted onto his bed, more tired than ever. Dreams overtook Glenn's mind rehearsing the scene of him meeting the more mature girl, reflecting on who he met. A witch, angel, spirit of beauty or possibly she was all of them. He remembered the speech Mr Harold gallantly presented to the class, a tale of witches still existing in the woods. Were there more, Glenn thought but her eyes seemed lonelier than his own. Fatigue cursed him to sleep, as the boy snored ignorant of how large the mysteries he had discovered.

The warmth of the day embraced Glenn's body hidden underneath blankets. Banging stuck his door and a voice yelled making him conscious of the morning, "Glenn hurry up for school."

He rose from bed half-naked. Scars dragged across his chest feeling it with fingertips. Glenn noticed in anxiety how he looked and the room's massive mess. Soil stained his skin and he masked his chest away with a shirt rushing to clean his room of wet floorboards. Dirt had crawled into the room leaving a trail to the window. The boy briskly moved it all underneath his bed, rushing into the shower before breakfast. Dirt crumbled to the drain, he enjoyed cleansing his skin of its impurities. Glenn raced to place clothing on, walking to the dinner table yawning. There was no smell of bacon and eggs today, frowning at the aroma of broccoli mixed with fried rice. Emma sat down and noticed her boy slightly different, especially more tired than usual.

Glenn packed his cheeks of the fried rice but the broccoli was unscathed by his fork. Emma ate softly until she asked, "Son you're more tired than your usual self."

"Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Emma pointed out, "Finish your green's dear."

The boy groaned in distress met with the challenge of consuming the unattractive vegetable. He urged, "Mum why can't l eat bacon and eggs again?"

She smirked at her whining son, "Because if you don't I'm going to take away your portable piano."

Her smile stretched to both cheeks at the sight of Glenn devouring the greens. She walked over to her boy tenderly touching cheeks careful to not make Glenn wince in pain. They were beaten purple and Emma judged as the best parent she was, a gift was in order. She inquired whilst taking her boy's plate away scraped clean of food, "Son how'd you like to eat some pork ribs for dinner after school."

He cheered at the words running to hug her. Emma smirked wondering whatever she would do with this boy, while she wiped off any rice stuck to his bottom chin with a napkin. Glenn left the house attending school, while Emma stayed home to clean and prepare the pork ribs. She trooped through any nooks and corners with a vacuum in hand dusting away any mess. Entering her son's room, Emma discerned soaked shoes by his bed and inspected them with squinted eyes. Below Glenn's bed were minuscule piles of soil spread out like an infestation. The woman's brow was raised, dumbfounded at the sight that lay before her. She planned to ask about this when her rascal returned home.

Glenn walked onto the path recognising where he had exited from last night. It was not a dream, scars telling him it was real. He wished to meet the young lady in the woods in hopes of questions being answered. However, he advised himself not to do so. The boy had never broken a promise before and wanted to keep it that way, as he wandered past the woods. Faced with the gates of Meadows Ridge school, Glenn took a step forward breathing in deeply. A shoulder bumped into him, pushing the boy to the side and he glanced to see who it was. Stacey marched past him not even looking back, raising the middle finger and said, "Watch where you're going, girl."

Insults after insults, Glenn had learnt to shrug them off, pretending they had not stabbed his heart. He trooped forwards meeting a familiar face and waved to say hello. Jacobs saw the hand and walked away leaving a heartbroken Glenn. The boy would win some wars and lose some, rather than squandering over every failure he moved on. In the classroom A-04, it was quiet, no one speaking but listening to the words of Mr Harold. Everyone nervously wrote notes down in fear of the strict teacher that had shown his daunting side.

Glenn was the only exception drawing in his book of an elegant woman. He drew with care ignoring any words Mr Harold said, focusing more on the curves and edges of the person he had met. The boy had taken classes previously for art ages ago in the times before tragedy and put them to use. Slim with a small waist, cheekbones and a face perfectly symmetrical. Eyes of blue and golden hair a brighter tint than yellow. Glenn repeatedly erased and drew with pencils forming an image of the woman but never able to encapsulate her beauty. The boy wondered whether he would ever meet his saviour ever again, as a girl in front of him observed the woman he had drawn. She watched and smiled awaiting to lay waste to the boy's happiness.