She ran through the wilderness, the trees and branches brushed against her soft smooth skin like sandpaper, scraping her arms, and leaving cuts in they're place. She ran faster and faster, whether she had air in her lungs or not. Ran until it was all she could do, trying to escape with everything she could, until finally gasping for air she stopped. At the base of what had seemed like the largest tree in the whole forest, she slowly took back her breath. Inhaling for two counts and out for two, only to realize she didn't know where she was. She looked around herself, trying to find a familiar mark on a familiar tree that would reassure her she was on the right path, but she found nothing. Panic filled her spirit and worry of not returning home frightened her. “Ironic,” she thought to herself, “only a few hours did I not fear death, and now here it is, welcoming me with both hands and I alone reject it.” She spoke to herself aloud, “I guess I really am a failure at everything.

She could no longer stand, her knees were too weak to hold her up and the only direction her body was capable of going was down to the ground and resting in the warmth of the heated earth. She pulled her knees to her chest and curled herself into a ball. Knees propped up to hold her sobbing and heavy heart. Her head, heavy with memories of which she didn't want to relive, lay atop her knees and only now was she able to cry. Tears flowed down her flushed yet rosy cheeks like a saltwater river pooling down her face. She continuously cried letting out all her sadness. She wondered how long it would take to get over this. It took her two years to recover from the incident that occurred with her parents and even after it she still was fully healed, she did try to be normal but only ended up failing due to the difficulty. How long would it take to deal with this death? How will she get over it now, no one to help her out, to help her get through it? She just sat there crying.

It was now frightfully dark, and the only light to help her go home was the light of the moon, and that alone wouldn’t work. She closed her eyes, no longer crying but thinking. Thinking of thoughts that were scrambled and mashed all together to create images that flashed suddenly behind her eyelids. She slowly breathed in, thinking of the good thoughts and breathed out all of the bad, trying to steady the sadness and tears.

“Finally, I caught up with you” said a voice from behind her. She looked back startled at whom this person might be, and fearful that they may do something to harm her. She turned around to find the boy. Quietly she squealed softly as the boy caught his breath. She tried to escape without being noticed, but instead of being slick and quiet, she ran and failed. The boy was quick and grabbed her arm instantaneously, gripping at her wrist.

“Wait…” he was concerned for the girl.

“LEAVE ME ALONE, LET GO OF ME!” The girl shrieked at the top of her lungs. He immediately loosened his grip on her wrist.

“Why were you crying?” Asked the boy, releasing her arm completely in the process. “I won't hurt you, for you seem to already be hurt.” He was sincere, looking at her arm and at her flushed face.

The girl was shocked, surprised and scared. She covered her arms and glared at him, was it ok to trust this guy. After all he could be a killer and he was chasing her.

“Ex-cuse me?” she asked uncertain of what to say.

“Oh my apologies miss. Let me introduce myself. My name is Arthur, and what's yours?” He stuck out his hand and smiled. His red eyes, now glowed a mysterious liquefying orange. As if it was his soul on fire; but when he smiled, she was calm it was both soothing and comforting, something she hadn’t felt in anyone she barely met before.

With fear eating away at her, she stuttered. “I don’t know you, nor do I owe you any debts, so I do not associate myself with strangers.” She put his hand down and turned to walk away again. But once more he stopped her. “If that’s the way it must be then fine, but please tell me why you were crying?” the look on Arthur’s was true. For he truly did want to help this girl. She sighed for she knew she would not be able to escape without a reasonable answer. But should she tell this boy what has her so preoccupied and depressed. Should she explain the terrible circumstances in which has left her all alone in the world. Just thinking about it over again made the girl shed a few more tears.

“Please miss, don’t cry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.” Said Arthur. She didn't know what to say. She had no thoughts and no feelings but sadness. Yet she continued to cry. “Its not that, I've had a rough afternoon” said the girl. With nothing more and nothing else to say.

“Well if it’s any of my doing. I apologize, and I’ll make it up to you as best I can.” Not knowing what to do the girl thought. The only thing she wanted now was to return home. She would take the boy up on his offer and return to her home filled with memories.

“Pardon me Arthur. But would it be possible if you could get me out of these woods?”

“Sure, that’s a simple request.” He started to walk before the girl, walking at a faster pace then the girl.

The moon was disappearing and soon the sun would be up and shining. The trees shed on a new appearance during the day. Through which revealed swirls of greens and browns. She could no longer see Arthur but she continued upon the path which he went in and soon with a cracking of a tree branch; she would see him waiting for her while leaning against a tree. The slow movement of the lush green tree tops and the warming brown tree trunks were as clear as daybreak, even now with fragments of the evening still lingering. The sky was overwhelmed by colors as the sun slowly rose. She felt different. As if things have changed on a different scale. She let her fingers run along the bark of each tree as she passed them. Soon a thought pushed its way into her head and it made her smile and nervous. It was the first time she trusted and believed in someone not of her blood, even if it was for this brief moment in time. Soon the sounds of tree branches stopped completely, no cracking, no boy, and no nothing. She took a few more steps forward to find herself in her driveway next to her house. She was out of the forest and she was now home, safe and sound. But who was she safe and sound for? No one was here, and the sun had already appeared to a new day. She went to her backyard, past the patio and onto the back porch toward the steps. She sat head in hands sobbing to the lonely rhythm of her heart. Moments passed and soon she realized that she wasn’t alone. The boy named Arthur had gotten her home and now sat quietly next to her on the same steps as she. He gently placed his hand on her left shoulder, patting her lightly.

“There, there. No need to cry. You're home now. Home to a nice bed, good food, comfortable clothing and loving company. Why do you still cry?” Asked Arthur. She looked at him; he was smiling, honest and warm. She felt she could trust him with her thoughts, to confide in him and she also thought he might understand how she feels. He looked at her, face flushed with tears she shed, her green eyes lost in the darkness which her soul endured. He felt compassion toward the girl. Not pity, not sympathy, but something sadder.

The girl spoke, her voice broken and tears continuing to stream down her rosy cheeks.

“What good is a home, when all the company is gone, in a place from which they can never return from? What good is it when your home is left with nothing but memories of better days?”

Arthur was shocked at the girl’s response. He didn't expect her to talk; in fact he didn't expect anything from the girl. Maybe she would write him off as weird or creepy and slam the door on his face, only to return to her tears, he thought she might do that but never would he expect the reaction he received now. He released her hand from her, and looked at the sky. He paused taking a deep breath in preparation to speak, then finally releasing the words of which he thought.

“The home is still very valuable. For it holds all the good memories, happy and wonderful. It makes it possible to make new ones, a safe and reliable place to make more happy and wonderful memories. It may be empty but it doesn’t have to stay that way.” His eyes never moved form his glance at the sky, but when he spoke it seemed as if he had wisdom from the likes of which she had never seen a person her age master.

She may not have been older then 18, but she knew that she wouldn’t find someone with that kind of intelligence, someone like him even if she looked for the next fifty years. He turned to her, and she was shocked and astonished, speechless and frozen, but momentarily she returned the smile. She looked down at her hands, pruned and warm from the tears and her face being pressed upon them. She knew he was right.

“I never thought of it like that, it never crossed my mind that that was possible, but I guess your right.” She looked up at him and smiled again. She let the cool wind blow through her hazel hair, and as the wind blew so did the sounds of the time that was carried from her grandfather clock in the living room. It was seven in the morning. She would need to be at school in an hour if she wanted to get there on time by walking.

“I’m sorry Arthur, but I must get go to school now and I feel bad for bothering you.” Said the girl.

“T’was no trouble at all m’ lady. It’s my good nature.” He bowed and smiled at her. He seemed as if he was ancient, but she also thought it was sweet. “Would you like me to walk you to school, after all I do regret yelling at you earlier.” She looked at him and thought about it for a minute. Thought about how this would all end and how it started. She wanted risk and he it was; she wanted to know how far this would all play out.

“Sure, why not. I just hope you don’t mind walking for an hour. Let me get my things and I’ll meet you in the front of the house.” She smiled the first real, conscious smile since she had heard the news. She took a step into her home, just as Arthur turned his back she had turned around to him again.

“By the way Arthur, I'm Anna. Anna Maxweld.” She offered him her hand and he gracefully took it.

“Nice to meet you Anna Maxweld, I'm Arthur Feld, it’s a pleasure!” he smiled at her, and she at him. They held hands for a few more seconds before going they're ways to do what they each needed to do.