The Woods by Sally Ann Nicole (early reader books .txt) 📖

Chapter 1
The sun beat down upon my skin like an angry fire, not that it hurt bad at the moment but it would definitely sting like hell tomorrow. I use to hate how pale I am but I've come to except it and go with the flow. The only bad part was that I burned easily even if I wore tons and tons of sunscreen. But on this particular day I had no choice. Ms. Rich, my nickname for my boss Tanya, had ordered me to go plant flowers in one of her many flower beds out in her humongous lawn. Ms. Rich was an older lady who smelled badly of body odor and was a spoiled brat. But, she was my boss and in this day and age one couldn't turn down a job since they were so scarce. Though never before would I have ever imagined that I would be a gardener. My friends had teased me about it quite a bit.

A small worm crawled across my toe and once I realized what it was, I screeched and ran in the other direction like a stampeding cow. By the time I stopped, I looked down at my toe and it was far gone. Wearing flip flops today had been a bad choice. I shuddered at the thought of the nasty bug being on me, then wiped my toe on the grass. A large long haired German Shepherd bounded up to me as I made my way back to the garden bed. "Hey Grizzly." I greeted the dog with a small pat on the head before crouching to poke another hole in the soft soil with my finger then carefully place a seed in the hole before covering it up gently. But it seemed that the dog had other plans than me working as he nipped the back of my heel with his teeth. I jumped in surprise and spun to face him, hand on my hips. "Grizzly, don't make me go get your mama. You know I need to work. I'll play with you later." I told him firmly before turning back to work. But once again the great dog bit at my heels, making me swipe at him halfheartedly. It was enough to make him understand the point and he bounded off to the edge of the yard that connected with dense forest. I looked up and watched him with my green-eyed gaze, debating on whether it was safe to let him wander those woods or not. But in the end I decided all was well.

By the end of the day I had seen no other signs of Grizzly but had managed to get all my tasks done for the day. I trudged wearily up the steps to the house then knocked on the door. A bleach blond, skinny old lady with a bit of a hunch to her shoulders answered the door. "Oh good, you're done. Tomorrow we'll be cooking for a bake sale." She explained to me in a matter-of-fact tone. I nodded, suddenly feeling much perkier. I would get out of being outside for a day, sweet! The older woman peered around me and asked, "Where's Grizzly?" My lips turned down in a small frown and I replied, "He ran off into the woods earlier."

"Oh, no no no no no, that is bad. Go find him for me." My boss ordered me, closing the door in my face before I could get a chance to reject the offer. The time was eight o'clock, soon it would be getting dark and it was time for me to go home. But Tanya obviously couldn't care less.

My feet dragged the ground lazily as I walked down the large staircase connected to the house and across the lawn towards the large dense woods. As I looked at them a shiver ran down my spine. They looked rather menacing in the light of the dying day. Soon it would be night and then what would I do? I couldn't be lost in those woods at night. They were unfamiliar territory and who knew what kind of scary creatures lurked there.Upon entering the thick woods I instantly felt like I was being watched. The thick overgrowth made the ground before the trees look as if night had already fallen. My instincts yelled at me to turn around and run out, but I couldn't. I needed the money so that I could get myself a new car. "Grizzly?" I had meant to shout it but my voice came out as a soft whisper. A frown contorted my expression and I growled to myself, "What a wimp." I was being ridiculous and I knew it but still. Images of creepy crawlies and other unwanted things streamed into my mind as I trudged deeper into the dark abyss.

"Grizzly!" I called with much more force this time, flipping up the hood of my hoodie. That way I couldn't see much of my surroundings and wouldn't get freaked as easily. I stopped walking and listened closely....no answer came. "Damn it you mutt, get your ass over here." I yelled angrily and somewhat desperately. I didn't want to be here, I wanted to be home taking a nice warm shower. I could imagine the warm water flowing over my skin and smell the comforting perfume of my coconut shampoo. But then my fantasy stopped and I realized that I really was smelling some kind of perfume on the air. It was strong and smelled of... lavender?

My feet seemed to decide on what to do for me and I was dragged in the direction of the sweet, comforting smell. I burst into a clearing that was filled with wild flowers, some which I recognized as herbs. Sure enough, a lavender plant took up most the population of the area. (Well, you've got to know your plants if you're going to be a gardener.)

A small grin crept across my lips and I walked towards the flowers, seeing the sun set from the corner of my eyes. But as I realized what I saw, it shocked me out of my brief moment of entertainment. I turned to look full on at the sunset, my eyes wide with obvious worry. In mere minutes this place would be covered in dense black darkness and I would be left alone to fend for myself. "GRIZZLY!" I screamed more urgently, but once again there came no answer.

A panic began to take me over, making me hyperventilate. My breath came in quick gasps and I felt like I was going to throw up. It was then that a furry mass plunged into me knocking me to the ground. In that second I swear my heart stopped. What kind of monster was attacking me now? But then Grizzly's curious nose poked into my face and he licked my cheek.

A flicker of relief caught me and I wrapped my arms around the annoying dog that I was so glad to see. "Oh Grizzly, thank God." I muttered, squeezing him tightly. He struggled in my grip and broke free, jumping back into a crouch with a small yip. I laughed and stated, "Of course you would want to play at a time like this." Lifting myself off the ground, I dusted my backside off then turned to look around when a frown caught my lips. Which way had I come from? "Shit." I stated, glancing to Grizzly for an answer that he would not give. He simply sat down and cocked his head to the side curiously. "Thanks," I muttered sarcastically before trudging off in a random direction with Grizzly following faithfully at my side.

By the time that night came I had gotten no where and was feeling numb. I would be spending the night in the forest and I knew it. A glance around told me that there was nothing but trees. "Alright Grizzly, we need to find a safe place to stay. I'm going to sleep in a tree and you can sleep on the ground below it." I told him, scratching his head. He simply wagged his tail and I walked over to a tree and began to climb. With a lot of effort I finally emerged on a thick upper tree limb. I rearranged myself so that my back rested on the trunk and I sat in the crook of the branch with my legs dangling on either side. Tonight I doubted I would get any rest. But when I looked at Grizzly he was already snoring below. A small smile flitted across my expression for a second until it got dark enough that my eyes could no longer see. Then the howling began.

Chapter 2
Despite my certainty that I would get little to no sleep, I did end up drifting off. I couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how hard I tried. It was as if the deep howls echoing around me were a lullaby being sung to me, encouraging sleep. Not to mention I hadn't slept well for the last couple nights due to my own annoying dog who insisted on whining every half an hour. I didn't blame Dozer for it, he's just a baby and needs the attention. Dreams accompanied me with my sleep.

I was still sitting on the branch but I was looking out in front of me at the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. Golden hair fell down around his face slightly, reaching his chin. Though I couldn't see his face in the darkness I knew it would be extremely handsome. He cocked his head to the side, watching my reaction to him, and his hair fell to the side. A gasp emanated from my lips at his beauty and the unique color of his eyes. They were a strange shade of violet and seemed to almost glow in the moonlight. "You're amazing." My dream-self stated breathlessly. A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest in reply to my words.

A howl forced me back awake and I grumbled in annoyance to myself, "Had to wake me up before the good part." Not that I had the dream before, I just knew that something good would come of it.

I froze as I realized what had woke me up, that howl had been too close. A growl turned my attention down below me where Grizzly was standing up. I could see the glossy black hair along his back standing on end in the moonlight that penetrated the branches of the over growth. "Grizzly? What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly. In the next second a larger gray force collided with Grizzly and yelps rang through the air. "GRIZZLY!" I screeched, scrambling down the tree with thoughts of only helping. But once on the ground I realized just how much bigger the thing that had collided with Grizzly was. It would tower over me, which wasn't hard since I was only 5 foot tall. It was covered in gray fur and appeared to be a wolf…but there were no wolves here. I was shivering with fear but still managed to grab a large branch from the ground. By now the wolf thing was standing over Grizzly's bloody body and I could tell now was the time to act. I rushed forward, yelling like a mad woman and swung the branch at the thing. It hit it and I received a yelp for my actions. I quickly put myself between Grizzly and the animal, holding the branch out to threaten it if it came closer. It made no move to and I felt a sense of relief flood me. But looking