Adelaide took off running through the forest. Rain beat down on her, drenching her head to foot. As her bare feet hit the rough forest floor, they became increasingly bloodier. The cuts on her feet stung from the puddles of mud she ran through and she felt the pain shooting up through her legs as they grew weak. She was going to collapse soon if she didn't stop to rest. Looking around, she spotted a gigantic tree off towards the right. She veered over and expelled her last bit of strength sprinting frantically towards it. She reached the tree and collapsed in a heap, and the last thing she heard was the sound of her heart pounding in her ears before exhaustion overtook her.

Even in Adelaide’s unconsciousness her painful memories came back to her…the reason she was running away. She had a fiancé named Blake, and they were to be married very soon. One night he came to her cabin because they were going to an engagement party. He walked up, gave her a kiss and held her. Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and there stood a man with a gun. She gasped and jumped at the sight of the man. He was tall, had greasy hair, and dark wild eyes that seemed to pierce her chest. A putrid odor had filled the room that caused Adelaide’s eyes to water.

“Give me your money!” screamed the intruder. Blake slowly moved towards the man with his hands up. “Don’t move.” Blake halted in his steps.

“Sir, we don’t want any trouble. If you would just put the gun down, maybe we can talk about this,” said Blake the tension building in his voice. He started to take another step forward, and the man lifted the gun and shot Blake straight through the head.

Blake fell to the floor and Adelaide screamed and rushed to the floor beside Blake’s body. The man stood there for a minute until he heard footsteps running through the cabin that were heading towards the room. He snatched up a priceless sword that belonged to Adelaide’s father and turned to leave. Adelaide grabbed onto the man’s legs trying to cause him to stumble, but the man shot her and dashed outside into the rain.

She bolted awake at the sound of the gun in her dream. Everything that happened was so vivid in her mind. She stood up, her head was throbbing from the painful memories rushing through it. She placed the palms of her hands against her temples, trying to make the flashbacks stop. She tried to slow her breathing as the panic crept up inside of her, and she took off running through the forest again. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. She saw a light through the pouring rain—the light that told her she was almost out of the forest. Her panic attack grew stronger. The forest felt more confining. She ran desperately towards the light as the forest threatened to swallow her up. She emerged from the forest and into the clearing, falling to her knees and bowing her head.

Looking up, she was confused. It wasn’t raining anymore. In fact, the sky was a clear blue. She surveyed her surroundings and could hardly believe that such a paradise could exist after the dark forest. It seemed so surreal. A cliff stood about fifteen feet high surrounded by the greenest foliage she had ever laid eyes on. A waterfall fell over cliff, forming a lake at the bottom. Red and pink hibiscus flowers were in full bloom everywhere. The scenery was breathtaking. The water was cool and refreshing. She stood up and walked over to a rock by the lake and sat. She had never felt such peace before. A light breeze blew, and a familiar scent aroused her senses. Could it be? She searched enthusiastically all around her for the person that scent belonged too. A figure appeared from behind a tree. It was him. She ran towards him and leaped into his arms. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe. She ran her hands through his raven black hair and lifted his face to stare into his deep azure blue eyes.

“What are you doing here, my love? I thought I wasn’t going to ever see you again. How did you get here?” The words spewed from her mouth. She had so many questions, and she was going to continue spout out what came to mind until Blake’s lips collided with hers. All the questions melted away and didn’t matter as much anymore. He broke the kiss after what felt like an eternity.

“I was running through that forest, and it led me here,” he said in answer to her question.

She smiled at him. Her heart lurched, and her smile faded as she remembered what happened. “This can’t be happening. I have to be dreaming. I saw you die. You were shot and died instantly. This isn’t possible.”

She stared up into his face again. His eyes were filled with confusion and a pained expression. He let go of her and turned around. She had hurt him. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Leaning her head against his back, she said, “I’m sorry, my love. I was just a bit confused. All that matters now is that we are together.” As she said the word “together,” Blake started to fade away. She tried to grab onto him, but all that was there as air. He had disappeared. She cried out and tears ran down her face.

“No, no, Blake come back.” Panic rose in her chest again and threatened to suffocate her.

“Adelaide…Adelaide,” said a voice. It was an eerie voice that seemed to be coming from the forest. She stopped crying and walked cautiously towards the entrance of the forest afraid something was going to jump out and grab her. The voice reminded her of a siren, its haunting sound beckoning her to enter the forest again. She turned to take one more look at paradise and ran back into the dark forest.