2] Barking up the wrong tree.

I have never thought this is how I was going to die. Drowning in an anonymous place full of weird people or not-people. And not from my foster's claws trying to get hold of my inheritance from Frost's side.

The cold water somewhat anesthetized my body. I couldn't move and couldn't swim up to save my life. Slowly I sank in the peace of water with my hope to live.

A harsh loud flash drove me away from slipping into darkness. I saw a large figure from my blurred vision. It came to me. I didn't feel until I was lifted up and was drawn off the water onto the shore. Cold lips touched mine giving rescue breaths. I coughed up water when hands compressed my chest. The rescuer said something I couldn't comprehend. It was too much. The pain on my leg was unbearable that I lost into unconsciousness.

~•~

My eyelids left too heavy to lift. But the death throes on my ankle and throbbing on my head felt dull with each passing time.

A tickling sensation rushed through my nose. And another. When I sneezed I heard a chirpy laugh. Slowly I opened my eyes revealing a small girl sitting in a chair in front of me. She hushed me keeping her chubby forefinger on her mouth as she giggled wiggling a feather in her other hand.

"Mary!! I told you not to tickle awake her! "

I tilted my head to see a lady in her mid-thirties strides across the room towards us.

"But, Ma I didn't tickle her. I sneeze awake her."

The Lady with brown waist-length hair reached us. She wore a simple but unusual floor-length navy blue dress with a raised wingtip collar and natural waistline.

As if feeling my gaze, she turned towards me. "Oh! sweety I see you are awake. How are you feeling, dear?"

She gave me a glass of water. I drank it and asked instead, "W-what happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I don't remember?"

She laughed. "I'm asking you, my dear. What was the last thing you could think of doing?"

"I remembered being fired fro... I'm sorry but I don't know you and what I'm doing here? Where am I?" I struggled to get up to leave when she stopped me.

"You are injured, dear. You should rest." I looked at my leg where she was pointing. Indeed my right leg around the calf was injured and was wrapped with a makeshift bandage along with several herbs.

And all the events came crashing down on me. I was walking back home, then the next minute chasing the thief. Whatever happened next was kind of blurred. I was being chased by someone and then the last thing I remember I fell from the cliff. 'It has to be a dream cuz I'm perfectly alive. But what am I doing here.' I thought.

"I have to go back home," I said out loud.

"Why don't you rest till you get well and I will get someone to walk you off. By the time you tell me what were you doing in the Chapel Farm?"

"Chapel Farm? What are you talking about?"

"We found you in Magenta Bay. What were you doing there?"

"Where's Magenta Bay? What I was doing there?"

"I'm asking you. Were you lost?" The lady's concern was turning into grilling. So I decided to bail out.

"No, thank you, mam, for taking care of me but I have to go back home." I got up despite the lady's protest and throbbing pain on my right calf.

"That's enough!" Suddenly a booming voice startled me as I fell on the bed. The door opened as two men and teen strides in. "You! tell us what were you doing there!" A man in his early 40s yelled at me. Was he eavesdropping on us?

I was confused about what was happening around. First that weird horror dream. Then next I was at someone's house whom I didn't even know and didn't recall getting here. Lastly, someone was yelling at me as if I stole or kicked his puppy.

"Israel, calm down. This is not a way to talk. I was already asking her. You don't need to get agitated. Go, burn it off." He was shaking in rage and glaring at me. His nostril was flaring and his face was red probably because of anger. It was kind of...a little bit funny. Seeing amusement on my face, his glare hardened and I dropped my face.

"Where's 'where' I don't —"

"Stop lying or else I'll slay—"

"Israel!! Get. Out. Now." She stressed her each word. I thought I saw his eyes flashed yellow but I couldn't be sure as It happened so fast. When he stormed out she turned towards the boy. "Tate! Take Mary out." The teen boy jumped into action taking Mary out– who was rather enjoying the drama and probably needed a popcorn or two.

Now there were only three people in the room— me, the lady and a man in his early twenties. He was well built. He had black hair and very dark black eyes which were narrowed at me at the moment with his jaws clenched and was very tall too. He was good on the eye. He was leaning on the door and was glaring at me. What's with these people and their glares anyway?

Scowling at him, I barked at him. "What!? Are you going to stare all day or you have to bark something too!? Because I have somewhere to go and many things to do." I got up only to get caught up by the clothes I wore and knock over on the bed again. I stared at it. It was peach and was very similar to the lady but it wasn't mine. Now I was really super confused and frustrated. I was developing a headache too. But nevertheless, I stood and was going to ask about the clothes when I was interrupted.

"Who are you?" He didn't bark. Good! or else I would have banged my head or his.

"Who am I is not your concern." He straightened and strolled towards me, very slow. "Are you trying to intimidate me? If yes, then let me say, you don't scare me."

He stopped till he stood an inch away from me. " Listen here Lady bad mouth. You are going to answer each and every question asked no pun intended or else we will feed you to the bitches and no one is going to know about that." He leaned as he said the last word twirling a strand of my silver hair.

I gaped at him. He could make really nice threats. Should I answer him or not? There's a misconception that has to be cleared. And I have few things to clear too. "Ask away. But you have to answer my questions too. Deal?" He nodded in affirmative and took a step back.

"Who are you?"

"Ariella."

"What are y—"

"Uh-Oh Mister, did you forget the deal already? It's my turn. Who are you?"

"You don't know me?" A frown marred his face as if thinking really hard.

"Should I have known you or something?"

"She is not lying or acting to be clueless, Jess." The lady butted in. She was here all the while?

"You don't know that Lisa. She may be a very good spy send you never know." He glared at me and turned to Lisa.

Spy? " Why would I spy on you? Who you are anyway? Certainly not Chris Hemsworth."

" Who is he? "

I gaped at Jess.

"She won't even know you? Believe me, Jess, when I see a true person I know it."

"Alright! But what was she doing there?!" They both turned towards me. I surrendered and was going to tell them I was not following them when the door burst open.

"I'm fine. Tell me what you got to know from the girl." Israel sat on a chair and seemed a little cool now.

"She is not a spy and rest we were going to ask when someone rudely interrupted us." Lisa glared at Israel to which he smiled at her. "So tell us, Ariella, what were you doing in Chapel farm. Don't you know it is a dangerous place?"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to trespass."

"Ah... what's wrong with you?! Everyone knows that the chapel farm is no man land. Or did you hit hard or lost your brain." Jess yelled at me.

"What crawled up your butt and died. Stop being a douche bag, will ya?" Jess and Lisa seemed shortly stunned and Israel stifled his laugh. Is Israel bipolar or what?

"Now I believe she is not a spy. But this ain't getting us anywhere how she got there." After a minute pause, he asked, "Kid you want to go home, right?" When I nodded he continued. "Tell us where you are from."

"I live in 41 street, silver valley, Doddington. Isn't this place in Doddington?"

"There ain't any such place nearby in my knowledge." Then how did I get here? Was the what happened not a dream? Hope not. "Tell us from the beginning. What you remember doing last?"

"I was walking back home and then... I don't remember. All I could recall was the horrible nightmare which isn't true as I'm alive and didn't fall from the cliff."

They looked at each other as if silently communicating. It was Jess who replied this time." You really fell from the cliff, Ariella".

The alarm rang in my head. That means whatever happened was true. I'm nowhere near my city. And those not-so-people were true too. Oh God! How I got myself into this?

"So..you ready to tell us what really happened?"