On a common accord, the two teenagers returned to the main subject.

“I suppose you don’t remember how we got here either?” asked Nikolai.

“No. I was in my room, ready to go to school and…”

Eïrin voice stopped as she tried to recall her last moment before waking up. Her mind was like a filmstrip cut in the middle, stopping right when she passed her home’s door.

She lowered her gaze, staring at her clothes. Never before the rebellious teenage girl had worn anything alike that. She was more of a jean and hoody girl—the kind who doesn’t stand out in a crowd.

She touched the fabric and noticed it was immaculate as newly laid snow. No one could have crossed the dense foliage surrounding them without staining the white clothing. Her eyes flicked to the forest, precisely the branches intruding in the meadow. She couldn’t notice any sign of damage a helicopter would have left after dropping them.

“This is… absurd.” She whispered. “It’s like I’m in a dream but awake.”

“I don’t think this a dream.”

Eïrin eyes bored into Nikolaï. The young man was looking at the crystal, losing himself in myriads of colours.

“Those crystals, have you ever seen anything like them before?”

“Even dirt doesn’t look right.” Snorted Eïrin before glaring at the sleeping teenagers. “Maybe one of them knows something. Maybe we could wake them up?”

Nikolai shook his head, refusing her proposal.

“I don’t know for you, but I heard whispers when I was about to wake up. Those deep voices sang a low melody, slowly pulling me from my dream. It felt like the notes infused life back into me.”

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“Yes, same for me! It was singing like my mother used to do when I was young. I wanted to stay there forever, but…”

She stopped mid-sentence and shook her head to chase the dream, calling her back.

“You are right. We should let them awake by themselves. However, I want to take a look in the forest.”

“You want to go in there?” responded Nikolai, surprised by his farouche partner.

“Just the edge, I won’t go far. Just by the scent of humus, I can tell it’s old, secular even. Maybe I can find a lead on where we are.” She explained before continuing a bit lower, “I’d rather go alone than with a larger group. Who knows what beast lurks in there.”

Nikolai tapped his finger on his forearm, then nodded at his companion.

“Fine, but I’ll go with you.”

“Whatever, just don’t slow me down.”

The witty answer made Nikolai smile.

“I was not expecting you to act like this. You are more composed than I expected from your look.”

Eïrin twisted her mouth, trying to unveil the meaning of his words. Moving her hand slightly, she strangled her shaking leg. The last time she had felt like that was just before the archery competition’s final or when she had tried to confess her feelings to her first love. Both memories made the young girl grit her teeth.

“I can handle myself. I’m not a kid. By the way, have you seen anything before I woke up? Any danger?”

Again, he shook his head.

“Nothing more than what you can see. I wouldn’t go tasting those mushrooms, but everything else seems normal.”

Eïrin hid her hesitations behind a marble face. Walking into an unknown forest with an even more unknown boy was a recipe for disaster.

Besides, the trill of venturing within a pristine forest made the girl’s heart beat faster, reverberating in her mind with a sirenian charm.

She turned toward the green veil and slid gracefully down the slope, Nikolai following behind. She thought about the last thing she was doing before waking up. She had prepared her bag for her archery classes and threw it on her back. Whatever had happened, it was between her home and school.

“What could have happened? Was I kidnapped?” she asked herself before looking over her shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

Nikolai was not as swift as his new shadow-haired friend. Even walking was throwing a drizzle of pain in his legs. He thought himself in the last meter of a marathon, thousands of needles piercing his muscles. He disregarded the pain and continued to walk.

“Fell like my legs made of wet noodles. Can you find a way through those bushes?”

Eïrin answered with a quick nod and walked right into the vegetal messes. To Nikolai’s surprise, she slid between the thorns without much trouble. Following her closely, he also manages to avoid the barbed plants. The girl had found one of the only ways into humus and chlorophyll.