The Forest of Secrets

No time to lose. 

She ran around, looking for a glow of some sort that would attract her eyes… The room was so dark she felt like she wasn’t walking on the floor, but walking across a black starless galaxy. Her eyes frantically searched everywhere they could go-

She saw it. A distant orange glow in the dark beckoned her to come as its light dimmed and brightened in a constant slow rhythm, as though the beating of a heart. The room was so quiet Amelia heard her own heart hammering, and her rattling breaths. She held her breath and her fingertips caressed the glowing ball, and felt herself drift into another room, another realm… 

Her feet touched the floor. She stood up from her crouching position and saw a man and woman, in between them a small boy with rosy cheeks and grinning from ear to ear. Amelia twitched in irritation, yet surprise when she saw the boy, thinking it was Draco. But she looked at the small boy’s hair closer… fluffy golden locks… a sweet earthy smell… 

Forrest. 

Amelia always had the impression that a loving family always took care for one another and stayed by each other’s side-

But in this case, Forrest’s parents weren’t staying by his side or seemingly caring for him. It was as though he was the plague since his parents were a good two metres away from him. Forrest’s mother, Celine Osborn, had a small heart-shaped face, with long curled lashes, thin highly severe brows, a small pointed nose, blue eyes like Mrs. Bluesky and rippling golden hair that was styled in a messy bun. She was resting her head on Henry Osborn’s shoulder. Forrest’s father had black shiny hair that was slicked back, square-jaw, grey eyes, thick black brows and a crooked nose. He and his wife were wearing fashionable cloaks (Mrs. Osborn seemed to have enjoyed the style of witches). Mrs. Osborn was wearing a purple velvet cloak and a matching peaked witches hat that had a black veil covering her face. 

Mr. Osborn was wearing a blood red suit with a black tie and a black fedora with a black swan feather. Forrest was wearing a simple oversized shirt and pants that had some slight cuts. Forrest was silently walking on his own, lagging behind his parents, who took no attention to him at all. Forrest heard a branch crack somewhere behind him… in the woods that was surrounding his house. The rustling of leaves continued, and Forrest picked up a stick from the ground and used it like a sword.

‘Who’s there!’ Forrest squeaked.

‘It’s me, Rhian!’ a voice called from the woods.

Another small boy emerged from the trees and leaves. He had black wavy hair and grey eyes that were the same as Forrest’s. Forrest threw the stick on the floor, making it right exactly where a small crack had settled in. 

‘Go away,’ Forrest huffed.

‘Why?’ Rhian argued. ‘I wanted to play with you! I found a ball from some Muggle boys that were playing and thought-’

‘I thought I said “go away”,’ Forrest huffed again, crossing his arms and turning away from the other boy. 

Amelia’s blood went cold.

It can’t be…

‘Look, my parents aren’t here and your parents just walked away to wherever they have gone. C’mon! I’m bored-’

‘No!’ Forrest yelled. ‘My best friend left me! Edward… Eddie! And my mum and dad hated me the moment I was born, Rhian! Nobody cares about this piece of trash that’s standing in front of them!’

‘That doesn’t mean that I hate you, Forrest… you’re one of my best friends…’ Rhian said. 

Forrest turned his head to Rhian, but not the rest of his body.

‘And how many best friends do you have?’ he shot back. 

‘I only have two. You and someone else… a girl,’ Rhian replied, beaming. ‘She stopped talking to me ever since her mother died though…’ his smile vanished. 

‘Isn’t the “popular Draco” your friend?’ 

‘No! I hate him, he makes me puke.’

‘You just abandoned her…’ Forrest whispered suddenly. ‘Your sister…’

‘How did you- I mean, that’s bollocks, Forrest! Why would I abandon Soph!’ 

‘That means you could abandon me…’

‘Forrest.’

Rhian’s tone changed to dark, sharp. Forrest fully turned to him. 

‘I abandoned Sophie because she meant nothing to me in life, and anyways, how would I take care of a baby? But you… you’re my best friend…’ 

‘You think a best friend is more important than a sibling?’ Forrest whispered. ‘Rhian… meet me when you stop becoming indiscriminate.’ 

‘FORREST!’ 

But Forrest dashed inside his house, leaving Rhian all alone. 

The setting of the room faded and a new setting started to materialise. Amelia felt like there was no air anymore. She was now in a small room that she first thought was a storage room. There were boxes lying everywhere, clearly not organised. There was a single bed sheet on the floor with a pillow that had a hollow right in the middle. Fluff inside it came out like froth. Forrest was sitting on the bed sheet. 

‘Everyone hates me…’ Amelia heard Forrest mutter to himself. ‘And Rhian was about to abandon me for good… “best friends”...’

Amelia wanted to comfort Forrest, but realised that she was in his secrets and stopped moving towards him. She helplessly looked at the ten year old boy, curled in a ball and rocking back and forth like a rocking chair. The setting started to separate into particles, and a new setting replaced the particles. It was Forrest in his first year, beaming brightly as he got sorted into Slytherin. He didn’t realise that whoever he was sitting next to was-

‘Knew you'd’ be in Slytherin like me,’ Rhian grinned. 

Forrest looked away. 

‘Clearwater, Amelia!’ 

An eleven-year old girl with golden-blonde hair and electric blue eyes sat on a stool, an ancient hat perched on her head by Professor Mcgonagall. 

‘RAVENCLAW!’ the hat boomed. 

The girl happily went to the Ravenclaw table, smiling brightly. Rhian suddenly looked glum, though Forrest didn’t know why. 

‘Stubbins, Edward!’ 

Forrest sat straighter at the mention of the name. Amelia suspected that name was Forrest's past best friend that he called “Eddie”. 

‘GRYFFINDOR!’ the hat yelled.

Edward, with straight brown hair and hazel eyes, ran to the Gryffindor table, his heart rushing with disbelief yet joy. Amelia saw Edward give Forrest a smirk and a wink.

‘I don’t want to eat,’ Forrest said, pretending that he was on the urge of vomiting. 

‘Let me come with you-’ Rhian began.

‘No.’

Rhian sat back down, hearing the tension in Forrest’s dark voice. 

For the last time, the scene drifted away like clouds and a new scene formed as Amelia started floating in midair for a few seconds, until her feet found the floor. Forrest was in the boy’s bathroom, crying and facing a mirror. Forrest’s hair was dripping wet, so was his face. His eyes were puffy and red and his nose was tipped red as well. Forrest yelled in anger and kicked the door of a toilet. He couldn’t control his body anymore. He smashed the mirror he was facing with his bare fist, sending large glass shards flying above him. One missed his eyes by inches, but caressed near the top left of his forehead, which was now seeping blood down like a waterfall of red. Forrest rubbed his pale face with water again, the mixture of his own blood and water swirling in the sink. The scene vanished, and Amelia felt herself getting lifted up, as though gravity was too weak to hold her down-