Aira stumbled through the undergrowth, branches snapping under her boots. Every direction looked the same—black trees, tangled roots, whispering leaves.
"Zara? Alaric? Josh?"
Her voice cracked, swallowed by the forest's heavy silence.
"Come on, guys, this isn't funny…"
Nothing answered. Not even the wind this time.
Her throat burned from shouting. She turned again—north, maybe? Or was it south? The path she swore she'd just taken was gone, replaced by a wall of trees.
"What the hell…" she muttered, panic prickling under her skin. She kicked a rock and pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. "Okay. Breathe. Just breathe. You'll find them. You just—"
A low voice slid through the air, smooth and infuriatingly familiar.
"You're still lost."
Aira spun around so fast she nearly tripped. There he was—Purple Creep, standing casually between the trees, the faint violet glow of his eyes the only color in the darkness. His expression was unreadable, half bored, half amused.
"You again?!" she snapped. "Do you have to appear like some kind of horror movie ghost every time I think I'm safe?"
"If you were safe, I wouldn't bother." His tone was maddeningly calm. "You really don't listen, do you? The forest doesn't like people like you."
"Oh, and you do?" she shot back, crossing her arms. "Because all you do is show up, vanish, and talk in creepy riddles."
He tilted his head slightly, a smirk ghosting over his lips. "I could leave you here. The forest would finish what it started."
"Wow, thanks," she said, glaring at him. "You're so charming. What are you doing here anyway? Came to laugh at me again?"
"No," he said simply, eyes flicking to the mark on her wrist. "I came because you're still alive. Impressive, considering."
Her pulse jumped. "You—what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're lucky the forest hasn't decided to eat you yet."
"Eat me?" she scoffed. "You're making this up."
He didn't answer. Instead, he took a slow step forward, and the vines that had been writhing near her feet quietly stilled. The realization made her chest tighten.
"You really think you can just show up and act mysterious?" she said finally, voice trembling more than she wanted it to. "I'm not scared of you."
"Then you're even dumber than I thought," he murmured, glancing away. "Come on. I'll guide you out before the forest decides it wants to keep you."
"Excuse me?" she frowned. "I didn't ask for your help."
"And yet you're still lost," he replied coolly. "So unless you'd rather keep yelling at trees, follow me."
She hesitated—her pride screaming no, her fear screaming yes. With a frustrated sigh, she followed him, muttering,
"You're unbelievable."
"I've been called worse," he said dryly.
They walked in uneasy silence, branches crunching underfoot. Every few steps, she glanced at him—his all-black clothes, his unearthly stillness, the faint glow in his eyes that made the shadows seem alive around him.
"Hey," she said finally. "You said you're not connected to Sunny, right?"
He didn't look at her. "I'm not."
"Then why did I see you in the principal's office?" she pressed. "I saw those images—those projections—of you standing behind her. You knew her."
He stopped walking for a second, his expression tightening almost imperceptibly.
"I was in the library," he admitted after a pause. "We talked. That's all."
"About what?" she asked sharply.
"That," he said, glancing at her with a faint smirk, "is none of your concern."
"You're lying."
"Believe what you want," he said. "But I'm not the one who took her."
Aira's eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"
"If I knew," he said quietly, "I wouldn't still be here."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
They walked a few more steps before she asked softly,
"Is Sunny here? In this forest?"
He didn't answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"She's not."
"How do you know that?"
He turned to face her fully now, violet eyes glinting through the mist.
"Because I would know if she was."
Aira froze, not sure why those words made her chest tighten.
But before she could ask anything else, he was gone again. Just—gone. Like the air had swallowed him whole.
"Purple Creep!" she shouted into the trees. "Do you ever stay in one place?!"
Her voice echoed back, hollow and mocking.
"…creep…creep…creep…"
And then the forest went still again.
Aira stumbled through the undergrowth, branches snapping under her boots. Every direction looked the same—black trees, tangled roots, whispering leaves.
"Zara? Alaric? Josh?"
Her voice cracked, swallowed by the forest's heavy silence.
"Come on, guys, this isn't funny…"
Nothing answered. Not even the wind this time.
Her throat burned from shouting. She turned again—north, maybe? Or was it south? The path she swore she'd just taken was gone, replaced by a wall of trees.
"What the hell…" she muttered, panic prickling under her skin. She kicked a rock and pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. "Okay. Breathe. Just breathe. You'll find them. You just—"
A low voice slid through the air, smooth and infuriatingly familiar.
"You're still lost."
Aira spun around so fast she nearly tripped. There he was—Purple Creep, standing casually between the trees, the faint violet glow of his eyes the only color in the darkness. His expression was unreadable, half bored, half amused.
"You again?!" she snapped. "Do you have to appear like some kind of horror movie ghost every time I think I'm safe?"
"If you were safe, I wouldn't bother." His tone was maddeningly calm. "You really don't listen, do you? The forest doesn't like people like you."
"Oh, and you do?" she shot back, crossing her arms. "Because all you do is show up, vanish, and talk in creepy riddles."
He tilted his head slightly, a smirk ghosting over his lips. "I could leave you here. The forest would finish what it started."
"Wow, thanks," she said, glaring at him. "You're so charming. What are you doing here anyway? Came to laugh at me again?"
"No," he said simply, eyes flicking to the mark on her wrist. "I came because you're still alive. Impressive, considering."
Her pulse jumped. "You—what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're lucky the forest hasn't decided to eat you yet."
"Eat me?" she scoffed. "You're making this up."
He didn't answer. Instead, he took a slow step forward, and the vines that had been writhing near her feet quietly stilled. The realization made her chest tighten.
"You really think you can just show up and act mysterious?" she said finally, voice trembling more than she wanted it to. "I'm not scared of you."
"Then you're even dumber than I thought," he murmured, glancing away. "Come on. I'll guide you out before the forest decides it wants to keep you."
"Excuse me?" she frowned. "I didn't ask for your help."
"And yet you're still lost," he replied coolly. "So unless you'd rather keep yelling at trees, follow me."
She hesitated—her pride screaming no, her fear screaming yes. With a frustrated sigh, she followed him, muttering,
"You're unbelievable."
"I've been called worse," he said dryly.
They walked in uneasy silence, branches crunching underfoot. Every few steps, she glanced at him—his all-black clothes, his unearthly stillness, the faint glow in his eyes that made the shadows seem alive around him.
"Hey," she said finally. "You said you're not connected to Sunny, right?"
He didn't look at her. "I'm not."
"Then why did I see you in the principal's office?" she pressed. "I saw those images—those projections—of you standing behind her. You knew her."
He stopped walking for a second, his expression tightening almost imperceptibly.
"I was in the library," he admitted after a pause. "We talked. That's all."
"About what?" she asked sharply.
"That," he said, glancing at her with a faint smirk, "is none of your concern."
"You're lying."
"Believe what you want," he said. "But I'm not the one who took her."
Aira's eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"
"If I knew," he said quietly, "I wouldn't still be here."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
They walked a few more steps before she asked softly,
"Is Sunny here? In this forest?"
He didn't answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"She's not."
"How do you know that?"
He turned to face her fully now, violet eyes glinting through the mist.
"Because I would know if she was."
Aira froze, not sure why those words made her chest tighten.
But before she could ask anything else, he was gone again. Just—gone. Like the air had swallowed him whole.
"Purple Creep!" she shouted into the trees. "Do you ever stay in one place?!"
Her voice echoed back, hollow and mocking.
"…creep…creep…creep…"
And then the forest went still again.