I woke up in the middle of the forest surrounded by skyscraper tall trees. The nut brown trees lashed and crushed against each other like drumsticks. I could feel the oak beneath my fingers and the sun upon my face. "How did I get here?" I wondered. My body felt numb and my head was heavy. At first, I thought it was just a dream but the fresh organic smell of the forest reassured me it wasn't.

I leaned on a tree as I tried to lift myself up. I could feel the sun burning through my skin and the birds singing in and out of their pennyroyal. I had never seen a forest like this in our town. It was crystal clear that I was stranded in the middle of nowhere.. but how? I tried recollecting my thoughts but the only thing I could remember was waiting at the bus stop. Clearly, my blank memory wasn't going to help me out of this. 

Even more confusing, was that I was dressed in a completely different attire. I had a hooded cloak on and a dagger tied up to my pants. The smell of blood lingered on my black top which was partly torn on my torso.

Twigs crunched under my feet as I walked endlessly trying to find a way out. The serene environment was overwhelming and the more I walked, the more I felt lost. I was at the prick of losing hope when I heard someone approaching.

"Excuse me lady, are you okay?" a calm voice spoke from behind. I turned around quickly as a ray of hope flashed in my eyes. It was a boy who was seemingly my age. He wore a dirty white long sleeve shirt and baggy black trousers with sandals. Part of his shoulder length black hair covered the left side of his face and the rest was tied up in a ponytail. His facial features were distinct and his black eyes complimented his hair and his fairly white skin tone. He seemed harmless.

"N...nn..no am not. Can you please h...help me fi...find my way home?" I stammered. He moved a little bit closer and glared at me for a while. I could feel his eyes studying me like an open book.

"Where are you from?" his eyes narrowed like that of a fox. My muscles stiffened as I moved a step backwards. He was probably starting to suspect that something was off about me. "Have I landed in a different world or time?" I thought. What was I supposed to tell him? I took a deep breath.

"Actually... I don't know," I said, rubbing my head. "I just woke up here with no memory of how it happened.”

His facial expressions straightened. He silently stood there as if digesting the information then unhurriedly turned away as if ignoring my existence.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”  He answered while still walking away. 

“Remember never to trust strangers honey.” Mom's voice boomed in my head as I watched him walk away. Only that in this scenario, I was the stranger and he probably didn't trust me.

 "Well if you really don't have somewhere to go you can follow me. The woods can be dangerous at night,”  he cut short my thoughts as he surprisingly turned to face me from a distance.

I stared at him with confusion, taken aback by his willingness to help a stranger like me. As much as I didn't expect it, it was comforting to know that good souls still existed. I let out a deep sigh of relief as I thanked him.

"I apologize for my lack of manners, my name is Kai," he said with a broad smile that warmed my heart. "That's a...nice name," I replied. 

"What about you?" he asked.

"I...I don't re...remember," I answered, trying to put up my act.

"Hmm," he paused for a moment in front of me. "Well, I can give you a name," he then turned to face me.

"A name?" my eyes widened.

"Yes, a name. Let's call you....Nyssa," he said, reaching out his hand to grab mine.  “What do you think about that?”

“Well, I'm definitely not your pet so you can't just name me!” At least that's how it played in my mind but at the moment I could only feel his pearly black eyes stare at me. I stammered as the words came out of my mouth.

"Ny..Nyssa.. That's a sweet name," I said, slowly withdrawing my hand. “But why that name?”

"Umm, sorry about that," he chuckled and looked forward trying to escape the awkward situation he had caused.

"You kind of look like someone I once knew. That's why, I gave you that name," his shoulders shrugged as he walked. I could tell that whoever she was, she must have been important to him. My curiosity was driving me to ask more questions but I restrained myself with the fear that it was probably a sensitive topic for him.

***************************

We arrived at a quiet small town that he called his home. It was already dark and most people had retired to go back to their homes. When we got to his house, he introduced me to his grandmother and little brother Levi.

"Hey, big brother,"Levi whispered as he pulled Kai towards him,"doesn't she look too pretty to be a commo...," Henry quickly silenced him with his elbow, "Quiet down, you fool" he whispered, leaving his brother growling in pain. I giggled as I watched them.

They stayed in a small house made of timber and their grandmother took care of them. Kai explained to them about the state he found me in and his grandmother seemed to have some answers.

"There is no doubt it's forbidden magic," she said with a grumpy tone. 

"Forbidden magic?" I leaned closer.

"Most people don't know about it because it's forbidden," Kai added.

"Yes, the only people who may even have access to it are the royal family," his grandmother said as she stood up.

"B...but..but why would they use it on me? And what is this... royal family?" I asked desperately. I needed to find a way out of this world but to do that, I had to know how I got here.

His grandmother sighed and her eyebrows narrowed. "Isn't it weird how you don't know anything about this place?" she said as her soul staring eyes met mine. I quickly looked away as sweat pricked my skin. She grinned and was just about to walk away when I stopped her.

"Look, I'm telling the truth..I can't recall anything about this place. I need you to help me." I clutched my cloak tightly as I struggled to hold back my tears. I could tell that she didn't trust me and was probably thinking of throwing me out.

After a long irritating silence, she finally spoke. "Okay then, I'll tell you tomorrow. For now, get some rest, it's already late."

My heart leapt with joy after hearing her words. Kai spread a mat for me on the floor. Although I was more at ease now, I couldn't get myself to sleep. 

I tossed and turned on my mat. Something was still bothering me. "How the hell did I get here?" Did I die and land here? It was just yesterday when I was at the bus stop crying and wishing to...wishing to...

"Wait!" I quickly sat on my mat as something suddenly dawned on me. I picked the pocket watch up and opened it. Its crystal had a crack and the watch was no longer operating. My eyes widened and I struggled to swallow my beating heart. How and when did it crack? Does this watch have something to do with this?