In The Woods

Chapter 2

Claudia looked at the clock. 9:46 A.M. She quickly got dresses, putting on a pair of skinny jeans and a red long-sleeve shirt. She dug in her bag to retrieve items for her morning ritual. She did what everyone did during the morning like brushing her hair, brushing her teeth, washing her face, etc.. She then headed downstairs to the kitchen to see Jean cooking pancakes and Cas on his phone. "Claudia! You must be hungry!" Jean chirped as he flipped a pancake.

"Yeah." She says awkwardly as sat down next to Cas, who just glared at her. He was never the same after their parents deaths. Part of Claudia feels like he blames her for their deaths.

"Hey Claudie, you feeling well? You haven't talked much since we got here." Jean asked as he put a pancake on a plate and handed it to her and then repeated the action for Cas. Claudia nodded causing the eldest to sigh. "You've been quiet ever since-"

"Don't even say it!" Cas snapped at the brown haired male.

"Sorry." The eldest apologized. For the rest of the morning the siblings sat in silence.

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Once they all finished their meals, the siblings stacked their plates in the sink. With a friendly smile Jean turned to his younger siblings. "How about we walk the trails today?" He suggested.

"It's cold." Cas bluntly stated while glaring at the brunette male. Jean let out a scoff.

"Then you can stay here." He snapped at his brother before turning to his sister." How about you Claudia?" He beamed at his youngest sibling. Claudia nodded. She needed to ask Jean something anyway, preferably without Cassidy. "Great! Get dressed so we can go!" Claudia ran upstairs to retrieve her red coat and her snow boots, quickly throwing them on before going back down the stairs. She passed Cas, who was sitting on the couch. She gave him a glance before exiting the cabin to meet Jean. The eldest sibling was leaning against the wooden railing of the porch.

"Jean, I need to talk to you about something." She quickly spoke. Jean gave her a confused stare.

"Okay, but why now?" He asked. Claudia let out a sigh and tilted her head sharply towards the cabin. Jean seemed to get the hint and grabbed her wrist. "Got it. Come on now." The two made their way to the trail in woods and as they got closer Claudia felt more uneasy.

"Why does Cas blame me?" She asked her brother as the walked. Jean let out a grunt and shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. He's been so cold after the accident and won't talk to me anymore." He explained as they continued down the trail. The pair were surrounded by snowy trees and rotten logs as they walked. Claudia looked at Jean from the corner of her eye.

"I have another question..." Claudia's hands felt sweaty as she tore her eyes from her brother and looked to her right, to the forest, "Do you ever feel uncomfortable here? Like being watched?"

"This again, Claudia? I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure you're the only one who feels that way about the cabin." Jean said dismissively. Claudia glares up at him and then scoffs.

"It's not even the cabin! It's the woods. And I have the strangest dreams here..." Claudia sighed as she once again looked back to the forest. "Not to mention that little town we have to go through. You know I think there is something going on with that place?"

"Yeah, I will agree with you on that one. They're so secretive and unfriendly feeling." Jean replied.

"They give me the creeps." Claudia shuddered making her brother smirk.

"Maybe they're the ones watching you at night. They're probably are going to break in and kidnap you." Jean joked as he nudged her side.

"Stop!" Claudia whined as she hit him back. A scream rang through the crisp and cold air and it sounded like it was coming from the cabin's direction.

"Cas!" Jean and Claudia gasped in unison. The duo ran as fast as they could back to the cabin, hopping over large branches and ice patches. When they finally reached the cabin, they saw a very angry Cassidy, clutching a strange object. He marched up to his brother and sister and threw it at Jean.

"What the fuck is that?!" He yelled. Jean looked down a the object with confusion.

"I don't know!" The brunette held it out disgusted. "It looks like a goth dreamcatcher or wind chime?" Claudia looked at the object Jean held out with a mixed look of curiosity, disgust, and horror. The object was two antlers twisted and bound together, with the teeth of some carnivorous animal hanging down from it, along with the skulls and feathers of crows or ravens.

"Where did you find it?" Claudia asked Cas who still seemed angry.

"It was hanging from the cabin door. So did you two put it there or not." He growled as he glared at his sister.

"We didn't do it Cassidy." Jean said sternly as he got in front of his youngest sibling. The two brothers glared at each other for a moment before Cas scoffed and turned to go back to the cabin, not saying a word to his brother or sister.

"Come on Claudie, lets toss this out." Jean softly mumbled as he pulled her with him.

"Why is Cas being so cruel? What did I do?" Claudia angrily thought as she was pulled along by her elder sibling.

"I'm sorry Cas is being such a dick." Jean apologized as he tossed the object into the woods.

"It's fine." Claudia replied as she stared at the item that laid in the snow. "What was that anyway?"