Into the Woods: An Equilibriai Short

Lagom
Elan
Elan Woods
xxxx, X.X.

Marguerite Russet peeked from behind her mother’s back. Her mother was trying to console another woman with blonde hair, attempting to get her hopes up. “Now, let’s not get too anxious. I’m sure Skylar is just as afraid as you are, you have to be brave for her,” Vera Russet urged. Sniffing, the blonde woman managed a small nod. Vera clasped a hand on Adelaide Viridia’s shoulder.

The only child shyly came forward. Vera noticed. “Marguerite, I thought I told you to stay home?” she scolded gently. Marguerite looked down, kicking at air.

“Sorry,” she murmured. Adelaide blinked and looked down, seeing the only daughter of the Russet’s. “What’s happening, mama?”

“It’s nothing you should worry about,” Vera attempted, but Marguerite frowned this time. “Marguerite, you should go back.”

The girl’s tangerine eyes didn’t falter. “Okay, mama.” She bowed to Adelaide and began to walk away, Vera sighing yet smiling a little at the form of her retreating daughter.

“Marguerite, honestly…”Adelaide gave a watery smile and opened her mouth, but her eyes widened in shock. “Adelaide?”

“V-Vera, your daughter – someone, stop her! Please!” Adelaide gasped. Vera turned at the last moment, seeing a faint flash of brown hair disappear into the bushes and possibly enter the woods. A rush of cold settled on Vera’s spine and she sped after her daughter, Adelaide quick to follow.

“Marguerite! Marguerite! Marguerite Russet, come back this instant!”

Marguerite ignored her mother’s calls, making her way deeper and deeper.

Based on what the eight-year-old girl heard, she was able to deduce that the daughter of Adelaide Viridia had managed to disappear. Pushing her apprehensions away, she paused in the middle and stared around her. Trees of various sizes and scents surrounded her, and she felt the slightest trace of fear. Not wanting that to hinder her, Marguerite took a hesitant step forward.

“H-Hey…whoever you are? Your mama’s looking for you, and she’s really afraid…” Marguerite scrunched up her face, trying to remember the name of the child. “Skylar? It’s Skylar, right?”

There was no reply.

Frustrated, Marguerite begin to wander in circles. She used the footprints she left as markers and walked, calling the name of the girl named Skylar. “Skylar! Skylar,” the brunette called. “Please come out,” she begged. “I don’t know you, but it would be really bad if you stayed here…”

The more Marguerite walked, the darker the sky seemed to get. This unfazed her a little bit. As the minutes went on, the child found herself start to tire. Marguerite rubbed her face and eventually sat against a tree, glumly putting resting her chin on her knees.

“I don’t know where she is,” she sighed. “Oh no…what if she was able to get out – what if I’m the one who’s missing this time?” Marguerite panicked. She stood at once, fuelled by a fearful determination to get out as much as possible. The thought of Skylar actually out of the woods made her want to get out as well–

–and Marguerite found herself hearing the sound of someone sniffling.

Blinking, Marguerite peeked behind the tree she sat against.

To her surprise, a blonde girl was seated right there. She had hidden her face with her hair, and Marguerite could make out the tremble of her shoulders as she sniffled and started to whimper. For a moment, she wasn’t able to think of anything or even say something.

It was only when the girl, Skylar, began to cry was Marguerite able to gather her thoughts. Moving slowly, she crouched a little and slowly put a hand on Skylar’s shoulder, just as she saw her mother do some time before. The girl jumped and hid herself even more, and Marguerite bit the inside of her cheek.

What should I say? How can I not scare her away?

“Hey…”

“Mama?” the blonde whimpered out. Marguerite began to shake her head, but realized that Skylar couldn’t see.

“No…I’m not your mama.” The smaller girl then uncovered her face and looked up, tangerine eyes meeting a pair of jades. Her face filled with fear.

“W-Who are you?”

“My name is Marguerite Russet,” Marguerite replied. She let go of Skylar’s shoulder momentarily to fish around in her pocket; Skylar watched with confused eyes and a wet face. The other eventually took out a soft orange handkerchief and used it to wipe the other’s face; Skylar nearly flinched. “My mama and your mama are worried…they’re looking for you outside the woods,” Marguerite explained.

“M-Mama is afraid?” the brunette nodded. “Mama…”

“I can bring you back!” she pushed the handkerchief into Skylar’s hands and Marguerite pulled her up, Skylar nearly stumbling as she did. “I know the way back to the entrance. Hopefully,” Marguerite finished hesitantly. Seeing the fearful look return to Skylar’s face, however, she added rather hastily, “W-Which I do! I know the way out, believe me!”

“I guess…” Skylar held tightly to the handkerchief. Marguerite paused for a moment and then extended her hand, taking Skylar’s.

“My mama holds my hand when I’m afraid,” Marguerite explained. Skylar managed to nod shyly in response.

“Mine does that, too…”

“See? It’ll be okay,” Marguerite reassured. “Trust me. I’ll get us out of here.”

“…do you promise?” the Russet daughter blinked and tilted her head. Soon, she smiled and squeezed Skylar’s hand.

“I promise.”

* * * * *

Vera ran a hand through her long brown hair, Adelaide hanging back and keeping her glum eyes on the woods. A team had already been dispatched to search for the two missing girls. Adelaide felt a slash of guilt pass through her as she thought of Vera’s daughter, wandering alone in a probable attempt to look for Skylar.

As if she could read Adelaide’s thoughts, Vera offered her a faint smile. “Adelaide. Please don’t blame yourself for Marguerite. She’s…always been a rowdy, energetic girl.”

“If Skylar hadn’t gone into the woods, Marguerite wouldn’t be missing,” Adelaide defended. Her expression filled with worry once more. “She wouldn’t…” Vera was about to reply when Harlene Viridia rushed to her mother, looking afraid but definitely more put together than her mother. “Harlene?”

“They should come out, mama. They’d look for a way,” she argued. Adelaide sighed and Vera managed to smile a little more. “Skylar wouldn’t stay in there for too long – why did she even go in the first place?”

“Flower-picking,” her mother replied weakly. “Since the flowers in our garden aren’t in bloom. She knew that the flowers in the woods were more abundant.” Harlene groaned and Vera stayed silent, hoping for the best.

She nearly jumped in surprise at Harlene’s sudden shout.

“They’re here! Skylar and Marguerite!” Instantly, both mothers rushed towards the woods entrance, where a man was gently escorting the two children out. Despite their safety, Marguerite wasn’t letting go. Neither was Skylar.

“See?” the two women heard, “I told you we’d get out.” Vera snatched up Marguerite while Adelaide took Skylar, both mothers bearing different reactions to the return of their children.

“Marguerite! Why did you rush into the woods?” Vera asked angrily. Despite her mother’s tone, Marguerite refused to back down.

“Skylar was missing! No one was finding her, so I took care of it! See, Skylar’s okay – she was crying when I found her, but I made sure she stopped crying. We even held hands like what both of us do when I’m afraid, mama,” Marguerite defended. Vera simmered down and sighed, ruffling her daughter’s hair.

“Marguerite…that is impossibly kind of you. But next time, don’t rush in just like that,” she scolded gently. Marguerite nodded, yet Vera noticed her sneaking looks to the blonde trio.

“Why did you just stumble in there, Skye?” Harlene asked. Skye blinked and looked down, remembering something as she saw the small, cream-colored pouch she had by her waist. “Skye?”

“W-Wait,” she told her mother and sister, shaking them off and running to Marguerite. Vera took a step back and watched along with Harlene and Adelaide. “Marguerite?”

“Skylar?” Marguerite blinked as Skylar took something out of her pouch. “What do you have there?” the blonde looked down at her hands and then managed a tiny smile, sliding it onto the brunette’s wrist. “What…?”

“I went to the woods to find flowers,” Skylar admitted. She was looking away, embarrassed. “The ones in our gardent are few. I wanted to make mama flower bracelets because it’s her birthday tomorrow.” Hearing this a few feet away, Adelaide’s gaze softened. “I…made a lot. I thought…you could have this. Because you saved me,” she mumbled.

Marguerite looked at her right wrist. It was a simple flower chain consisting of small white flowers and slightly bigger orange ones – but despite the simplicity of it, she couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto her face.

“I like it, Skylar – I really like it,” Marguerite said sincerely. “Thank you.”

“Y-You do?”

“Yeah – can you teach me how to make one? They’re really pretty,” the taller gushed. Skylar’s look of confusion turned into one of happiness and she nodded, excitedly telling the other that she could teach her any time.

As the two chatted, Vera approached Adelaide and Harlene. Harlene looked amused at the sight of the two younger children. “So maybe Marguerite running off had its own advantages,” Vera mused. Adelaide smiled in return.

“You can say that.”

Together, they watched as Skylar showed the rest of the bracelets she had made. Marguerite looked on with interest.

But it didn’t stop her from feeling a sense of joy when she saw her own.