– Just a few words," said Thea.

– Don't just stand there! Go on, go first.

– Why should I? You go first.

– Are you weak? I'm not! " Evie stepped onto the dark grass. Thea didn't hesitate to follow, because neither of them could do it alone.

Niels ran to his lesson and thought about the wonderful girl he had seen for only a few brief moments. For some reason, at that very moment his pulse increased twice as much, and his cheeks turned as red as the ripe tomatoes that grew in his mother's small garden at home. What if this… no, it couldn't be. Love… what a silly word! Childish and naive. Niels knew long ago that it doesn't exist. That people are just doing their duty. But, on the other hand, what was there to live for? Just to exist and then die? What's the point?

Niels took out his cell phone and turned on the selfie-camera: his red hair was standing on end from running fast, his green eyes were empty, his face was covered with moles and pimples, and there was a strange stamp of longing on his face. No, no one will want him. He will spend his life in a lonely house on the edge of the Earth, unless, of course, before that he died in battle. But what kind of battle? Would he ever be? Niels knew that love at first sight was impossible, but as long as he lived here and studied in the City, he should learn as much as he could about who Louise was.

– What? I don't know any Louise. You must have been dreaming," Mrs. Mountain told her son Niels three hours later, after he had told her about meeting the girl from the Forests and Steppes.

– She lives there, on the other side of the border. Can I go there?

– No way, you're not making that up! What if your father finds out? What do you think, a girl?

– I'm sixteen now, Mom. That's quite an advanced age," the boy said calmly.

– I realize you're a teenager. But life has its own rules.

– I know, I know.

Niels was somehow calm, although his whole body was still throbbing. Somewhere in the world, there's Louise. Louise in a gray dress and a basket in her hands. With long blonde hair and big glassy eyes. Like something out of a fairy tale. Maybe it was – Niels had just fallen into a fairy tale that had lived nearby all these years? Now he would do the routine things, but he would go to bed early – tomorrow is the first day of duty. He'll have to put on a uniform with a uniform coat. He'll probably even be given a horse. Or just put him in a tank, as is proper in our world. He will be a knight, but a real one – now he has someone to protect. Niels forgot to think about the fact that soon his father would come home and demand an explanation. For everything. For everything in the young man's life, no matter what he did. He had also forgotten about his comrades, whom it was good to remember. His eyes closed on their own.

– Where are we?!" Roxy shouted in confusion, finding herself alone with Edol in the suffocating darkness. He may have been a great guy, but he was useless as a warrior.

– I don't know. It's dark.

– Get me out of here! " the girl began to lose patience. After all, she was a simple high school student, albeit obsessed with fashion and boys, but certainly not with old fairy tales. That's not her thing.

– Easy. Let's take a step back," Edol suggested, giving Roxy a hand so she wouldn't trip.

– Careful, you! My manicure! …

– Shh! Freeze!

– What is it again?" she asked unhappily, but she didn't have to wait for an answer, as branches began to wrap themselves around the bodies of the two teenagers. Or it was vines. You couldn't tell in the dark. Something had caught them. And wanted to devour them. It was a tree, but it wasn't just any tree – it was the Ruler of the Forest. Humans have done a lot of damage, not just to this place, but to the planet. And you have to get your strength from somewhere.

– Aaaaaaah, save me!" Roxy frantically panted and waved her arms. Edol, on the other hand, tried to remain calm, even though it looked like they were in trouble. The tree was stronger than they were.

Then the guys heard voices. As it turned out, they belonged to Roxy's friends, Evie and Thea. The girls also stepped into the Forest and fell into the clutches of the Tree. Well, more precisely, the branches. The situation seemed hopeless – who could help them and explain to the tree who was the boss? There was darkness all around and not a single living soul (at least not a human one). The "brave" four couldn't think of anything better than to start screaming together. Yelling. Swear a little – teachers or parents surely wouldn't recognize it.

The end would have been near, but, as it should, a miracle happened, arriving just in time: for a moment the darkness was illuminated by a bright white flash, and the children could see something marvelous. It was the wings of a butterfly. The tiny butterfly, like an intercessor, flew past the children and approached the tree. Then it began to flap its wings quickly, like a hummingbird. Waves invisible to the ordinary eye began to emanate from them (but the children were in a magical place!), as if attacking the mighty tree. Of course, nothing terrible happened to it, but the careless schoolchildren were released. The silhouette of the butterfly disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

It took Roxy, Evie, Thea, and Edol about a few seconds to realize what had actually happened to them. Everyone was intact – alive and well. Who had saved them? No one knew. It couldn't have been an ordinary butterfly – an insect weighing little more than a gram? Then who? Or what? This place was clearly home to powerful forces beyond the reach and control of man. Evil dwelt here. And evil has no place in this world. At least not in the City. We have to save him. Warn the others. Call for help. Gather an army and defeat the monsters. If necessary, raze all the Forests and Steppes to the ground. Or lower.

– Shall we go back? " Roxy was the first to speak, as expected.

– What was that?" Edol asked, scratching the back of his head.

– We failed the mission, you oaf! " Roxy shouted at him. How could she, a real star, successful in everything, screw up? Not catch a single scary beast? She was loved, no, just adored by the whole school, and she chickened out! They can't let that go!

– I remember the old woman," Evie said slowly, almost syllabically.

– What? Nonsense We were in the forest," Roxy countered.

– You were the first to set foot in it, and Thea and I were here for a while," Evie explained. – Right, Thea?

– Uh-huh," she mumbled. As before, so now, you couldn't get many words out of her. "And who are they all – just a bunch of losers!"

– Anyway, listen," Edol said, – there's no point in us staying here. We've got to go home – no, we'd better go to the police. They'll come and arrest these vile creatures.

– Yeah, and let them get what they deserve. Kick them, and kick them hard!" that thought didn't seem so stupid to Roxy.

– Let's get out of here before it gets dark," Evie was drawn toward the house, toward the chips on the shelf and the phone charger.

– Okay, let's go.

The four started back the way they'd come. Their journey had been almost useless, but now they had a purpose: to find and kill evil monsters. Better than cramming for algebra and geometry exams.