been allowed to run that far before. Dad said it wasn’t safe.
If I hadn’t been so preoccupied, I’d probably have been afraid—heading to the forks, on foot, by myself, after dark, no one aware of my whereabouts. But before I had time to dwell on it, I was there, just over an hour after I’d left my driveway.
The forks lay under the shroud of a heavy mist; the air was so humid I could almost taste the fallen leaves from the forest floor, just a few yards away. I searched the dark, foggy roadside as best I could in the darkness, but saw no evidence of Derek or his bike.
I was acutely disappointed that he hadn’t shown. I wondered if he’d changed his mind. I walked a little ways up first one fork then back down and up the other. Still no Derek.
I was back at the fork, standing in the middle of the road, debating what to do, when I heard the snap of some twigs in the woods a few feet from where I was.
I was instantly alert and alarmed. I couldn’t see a thing, I hadn’t found Derek and I was all by myself. I stood motionless, listening closely for the sound, but I heard nothing. Once more, the woods were quiet.
A couple of minutes later, after I’d convinced myself it was just some sort of forest creature moving about, my heart returned to a more normal pace. Calmly, I was considering turning and running home when I heard another snap. Then another. I tipped my head and listened hard, trying to triangulate the sound. When I fixed its position, I turned to face it. Straining, I looked deep into the trees and their inky shadows, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the edge of the woods.
Then, just like I’d seen in my dream, a face appeared in the darkness. It was the same girl. Her eyes were like hollow pits in her pale face. Her red hair floated out around her as if she were suspended in the mist. Her lips, so like my own, were twisted into a cold smile and she beckoned me.
Another snap sounded then I saw Derek’s face push through the mist and the girl dissolved in the air like smoke in the wind. I closed my eyes in relief, letting it flood my body and flow into my tense muscles.
“What were you staring at?”
“N-nothing,” I hedged, opening my eyes. “I didn’t think you were here. Where’s your motorcycle?”
“Further up the road, behind a tree,” he said as he turned and walked back into the forest. When he had disappeared into the trees, I heard his disembodied voice call out, “You coming?”
I stared at the spot where I’d last seen him and the girl, thoughts of a brutal death in the woods drifting through my mind. After all, I barely knew this guy. I mean, he was in my dreams (and not in a good way), he’d shown up at two different places I’d been like he was stalking me, and he’d been feeding me unbelievable lines about curses and the ability to start fires. And he chose the forks as a meeting place. None of it boded well. And yet…
Despite all the troublesome circumstances, my feet were moving to follow him even before I was finished reeling off reasons I should turn around and go home. I had already decided I was going to get to the bottom of this, consequences be damned. Turns out whatever was happening to me was turning me into quite the rebellious risk-taker.
I stepped into the shadows, barely able to see his silhouette enough to follow him. “Wait!”
Ahead I heard a frustrated sigh, but the sounds of his movements through the branches and underbrush stopped.
“You need to be able to move around in the dark. It can be a handicap if you can’t,” he said, the clarity of his voice indicating that he’d turned toward me.
“Why do I need to be able to walk in the woods at night? Is there a lot of occupational need for that?”
“Listen smart-a—“
“Just kidding. Geez,” I said.
“Watch it,” he snapped, turning to continue on once I’d nearly reached him.
He walked a bit more slowly and we made our way further and further into the mountains. The damp, cool air nipped at my nose and cheeks and my fingers were getting very cold. I didn’t see much because my eyes were trained either on Derek’s back or the ground at my