Chapter Four

I woke the next morning with a raging headache. The details of the previous night were blurry. I showered and took some pain medication for the headache. Dakota came up and nudged my leg. I grabbed a backpack and shoved a few snacks into it. After a moment's thought, I grab a tennis ball as well. I closed the back door behind me and we headed out into the woods.

Dakota ran ahead, bouncing around the trees. It brought a smile to my face. I jogged along behind her. After an hour or so we came to a small clearing. The trees opened above, letting the sun shine down. I sat down and pulled the snacks from my bag. Dakota came over, sniffing for food. I dumped out some kibble in a dish and pushed it towards her. She happily snarfed it down.

Birds were singing over head. I sat there for a while just listening. It was peaceful and pushed away all the anxiety of the upcoming school year. I pondered that thought for a moment. High school, senior year, and I was the new kid. My best friend was on the other side of the country. The loneliness began to creep over me. I knew I was making friends but something just seemed off.

I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Quickly wiping it away, I laughed. Who was I hiding it from? The trees? It was stupid but I felt silly. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Amber's number.

Voicemail. "Sorry I missed you, you know what to do." Beep. Just the sound of her voice broke the floodgates

"Hey girl" I said through the tears. "I miss you so much. Uh, call me when you get the chance. I just um, I need a shoulder to cry on." I finished with a laugh and hung up. The phone fell in my lap. Dakota had curled up next to me, her head on my knee. She looked up at me with sad eyes. "Yea you miss her too." I gently patted her head.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Glancing upward I didn't see any birds. There was no singing. Dakota whined and looked around. I gathered my things and zipped my backpack closed. Dakota was already on her feet as I stood up. I began walking but stopped when I heard a twig snap.

A guy stepped out from behind a nearby tree, hands in plain sight. "I didn't mean to scare you" He said. "I thought you heard me coming." His smile was cute and slightly boyish.

"Uh, sorry" I realized I still had tears on my face and swiped them away. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Hey are you okay?" He came closer and I got the feeling that we knew each other, but I couldn't remember who he was.

"I'm sorry" I crossed my arms. "I know that I know you, but.."

"You don't know" His smile was heart-meltingly satisfying. "It's, uh, okay. I figured that you were pretty far gone last night."

"Last night?" I let the memories seep back in. The drinking and dancing, then the cliff jumping. "Derek right?" I knew I got it right when his smile widened.

"Yea, guess you weren't that drunk."

"No, I totally was" I said with a laugh. "I barely remember anything and I have the hangover to prove it." My head was pounding again.

"I bet, you should probably go lie down and rest." He said putting an arm around me. "Come on, I'll walk you home." I nodded in agreement, making the ache worse.

Derek laughed and kept the conversation going. We talked about Oregon, where I was from. He asked about the life and friends I had left behind. Then he asked about my family. I stayed quiet.

"I'm sorry" He said. "I didn't know it was a tough subject.."

"It's alright" I said. "Mom my died when I was little. It's just me and dad now."

"That's rough" Derek pulled his arm back as we reached the back patio of my house. He stood there, just watching me. A smile crept over his face, he leaned in, and kissed me. I was so shocked I just stood there like an idiot. Stepping back he laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself." He smiled again.

"I - uh, don't be," I stumbled over the words. "I just- I wasn't expecting...that"

"Don't worry about it" He brushed it off like it was nothing. "I'll see you around." Derek jogged off into the woods the way we had come. Part of me felt like a giddy school girl standing on the patio watching after him, hoping that… hoping what? That he would turn are, pull me in his arms and plant another one on me? That was wishful thinking.

I let Dakota in the house, then followed inside. The house was empty and quiet. That was the worst part of it just being me and dad. Though he tried, he couldn't make it feel like home like mom could. I laid on the couch and turned the TV on. Dakota curled up on the other end and went to sleep right away. I drifted in and out for a couple hours before I finally fell asleep.

Nightmares captured me right away. Death surrounded me everywhere. Around every corner there was a body, covered in blood. Painful and slow deaths they were. Feeling sick to my stomach, I stumbled a tad light-headed. I looked down, a knife in my hand, blood soaking my clothes. My mouth opened to scream but nothing came out, like there was no air around me. In front of me was a cracked and dirty mirror, but it wasn't my reflection I was seeing, not exactly. It looked like me, but cold and dark, like I had no soul.

There as someone else in the reflection. A young boy, maybe three or four years old. He seemed out of place in this horrific scene. I turned around, but he was gone. I called out as I was being pulled away.

My phone pulled me from that awful dream. At first I was confused because it felt so real. I looked down and saw Amber's face on my phone.

"Hello" I said, groggy and exhausted.

"Hello to you too, did you just wake up?" Amber said

"Yea, I was taking a nap. Ya know being hungover as hell will do that ya." I sat up and turned the TV off.

"Wait, you hungover? That means you had to get drunk first and I just can't imagine that." She was laughing.

"It's good to hear your laugh, I miss you so much." I knew that she missed me just as much and not matter how many times we said it, nothing would change. "Ber, there's something I gotta tell you." She waited patiently for me to continue. "You remember Shane Taylor?"

"The guy that was practically your big brother, then went psycho, ya of course."

"He's here, I saw him last night."

"What!" I clearly had her attention now. "Ava you need to tell your dad, or the cops, or someone. What happened last time was no joke and he is seriously messed up. Promise me you'll stay away from him? Promise?"

"Yes, of course." I said. "He hasn't come near me yet." I thought about last night and tried to remember, I had seen him on the beach but that was it right? "I'll tell dad if anything happens, but I don't want to worry him incase I was wrong and it was actually someone else."

"Fine" I laughed at her stubbornness "Look, I miss you bunches, but I gotta go. Text me." Click.

I had barely set my phone down when there was a knock at the front door. It took me a minute to finish waking up and make it to the door. Nathan was standing outside with coffee and donuts.

"You know it's like the middle of the afternoon right?" I said motioning for him to come in.

"Not when you are as hungover as you are. I figured you wouldn't be up till about now. You were pretty far gone last night." He set the bag on the coffee table and handed me the cup. I sipped the hot liquid and let it warm me all the way to my toes.

"Actually I was up early this morning, even took Dakota on a hike through the woods." I sat back on the couch and shoved my blankets to the side.

"You were out in the woods, alone?" He seemed concerned.

"What is it with you guys and being in the woods? It's not like something is gonna eat me." I had meant it as a joke but he took it seriously.

"Something might eat you if you're out there alone." He said.

"Like what a bear?" I said "Why are you being so serious? You were much more fun last night."

"Last night?" Nathan was genuinely confused and I didn't understand why. "How much of last night do you remember?"

"I remember the beach, dancing and drinking, then we went cliff jumping and the rest is a blur."

"Do you remember meeting anyone knew last night?" He sat on the couch next to me.

"Yea actually, I ran into him in the woods. His name is Derek" I watched as Nathan's fist clenched and released. The worry left his face. "Why the interrogation?" I asked.

"Uh, no reason" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. "Things can get kinda messed up at the beach party."

"Oh" I said. "I'm gonna grab a glass of water, you want one?" He nodded as I got up and headed to the kitchen. I dropped the empty coffee cup in the garbage and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. Once filled with water I turned to head back to the living room and stopped in my tracks. There on the other side of my patio door was Shane. He just stood there, staring at me. A smile slowly crept across his face.

The glasses slipped from my hands and shattered on the floor. Not only did he follow me across the country, but he knew where I lived. Then it hit me, he pulled me from the water or had he pulled me under in the first place? I was shaking, glancing down at the broken glass.

"Avery?" Nathan was beside me within a few seconds of the glass breaking. He gently touched my shoulder, trying to get my attention. I looked at Nathan, then back to the patio door. Shane was gone. "You okay?" Nathan asked.

"I-I thought I saw something." I knelt down and started picking up the glass. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I didn't let them escape. "They must have slipped" I muttered. We got the glass cleaned up and floor dried.

"I guess I should be going" Nathan headed for the front door.

"No" The word came out before I could stop it. I was terrified to be home alone and dad wouldn't be back for hours still. Nathan stopped and looked at me, waiting. "I uh.." How did I explain that my psycho ex-best friend was trying to kill me again without sounding crazy? "This is gonna sound stupid, but last night was the first time I got drunk...and I've been seeing things that aren't really there." He tilted his head to the side and gave me a funny look.

"Seeing things?" He said.

"Ugh, I know how it sounds, but I think maybe I hit my head when I jumped off the cliff last night. I don't really know. I just don't feel like being alone all day."

Nathan laughed. "Why don't you come stay at my house for the day?" He had that brotherly affect on me and it reminded me so much of Shane. "Besides I think Casey likes you."

"Oh, there's something that you should know." I grabbed my purse as we headed for the door. "I don't exactly remember anything that happened last night after I jumped off the cliff."

"Like anything?" He held the door for me.

"Nothing" I locked up behind us and headed for his car.

"Well this should be interesting." He drove us across town.