Chapter 1

YEAR 1:

Date: Saturday, July 3, 2011. Camp Vandimere, NC.

    Tears rolled down her face. “ I’m going to miss you.”

    I choked on my words. “ I’m going to miss you, too.”

    It was the last day of camp. I would be heading home soon, and so would she. She as in Megan. Megan Duncan. A thirteen year old girl with lengthy, curly blond hair, tall, hazel brown and green eyes, a beautiful singing voice, an unassured stance, and a shaky smile. She took deep breaths, trying not to cry. Four days with each other at camp and now it was time to say goodbye. I took a deep breath as well.

    Then there was the sound of rushing cars, all seeming to come at once. It started as a quiet buzzing, but instantly began to become a roar. Vehicle after vehicle sped down the road, speeding to the campground. Parents flung the doors to their cars open, pushing their kids inside and then speeding off. It was a noisy process of utter chaos. No one seemed quite sure what was happening. Suddenly, car came to a screeching halt next to us. We both jumped. It was a 2009 silver Impala. The window rolled down and inside was a woman with short, brown hair with highlights, dark rimmed glasses, and an expression on her face that seemed as though she may cry.

    “ Mom?” Megan asked. “ What’s going on?”

    “ Get in the car,” she said, not answering Megan’s query. The woman looked at me and said, “ You too.”

    Without further discussion, we got inside, both taking the back seats of the car. The ride back was, strangely, quiet. I stared at my reflection in the glass of the window.

    “ Daniel, how old are you?”

    The question took me by surprise, a sound breaking the silence. It was asked by Megan’s mother. She was looking forward, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were dead white. She was frightened. What was occurring that was so terrible and scary?

    “ Uh, sixteen.”

    “ Oh,” she said. Any attempt at conversation ended there. I glanced over at Megan. She seemed afraid. Worried of what her mom might say, I cautiously put my arm around her. Her mom, though, was too focused on the road to notice.

    “ What’s happening?” Megan’s voice choked. Her voice was barely audible.

    “ I’m not sure,” I replied.

    She sighed and went back mute.

    I kept staring out the window. What was going on? My mind came up with no reasonable explanations as I watched the unfamiliar scenery fly past us. I had a feeling Megan’s mom was speeding. It made me tense. Again, I found myself taking yet another deep, quivering breath,

    Finally, we reached a path far off the road. We drove down it and I saw, at the end of the path, a small white house with a concrete porch and a towering tree shading the structure. I could only guess this to be Megan’s home.

    “ I’m Suzanne.”

    Again, her voice took me by surprise. Megan’s mother turned to face me. “ You can call me Suzanne.”

    I nodded my head in response, not quite sure what to say. We were practically pulled out of the car and shoved into the house. Suzanne began to barricade the doors and windows. She was mumbling to herself. Megan was starting to get worried and concerned, so we went to her room. She threw herself upon her bed, a large bed with a dark purple blanket spread over it. In her room was her bed, a wooden bookshelf, dresser, and bedside table, and a white carpet. There were three doors in her room. One, I realized, let to outside. The front door led directly into her room. The next led into another bedroom, which I guessed to be her mom’s, and the other to a room with only a t.v in it. I walked back to Megan’s room and sat down beside her.

    “ Has my mom finally lost it?” she asked.

    “ No, I don’t think so,” I answered. “ I think something is awfully wrong.”