Chapter 2
Safira
A few years after I moved in with my extended family, Lisa decided she wanted to get away from it all and took us on a mini vacation. It ended up being a stressful trip for the family, but one of the best memories of my life. The days that summer were long and balmy, and with the water parks and theaters full of people escaping the heat, Lisa for some reason thought camping would be a great idea. We’d never gone before, but she and Ralph loaded up their vehicle with sleeping bags and a makeshift tent. We all crammed into the car like sardines. Lisa and Ralph sat up front, but Hailey, Jeremy and Shiloh all took the backseat, leaving no space for me. I was delegated to sit in the back, squished in with all the sleeping bags and food supplies. “Lay flat, Safira. If the police see you, you’ll get in big trouble.” Ralph ordered from the front. I laid down, uncomfortable and too young to realize that it was them who would be in trouble if I was seen in such an unsafe position.
The drive felt long to me back then, but we only went to the outskirts of town to the local campground. When we finally arrived, I sat up to look out the window, my eyes taking in the sea of forest that surrounded us. Once we were out of the car, the fresh pine smell in the air gave me renewed energy and clarity, along with a sense of calm I hadn’t felt in years. My cousins and Lisa bickered as we tried to set up the camp, realizing halfway through that we were woefully underprepared. Once we had a sad attempt at a tent set up, my cousins tore off to play hide and seek with a few water guns while Ralph relaxed, not bothering to help Lisa or watch any of us. I knew better than to play with my cousins, as I’d be an easy target. Instead, I decided to walk down a path leading away from the campsite and explore this vast, beautiful new place. Soon the sounds of my cousins and all the other campers faded away and were replaced with the sounds of a gentle breeze through the trees, and the occasional chirping bird or buzzing insect. I reached a spot that looked out over the valley, and I could almost see the whole city. Everything looked so small and insignificant, and I felt my problems fading away. I sat on a large flat rock, reveling in how peaceful it felt. The sun was warm, and I laid back, letting the shadows that moved over the ground from the surrounding trees cover me as I relaxed. My hand wandered toward my neck out of habit. I grasped the necklace that I always wore, the one my mother had given me when I had just turned eight. She’d brought me this little metal charm on her business trip. I wore it on the necklace, and after I lost her and my dad, I never really took it off. My heart ached despite being in such a beautiful place. I knew eventually I’d have to go back to living in reality again, with my family treating me like a burden while I grieved in silence. I closed my eyes and wished I could be somewhere else, anywhere else, where I’d be loved and accepted. After a while, the gentle noise of the forest faded away as I fell asleep.
I didn’t know how long I napped, but the sound of crunching pine needles woke me, and I sat up with a startle. Disoriented, I looked around. It was still mid-morning by my estimation, but everything looked different. I knew I had fallen asleep near an outlook, and I could still see the town from here. But it looked bigger.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” A voice called out. I turned, only to see a boy my age with dark hair and bright green eyes looking at me like he was stunned. I scrambled to get up, blushing in embarrassment that I’d fallen asleep in the forest. I looked him up and down, and I immediately knew he wasn’t anyone from my school. His clothes were nice, and he had a tall athletic build already. Not to mention he was one of the cutest guys I’d ever seen. “Are you lost? We’re pretty far up here.” he asked, his brow creased with concern. Another set of footsteps sounded out as a second boy barreled up, appearing through the trees.
“Tony! I told you I’d find you!” He shouted. The second boy, just as tall and cute as the first, came to a screeching halt when he saw me. His blue eyes opened wide, and he paused a moment before pushing back his thick blond hair off of his forehead and straightening his shirt. Both of them stared at me with such amazement that I looked down to make sure I didn’t have something on my clothes. With my luck a bird pooped on me while I was napping. “Hi, who are you?” The second boy asked, his voice tinged with amazement.
“I’m Safira.” I said, finally finding my voice. The two boys smiled at me in such an open and nice that I wanted to look away. I was still too young to really be interested in boys, but even I had to admit they were the type that every girl at my school would have a crush on.
“I’m Kaden, and this is my friend Tony.” The blonde one said, slapping his hand on the dark-haired boy’s back.
“Hi there.” The other boy said, standing up straight and dusting off his shirt. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked, and the two of them looked at me so closely that I blushed even more.
“No, I was just resting. I’m fine.” I tucked some of my hair behind my ear in an attempt to tame the wild mess. Just when things couldn’t get stranger, a third boy appeared, bounding around the trees. He was the tallest, with jet black hair, dark eyes and tawny skin. He froze when he saw me, and the other two turned back at him as all three exchanged a look.
“And this is Jax. Jax, this is Safira. We found her out here.” Kaden said, and Jax looked at me curiously while Tony stepped forward.
“A girl?” The boy named Jax asked, looking at his friends before looking back at me. “You’re really far from town. Are you lost?” He said, and I couldn’t stop staring at how perfectly symmetrical his face was.
“I’m not lost, my family is right down the trail.” I pointed in the direction I came from, but when I looked down, I noticed that the trail wasn’t where I remembered. It was just forest as far as we could see. “Well, I was on a trail.” I said, confusion hitting me. Maybe I was disoriented from the nap.
“Don’t worry, we can help you back. We explore up here all the time!” Tony said, and ran up to the outlook next to me. “I can even see where we live from here. Look, way far out there, that’s our house!” He pointed proudly, but I was looking out at the city. It didn’t look like Weatherby to me. The houses looked bigger, and the city looked brighter, more golden somehow. “But we can explore together. Do you have a map?” Tony asked. As tall as he was, he was still bouncing with excitement. I grinned. Maybe I could make friends on this trip after all. Cute boys normally didn’t talk to me, and I was sure they would never have approached me if they knew how unpopular I was at school. But for now, I could be anyone.
“I don’t have a map. But I would like to explore. This place is really cool.” I said, happy to have temporary friends.
“Did you see the creek yet?” Kaden asked, and I shook my head. “We’ll show you! Come on!” He cried with excitement. The three of them waved me along and started jogging, whooping and smiling as they tore through the forest. I laughed and ran after them, trying to keep up. The three boys looked back, making sure to slow down here and there so I could stay with them. Soon we reached an area where the trees thinned, and a large, shallow creek appeared, the water crystal clear.
“Wow!” I exclaimed as I took in the view. I stepped closer, crouching down to reach my hand into the cool, refreshing water. Although the creek was wide, it wasn’t deep enough that we could swim in it. Kaden crouched down next to me, reaching his hand in as well.
“There's frogs here too. They’re hard to spot, but if you look you can see them.” I scanned the rocks, looking for any movement. Kaden did too, his face locked with concentration until he saw something. “There! See!” He leaned in right next to me, and pointed,
“I don’t see it.” I murmured, but he got up and walked slowly to a pile of river stones.
“Right there. It will jump if I get any closer.” He said as he pointed. Suddenly I saw it - a frog with green and blue markings.
“Wow! I’ve never seen one like that before!” I exclaimed. Tony suddenly rushed up and reached down, scooping the water to splash all over Kaden. That started a water fight, and the two were soon creating a small hurricane of water flying all over the creek bed while Jax grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
“Careful! Don’t splash her!” He called out as he pushed me out of the way. I was surprised in the best way -no one was ever this protective of me.
“Awe come on, we weren’t going to splash her!” Tony said as the two finished their battle, coming toward us with their clothes completely soaked. “Anyway, she needs to see the old plane!” Tony’s words puzzled me. What plane?
“Good idea! Come here Safira.” Jax said, taking my hand. I felt a shock when he did so. I’d never held a boy’s hand before, and he took it like it was second nature to him, leading me toward a pathway of stones sticking up from the creek. “We have to cross here. Stay on the stones. You might have to jump, but we’ll be right here to make sure you don’t fall in.” He stepped toward the creek, and his foot landed onto the first flat stone, making sure to angle it on the dry area above the water. Kaden and Tony followed us, and I saw Tony hold his hands out in case I fell.
“One step at a time. Good job!” The three of them helped me as I jumped from stone to stone, following behind Jax as we made our way across the creek. Tony and Kaden got too close at one point, both of them trying to balance on one stone, flailing their arms as they tried to stay upright. With some kind of incredible luck, we made it across without falling in. Jax still had one of my hands, guiding me to safety. Just as I was about to step on the last few stones, Kaden came bounding through the shallow water, reaching for my other hand, the two of them helping me onto dry land as if I was a queen. Tony crossed last, and the three of them gave me the biggest grins I’d ever seen.
“See! We got you across safely!” Kaden said with his chest puffed up. I felt a strange emotion. I wasn’t used to anyone trying to impress me so much, yet these boys seemed determined to show me how impressive they were.
“Come on! This is really cool!” Tony said, racing off as we turned to follow. There was a meadow up ahead, and I couldn't understand how all these landmarks were up here. I’d never thought the terrain of the campground would have a creek or a big meadow like this. It was hard to walk through the tall, wild grass, but the boys held onto me, steadying me as we walked toward the center. My mouth dropped open as I saw it. There was an old, small, abandoned plane right in the middle. I could tell it had been there for years, rust lining the edges and vines growing through the open door on the side. I turned to Jax.
“Has this always been here?” I asked, and he nodded at me, still grinning.
“Yeah, but only a few people know. No one comes out here.” He said with a calm, knowing voice. I tried to walk toward it faster, trudging through the thick brush. We reached the plane, and I looked at it in awe. I would probably get in trouble if Lisa knew I was poking around out here, but she wasn’t around, and I wanted to do something for myself for once. I was having fun for the first time that I could remember.
“Can we go inside?” I asked, and Kaden stood by the open pilot door and held out his hand.
“Yea, but it’s pretty small in there. You can sit in the pilot seat if you want.” I grabbed his hand while the others crouched down next to me, clasping their hands together.
“Step on our hands and we'll help you up.” Jax said as the three of them hoisted me in.
“Ooof.” My breath huffed out of me as I landed on the old seat, looking at the tangle ofvines growing through the cockpit. I scrambled up, sitting in the pilot seat and looking out through the window. Three heads popped up near the bottom of the door, and the boys waited to see my reaction. “This is… incredible!” I said, gripping a lever as I looked out. The window was angled and looked out to the open sky, and I imagined for a moment I was free to go wherever I wanted.
“Right? We don’t know the story behind it, but it’s been here ever since we started exploring.” Jax mentioned before walking around to one of the engines. I looked at the control panel. “Don’t you wish it worked?” He said, inspecting the propeller blades.
“I wish I could fly away.” I said softly, and Kaden looked at me.
“Why? We only just met! You haven’t seen anything yet!” His joke gave me a smile. These guys actually liked hanging out with me. It made me feel more normal than I had in a long time. “But really, are you okay? You should at least take water with you if you come all the way up here.” His words didn’t make sense. I looked at the old plane, running my hands along the buttons and dials.
“We’re not too far from the campsite.” I replied.
“Campsite? We didn’t see anyone camping.” Kaden said as Jax pulled out his phone.
“Smile!” Jax held his phone up, and I gave a shy grin as he snapped a photo of me in the plane. I wasn’t used to people treating me like this. “You can call your parents too if you want!” He said as the others held out their hands to help me down. I paused before answering. I didn’t want to explain my family situation to them and ruin the mood.
“That’s fine. I came out here to get away from everyone to be honest.” I said hesitantly as my feet touched the ground. The guys exchanged another look.
“That’s okay. We have so much to explore.” Tony said as he threw his arms open at the sky. “We’re free out here!” His joyous energy was infectious. Even though I’d been spending my days sad and on edge around my family, out here all my worries seemed to fade away. Tony was right. Out here, I felt free.
Hours passed as we explored more of the forest. They showed me how to spot certain animal tracks, which plants had edible berries, and which to avoid. We then got caught up in playing a game where the boys pretended to be knights, using sticks as swords while protecting me, the princess. I couldn't help but feel like I belonged with them. I’d never really had male friends before, but this was so fun that I wanted to hang out with them every day. During it all, they kept me feeling safe and included. In the late afternoon, we finally rested in a shaded area on patches of soft grass.
“Hey, are there deer in this forest too?” I asked after seeing more animal tracks in the mud.
“Yeah, we saw some once.” Kaden said as he looked around. “We come up here a lot. But you’re one of the first people we’ve seen out here all summer.” He mentioned while poking at a snail on the side of a tree. “We can try to see if there’s some deer around.”
“But first, let’s go somewhere to eat. I’m starving!” Tony added, right as his stomach growled. I laughed and nodded. They were big guys, they probably needed to fuel up. “The closest place is probably the diner. It’s a long hike, but so it! Have you been?” he asked as we started to get up and dust ourselves off.
“No, I’m not sure what diner you’re talking about. We can probably get food faster at the campground.” Surely my family had brought some extra snacks for these guys, but I also didn’t want Lisa and Ralph to tell them no and embarrass me. “But the diner sounds better.” I quickly added.
“Great, we know the shortcut!” Kaden sang out as we headed toward an area past the creek. Once we were in the thick pine trees, we hiked through the forest, getting in a solid workout. I still didn’t see any trails, but the boys led me through the brush in a way that told me they’d been here plenty of times. It still took me longer to go downhill though. We had to climb down several steep areas, even crawling down the jagged, rocky face of the hill at one point, with all three of them waiting to catch me if I fell. Soon enough the land evened out, and I was starting to feel fatigued. The boys sensed it.
“We can give you a piggyback if you need to rest.” Jax said, his face serious. I looked down, not wanting to be a burden.
“I’ll be all right. I can make it.” I said as I avoided eye contact, huffing and puffing through the brush.
“Tell you what, if I can carry you to the diner, I win.” he said as he crouched over. “Come on, I’m strong!” I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“What do I win if you can't make it all the way?” I said, laughing as I climbed on.
“I guess we’ll never know, since I’m not putting you down until we get there!” He said before starting to jog through the forest. The other guys whooped as they followed us, and I couldn’t help but laugh as he showed off, carrying me like I weighed nothing. I hadn’t had this much fun in ages. I wrapped my arms around him, and marveled at just how good he smelled, despite us being out in the forest sweating for hours. He had the peculiar scent of Oak. I chalked it up to him being in the woods all day.
Soon the trees cleared, and we came upon a road. I was in the back of Lisa and Ralph’s car on the drive up, so I didn’t recognize anything. We walked along the road until we passed a convenience store and a few other shops, finally reaching an old-school diner. I was shocked. I’d never seen it before, but then again, I’d never been out to eat much. Stepping up to the front of the restaurant, Jax finally let me off his back and turned to look at me proudly.
“See? I told you I could do it!” He crowed, and the other two stood next to him, the three of them looking like they’d won a prize. Kaden finally stepped forward and opened the door.
“Ladies first!” He said, and I bashfully stepped inside. The cool air felt incredible, and we quickly took a seat at the diner on several barstool chairs, with two of the guys sitting on either side of me. One of the servers immediately put out several glasses of iced water for each of us. We gulped them down, and it was the first time we’d been quiet for more than a minute since we met. Jax grabbed a menu and read it thoroughly.
“Now, as for what I win, I think I will take… a shake and fries for each of us!” He exclaimed as he waved the server over. I felt a rush of anxiety wash over me.
“No, wait, I don’t have any money on me-” I started to explain, but Tony shushed me.
“Our treat, Safira.” His voice was so soothing that I just nodded. Each of them ordered a chocolate shake, but I got a strawberry one. I’d never tried that flavor before. When they arrived with our fresh fries, I watched the guys dip them into their shake as they ate and tried it as well.
“So Safira, what’s your family like?” Kaden asked, his mouth practically full. I sipped my shake for a moment before answering.
“I actually live with my mom’s relatives. My parents passed away a few years ago.” My throat tightened as I spoke. It was one of the first times I’d actually acknowledged it out loud to anyone besides my immediate family. I felt my eyes well up, and the boys quickly surrounded me, murmuring words of sympathy and encouragement.
“We’re sorry Safira, we didn’t know!” Tony said, his eyes anguished.
“It’s okay, I just miss them a lot.” I said as I tried not to cry. Someone rested their hand on my shoulder, and I felt so cared for that I wanted to cry from that too.
“Well, if you need to talk about it, you have us now.” Jax said gently.
“Yeah, if you ever feel lonely, let us know and we’ll take you out for as many shakes as you want!” Kaden said, pushing the rest of his chocolate shake toward me. Their comfort meant everything to me at that moment. They weren’t scared off by my tears, they weren’t pushy, they only listened and wanted to make me feel better. Something about them all felt so right. Like how it felt when I was home with my real parents, back before everything had changed. I sniffled and nodded as they made a circle around me.
“I’m sorry. I had to start a new school, and it's just been hard. Especially making new friends.” I said as I tried not to draw too much attention to myself. The boys continued to comfort me despite my sniffling.
“That’s okay. We think you’re really cool. And we’re your friends now.” Jax said with a calm, comforting tone. “Anytime you need us, we will be here for you.” I looked up at his words, and he nodded at me, his dark eyes wise despite his age. Just then, the diner door opened, and a woman called out to us.
“Aha, there you are. I got a call that three wayward boys were spotted at the diner.” A woman chided as she walked up to us, although she had an amused look on her face as she winked at the server behind the counter.
“Mom!” Kaden said as the blood drained from his face. “We were just having fun!” he said as she joined us, looking at me curiously. I gave her a smile, hoping she couldn't tell I was sad earlier.
“Well, considering you left the park you were supposed to be in and have been ignoring your fathers’ calls, I’d say you’re in quite a bit of trouble when you get home.” she said, raising her eyebrow at the three of them. “But first, who are you, sweetheart?” She leaned over, her smile kind as she looked at me. I stepped out from the boys and held my hand out.
“I’m Safira.” I said shyly as she took my hand.
“Well Safira, hopefully these boys have been behaving like gentlemen?” She asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, they have been. They bought me a shake.” I said while she eyed the counter.
“And where are your parents, Safira?” Her words were warm as she moved over to sit on one of the free stools. She was short, barely taller than me, but her presence was big enough to fill the whole diner.
“Well, my family is nearby. I met these guys, and they took me here when I was hungry.” I replied. Kaden interjected.
“Can Safira come hang out with us sometime?” he asked sincerely.
“If her parents say it’s okay. But right now you need to finish up your adventures and head back home.” She gave them a look.
“Mom, we were just exploring the woods!” He said as she crossed her arms.
“Your fathers are going to give you all an earful. You need to take your new friend back to her family and come home or you’ll be in even bigger trouble.” Her words reminded me of my own mom. Jax stepped forward.
“Let us walk her back!” He pleaded, and she looked at me and nodded.
“Alright. Get her back safely, then come straight home.” She told them as she gave me another kind look. “It was very nice meeting you, Safira. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”
“We can treat you both to a milkshake!” Tony said excitedly, looking around at us.
“I’d love that.” I said, unable to stop a smile from forming despite my earlier emotional moment. Kaden’s mom turned to leave.
“Remember boys, get her back safely, then straight home!”
“We promise!” They turned to get the bill, but the server just shook his head.
“On the house, Jax. Next time don’t worry your mom so much.” He said as he wiped down a dish. I watched the interaction, surprised that everyone was so familiar with each other. I wanted to come back and be with all these happy, friendly people all the time. Kaden turned to me, giving a big sigh as he shrugged.
“Well, I guess we do need to find your family. Do you think they’re looking for you?” He asked, and I cringed internally at the thought. I knew they might eventually look for me, but I didn’t want to go back.
“Yea, they’re probably at the campsite. We should go back before it gets too dark.” I said as we got up to leave the diner.
“Let’s exchange numbers first.” Jax said as he pulled out his phone.
“I don’t have one.” I said with embarrassment. I was one of the few people my age that didn’t have a cell phone. The boys looked surprised, but Kaden quickly grabbed a pen from the counter.
“Here. When you get home, write it down.” He took my arm and started marking a phone number on my forearm, going over it twice to make sure it was legible. “There. Now you have ours.” He looked at me, beaming. I was too surprised to respond. My school experience so far hadn’t been the greatest, but these boys didn’t judge me at all.
My trepidation at having to go back to hang out with my cousins was easily forgotten as we walked, talking about our favorite things. I told them about the books I’d read, surprised that they hadn’t heard of any of them. They told me all about the sports they played and how good they were, each of them emphasizing how many points they could score and how many games they’d won. I laughed as they tried to carry me again over the rocks and grassy hills once we reached the forest. It was getting dark out, but they retraced our steps, and I knew that the campground had to be close by.
“Are you sure they are out here? There isn’t a real campsite anywhere we’ve seen.” Jax said with some unease. I nodded, feeling a little worried.
“Of course. There were a lot of other people too. Just look for the tents and the big bathroom area.” I said as we hiked along, watching the moon slowly rise over the trees. An hour went by, but we still couldn't find any trace of the campsite. The boys were starting to get concerned.
“Safira, maybe we can go back to ask our families for help. I don’t see anyone.” Kaden said, his eyes searching the trees. I looked around desperately. Where could everyone be?
“I know they are here! We drove. They are going to be so mad at me.” I said, starting to get agitated. Jax reached for my hand.
“Don’t worry, Safira. We will stay with you until we find them.” He assured me.
“But you guys are going to get in trouble. I heard your mom!” I said, looking at Declan. But he shrugged it off.
“That’s okay. Our fathers will be mad, but they will get over it. The important thing is that we find your family.” he said confidently.
“What do you remember seeing? Any landmarks where they were camping?” Tony asked as we walked further.
“Well, I didn’t see much until I got out of the car. But I remember going for a walk, finding a place with a nice view, then laying down. I took a nap, and when I woke up, that’s when I saw you.” I replied. The boys looked at each other for a moment, then their eyes widened in unison.
“The lookout spot!” Kaden said as they pulled me in one direction. Their feet thudded through the forest as they jogged with me through the trees. I had no idea how they could figure out where we were. “Over here!” Kaden yelled as we weaved and turned through the woods. The day had been so long that I struggled to keep up, stopping to rest often. Jax noticed and crouched in front of me, motioning for me to climb on him again. Soon, I was piggybacking through the trees as they ran.
Once we slowed down, all of us a little out of breath, we found that we were at the same flat stone I’d been napping on earlier. “This is it!” I cried out, jumping down off Jax’s back. I looked for the path that had led me here. I couldn’t find a trace of it anywhere. “There was a path! I know it!” I said, my voice getting high and distressed. The boys immediately tried to comfort me, and I felt better knowing they weren’t planning on leaving me.
“They shouldn’t be too far then. Come on, let's look.” Jax said as he pulled out his phone to light the way. We walked, but it felt like we were going in circles. We searched in every direction, but there was no sign of a campsite. I kept wanting to look further, knowing when I eventually found them that Lisa would be furious. Soon, it was past midnight, and we returned to the flat rock overlooking the city.
I sat down on it, curling my arms around my knees. “I just don’t understand. There were people here earlier, I swear!” I said while the boys sat down around me. The city lights were sparkling below us, and the view would be magnificent if I wasn’t so worried. Tony wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Safira. We will find them. I promise.” He whispered, and I nodded, looking out at the city below.
“It’s late.” My words were an understatement. It had to be close to one in the morning now. Jax was on my other side, watching the city with me.
“It’s too dark to hike down now. We’ll stay here and search again in the morning,” he decided, and I leaned into him instinctively. His warmth provided a comforting sense of security amid the uncertainty. Kaden and Tony sat near me, and soon I felt my eyelids getting heavy. It was warm enough outside to sleep, but I’d still never done anything of the sort. The boys circled around me as I lay down, resting my head on my arm. I could barely believe we were out here in the woods so late. My stomach felt wracked with guilt that they would get in trouble for helping me.
Kaden sensed it somehow. He looked at me as he rested on his back. “Don’t worry, Safira. We won’t get into that much trouble. Anyway, we come from packs full of alphas. So we will be fine.” He smiled with confidence at his words. I had no idea what he meant, but I was too tired to talk anymore. I started to nod off, curling up on the rock under the stars. But before I got too tired, I had to be sure of something.
“Please stay until I find them.” I asked quietly. Kaden reached for my hand, holding it tightly.
“We won’t leave you, Safira. You have us now.” He said as the other boys murmured their agreement. I barely heard him speak as I laid back and let my exhaustion take over. For the first time in a long time, I went to sleep happy.
*****
The next morning I woke up to my name being called. I pushed myself up to a sitting position, sleepy and bleary eyed as the sun broke through the trees. “Safira! Where are you!” The voices were sharp, like they were whispering loudly. I felt disoriented, looking around as my body struggled to wake fully. Something was wrong. The boys were gone. I looked around, searching for any trace of them, but there was none. “Safira!”
“I'm here!” I croaked, and I saw Ralph and Hailey as they trudged through the woods. They spotted me and started walking over quickly.
“She's over here!” Ralph yelled behind him, and as they reached me, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. Ralph looked angry, but didn’t say a word. Lisa finally came out from the trees, and when she got to me, she grabbed my arm, her nails poking into my flesh as she dragged me up.
“Where were you!” She hissed, and I flinched at the look on her face. “Do you know how irresponsible you are for running off? We were searching all night!” She spat at me as she took me back to our tent, which was inexplicably only a ten-minute walk away. Years later, my cousin let it slip that they hadn’t actually noticed I was missing until that morning. Lisa’s panic was likely due to the fear that she and her husband would be the ones in trouble for neglecting me if anyone found out.
I was grounded for the rest of the summer. It didn’t matter, I had nowhere to be anyway. But I always wondered where the mysterious boys had gone. They promised to stay with me, and I thought for sure they meant it. But when I tried to call the number, smudged on my arm the next day after our adventure, the line didn’t exist.
When I was older, I tried going back to the campsite and finding the old, abandoned plane. It was useless. So was my search for the diner. No matter how hard I tried, I never found any trace of it. No one had ever heard of such a place near the campsite, but I was sure it existed somewhere.
The years passed and my family never believed my story that three cute, nice boys had taken me under their wing and wanted to be my friends. They seemed to have vanished. But it didn’t matter. At that time in my life, when I’d needed it the most, they proved to me that I wasn’t weird. I wasn’t strange or sad or a loser. They’d given me hope, something to hold onto as I tried to survive a new school and the merciless tyranny that only teenagers can inflict on each other.
From time to time, I’d see someone from behind and think it was one of them. My heart would race as I wondered what they would look like now, and if they would remember me and the impact they’d had. But I never did find them, and the number they’d given me never led to anything. My memory was real, though. And I held onto it as tightly as I held onto my cherished necklace, the only physical reminder of my parents that I had.