Chapter 5 OLIVIA #2
I smile at Jensen, who gives me a little nod before turning to catch up to his friends. I turn around to head toward Alli who is now further down the path and chatting to some people she must know.
But something pulls my attention before I can take my first steps her way.
A feeling.
My skin lights like the flame of a torch, heat creeping along the surface of my arms. I've only ever known one thing that can make me feel like I’m about to combust, like I’m being swallowed by fire.
Is he here?
If he is, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I’m looking for him, that I feel his presence.
That I even care. But if I’m being honest with myself, he’s one of the reasons I decided to come.
I can’t remember much about that night, but I have one memory I haven’t been able to erase.
And If I can recall that moment, I wonder if he can help bring out anymore.
But the truth of the matter is, I didn't just lose Declan and Seren in the Pines that night…
I lost him too.
Thriller Nights Weekend Festivities
Friday:
Noon-5pm - Arrival
5pm - Bonfire
7pm - Paper Lantern Memorial
9pm - Movie and a Maze
Saturday:
8am - Halloween Pancake Breakfast
11am - Truth or Dare
8pm - Haunted House (where a costume)
Sunday:
9am - Goodbye Waffle Breakfast
11am-3pm Clean Up and Departure
"Looks like we're off to the . . . to the bonfire," Alli exclaims as she slides her finger over the schedule to find the right time for the next event. It was taped to our door when we got into the cabin a few hours ago, and honestly I didn’t care to look at it.
But she tosses it onto my bed after she figures out what our plans entail for the next hour and I force myself to look at it.
“I can’t wait for the truth or dare, honestly. I know it’s a little juvenile, but I’ve heard it gets pretty steamy,” she says playfully as I read over the intended itinerary.
I can’t say I’m too excited about these activities. Mainly because I’m not sure how beneficial they’ll be to me this weekend. But if I want any chance at remembering anything from that night four years ago, or any chance at finding closure, I have to try.
"What if I just want to stay here for the rest of the night?” I ask as I toss the flyer onto my bed, throwing myself onto my back in a dramatic show.
“I’m kind of tired anyways." I feign a yawn, stretching myself.
But Alli doesn't buy it. Instead, she reaches over to her own bed to snatch up a pillow and tosses it at me.
I don’t even budge as it lands right over my stomach.
"Don’t be a party pooper." She tosses another pillow at me but this time I sit to catch it. "Besides, they’re making food and roasting marshmallows and I really don't think you want to be all by yourself out here this deep in the-"
"Okay, okay. I'll come, just . . . stop talking." I hold my hands up in surrender, causing her to chuckle at her supposed job well done.
I stand from the bed to put my socks and shoes back on before walking over to the mirror to analyze myself.
I changed about an hour ago after Alli and I unpacked our bags, swapping my ripped jeans for a skirt because the bottoms were wet and muddy from the melted snow that sank into the soil.
I mess with my hair a bit while Alli attempts to perfect her winged eyeliner in the bathroom, rambling about how she can’t believe that we’re here together.
But my mind is elsewhere, admittedly, and I tune her out.
Instead, I wonder what will happen if I see him this weekend.
I can’t imagine how I’ll react or how I’ll feel.
The idea of seeing him again, and not just watching me from my window, sends shivers across my spine.
I spent years trying to get over the idea of him; how his whole existence feels like a reminder of that night.
A reminder of just how fucking naive I was.
And now, the threat of his presence both excites me and angers me but more than anything, I wonder if seeing him again will help me remember the things my mind has been keeping from me.
I guess I won’t know until that happens; when he finally decides to show himself.
I shake myself back to the present, looking at my reflection as I tuck my pink strands behind my ears.
I groan before bunching it up in my fist to pull it up into a ponytail just to let it drop back down again.
I mess with it a few more times, wondering why the hell I even care.
It’s not like I’m trying to really impress anyone.
I let out a frustrated sigh. I feel so out of my element.
Then again, I’m not even sure what my element is these days.
I can’t seem to make up my mind about much so getting annoyed at my hair is ridiculous in the grand scheme of things.
Maybe I’m just anxious. I look behind my own reflection in the mirror to see that Alli has now moved on to messing with her phone.
"Are you getting service?" I ask curiously as I wrap my hair back up into a ponytail, hopeful that maybe if her phone is working, mine might too.
"Ugh, no. I haven't gotten a single bar since we started driving up this dumb mountain.
I really hope it doesn't last like this all weekend.
" She turns around and peels the curtain away from the window, peering out into the forest. "The snow has slowed down for now but I’m sure it won’t stay like that for long.
" She drops the drape covering back into place before walking over to grab her jacket.
I give myself one last look in the mirror, and let out a deep sigh as I take the hair tie out of my hair to let it fall back over my shoulders once more.
“It looks better down,” Alli says with a titled head and I give her a lazy smile back. “You ready?” She throws her phone on her bed and grabs my jacket, tossing it over to me.
Before I follow her out the front door, I pick up the two small pieces of jewelry I had placed in my bedside drawer and stuff them into my jacket pocket, making sure that they’re secure before I head for the door.
But right as we step into the frigid breeze of the October air, my instincts kick up once more.
The smoldering heat on my skin. The trickle of flames floating in my veins.
But this time when I feel it, my body floods with something forbidden. A desire derived from fear. Fear that I’m being watched. Desire because I like it.
And as we walk down the path and through the trees, I welcome both. Knowing that if he really is here, watching me, then that means soon I’ll be seeing him too.