Two weeks had passed since Alexa and Isaac’s birthday. The new year had come and gone with a bang, quite literally, as Isaac had accidentally set a tree on fire with a failed attempt to set off his own fireworks. Poor Jean had to explain to her friend the Sheriff and the small fire brigade that manned the town. But the family had enjoyed every minute of it. The small family had gone and had enjoyed the carnival. It had been their last day at the carnival and Alexa had somehow gotten tricked into volunteering for the dunking station, and it was surprisingly Gabriella who had landed the lucky shot, soaking the teen from head to toe. Alexa was now helping her mother pack for their camping trip. The gear had already been packed into the maroon SUV. The family was saying goodbye to electricity, proper beds, cell phones, or in Isaac’s case his sound and gaming systems. Ever since their birthday Alexa noticed how different Isaac was acting. He had distanced himself even more from her and

Isaac sat there staring up at his redheaded sister in horror. The boy was surrounded by candles, but what had shocked the girl so much wasn’t the candles themselves but that they were floating. There were other things around Isaac, things that he was sure she wouldn’t even recognize. Alexa had a look of utter terror as she stared into her brother’s eyes, his eyes which were his but in the same way not his at all. Instead of the familiarity, she would often feel when staring into her brother’s eyes, she felt a cold shiver travel down her spine. His eyes, which she thought she knew best, were not their usual hazel nut instead they were glowing a bright green color. The redhead pulled her eyes from his and looked around the tent and the more she saw the more she began to freak out. When Alexa looked back at her brother his eyes were once again his usual hazel color, and that was the last straw for the azure gazed woman, who just abruptly pulled back from the tent nearly tripping in her

Fear, absolute fear was the only emotion Jayden felt as she watched her eighteen-year-old cousin vanish from her sight. She didn’t even realize that she was screaming for the fallen girl, or that she had raced toward the edge of the cliff until she was leaning over the dirt searching for any sign of her best friend. Tear-filled hazel eyes scanned the expanse of the forest’s canopy below for signs of life. There was none, nothing but the missing rock that had given out when the eighteen-year-old redhead had turned towards safety. Not a single clue as to where she could be, for she had disappeared behind that horribly dense canopy. Jayden’s heart clenched in her chest, unable to breathe as she continued screaming. Her throat became raw at the harsh sound and her voice cracked under the pressure, but the older woman could not seem to stop. The cries of the six-year-old girl behind her were drowned out by the terror-filled cry of her own. The darkness of the canopy below that cliff seem

Alexa groaned; the darkness of unconsciousness slowly faded from her injured mind. One by one her senses began to return to her. The first sense to return to her was feeling, and the first thing she felt was pain, such immense pain, it almost felt like her body was on fire. She felt her throat constrict with her urge to scream. The second sense to return was her hearing which came blaring through her ears causing her tired mind to protest. The sounds of her surroundings came crashing through the blissful silence, making her wince at the sudden change. Her body was unable to keep up with her brain’s commands to move away from the offending sounds. Sharp melodious howls filled the air and she struggled to open her eyes, they felt heavy as if they were made of lead. Her eyelashes clung to her cheeks in protest to her ministrations meant to open the lids covering her azure gaze. Eventually, the redhead was able to pry open her eyes much to their protest, and that was when the ache in he

Alexa moaned, the sound scratching against her dry throat as the back of her head throbbed with a sharp pain, and an uncomfortable sensation radiated in her back. Great, something else was digging into her back now. She was leaning against something rigid, its deep, ridged grooves digging awkwardly into her flesh causing her great discomfort. Her eyes fluttered open for a second time that day and were met with a purpling sky. It must have been hours since she had blacked out and the thought caused her great concern. She lay there against whatever was making dents into her back and tried to get her thoughts straight. Alexa’s head throbbed whenever she tried to think back on what had happened and she decided to try and remove herself from her painful position. Alexa tried to push herself up and away from the uncomfortable object, when the shooting pain in her left wrist reminded her of the events that had happened, what looked to be like a few hours earlier. With gritted teeth, she w