I was getting sick of hearing about it. Every corner of the street had a newspaper stand with stacks of papers with the same headline: ANOTHER DISAPPEARANCE IN NOWHERE. The Nowhere woods have been around since before I was born. There was -and still is today- so much conspiracy built around it. There have been suicides, sacrifices, car accidents where the car was never found, demonic rituals, there was even a conspiracy about a KKK group that hides in the woods. I have never believed any of it because they all sounded like scams. "Don't you ever get a little curious about what the paper has to say?" said Nicole walking beside me with her nose buried in the paper. Nicole is my best friend, who has a long history of depression and attempted suicide. I'm trying my best to help her... She is just hard to crack... "Ugh.. of course not... I stopped reading the papers three years ago... when every headline had to do with the woods." she kept reading as if she was hypnotized. "I've been in there before you know... " Nicole said. slowing down taking her eyes off of the paper. "I went in there with two other people.. my babysitter and her boyfriend." I stopped walking and looked at her. "How did that turn out?" She was silent. she looked back down at her paper and continued to walk faster. I won't poke at something she is sensitive about. "I'm hungry... you wanna eat?" I said to break the awkward silence. "I-I could eat... " Nicole stuttered. She started making herself appear smaller. She almost looked vulnerable. "Coffee?" I asked, she nodded and we made our way back down the sidewalk.

She started to stare blankly into her cup of coffee. She grabbed the handle of the cup tightly and brought it up to her mouth, her hand shaking. Nicole spilled her coffee just a little and quickly rushed for the napkins. "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to. I don't need to know." Nicole shook her head violently and stared at me with tears starting to form in her eyes. "No.. you deserve to know what happened.." She grabbed the menus and propped them up next to our heads so no one could see what we were talking about. "It was 9 years ago, my horrible babysitter Tabitha called her rutty skater boyfriend over to hang out. we were all sitting in the living room... He was talking about how his younger brother got lost in the woods trying to retrieve a frisbee..."

9 Years ago.

"Can you just stop singing you stupid little twerp! Ugh! I can't believe your dumbass parents left me to babysit YOU... on a FRIDAY night. I'm calling Marcus!" Tabitha said, slurring her words - surely drunk- she had a beer bottle in one hand and her cell phone in the other, she began dialing numbers into the keypad and put the phone up to her ear. "Oh my god Marcus... you need to get over here... yeah.. i'm stuck babysitting NICKY.. she WON'T shut up... you better not come here without beer... you're coming? good. see you." She hung up and looked at nicole with total disgust. Tabitha Threw a pillow at Nicole and started insulting her to tears. There was a ringing at the door. Tabitha jumped up and glared at Nicole, "Don't even THINK about talking to Marcus!" I will throw you outside in the DARK." Nicole continued playing with her toys, staying quiet for fear of being trapped outside again by Tabitha. A tall boy with black hair and green trim at the ends, black baggy jeans and facial piercings, bends down above Nicole and gives her a warm smile, "Hi there little one, is Tabby scaring you?" nicole slightly nods so the evil babysitter behind Marcus wouldn't quite see.

They both sat down on the couch and Marcus looked worried. ¨Have you found him yet?" Tabitha asked as she took another swig of her beer and leaned back on the sofa. " No.. the police have no leads. I don't think they will ever find him..¨ Marcus lowered his head in disbelief. ¨Who?¨ Nicole asked. She was so curious about the missing person. Marcus lifted up his head and looked Nicole dead in the eyes and his voice was very monotone and serious. ¨You haven't heard?¨ Nicole shivered to the tone in his voice and Marcus took a deep breath and was shaking like crazy. ¨The Nowhere woods are very popular for only one reason.... my brother sam got lost in the woods because my dad threw a frisbee too far. they were in the backyard, and the edge of Nowhere is right outside of our house. I can't sleep worth a crap and I'm a complete mess. The police have no leads and I can't help but think he is dead.¨ Marcus grabbed the bottle from Tabitha's drunken, loose grip. He chugged the rest of the bottle and threw it at the wall.