- Kady -

"Where are we going?" Skylar asks for the hundredth time as she bounces up and down beside me.

"Would you be quiet for a moment, Skylar?" I complain as I hold my head in my hands.

"Someone's grumpy today," Sam says from the driver's seat.

"Well, that's only because someone decided to wake me up by banging the door of my apartment early in the morning. And now we don't even know where you're taking us." I glare at the back of Sam's seat.

I didn't get a wink's sleep last night. As I twisted and turned between the blankets all night, my brain couldn't stop thinking about Logan and what happened yesterday. When I finally fell asleep, Sam came to wake me up and dragged me to his car. I had found Liv, Skylar and her boyfriend, Jack, already waiting in the car. Now, I'm trying to hold onto my sanity as Skylar squeals beside me in the backseat of Sam's car.

"We've been riding for more than an hour and my butt is numb. Why aren't you telling where you're taking us?" Liv speaks up from the other side of Skylar. "Jack, do you-"

"Don't ask me. He hasn't told me either," Jack says and glares at Sam.

"It's a surprise. And we're almost there! Just a little bit longer!" Sam says.

"It's Skylar's birthday. I understand if you keep a surprise for her, but why aren't you telling us what it is?" Liv asks.

"She's right. You can at least tell us," Jack agrees with Liv.

"I'm right here, in case you all forgot," Skylar says.

"Trust me, it'll be fun!" Sam says again.

"I'm not so sure," Liv murmurs. I agree with her. Sam is not one to be trusted with surprises.

"Hey, Sky?" Jack turns around in his seat to look back at Skylar. "I've got surprise for you too."

"What?" Skylar asks, smiling.

"Not now." He winks at her.

"Come on, Jack! Not you too! Tell me!"

I tune out the rest of the conversation and look out the window.

The wind coming from the window brings a sense of calm to me. The cold wind touches my skin, smoother than water, making me feel at ease for the first time since I met Logan. I let my eyes close, letting my mind rest for an instance, and enjoy the peaceful moment.

As I open my eyes again, I catch sight of a sign:

TELLER CITY HISTORIC SITE

DAY USE AREA

That was all I could read before we passed the sign.

"Where's Teller city?" I ask.

"Teller city? Why?" Jack asked.

"Didn't you see the sign?"

"What sign?" Right. He must be too busy talking with Skylar to notice the sign.

"We just crossed a sign that said Teller city."

Jack frowns and turns to Sam, "You're taking us to a ghost town, Sam?"

"We're going to a ghost town?" Liv squeaked.

"A ghost town? Yes!" Skylar exclaims. "It's gonna be so much fun!"

I stare at Skylar.

"What?" Skylar shrugs, "I've never been to a ghost town before."

I shake my head at her.

She is so much like Lucy.

"When will we reach? Pins and needles in my butt!" Liv cries out.

I sigh, looking out the window again.

After another hour, the five of us are all standing inside a log cabin. Well, the remains of the cabin.

The cabin is surrounded by woodland, standing tall towards the bright sky like a tree after a storm. Half of its roof is splintered away, the branches from the trees and vines creeping up on it and along its walls. After so much harsh time, it has discovered the company of trees and wildflowers, making it live under the constant deep shadows of the forest. Standing in the middle of the cabin and looking up, I felt as if I was in the heart of a tree.

I let my hand travel along the walls of the cabin, feeling the coldness and softness of the moss covering the wood seep in through my fingers. It's so cold to the touch that it steals away the warmth from my fingers right away.

"This is so creepy," Liv says quietly.

"This is so amazing!" Skylar exclaims, "Jack, look at this!"

"Does no one think this is creepy at all?" Liv asks.

"Ghost towns don't really have ghosts in it," Jack speaks up.

"I know but it's still creepy," Liv replies.

I sigh and let my hand drop to my side.

"Hmm...interesting." I look back to see what Sam finds so interesting and gasp. He's reaching for my iPod! "Sam, no! Give it back!"

I try to snatch my iPod out of his hands, but he puts it out of my reach.

"What's so special about it? You never let us see it!"

"Sam, not my iPod! Give it back!" I demand.

"You gotta come and take it!" he says while running out of the cabin.

I do not trust Sam with my iPod. It's got the song my father used to sing for me when I was little. That's all I have left of my father. I can't let Sam do anything to it. So without thinking much, I sprint out the door after him.

I run behind Sam, avoiding the low-hung branches of the trees and trying not to trip over and fall on the ground, all the while shouting at him to stop. Of course, he doesn't listen to me and goes on running deeper into the forest.

I finally stop to catch my breath when I lose sight of him.

Damn, he's fast.

"Sam?" I call out, "I think it's enough now. I'm going back." Without waiting for his reply, I turn around to start on my way back. After taking two steps, I halt in my path.

Is this the right direction? This is the way back, right?

"Um, Sam?!" I cry out, "Sam, where are you?"

That jerk.

I left my bag in which I had my phone and all the other necessary things back at the cabin. I have no way to contact anyone.

I look around, trying to find out which way we came from.

The light streaks coming from the boughs in brilliant bright rays are enough to illuminate the whole forest. From the rich brown hue of the forest floor to the brightness of the blue-white sky, if only one would be willing to absorb the light of the forest, would actually see the beauty of it.

Everywhere I look, I find trees and trees and trees and more trees. There was no way in hell I could find out which way we came from.

Why do all the trees have to look so similar?

There was not a single soul around. I couldn't hear anything except for the birdsong coming from the trees, their singing and the silence of the forest working together in an enchanting symphony. I look up to find the leaves of the trees sometimes dancing and rustling to the silent melody of the wind or small movements of animals.

It's so peaceful here.

"Boo!" Sam comes out of nowhere, startling me.

"What the hell, Sam?!"

"I scared you, didn't I?"

I take the opportunity to snatch my iPod back from his hand and ask, "Which way did we come from?"

Sam looks around for a moment and then starts walking without saying anything. I follow behind him.

I bump my head into his back when he suddenly stops.

"What happened?" I ask.

Sam turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction. I follow hesitantly behind him.

Something is wrong. He is unusually quiet right now.

"Sam?" I ask after a moment of walking. "You don't know the way, do you?"

Sam stops abruptly and turns around to face me.

When he doesn't say anything and continues to look at me with a helpless expression, I shake my head and say, "You were the one who led me here. Now you're gonna be the one to find the way back too." I fold my arms over my chest and glare at him.

"Stay here," Sam says and starts walking away.

"Where are you going?" I shout after him. If he leaves me, I'll be totally alone here. I can't let that happen. I'll be happy to be with anyone right now, even if it's an idiot like Sam.

I watch as he stops in front of a tree a few feet away and looks up at it. He then proceeds to put one of his hands on the bark and the other on the lowest branch and pushes himself up.

"What are doing?" I ask.

"What does is it look like? I can get a clear view from up there. It'll help me find the way back."

I shake my head as I watch him climb the tree.

I look around the forest, trying to find the way again when I catch sight of him.

It was just a blur of movement, very far away, but I still saw it.

Impossible. It couldn't be.

Before I know it, I am walking.

"Hey, Kady? I think I just saw- where are you going?" I hear Sam talking but I don't pay any attention to him and continue walking.

"Kady, wait up." Sam drops down from the tree and comes up to me. He blocks my way. "Where were you going, Kady?"

I was hallucinating, no other way to explain what I just saw.

"I thought I saw...never mind, it's nothing." I decide not to tell him. He'll just think I'm crazy.

"What did you see, Kady?" Sam asks again.

"Nothing, Sam," I say, "Can we just go now?"

Sam places his hands on my shoulders and asks again, "What did you see Kady?"

I know he isn't going to leave this topic alone, so I decide to tell him.

"I think I saw Alex."

***

A/N:

BUT ALEX IS DEAD!!!

What is happening?! Is Kady really hallucinating? Or did she really see Alex?

Well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out. ;)

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