The path through the woods was narrow and twisted. The sun had set long ago, and the chill was starting to settle in. So was the mist. It hovered in the treetops like a blanket over the forest, shielding the outside world from what lay within. I’d once thought of this realm as a prison, but I no longer felt that way. If this was a prison, and Walker was here, then I would voluntarily offer my wrists and stay shackled for eternity.
The gravel settled beneath my feet as my pace quickened. I needed to tell my gran about my revelation. I wouldn’t be returning home. I knew I could find her ghost in the depths of the haunted forest. It was where the mist collected and stirred in the air, bringing her world and mine together. Unfortunately, it also brought other things, like malevolent, skinless creatures; hauntings of the unseen; and lush, beautiful poison. The unseen was the worst.
I’d thought about it long and hard, ever since the Fourth of July fireworks show. Walker and I had been encapsulated by the glowing embers of falling fireworks. The lake had been illuminated by an aqua light and was no longer a scary place. I didn’t have control over this realm yet, but I thought maybe one day I could. I had every intention of learning how to hone my skill and make Baylor the place of my dreams.
Beautiful poison would just be beautiful. Skinless creatures would only be forest critters. And the unseen . . . That would be a feeling of wonder, and nothing else. I’d swim in Baylor Lake again, and instead of manifesting nightmares of people who’d passed, I’d visit with their spirits. It would be a magical place where I could have cupcakes with my gran, and she’d read me her latest novel. I’d swim with the fish all afternoon. And when it was time for dinner, Walker would be waiting for me at the dock with a towel. It wasn’t a place that existed yet, but it was a world that I belonged to. All that was left to do was create it.
If I created this magnificent world here in Baylor, under the blanket of mist, then why would I ever want to go back? Sure, I’d miss my parents and my brother, but who’s to say I couldn’t visit? After all, I could see my gran, and we weren’t in the same realm. Perhaps I could go to my family in a dream. And as for my friends, they were here with me; well, most of them. And then there was Walker—the love I’d never known existed. Now that I’d found him, I didn’t think I could let him go. What kind of life would that be?
I searched the treetops when I heard crows calling above. They dove, piercing through the mist and swooping back up again, disappearing into the gray blanket of fog. I hurried along the trail, walking even faster than before. The forest at night was not the place for me to be alone. I needed to find my gran, tell her the news, and then get back to bed. I pushed my hands deep into my pockets and pulled my coat across my chest. The temperature continued to drop as the fog slithered closer to the ground. I wondered how much longer it would be before my gran appeared, and I could only hope that it was before the mist settled at my feet—that’s when the bad things happened. I checked over my shoulder for the umpteenth time. She was nowhere to be found.
I wasn’t sure how to tell her I wouldn’t be going home. She’d known it was a possibility when we’d spoken at the hospital. I hadn’t known what she’d meant at the time, when she’d said that I would hopefully return home, but I did now. This was a tempting world to live in. I wondered if Gran would be happy that I’d decided to stay. After all, I’d get to stay in touch with her. Going home would mean that I’d have to say goodbye to her, and I wasn’t ready for that. I doubted I ever would be.
A crow called a long and gravelly warning that sent my eyes searching once again. There was a flash of movement in the distance, but it was only a dense shadow. I fixed my eyes on the path and scurried through the pines. Even though this world was still new to me, and much of it spawned from a nightmare, I felt the power deep in my belly that could grow into something magical. I wanted to see it come to fruition, and I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving without having my wildest dreams come true. What lay before me was an opportunity.
Walker and I were going to train every day. Train like we were headed for combat. Like a war was on the horizon. He was working on developing training sessions for me to build what he called muscle memory, but for my brain. I’d learn how to control the dream using a multitude of techniques, and eventually it would become natural to me. I’d train myself regardless, because this was a war I couldn’t afford to lose, but if practicing meant I’d be spending countless hours under Walker’s instruction, I’d willingly be there all summer. And maybe I’d even fake it a little, so that I could get extra help . . .
A twig snapped behind me. I whipped my head around to see who was there, fully expecting it to be my gran, but it wasn’t. A figure stood in the distance, draped in a red cloak. I froze, then took a few steps backward, watching intently and looking for signs that I should run. The crows swooped down again, and my eyes jumped toward one of the massive black birds. In that brief moment of inattention, the stranger had disappeared. I looked all around me but saw nothing. The crows called out in warning, and goosebumps prickled my arms. I started walking as fast as I could, eager to see my gran.
“Going to grandmother’s house . . .” the wind whispered.
I wanted to share my news, tell her I was in love, and that my love was a double-edged sword because I would not be returning home. The heavy fog settled into the trees, and with it came a cool breeze that ruffled a loose strand of my hair. The mist curled around my ankles, and I knew that if I didn’t see my gran soon, this could very quickly turn into a nightmare.
“Gran?” I called out.
No answer.
I scanned the trees, checking for her one last time before closing my eyes and wishing that I was back in the cabin. I didn’t think it would work, but I was getting desperate. As soon as my eyes closed, I again heard the whisper in the wind, “Going to grandmother’s house . . .”
My eyes sprang open, and I started to take off toward the cabin. Checking over my shoulder one more time, I saw the cloaked figure hiding behind a thin tree trunk. I stopped, trying to get a better look. A dark crimson cloak poked out from both sides of the tree, and the large hood bowed in my direction. Two piercing eyes glinting in the moonlight were all that could be seen in the blackness beneath the hood. The figure ran from tree to tree, pausing momentarily behind each one and checking to see if it had been noticed. I glanced down the path. Maybe I should investigate. It couldn’t have been that dangerous if it was hiding from me. I’d come into the forest intending to find someone, and someone had appeared. I suppose it was my job to find out who. And why.
I took a slow, measured step off the path, followed by another, venturing into the thick forest. The further I got from the path, the colder it grew, and the fog became denser. The red-cloaked figure took notice of me and scampered more quickly, stopping to peek at me frequently. I hurried after it.
“Wait!”
Laughter wafted through the air and swirled all around me. It reminded me of a time before. A time when I’d almost caught Layla Barns. Layla. It was just like a witch’s cackle. Was I chasing Layla? I slowed my pace, uncertain. The trail was so far away. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I shouldn’t be this far off the path. Could it be a trap? I could hear her laughter growing. It was all around me. The fog pooled at my feet and began climbing up my shins. I really shouldn’t be out this far alone. The red cloak appeared behind me, only two trees back, and I saw Layla’s face peeking out beneath the crimson velvet.
“Layla?” I asked.
A slow, sly smile appeared on her face. And with a twinkle in her eye, she turned and ran. I darted after her.
“Layla! I just want to talk. I’m not trying to hurt you!” But no matter how fast I ran, she was faster.
I jumped over fallen trees and weaved through the pines. “Wait!”
The crows screamed overhead, and twigs snapped under my weight. My lungs burned. I couldn’t keep up. She led me deeper and deeper into the forest—to the deepest parts of my mind. This wasn’t a place I wanted to be, a place I ever wanted to know.
“Layla?”
As the woods closed in around me, I realized I was not getting closer to finding my answers, but in fact getting further from them. She was leading me into a trap. I slowed to a steady walk, pinching a cramp in my side, and finally stopped completely. I panted as I looked around, uncertain of where I stood. All the trees looked similar in the darkness. I’d run far enough that I couldn’t see what direction the trail was, and I had no way of getting back. My chest rose and fell quickly, as I looked up toward the stars. But there was no midnight map sparkling above; there was only fog.
“Don’t stray from the path . . .” the wind whispered.
I swallowed hard, knowing I’d made a deadly mistake. There was something about this girl that seemed familiar. Not just that she was the mysterious Layla Barns, or even the cackle that filled the air around me. It was something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was almost as if it was a story I’d heard once before . . .
A massive crow dove at me, swooping in front of my face and missing my cheek by mere inches. I stumbled backward, half stunned, then changed directions. The crow screeched, and I had an odd feeling that it was trying to tell me something. Something I should have known. Something that should have been obvious. In the blinding fog bank, I took a few steps, but halted when the crow swooped again.
I flinched and spun in an entirely new direction. Had it been telling me which way the path was? A single black feather cut a path through the mist as it fell from the sky. Before it hit the ground, I thought of Levi. I wasn’t sure how he passed; all I knew was that the crows had taken him away. In the storm’s wake that night, millions of pitch-black feathers had fluttered to the ground. Levi. I tilted my head toward the treetops, and several shadows flew overhead. There was one shadow unlike the rest. It was magnificent, really. Its wingspan was twice that of the others, and its eyes were so yellow they pierced through the fog. It was the one who had moved into my path when I had lost my sense of direction.
“Thank you, Levi,” I whispered into the sky.
I hurried through the pines toward safety. The sinister cackle came at me from all directions. A flash of red here, a flash of red there. She was all around me. And yet, never really there at all.
I didn’t know why she hid from me. And truth be told, I wasn’t sure I wanted to find her anymore. If I wanted to stay under the Baylor phenomenon spell, then why should I pursue her? I felt obligated to do right by Walker, and help him find his happily ever after, but maybe the best thing for him was not a girl who had run away, but rather a girl who was willing to give up everything just to be with him.
I had been looking for Layla all summer, but aside from the sighting at the Fourth of July parade, she’d kept herself hidden well. And tonight, she had steered me in the wrong direction. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was dangerous. Perhaps I should be the one running from her.
All I’d wanted to do tonight was tell my gran I’d fallen in love and that I was here to stay. Instead, I was led deep into the woods, chasing a red cloak of ill will and mystery. And then it hit me all at once. The red figure was a symbol, and I was in another fairy tale. That was the something I’d remembered about her. Something that was familiar. It wasn’t déjà vu. It was a story my gran had read to me, time and time again, when I was a child.
The fairy tales my gran had read to me had always been the key to finding Layla. But maybe I didn’t want to find her anymore—in fact, maybe I wanted to hide from her. She was out here in the woods with me, and I wanted nothing to do with her. The fairy tale wasn’t a key to finding answers; it was a warning sign. Gran was reading the stories so I would know how to prepare myself for what lurked around the corner. Poisonous apples, witches, and warlocks hidden in stone towers. I looked over my shoulder, because the only thing missing now was a wolf.
As soon as the thought entered my head, I felt the presence. It had been stalking my every step. Watching and waiting for the moment I grew weak and frightened. Because the moment I let my guard down was the moment it would pounce on me. My heart galloped in my chest. My skin broke out in tiny goosebumps. I trembled, because that moment was right now.
A deep, wet growl ripped through the fog, piercing my ears as I gasped and spun around. I shut my eyes tight and held my breath—one that would surely be my last. But the attack never came. Instead, I found myself tangled in my gran’s crocheted blanket. My heart was nearly leaping out of my chest, and my skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. My wide eyes searched my surroundings. The dark bedroom. The cabin. Again. Always.
I closed my eyes, rolled onto my belly, pressed my face deep into my pillow, and I screamed.