The start of their senior year at Berk Academy. It was supposed to be the best year of their life and while they appeared happy, they actually weren't. The group of them had been best friends since the 6th grade, and then after freshman year a lot of things changed. Two members of their group just vanished without a word to anyone. All contact had been broken, and no one heard about them. The group looked over and over again but turned nothing up on their friends and now the once happy group who vowed to finish high school together were two members short and miserable sitting in the cafeteria of the school all quiet among the vast amount of voices talking around them. The group of 7 sat at their table silently and looking down. It was their first day of senior year and thus far, it really sucked for them.
"So much for graduating together..." Mumbled a young man with black hair and light blue eyes.
"It was him who made the vow we would and then he just up and left without a word, Shaun. Hunter never goes back on his word..." Stated a girl with long blonde hair in low pigtails.
"Man, why would Hunter make a vow that we'd all be friends forever, graduate high school and then just bail..." Said the twin brother of the girl with blond hair in pigtails.
"Heather left too." Sighed a girl who had blue eyes and her blond hair pulled back in a braid that rested over her shoulder.
"Doesn't matter you guys...Hunter and Heather both left and we haven't seen or heard from them in two years...I'm honestly ready to give up hoping they are coming back or that we'll ever see them again..." Came the voice of a male with short blond hair and green eyes.
"I hate to admit it but...Freddie is right...It's been two years without a word. Heather and Hunter are gone..." Shaun looked down. They all did, the braided blonde with blue eyes looked out the window of the cafeteria with a look of longing.
'Hunter...Where are you? Where did you go...You didn't really just leave us forever did you...' She thought sadly. Her mind took her back to that day, the end of freshman year. The last time they ever saw Heather Sandvik and Hunter Haddock.
{Flashback}
[Astrid's POV]
The bell rang throughout the halls of Berk Academy, it only took a moment for those same halls to fill with students rushing to their lockers and then to their buses. It was the end of the year, finally time for summer vacation. And my 6 friends and I couldn't wait to get started. We had been raving about all week since finals, our plans and all we'd do. When that bell gave us the signal to be free, we practically flew out the classroom doors and to the front of the school where our parents would be picking us up in about 20 minutes when the buses cleared out and it wasn't so traffic heavy. So there we all sat laughing and talking about the end of the year.
"So how long is your vacation for Hunter?" I asked him smiling softly. My name is Astrid Hofferson, I'm 15 years old with blond hair I keep braided back and I have sky blue eyes. I'm also a soon to be sophomore at the high school my friends and I attended. Berk Academy, a top rated school in the Archipelago on the island of Berk. What made this school the best is that it had a dragon training/rider program but we couldn't take it until we were seniors. Well freshman through junior years we worked on dragon facts, types, skills, and more. We even got to train Terrible Terrors. Mine was a girl I named Sneaky, she was teal colored with pale yellow eyes. I couldn't wait to start senior year when we got to work with the big dragons.
Anyway back to the matter at hand, summer starting. I was sitting near Hunter on his left, he was the auburn haired, emerald green eyed boy I'd had a crush on since the start of freshman year. His full name is Hunter Haddock the Third. He and I had been friends since the 6th grade along with our other friends sitting with us now in the front of the school. Going around after Hunter was his cousin, Heather Sandvik. Black hair and bright green eyes. Next was Fredrick Ingerman, also known as Freddie or Fred who had short blond hair and green eyes. After him were the twins, Rylee and Travis Thorston. Light blond hair and pale blue eyes. Rylee's hair was always in pigtails and Travis's was pulled back and pretty long, reached between his shoulders. Finally there was Shaun Jorgenson, short black hair and blue eyes.
Yep that's us, best friends since 6th grade. There was one guy in our school who gave us trouble and his name was Eric Solberg, dark brown hair and light brown eyes, almost caramel colored. He was always competing with Hunter but Hunter didn't play into it. We all kind of ignored it. I saw Hunter lean back a bit with his eyes closed.
"3 weeks. Its gonna suck..." Hunter sighed heavily.
"Oh come on, it won't be that bad." Heather added now.
"Easy for you to say, you're not getting stuck in a cabin with your parents for 3 weeks in the middle of nowhere." Hunter rolled his eyes.
"At least you get to get away from Berk for a while, the rest of us are stuck here. I know my parents want me to get a summer job..." Shaun mumbled out.
"Same here." Fredrick put a finger up.
"I'd take summer job over seclusion..." Hunter huffed. I only giggled, he was so cute when he was pouting. I wish I had the courage to tell him I liked him but I was afraid it would ruin our friendship.
"Its only 3 weeks, Hunter...When you get back we'll all get together and go to the beach, or have a cook out. We'll hang as much as we can before sophomore year starts." I put my hand on his shoulder, he smiled at me and it just made the butterflies in my stomach flutter faster. I tried not to blush as his father was first to pull up in the school entrance. He got up with a sigh.
"Well I'll see you all in about 3 weeks." Hunter forced a smile as the guys gave high fives or fist bumps. Heather hugged him, and I was last. I hugged him tightly not wanting to let go.
"I'll miss you, Hunter. Be safe alright?" I tell him with a soft smile.
"I'll miss you too, Astrid. I will, you stay safe also. See ya soon." Hunter got in his dad's car and they were gone. I watched sadly as the car went out of sight. I didn't know what it was but something felt off about his goodbye. I knew I'd see him in 3 weeks so then why did it seem like something more than that? I sat with my friends another 10 minutes until my mom came. I said goodbye to my friends and returned home, anxiously now awaiting the 3 weeks to be up. I just wanted to see Hunter again, and hopefully get to tell him my feelings before summer was over.
-3 Weeks Later-
Hunter was coming home today, I was so happy. He'd texted me last night saying he'd be home by lunch and wanted to hang out if we could all get together, maybe go swimming. I texted all our friends and they were down for it, Hunter said he'd let us know when he was home and settled again. I decided I was telling Hunter how I felt about him as soon as we were alone, I couldn't fight these feelings anymore and the 3 weeks away from him made me realize that. As soon as Hunter was home, we were all there to greet him. He'd let us know ahead of time, I was first to hug him tightly, so happy he was home.
"Easy Astrid...Sunburn..." Hunter grumbled. I let go quickly and bit my lip.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" I asked, he nodded and then greeted the others. After 10 minutes of that, we were all hanging out in Hunter's backyard pool and boy was it fun. I hoped I'd get a chance to tell him how I felt today but that didn't happen since Hunter ended up getting sick or something and we all had to leave early. That was okay, we still had all summer. Another 5 weeks of it, I was sure I'd get to see him again.
-4 Weeks Later-
Something wasn't right. Literally. After that day, Hunter's texts or calls came less and less and eventually nothing. There was one week left until sophomore year began and none of us had heard from Hunter at all. We called his house and his parents told us he was just busy with his summer job but they would never tell us where he was working. We looked around town but no one had Hunter as their employee which was odd, Berk wasn't that big a town. I was honestly a little worried, Hunter never not answered his messages. And as of 2 weeks ago, Heather wasn't answering hers either. We went to her house and it was boarded up, and going to Hunter's apparently they had moved. I was convinced something was wrong here. Why would both Hunter and Heather stop answering suddenly? Why would they both move without a word to anyone? And where were they now?
-Start Of 10th Grade/Sophomore Year-
I stood there at the entrance of the school, Hunter...had told me that we'd meet there for our first day. It was 1 minute until the bell rang for block 1 and he wasn't here...I waited until the warning bell and nothing. He never showed, I called him but his number had been disconnected, so had Heather's. I lowered my head sadly and moved towards my class. I couldn't believe Hunter hadn't come, he never...went back on something he said. He never broke a promise but yet...He'd broken this one. And none of us between Freddie, Shaun, Rylee, or Travis knew what happened to Heather...or Hunter. I felt a pain in my chest rise, and I could only call it heartbreak.
[End Astrid's POV]
{End Flashback}
There was still 20 minutes left of lunch out of the 60 we got. "Astrid!" Rylee Thorston yelled to get her attention. Astrid looked from the window and to her now. "You alright girl?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Astrid said. It had been two years since that day when Hunter and Heather never showed up for sophomore year. Now it was the start of senior year and still nothing, all of them were ready to give up that Hunter or Heather was returning. No texts, no calls, no trace or anything so what did they do? Keep holding on? How could they, there was nothing to prove they'd be back. Every day had been the same disappointment, Hunter and Heather never showed. Why was today any different. Astrid stared at those main office entrance doors every single day since the start of sophomore year, hoping Hunter would walk through them and every day it was the same sadness. If she had known the day she saw Hunter when he returned from his vacation would be the last day she ever hugged him, then she never would of let go.
Astrid wanted to cry. She just wanted him back, she just wanted to hug him. Maybe punch him first, then hug him and never let him go. She hated how this felt and what was worse, she still loved him. But Freddie and the others were right, Hunter was gone. All of them looked at one another and sighed sadly, preparing to finally let go of the idea Hunter or Heather would return but they just couldn't handle the let down day after day. "What do you say guys...Time to move on?..." Shaun asked them. A few nodded, the room began to go quiet now and the doors of the cafeteria were heard opening. Two figures approached their table but no one looked up, this was more or less their silent goodbye.
"Its our senior year and you all look like you're in mourning. What's with the long faces?" Came a familiar voice, all of them sitting at the table looked up or turned around to see and sure enough, they saw the auburn hair and emerald green eyes belonging to Hunter Haddock that they hadn't seen in two years. They also saw Heather beside him with a soft smile. Hunter crossed his arms over his chest with a grin almost, "Hey guys. Miss me?" He asked. Their mouths dropped open. It was him, Hunter and her, Heather. They were back.
