I was fine the first few weeks after Puck left. After a while though, it really sunk in that he was gone, and maybe for good. It hurt. I felt abandoned, I felt…alone. So I threw myself into my other relationships, into school, sports, anything to distract myself from the pain. It never worked a hundred percent of the time, I mean, there was always something that reminded me of him, but it did help. And I have to admit, I learned from being hurt, it helped me grow. Sometimes, on the days that I found myself missing him the most, I went to the tree house we used to hang out at and just sat in it, remembering the good times and wallowing in my hidden misery. It's pathetic, I know, but in a strange way, it made me feel better.

One weekend during the summer before my freshman year of college, the rest of the family had decided to go out sightseeing somewhere. They liked to do that; every so often they'd take a couple days to go vacationing somewhere. I usually enjoyed these little outings, but that particular weekend I just didn't feel like going anywhere, so my parents agreed to let me stay home with Elvis.

They left in the morning and wouldn't be back for two days. All day I wandered about, reading, watching TV, doing boring stuff. There was no one to hang out with because all my friends were out of town for the summer. About mid-afternoon I decided to go for a walk. I was going to take Elvis, but he was sleeping so I let him be.

I walked out of the house in a denim shorts and a t-shirt, but it was rather cold so I went back inside threw on a sweatshirt. When I left for the second time, I was more comfortable. I followed the well-worn path through the trees into the forest

It was a pleasant afternoon, despite the chilly air. The sun was shining, the trees full of green leaves, and the brook babbled softly. It was oddly quiet though. There were no birds singing, no insects buzzing, no squirrels darting across the path. I thought it must have been due the sudden cold weather so I forgot about it and continued walking.

As I walked, I thought. I thought about college coming up, about preseason, my friends and family, I thought about our quirky little town and how much I had come to love living here. I had walked for about thirty minutes when I came to the tree house. It was a wooden box built around the trunk of the tree. It had a roof, a door, windows, and even shutters, all crudely made, but still there after so many years. I felt happy at the sight of it, as it reminded me of good times, but that happiness had shadows of loneliness and sadness. I hadn't planned on going inside, but I couldn't help myself. I climbed up the ladder and into the tree house.

It looked small from the outside, because the physical boundaries of the house were small. But Puck and I had built the house using magic, so the inside was pretty big.

I took a step through the door and expected my foot landed in layer of dust, but it didn't. The place was spotless. The last time I was here I cleaned it up a bit, but I hadn't been back in more than half a year, the house should have been filled with dust. I was mildly confused. I walked through the rooms slowly, almost cautiously. I entered the TV room and looked around, alarm shot through me when I saw the couch. I had put the blankets away the last time I had been here, and now it looked as if someone had been sleeping with them on the couch. Only Puck and I had used this tree house, even if other members of my family had been here I would have known. A stranger had been here. I went quickly to the kitchen. There were a few empty sodas and water bottles on the counter; at least it wasn't beer. I opened the fridge; it was stocked with food. I opened the trash; it was full. Someone had been living here for a while, and it looked to me like they weren't planning on leaving. I didn't know what to think, I was a little curious to see who it was, a little fearful that a stranger had been occupying our tree house for quite some time without my knowledge, but mostly just annoyed. Annoyed at whoever was here and annoyed at myself for letting it happen. This place was special to me, Puck and I had shared a lot of memories in this place. The tree house was my way of connecting to him when he left. I didn't want anybody else here but myself.

My thoughts were interrupted by the opening and closing of the front door.

My heart raced, the stranger was back. I reached for my knife in case I should need to defend myself, but came up empty handed. I had left it at home. I cursed quietly under my breath. I decided to surprise the intruder instead of immediately taking the defensive.

I walked soundlessly to the wall next to the door and peered around it so I could take a look at the intruder. Who I saw surprised me so much that even I, the Queen of Sneaks, made a small noise. He stood crouching over a blue backpack, rummaging through it. His back was to me so I couldn't be sure, but when I made the noise he looked over his shoulder, and my heart jumped. He was taller and looked stronger and his hair was longer than when I saw him last, but it was him.

I stepped out into the open, my arms crossed over my chest, a grin splitting my face. We locked eyes and his smile lit up the room. I took a few quick steps and jumped into his arms. They felt strong and sure as they wrapped around me, holding me tight to him. I pressed my face into his neck and found myself crying. I felt overwhelmed with emotion, like a tidal wave had crashed over me, leaving me helpless to fight against its power. His hand smoothed my hair as he soothed me.

Oh I was so happy to see him. I was sohappy to see him. But seeing him brought so unanswered questions to the front of my mind. I was confused about why he left and also about why he'd come back. I was angry with him for leaving and angry at him for having been back for so long and not coming to see me, not even letting me know! I mean, he leaves at the drop of a hat for more than two years and he doesn't he even tell me he's returned? How rude is that? But, oh, how glad I was to see him. Despite all the pressing negative emotions, I could not ignore the joy I felt when I looked at him.

I collected myself, my emotions, and stepped back, releasing Puck. I looked at him now and my anger faded. I truly cared for this boy, this infuriating, annoying, frustrating boy. Just looking at him made me happy. He was so beautiful. From the tiny freckles that dotted his nose, to his eyes, green like the meadows, to the way he held his hands next to him, careful and strong, in every little way he was beautiful to me. I cast my eyes at the floor and shook my head, a small smile crossing my face.

I looked up into his smiling green eyes and almost burst into tears again, but I took a deep breath. "Puck," I said whispering, "I…I missed you."

His eyes were not smiling anymore, they were sad. He pursed his lips. "I'm sorry, Sabrina. I just…" He ran his fingers through his curly blond hair. "I just had to go." He turned away and walked to the window, his back to me.

That ticked me off. All the hot anger, the frustration, came back, pressing me until I burst, "Yes, but why? Why? You left so suddenly, so unexpectedly. And without explanation! I'm still trying to understand what possessed you to drop everything and disappear from our lives," I said, furious.

He didn't answer.

"It hurt us. Daphne and Basil cried for weeks. Granny Relda almost had a heart attack after I told her. My parents even, mourned your disappearance." I pressed a hand to my chest and lowered my voice. "It hurt me."

I looked at him standing in front of the window, his body tense, his attention focused outside.

"And it hurts now," I said, spitting the words at him, "to think that you don't care. You could have called! You could have written! Even now, you stand there completely ignoring everything I'm saying to -"

Suddenly, Puck's had his hand clamped over my mouth and his arm around my waist and we were flying through the house and up the stairs.

I struggled against his hold, my cries muffled against his palm, but he was too strong.

We flew into a bedroom and into the tiny empty closet. He placed me on the floor, shut the door, and turned on the single bulb dangling over our heads, his hand still clamped over my mouth. It was dusty and there was hardly enough space for the both of us.

I was very confused. I pulled my legs to me and crossed my arms.

Puck crouched in front of me, looking straight at me. His green eyes were full of anger and fear, but his face was hard with determination. "Listen to me," he whispered fiercely. "Don't make a sound. Don't leave this closet. Promise me you won't!"

Actually, I was quite ready to push him away and start yelling again, but the urgency in his voice moved me and I nodded slowly.

"I'll be right back," his hand left my mouth and he exited the closet, closing the door softly.

I looked around the small space and stretched out my legs. My feet were flat against the opposite wall. I pulled them back to me and wrapped my arms around my knees. I didn't like not knowing what was going on, it made me angry. When Puck got back, I intended on dragging out whatever truths he had left in him.