The wind whipped my hair out of my face, and sprayed water into it as we flew along the surface on our tube. It was shaped like a pancake, and me and my friend Elizabeth were holding on for dear life as it spun around, and tried to throw us off. My legs hit the water, for a second, and the water ripped my purple anklet right off my leg. I cried in despair, turning around, and letting go of the tube without thinking, and I flew into the air, landing in the water with a smack, surfacing with the help of my lifejacket.

I searched the water for it frantically and when I couldn't find it I frowned, and sighed. "I guess that's one part of me that will always stay at home." I laughed at Elizabeth, who'd fallen out beside me.

She laughed back. We called this camp our home- at least, I did, and she always agreed. They say home is where the heart it. My heart is here. With the murky lake, the grassy hill and the ranch, with the cabins and the barn. This is where I belonged. With my friends, and my family.

"You bum! We could've won some freezies!" she splashed me.

I shrugged. "It's cold out anyways. Besides, I don't even like freezies."

"It's the thought that counts!"

"Alright then."

The week went on like this, and when it came to a close, I was horribly upset to be going. Another year of waiting, and praying that the year would go by fast, so that the day for us to go would come sooner.

The bell rang, the last day of grade nine finally over. I would leave for camp this coming Sunday. The best part was- I'd get to work there!

When I arrived, I grinned, and inhaled deeply, and it smelled like home. I ran up the hill, to the main building, and signed in, getting all set up, and ready for the campers to come.

"Ready for an awesome summer Dru?" Liz asked, grinning. Her wavy, below-the-elbow auburn hair swayed as she ran into the room. She stood at 5'9'', two inches taller than me, and was constantly making me feel like a gnome.

"Definitely." I grinned.

And so passed another fantastic summer, and then another.

When grade eleven came around, I had to practically beg my mother to let me go back- she just wanted me to focus on my career stuff now. I argued and argued until I finally won, getting to go home for one last summer. A summer to end all summers- and all freedom, but I didn't know that then.

I closed the door to my car, getting in the driver's seat and Elizabeth sat shotgun, our friend Mandy sitting in the back. The drive was two hours long and I was looking forward to every minute of it. I wanted to remember this summer. I wanted it to be special. I wanted this summer to be for me.

When we got there I parked and grabbed my stuff, locking the car and sprinting up the hill, savouring the sweet scent of horse and nature, and the forest, and the view of Western Town, as the ranch was called.

I beamed. "I'm home!"

Getting into the routine of everything wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and I was so glad to be here, I just couldn't stop beaming. The whole day, I smiled, and by the end, my face was hurting so much, and it felt as though it was stuck perpetually smiling.

I was wearing my favourite grey sweatpants, with a tight yellow T-shirt, and the sun was beating down on me, heating my skin, and making me smile. I hate the cold. I will one day start a hair-dry-the-snow-out-of-existence revolution! But for now, I'm stuck in Canada, where it goes from +40 degrees Celsius, to -30 degrees Celsius, and that's in Ottawa.

"Okay guys let's go down to waterfront!" I called, and they all followed me, clumping together with their friends, talking and laughing. I walked over to Mike and hip-bumped him.

"Hey." he gave me and easy smile. His short brown hair was covered by a ball cap, and he was wearing blue swim trunks, and a white T-shirt. He was fairly attractive, and at 6'4'' he was also really tall.

"Halloo to you too." I laughed. "I've missed it here."

"Same. You never know how much a place means to you until you realize you're going to have to leave."

"I know exactly what you mean." I looked at the glittering surface of our muggy lake. "Don't cross the street yet!" I called to the kids who'd gone up ahead and they waited. "This is my home. And I won't ever come back here again." I had no idea how true that statement would prove to be.

"Same. I grew up here. I don't want to leave now."

"Exactly! This is where I learned to be a good person, and good role model, where I learned that I wasn't worth nothing. It was here I'd had all my troubles fixed. So why does it need to end now?"

He sighed. "All good things come to an end."

"Not all of them! They don't have to..." I crossed the street with the kids and Mike and I sat down on a picnic bench under a gazebo roof. "I guess I'm being melodramatic about this. I've still got two months."

"And they'll be gone in the blink of an eye."

"Indeed they will."

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" I asked for the third time. "One hundred percent sure?"

"Yes!" The female camper laughed. I think her name was Charlie. She tugged me over, and strapped on a lifejacket. "Come on!"

I laughed. "Alright. Alright!"

Two minutes later we were on a pancake tube, zooming across the surface of my lake, the wind whipping our hair around, and spraying water in our faces. I screamed, and so did she, hanging on for dear life, hoping that we wouldn't fall, and hoping that the tube didn't flip.

It ended all too soon when we were dragged up to the broken wooden dock, where we were to get off. I saw a flash of purple, and looked closely, picking up what looked to be a bracelet, almost completely covered in algae. A purple bracelet.

I stepped onto the dock, walking back to the beach, and rubbing off the grime. When I got it cleaned off I gasped. It was my purple bracelet. I beamed. I'd gotten it back. Eventually. I saw something on the inside and I frowned, turning it inside out. What I found shocked me. There were words engraved on the inside of this rubber bracelet, and how that was done without snapping it, I will never know. It read:

You have seven months Dru Dunst, and be ready. Countdown starts Sept. 1st. Show no one this. Jericho Z. Barrons.

This sent shivers down my spine. That can't be true. Jericho Barrons is a book character. An imaginary books character thought up by Karen Marie Moning. This is a prank.

By a prankster who somehow knew who the bracelet belonged to? I don't think so Dru.

I breathed deeply, trying not to panic. It said I have seven months, starting September. That means I have until April 1st. Great.

I stared over at the people and realized that this was more than just a goodbye to my home. It was also a goodbye to my family- the one living here, and the one back at my house.

I was definitely going to make this last summer count.

As I drove away from my home, I cried, and so did Liz and Mandy, knowing that none of us would ever go there again. "So long..." I sang sadly.

"Farewell..." Liz joined in.

"Goodbye.." Mandy finished, and we all laughed sadly.

"I'm really going to miss that place." And I'm really going to miss you two, too.

When I got home, I grabbed a notebook, and started thinking about what I'd need for this, because, if I knew the character -I still wasn't going to fully admit to myself that he did, in fact, seem alive- Barrons, he did not intend to kill me, at least, not right away, so I figured I'd need some things.

I looked down at the notebook, just staring at the blank paper. I realized, I didn't know the first thing about where I was going. I didn't know if it would be hot or cold, or even the weather conditions... but, in the books he'd lived in Dublin, Ireland. It had been mostly rainy there, and almost always, cold, or cool.

Things I need:

-Pants (3 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of sweatpants)

-T-shirts(6)

And so the list went. Throughout the next few months, I wrote and re-wrote the list, changing different things, until I finally had my master list. I worked all hours, so that I could have enough money to buy a huge bag, fitting everything that I need to fit in it. The end list of my things is this:

-My Notebooks.

-Printed versions of everything I've ever written

-Photo album of my friends and family

-1 dressy outfit

-6practicall tops

-3 jeans

-1 sweatpants

-2 thermal socks

-2 bras

-1 sportsbra

-sneakers

-stuffies (favourites from when I was little)

-deodorant

-2 sweaters

-entire Fever series

-a token from each family member (shirt from each of them.)

-Marianas Trench Cds

-Rosary

-Journal

-Housecoat

-Cell Phone

-Bible. (I need some wise words. Barrons sure as hell won't give them to me if he's anything like the man in the books.)

-My drawings. (I need some prettiness in the room. Even if they'll only remind me more of home.)

And that's it. I looked at the time, and date on my cellphone. It was March 1st. Just enough time to buy everything that I need, and make sure that they're all good quality stuff. I looked over. My bag was already packed, just in case my measure of seven months isn't the same as Barrons'.

What will I wear when they come and get me? The answer came to me as soon as the question had finished forming: leather. I was going to wear leather pants, and leather boots, and leather jacket. I'd put my hair up- less to grab- and make sure to tell my family I loved them. I'd spend as much time as I could at home, and spend all the time possible hanging out with my friends at school.

I got up and ran downstairs. I'd go out and buy the leather stuff before my mum even noticed I'd been gone. I grabbed the keys and drove way over the speed limit, to get to the mall quickly.

"Hey Dru! When are you going to get the story done?" chirped Caileigh.

"Almost done!" I smiled until she'd turned around, and it was instantly off my face. I walked through the crowd, in a depressed, closed off state. When I was greeted by Jordan, I smiled at him, and he just shook his brown head.

"You're not happy. Don't smile."

"I love how you see right through me." I laughed half-heartedly. I'd been fine, until about 2 months and counting. I'd begun to realize the full seriousness of my situation.

"Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?" he asked. His blue eyes were questioning, and he wasn't all that attractive, at least not to me. But, he's had his share of girlfriends, as I have had my share of boyfriends.

"Because if I did, bad things would happen. You've got to trust me." I pleaded.

He sighed and shook his head. "Fine."

The days passed so quickly and I wished that I had more time. Each day, I remembered to kiss my parents goodbye, and tell my family I loved them, and I realized there was one person that I needed to tell that I loved him. I had two days until April 1st. It was Thursday. I'll do it tomorrow.

I walked up to Jared, shoulders back and head held high. He turned around and I stopped him. "I have to tell you something. I like you. A lot." I sighed. "I have for a while. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't tell you." I turned and left. He didn't stop me, didn't say that the feelings were reciprocal. He just let me walk away. And I was fine with that. I'd done it.

I was ready for Barrons.

When you think you're ready for something, you're probably right. When I thought I was ready for Barrons to come, I was so very wrong.

I sat up in bed, looking at the clock. 11:59 P.M. One minute left. I looked around my room, memorizing every detail, from the ugly pink walls, to the clashing green carpet. The horse posters on the walls, and drawings of things that I wanted my parents to have. My CD player was in the corner, playing a soft, Taylor Swift song. She was the only artist I'd been able to find that had calm songs in her CD. So in the background, when 'Fearless' came on, I braced myself.

The window of my bedroom popped out, and landed quietly on my bed. A man jumped in. He was huge, saturating the space he took up, with blonde hair, and brown eyes that weren't friendly at all. He was the kind of man you looked at twice, and then looked away from, because he was so intimidating. That must be Ryodan.

"Come on Dru." He looked at me, making me know that this obviously wasn't a question.

"No." Why are you saying that what are you doing!? Go with him!

"It would be unwise to refuse me."

"And it was rude to break into my home and try to kidnap me."

He jumped at me and I whizzed out of the way, only escaping him because he hadn't thought I'd be so fast. He lunged again and I smacked him in the face, hearing a cracking as my fist collided with his nose. He growled in fury.

"What the bloody hell is going on in there Ry?" A man called. He poked his head in. He had dark hair, and an angry face. I could only assume that this was Lor.

"Having some trouble Lor." He grunted.

Okay, two identified. "Why. Can't. You. Just. Leave. Me. Alone." I panted, in between each kick. Somehow, we weren't making any noise- and my family hadn't woken up yet.

Lor jumped in and I swore. I jumped in the air, and kicked out with both legs, landing on the balls of my feet, in a crouch. They were both extremely pissed off at me now.

"You won't last long at this." Lor growled out. He looked like he wanted my head. He probably would already if Barrons didn't want me for something.

"However long I last will be longer than most people have against you nine." I answered.

"How did you know there were nine of us?" Ryodan asked me this time. He grabbed my hand, and I kicked at him. "Kasteo!" A large man, built exactly the same as the other two entered and grabbed my flailing foot.

"The Fever books."

"The... what?" Lor grabbed my feet.

"You know, the book series written about everything that happened to Mac, and between her and Jericho, and everything."

"No, I don't know." They were carrying me out the window. I bucked and kicked, and was glad that I'd been wearing my bag when they'd taken me.

I had iron stuffed in my bra, and up my sleeves, and in my boots, hoping that I'd be able to use it later. The Fae apparently had an aversion to it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that on the periodic table iron is Fe.

I flailed my foot and kicked Kasteo in the face. He had this perpetual look of grief on his face, as if something terrible happened to him, and he still hasn't recovered. From what I'd read, he'd been silent for one thousand years. It must've been something quite terrible.

"Sorry." When he didn't answer, I elaborated. "I know you lost someone dear to you. I know how it feels."

He glared, and I got this impression that he didn't want my pity. I flailed once more, and started to feel weird. Tired, almost. I looked around and saw black spots. It was almost as if I no longer had any energy. The last thing I saw was the man I could swear was Jericho Barrons looming over me, and scowling.