Chapter 3
October arrived. New adventures started in not only my life but the life of my family members. Madeline and Bibby started dating openly. Mom came out of nowhere to start dating Mr. Hawkins. She surprised us when she invited him over to her house. He looked very shocked to learning that he was dating my mother.
I'm happy for her. I have no problem with her dating someone in her life. Whatever makes her happy. My life has become interesting. I've started to dwell into nature. I feel as though it is in my bloodline to live in the forest.
My interest is huge when it comes to the forest on our tribe. Hiking and drawing in the forest help take my mind off the ever-growing angered emotions that I feel over how Tiffany treated me.
I never thought a teenage girl could break me down. If I was a serial killer, then I would kill her. Those types of thoughts travel through my mind when I see her and Robert together during school hours, but I keep my chin up. I won't allow those two to shape my future.
"Canteen." Mom says reading over our hiking list that we made for ourselves at home. "Check." Me and Madeline say showing our blue canteens on our bookbags. After trial and error, I finally convinced my mother to allow us to go hiking with our friends. Well, Madeline did too. We both did.
We'll be eighteen years old next year. We're seniors. It's time for us to have some fun. "Each other?" Mom asks with an attitude. "Check." We both say touching on each other's shoulders. She crosses her arms looking in Madeline's face.
"We're going to be okay. We have our cellphones." She says. "If one gets lost?" "It won't happen, Mom. It's six of us. We'll be together." She speak. "I've checked, Mom. It's a square path that hikers love to take. It's markings on the trees and rocks. I asked around." I say nodding. Madeline nods.
Honk! Honk! "That's our ride." She say kissing Mom on her cheeks, grabbing her bookbag, and rushing out of the front door. I do the same promising mom that we will make it back alive. I promise. I'll look tooth in and nail for my sister.
Soon as I get in Michelle's car, we go over plans of what we should do if we get lost. Head back at six if you can. Stay where you are at. Nine out of ten, it won't happen but it'll work well for us.
Later that Evening...
I groan looking at my watch in frustration. 6:23pm. Those two left me when I turned my back to check on my text messages. I honestly cannot believe that my own sister did this. Does she not know how dangerous this forest is? She must not if she left me.
I kick a pebble and start back going forward. I hop over a couple of logs. I slide down small hills. I skip steps. All of my hope seems to fade just like the sun till I come upon Madeline talking in the distance. Finally! I smile running in her direction. As I reach the high reaching bushes, my heart seems to quicken.
I slow down grabbing my chest. Am I having a heart attack? It feels like one. No! I'll die out here. I won't be able to be saved but I have to save my sister. I take my bookbag off and quickly unzip it. "Marcy!" Madeline shout, voice shaking. "Madeline!" I shout back taking my asthma pump and rushing to her. I run through the bushes to find her kneeling next to an unconscious Michelle, and a pale man with red eyes standing across the field.
I don't know who the heck that is, but he is giving me a vibe. "Twins." He says smirking. I rush to my sister's side and wrap my arms around Michelle's body. "We have to rush home. Grab her feet. Now!" I shout. She cautiously looks at the man. An animal growls in the distance. "Madeline!" She quickly grabs Michelle's feet. Nobody got time to be killed or raped by a pervert.
I look back up to see the man gone. "He's gone." I say in disbelief. He was just there a few minutes ago. "Let's go!" We quickly run out of the opening and follow the trail of marked trees. I was smart. I knew something like this would happen. "They're over here!" Bibby's voice shouts in the distance.
"Bibby!" Madeline happily says. I glare. If it won't for her and Michelle, then we wouldn't be in this mess. I should slap her. Him and his friends rush over. "I got her." Jacob say taking her from us. "We followed the trail of marked trees. Good job, Marcy." Bibby say pulling Madeline into a hug.
"How you know?" I ask placing my hands on my hips, sarcastically. "Cause it's something that you would do." He says kissing his girlfriend on the forehead. Exactly. "Thank you." I tell his friends. "Thank you. If you never left markings, then you could've been in the forest for days. What happened?" The man with the short haircut asks grabbing my shoulder and leading me down the trail.
"I checked my cellphone. I was into the text messages. All of a sudden, those two...clowns left." "You two simply left her?" Bibby ask Madeline. "We wanted to hike. She was all in her phone. The plan was if anyone get lost then we'll meet back after an hour of looking." She halfheartedly explains.
"Six! No matter what! We meet back at six." I look at my watch. "7:02." "Well, your mother called the police when you all didn't answer your phones." The man say. "Mom is smart. Have you ever seen a belt, Mr?" "Call me Embry." He speak. "We all seen belts. Your pump, Marcy." Bibby says. "Oh." I say looking at the pump still in my hand.
I take a couple of pumps trying to calm my nerves but the thought of Madeline and Michelle leaving me seems to overcome my body. I feel a warm tingling feeling travel down my spine as it feels as that the entire world is shaking. "Marcy, shut up!" My sister spits out. "Calm down. You're safe now." Embry tells me placing his hand on my shoulder.
That feeling seems to disappear. "Shut up?" Bibby asks her. "She's always over-dramatic, Bibby." I stop glaring. I'm over-dramatic? I can't wait to see Mom beat her with a belt. "Let's get you home." Embry say waiting on me to walk. "Thank you." I say going back walking. "How long you had asthma?" He asks.
"Never." Madeline answer. "I never had it till my episode at school. The nurse ER found my lungs weak so I got the pump." I say shaking my pump. "She's lying." Madeline say looking at her boyfriend. "What is your problem?" He asks stopping. "Just scared. Just mad. I was almost killed today by a man with red eyes." She say stopping.
"The lies. The man didn't have red eyes. His eyes were red, but we all know it was drugs. He'll lose them in a few days or years. He looks like a...user. He uses a lot, so he'll be dead in a few." I say walking past them. "Or in a few." Embry says. "It'll be a few. Drug users are the mostly killed in this forest." Jacob say leading us out of the forest.
Mom, the EMTs, and others are waiting. "Mom! It was Madeline's fault!" I shout running over to her. She pulls me into a hug. I hug her back noticing Mr. Hawkins. "Nice to know that you're okay, Marcy." "My midterm too, Mr. Hawkins." I say coming out of the hug. Mom moves me out of the way and gives Madeline a hug.
"Are you hurt, Marcy?" Chief Swan asks. "No." "They ran into a drug user. He ran off." Jacob says laying Michelle on a gurney. "What happened?" Sam asks. "Marcy's good thinking helped us find them. She left markings on the tree." Bibby say complimenting me.
"Smart thinking. It was rehashed in the car, but Madeline and Michelle had other plans. They left me." I bluntly say. Attention turns to Madeline. "We wanted to see the meadow opening that everybody has been talking about. We didn't find it." She says crossing her arms. "What meadow?" Mom asks. I slap the air for her. "I got her, Mom." I say having her back.
"I'mma beat you with a belt, Madeline." She say making me smile wide. "I'll accept it, Mom. Michelle could've died." "You and your sister too. I am going to tell her parents." I just shake my head in disgust. "Do you need help?" An EMT ask walking over to me. "Yes. My pump is running out." I say shaking it. "Let's check you out over by the ambulance." He say leading me over to the car as I hear Madeline's cries in the behind me. Beat her, Mom!
Madeline was grounded for three months. Mom took her cellphone and banned her from using the family's computer in the den. I learned a life lesson to never hike with Madeline or any one of her friends. Both come with problems that shouldn't be centered around nobody.
Well, she didn't see it that way cause she ran away three days after Mom took her phone. She ran straight to Michelle's house. Mom ain't care long as she knew where she was at.
Knock! Knock! Knock! I sigh finishing the last sentence on my science report on the computer. "Done!" I shout hitting 'Enter' and getting up from the desk chair. I walk out of the den to the front door and peep through the hole. Oh, it's Bibby. "Hi!" I happily say unlocking and opening the front door. "How you are doing, Marcy?" He asks.
"I am doing good. You're looking good in the jean jacket. You're so muscled." I say rubbing my hands together. He looks yummy. "Well, you're gaining muscles yourself. Where you work out?" He asks checking out my arms. "The local gym at Forks." I say drawing a line in front of me. "What is that?" He asks confused.
"Me about to cross it. Come in!" I say waving him in. "I'm scared to cross it." He say walking in and making sure that I don't look at his butt. I close the front door. "Just me today. Mom at work. How can I help you?" I ask. "Just wondering about Madeline. What she doing?" He ask.
"Well, she at Michelle's house. That's all I know. Mom kind of embarrassed her by beating her with a belt. How your friends react? Your gang?" I ask throwing up signs. "Like regular people. How you been?" He ask stepping in front of me.
"I've been pretty good. I was writing my science report. What's up?" I softly ask staring in his face. "Just like you a whole lot but you don't want to cross that line for your sister." He says voice cracking. "Must be real emotions if you're cracking as you speak. How's your heart?" I ask touching his chest. "Beating fast." I nod.
"I can feel it. I don't want it to jump out." I say as he takes my hand and lean down to kiss me on the lips again. I kiss him back this time. The kiss is kind of awkward. "Sorry." I softly say coming off his lips.
"It's okay. I can practice. You can. Look at me." I nervously look down at his shoes. I don't want to look at him. He sighs grabbing my chin forcing me to look into his eyes. I don't feel him pulling my eyes out of my sockets but that's good. I lock the front door. "My room is on the left, Bibby." I say pointing to the staircase. He shakes his head unsure. I'm senior.
It's that time. I nod my head grabbing his hand and leading him to the stairs. The steps feel slow as we walk but I manage to take him all of the way up to my bedroom and close the door. "Room is very different than Madeline's." He say taking off his jean jacket. I lock the door praying to God that he makes my first time alright.
"Very calm and...soft. Have you?" I ask turning to face him. "No. This is my first time. You?" "First time." I answer walking up to him. He tosses his jean jacket on the chair next to the dresser while staring in my face. "That was cool." I say impressed. I never met a guy who can do this. "First time?" He asks me.
"First time. You'll be my first guy." I say grabbing his mighty warm hands. Oh, wow. He's burning up! "You're hot? Ar-" "You and Tiffany?" He bluntly asks. Me and Tiffany. "I didn't think she counts. If you count her then she'll be my first time. Just teenage girls experimenting. We don't have to." I say letting his hands go. "I don't feel right about it, Marcy." He say grabbing his coat and walking past me. I frown feeling my heart shatter into pieces.
I hear the bedroom door opening. "When you lie...make sure to lie to a man who is not friends with Tiffany's boyfriend, Marcy." He say. I simply nod my head, poking out my lips. He leaves out of the room. I don't move till I hear the front door opening and closing. I slowly sit down on the bed being embarrassed beyond comparison. Well, there goes my chance with Bibby.