Just a quick word to any readers. This is just something thats been messing around in my head and i decided to give it a shot, whether i'll keep it going is based on the reviews. if ya hate it, it goes in the scrap bin, if you love it well then i'll continue with it. If any of my readers from my other story happen to make their way here, just know that Love's Second Chance is on hold for a bit simply because while the story is in a happly place right now, i'm not, so it been hard to come up with some inspiration although i do add a paragraph or two every several days so its getting there, just give me some time...well i'll leave it to ya then...hope you enjoy.

CHAPTER 1

“Someone please remind me why I agreed to come along on this trip.” Serena McAllister complained as she shifted the back pack slung across her shoulders to a more comfortable position. They’d been hiking since daybreak and her pack wasn’t feeling any lighter.

“Hell, I’m still trying to figure out why I’m here.” Athena Hill retorted as she mirrored Serena’s gesture. Her own backpack seemed to have increased in weight with every step she took.

“Come on guys. You know exactly why we’re on this camping trip.” Always a ray of sunshine, Amelia Johnson refused to acknowledge her closest friends grumbles and complaints. “Remember? When we graduated from high school we all promised that we’d meet up the summer we turned twenty one.”

“Funny, I don’t recall tramping through the wilderness being a part of that conversation.” Serena, known as Seri to her best friends, did her best to ignore the pain blooming at her lower back. She’d been sure she could handle the simple hike through the woods and it was a blow to her pride realizing that she wasn’t as “in shape” as she’d thought. “How bout you Thena, do you remember her mentioning anything about this?”

“If she did, I must’ve known it for the traumatic experience it’d be and immediately blocked it from my mind.” Athena scanned the path ahead of them with her forest green eyes. As the tallest, she’d taken lead that morning since it was easier to lose sight of Amelia’s petite frame whenever she’d lead. She didn’t mind the hike so much as the location. Since they’d set foot on Isle Royal she’d felt out of place. Even during the ferry ride from the Michigan mainland to the island located in Lake Superior she’d been uneasy.

“Ha ha very funny guys. Come on admit it, isn’t this place beautiful?” Amelia spread her arms open wide and twirled slowly as she walked. They’d been following the Greenstone Ridge trail for two days and she still couldn’t get over the natural beauty surrounding them.

“Yes it’s beautiful. And I’m sure it looks just as beautiful from the front of a postcard. One of which you could’ve sent me instead of convincing me to tag along.” Serena blew several strands of hair away from her face. If she’d known Amelia’s crazy idea of a bonding experience would’ve meant traversing one of the longest trails on the island, she would’ve never cut her hair. As it were, she was able to pull most of her straight black hair into a hair band, the short bangs she’d cut a month ago however, were becoming a nuisance. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t keep them from brushing against her eyelashes whenever a slight breeze would pass.

“Complain all you want. But I know deep down your actually enjoying this.” Amelia lifted one of her dirty blond eyebrows in challenge. The three of them had been friends since, well, forever. She couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t know them. And no matter how much they griped about being there, she knew that they must be feeling the same awe she was.

“Yea right. I’m sure the nausea is from something else.” Seri quipped sarcastically.

“Well whatever I’m feeling, I’m not too sure it’s joy.” Athena slipped into their conversation. She could no longer keep her anxiousness to herself. There was tension building at the base of her neck. “I don’t know Lia. I’ve had a bad feeling about this trip since you first mentioned it a few weeks ago. “

Amelia, or Lia as she was usually called, rolled her eyes heavenward and turned to face her two best friends. The three of them had stopped in a small clearing surrounded by a variety of trees. “Are you being serious right now?” She glanced back and forth between the two of them. “What’s wrong with the both of you? I remember a time when you guys couldn’t wait to start another adventure.”

“We were eight Lia. Not three grown women trying to commune with nature.” Athena sighed irritably. It’s not like she wanted to ruin the experience for her friends, she just didn’t think they should be here.

“Whatever. I don’t know what’s gotten into you Thena. Seri’s usually the voice of doom and gloom. No offense.” Amelia added with a quick glance at her friend.

Serena shrugged. “When your right, your right.” It was a known fact that she was the jaded one in the trio. And honestly, she’d have to agree with Athena on this one. She’d felt iffy about the whole excursion but had simply chalked it up to just being the pessimistic of the bunch. It was a relief to know she wasn’t the only one who’d had doubts.

“Look I’m not saying that your idea was bad. It’s just that something feels wrong about this place.” Athena tried to ensure that her friend’s feelings weren’t hurt while she tried to explain herself.

“Wrong? What could possibly be wrong?”

“You want the long or short list?” Serena retorted absentmindedly while she looked for a spot to rest. Spotting a fallen log not too far from them, she promptly made her way over to it and sat down. She slipped her backpack off of her shoulders with a groan and arched her back. Twisting this way and that she was able to crack her back and was relieved that knot of pain was no longer there.

“So you’re siding with Thena? If you guys hated my idea that much you could’ve said so before waiting until we were in the middle of the wilderness.” Amelia’s normally cheery disposition began to plummet. She felt as though they were teaming up against her.

“That’s not it Lia. I thought the idea was great but ever since we got here. I don’t know. Everything just seems a bit off.” Athena tried to console her friend. Frustrated, she tossed her backpack on the floor and pulled her dark brown hair into a ponytail. Maybe having the cool breeze brush against her neck will relieve some of the tension settling there. “Stop and think for a moment Lia. Besides the excitement, what else do you feel?”

Annoyed but willing to give her friend’s opinion some merit, Amelia closed her soft gray eyes in concentration. She took a deep breathe and searched deep within herself. Sure there was a little anxiety but she figured that was normal seeing how they were exploring an unknown area. And maybe there was a little knot of dread forming in her gut; it didn’t necessarily mean there was something wrong.

“See what I mean?” Athena could tell her friend was finally getting what she’d been trying to tell her. The expressions on her face hadn’t been hard to read. Amelia had always been the one in the bunch that never hid what she was feeling.

“Okay say you’re right and something does feel weird about this place. What does it mean? What could possibly go wrong?”

They both turned their heads when they heard Serena groan aloud.

“Please tell me she did not just say that. That’s almost a guaranteed way of bringing bad juju.” Serena shook her head in resignation before muttering, “What could go wrong? Humph. Boy are we in for it now.”

“Oh don’t be so pessimistic. Just because I said it doesn’t mean the sky is going to come crashing down on us.” Amelia scolded her friend’s unrealistic prediction a second before it began to rain. “Ugh.” The soft curtain of rain was definitely going to frizz her already curly blond hair. This was just what they needed to top everything off.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say I told you so. That’d be tacky.” Serena said with an ironic smile. Personally she didn’t mind the rain. She’d always loved the way it made the atmosphere smell. “I suggest we find some cover before it gets worse.” She leaned over and picked up her backpack before standing. She’d only taken a step before there was a boom of thunder followed by even harder rain. “Gee, just jinxing the hell out of ourselves today huh?”

“Just to stay on the safe side, let’s not say anything else.” Athena warned while she led them to the nearest group of trees. She hunched her shoulders against the torrent of rain but it did little to protect her exposed neck from the rain slapping against them in the wind.

“Too late for that.” Serena mumbled while they tried their best to find a dry spot. Her deep blue eyes were currently searching the area for a better place to take cover. “I’m not feeling any less wet standing here.” The trees they’d ducked under barely had any leaves on their branches to cover one of them let alone all three. Every cold drop that battered against her would send chills down her spine and goose bumps on her arms.

“This is the closest place I could see.” Athena blinked several drops of water off of her eyes. Her bottom lip was beginning to shiver from the cold seeping through her clothes.

“We need to run further into the forest.” Amelia informed them with a worried expression. It was not suppose to be raining. She’d made sure that the week they’d be camping would be a sunny one. The weather report had said nothing about a storm.

“But we’ll lose the trail.” Athena was hesitant to lose sight of the worn path for fear that they’d get lost.

“The way I see it. We can stand here until we freeze to death or go with Amelia’s idea and find a place where we can try to get dry. I vote for being dry.” Serena tightened the straps over her shoulders. It was a good ten yards to the dense forest. There was no way that she was going to stay under the sad excuse for a tree.

Athena mulled over her decision for several more seconds before saying, “Okay. But we need to stay together. You go first Seri, then you Lia. Let’s try to run in a straight line.” With a last glance at the path, Athena did her best to memorize its direction. As long as they didn’t veer too far from the straight line, the path should remain directly behind them. “Go!”

Serena ran through the thick sheet of rain. Her bangs were plastered to the sides of her face, making it easier to see the space in front of her. She didn’t bother to look back to see if her friends were following. She could hear Lia’s heavy panting as she ran behind her. And Athena was dependable enough that she knew she was bringing up the rear without hesitation.

When she broke through the first line of trees, she leapt over small logs and rocks without hesitation. With her legs pumping and her heart racing, she led them to a thick group of trees with barely enough head room beneath them. When the three of them were squatting underneath the thick branches and layers of leaves, they all pitched their backpacks to the ground and leaned against them.

“What, what was that?” Amelia managed to push out between deep gasps of air.

“What?” Serena laid her head against the top half of her pack and closed her eyes. Her chest heaving, she tried to imagine a serene lake in order to calm her heartbeat.

“It was like. I don’t know. Like we were a unit or something.”

“Huh.” Seri opened her eyes in confusion.

“I know what you mean.” Athena grabbed her pack from the spot behind her and placed it between her legs while she scooted backwards until her back rested against the trunk of the nearest tree. Thankfully the heavy cover of leaves above them blocked out most of the rain. There were only a few droplets that made their way through here and there. “We mirrored each other perfectly. Whenever you would jump over something or dodge to the left or right to avoid a puddle or a branch, I could see that Lia was mimicking your every move exactly. And even though I couldn’t see myself, I could feel my body doing the exact same thing without even thinking about it.”

“Oh that.” Serena closed her eyes again. “Sorry to burst your bubbles girls but I believe that’s called an adrenaline rush.”

“No it was more then that. It’s like my body knew what to do before I did.” Amelia disagreed with Serena’s diagnosis.

“Besides, adrenaline, medically known as epinephrine, is usually released during the “flight or fight” response in high stress situations. And although I’m sure we all really wanted to get out of the rain, I highly doubt we were under the necessary conditions to set off an adrenaline rush.” Athena spouted out scientifically while she searched through her pack for her Ziploc bag of trail mix.

“Still spending too much time at the library.” Serena shook her head sadly. She’ll never understand how Athena managed to cram her head full of so many miscellaneous facts. She had a hard time remembering where she placed her phone most of the time let alone remembering something she’d learned in high school.

“She’s right. It’s not like we were actually scared. And even if we were experiencing a small rush of adrenaline, doesn’t it just give you like super strength or speed? Things along that line. I don’t think it synchronizes your movement with someone else’s.”Amelia sat Indian style, running her fingers through her soaked hair working out any knots.

“Sure it does. Dancers do it all the time.” Serena still refused to believe there was anything supernaturally special going on.

“But we’re not dancers.” Athena logically pointed out. “And even if we were, no ones timing is as perfect as ours were.”

“Whatever. I think the tree bark the two of you have been munching on is short circuiting your brains.” Serena grimaced over the figs Lia and Athena were currently sharing. She didn’t care how unhealthy it was, she was sticking to her chocolate bars. “Anyway, this place isn’t so bad.” She looked around the dome shaped space they were in. They were well hidden from the outside world and completely covered from the rain. The ground beneath them was mostly dry but had enough moisture and moss to make it soft.

“Should we set up one of the tarps we brought along?” Amelia pondered out loud.

“No. The trees are giving us enough cover. Besides, I don’t think there’s enough room.” Athena split one last piece of trail mix with Amelia before zipping the bag closed and placing it back in her pack.

In fact, there was barely enough room for the three of them. With Serena stretched out on one side and Athena sitting against the tree with her legs sticking out, Amelia’s bent knees managed to brush against the both of them.

“What do we do now?” Frustrated with the entire situation, Amelia leaned forward with an elbow on each knee and rested her chin in her hands,

“Nothing to do but wait it out.” Athena sat forward and unlaced her black and beige hiking boots. “I suggest taking off our boots and changing out our socks. Keep our feet dry.”

“Good idea.” Serena quickly untied her burgundy and black boots and slipped them off. Sure enough her socks were soaked. Once they were off, she flexed her toes and arched her pale feet to relieve some of the ache.

All their feet were wrinkled from being wet for so long. When they were done putting on their dry socks, they lined up their boots on one side with the tongues pulled all the way forward to increase air circulation so their boots would dry faster.

“Should we change our clothes?” Amelia said as she wiggled her toes inside of her dry socks.

“I thought about it. But then what will we do with our wet clothes? Even if we tried to hang them on the branches, the air’s too cold to dry them. Probably end up freezing them. As long as our feet are dry we should be okay.” Athena answered.

“It’s not like we’re over dressed anyway.” Serena took in their shorts and t-shirts. It was obvious that they hadn’t expected the impromptu storm. “Well, it’s a quarter past four even though it looks closer to eight outside.”

“Yea. The clouds moved in pretty fast.” Amelia commented. She hoped the storm would move away just as quickly. “Did you all pack flashlights like I said?”

“Right down to the extra set of batteries mommy dearest.” Serena teased. “Not that we’ll need them. The lightning’s doing a pretty good job of brightening the area for us.”

“Still. It’s good to know we have them. Especially since we won’t be able to light a fire tonight.” Athena said from her hands and knees as she crawled toward the ends of the branches for a better look at what was going on outside of their little dome. The clouds in the sky were completely blocking the sun now. And although the rain seemed to have slowed down a bit, the thunder and lightning were still very close to them. It looked like they were in for several hours of nonstop rain.

“I don’t trust this storm.” Athena admitted.

“Oh lord.” Serena rolled her eyes beneath their closed lids before opening them. “Now you’re thinking the Mother Nature’s out to get us. Look I was with you on the whole bad vibes about this place thing, but a sinister storm? Sorry, I’m hopping off of the crazy train on this one.”

“Think about it. One minute we’re hiking through the woods on a sunny day.”

“Taking goodies to grandma.” Serena cut in. “Sorry, sounded like the opening line to Little Red Riding Hood.”

Amelia giggled at her friend’s dry comment, then gestured for Athena to continue her theory.

“As I was saying. One minute its one of the sunniest days you can wish for and within seconds we’ve got a serious storm breaking through. It makes no sense. When we double checked the weather report for the week, it said nothing about rain.”

“What do you expect? Meteorologists are not psychics. You can’t predict nature every time.”

“Are you really this dense or are you being purposely obtuse?”

“Use smaller words next time. Maybe it’ll penetrate my thick skull.” Serena ignored Athena’s blistering look. She wasn’t trying to be a pain in the ass. She just didn’t want to give in to the twilight zone theory Athena was working towards.

“She’s not trying to be bitchy Thena,” Amelia mediated. “I think we’re all a bit scared and uncomfortable and we’re taking it out on each other.”

“Whatever.” Athena threw herself back against the tree trunk.

Serena sighed heavily before turning on her side, laying with her back to them and her cheek pressed against the softest part of her pack she was able to see past the tips of the low hanging branches nearest to her. The forest floor past their little sanctuary was doing it’s best to soak up the rain water as quickly as possible. It seemed to be fighting a losing battle. If the rain didn’t end soon, they were going to be facing another problem. Eventually the puddles of water will keep growing until it broke into their den.

“Perfect, just per-,” Serena frowned and lifted her head off of her pack. She could’ve sworn she saw something move behind a tree not too far from them. Something that shook her down to the very core. “Lia, did you bring that pepper spray can of yours with you?” Serena whispered even though she doubted anyone could hear her through the rainfall.

“Yes why?” Lia, realizing that something must be wrong, whispered back.

“Take it out and pop off the lid.” Seri kept her eyes focused on the spot she’s seen the figure disappear to. She could be overreacting; it could just be another tourist trying to find cover just as they did. But something in her gut warned her against it. It was a bit late to be looking for dry ground when the storms been in full throttle for the past hour.

“What’s going on?” Athena moved from her seat to crawl closer to her friends. “What did you see?” She leaned over Serena’s legs to peer out into the forest.

“I’m not sure. It could’ve been nothing.” She was about to blame it on being too paranoid before she felt Athena’s hand tighten on her leg when the object moved into and from sight again.

“Could you see what it was? I could only make out a blur.” Athena looked down at her friend. Of the three of them, Serena had the best eyesight.

“It was definitely a person. Too slim for a bear.”

“There aren’t any bears on the island.” Amelia informed them as she crouched down next to Serena’s head to search the darkening forest around them.

“Just moose and timber wolves.” Athena added for measure, managing to break Serena from her locked in gaze.

“Wolves? And no one mentioned this because?”

“Because they’re rarely seen. Do you think that’s what it was?”

“No, not unless these wolves figured out a way to walk on two feet.”

“Coulda been a moose.” Amelia drew their attention. “If you were only looking at the front of it, you would’ve just seen its front two legs and you know, its head and chest.

“No.” Serena shook and head and sat up, narrowly avoiding hitting Athena on the side of the head with her shoulder. “Whatever it was it was wearing something. I think, I think it was a cloak of some sort.”

“A cloak.” Athena repeated.

“Yea I know, who the hell wears cloaks now-a-days? But that’s definitely what I saw.”

“Oh this is getting freaky.” Amelia’s voice quivered.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say all day.” Athena said with a note of triumph. It was about time they realized the unusualness of the situation.

“It could’ve been some hapless tourist with a blanket around them.” Serena tried to rationalize it. “Look for a strong stick.” She spotted one not too far and gripped it in her hand. She hit it against the palm of her other hand to judge its firmness. “Perfect. Listen you guys stay here and keep an eye out.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Athena put a hand on Serena’s shoulder to keep her from crawling out.

“What does it look like? I’m going to make sure it’s not someone who’s hurt.”

“Wait.” Athena dug through her pack for her flash light, telling Amelia to do the same. “We all go. Or no one does.”

She and Serena stared at each other in a silent war of wills before Serena nodded. “Fine, if anything, use the flashlight to whack ’em in the head if, just if.” Serena refused to finish the thought. “Ready?” She looked to both of her friends for conformation. She was sure she was going to find this moment funny later on. Especially the sight of Amelia clutching a flashlight in one hand and a can of pepper spray in the other. “Let’s go.”

Taking point once again, Serena led them out from under the low hanging branches in crouched position. The minuet they stepped out into the open, Serena remembered that they were only wearing socks. Shrugging it off as a lost cause to go back, she boldly stepped into each puddle. The cold water immediately sent chills up her legs. She ignored it.

As they stepped closer to the tree where they’d last seen the figure, she motioned for Athena to creep up around the left side of the tree while she took the right leaving Amelia to wait back and jump in only if they needed help. Gripping the thick stick in her hands like a baseball bat, Serena jumped quickly around the tree to try and catch the person unawares.

There was no one there. Athena looked at her with a puzzled expression. Not one to let her guard down easily, Serena hastily searched the area around them for any sign of the unknown person. She nearly swung the stick at Amelia when she crept up to them. Even through the falling rain Serena could read Amelia lips when she silently asked where the person was.

Athena made a quick hand movement and pointed to a spot east of their position. Once again all they could see was a blur as the stranger’s cloak swooshed behind them after disappearing behind another tree.

“We should go back.” Amelia suggested timidly, her tone of voice suggesting her reluctance to continue.

“I think we should follow him, her, it.” Serena announced.

Torn, Athena stared at her two friends.

“You can feel it too can’t you? We’re supposed to follow.” Serena felt an unknown emotion roll through her. She didn’t know why they needed to follow; she just knew that they should.

“Why? Why?” Amelia tried to ignore the overwhelming urge to run through the forest chasing after a complete stranger.

“We don’t have time to think this over.” Serena rushed out.

“How do you know?”Amelia spat back.

“I don’t know. I just do. Come on. It’s now or never.”

The three friends stared at each other for a span of five seconds before they broke into action. Serena turned around and shot off into the darkness with a feral look in her eye. Despite the lack of light, she somehow managed to see clearly enough to avoid tripping over logs and running into trees.

Just as they had earlier that day, Amelia followed Serena with a fierce look of concentration on her face rivaled only by the look on Athena’s. They didn’t question what they were doing. In fact, they barely thought at all. It was as though an animalistic instinct had kicked in once they’d started running. They didn’t stop to think about their back packs or how they’ll find their way back.

Their every focus was on following the person in front of them. With Serena leading, they once again mimicked her every move. If she jumped over a log, they jumped. If she ducked or dodged to avoid a tree or branch, they followed without hesitation. What did it matter that they couldn’t see exactly what they were avoiding? She could see it.

They didn’t know how long they ran through the rain, nor could they tell how far they’d gone. It was like their every thought process had simply shut down allowing them to focus on one thing. Following the unknown person.

It could’ve been minuets or hours that passed before they came to an abrupt stop at the edge of another clearing. The cloaked figure stood motionless in the center with its back to them.

Chests heaving Amelia and Athena stepped forward, each taking a stance beside Serena. Soaked to their skin, they each ignored the goose bumps breaking out over their skin.

“This is so not good.” Amelia muttered over and over, the only one to audibly comment on the lack of rain where the mysterious person stood. It was like there was an invisible dome shaped shield keeping the figure several yards in front of them completely dry.

“It’s not possible.” Athena managed to push out through her shock. She’d searched her mind for every possible scientific explanation for the giant dry air bubble covering the clearing and could find none.

Serena, always the bold one, took two steps forward and pushed her left hand through to the dry area. Her mouth formed a small circle of surprise as her hand physically proved what her eyes refused to believe. There really wasn’t any rain falling inside the large circle in front of them. Emboldened further by her childlike awe, Serena took the necessary steps forward and pushed herself through what she considered an invisible barrier of air pressure. She entered the clearing with a small pop. Several seconds later she could hear two more pops as her friends joined her.

“We should not be here.” Amelia admitted her fear aloud. She knew that no good would come of their unchecked curiosity. She’d watched too many horror and sci-fi flicks to think they’d get away unscathed. They’d probably just willingly walked into their own massacre.

“Shh.” Athena hushed, her gaze focused solely on the figure’s back, willing the person to reveal themselves.

“To hell with this.” Serena mumbled before tightening her grip on the stick she still held in her right hand. “Who the hell are you? What are you?”

“Who and what does not matter.” A deep voice responded.

“Figures.” Serena thought with disgust. It was always a man.

“It’s time that you returned.” He continued.

“Got that right.” Athena grumbled out.

“Let’s go.” Amelia turned, ready to dash back to their safe little haven where they’d left their packs.

The man chuckled at their naivety.

“Okay, creepy now.” Amelia twisted and tugged at Athena’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“Too late for that now ladies. “

“Are you threatening us?” Serena ground out between clenched teeth. She hated when men acted like they were a bunch of idiots.

“Nay. That is the last thing I would do. You will understand soon enough.”

“What’s that supposed to-” Serena paused in midsentence. Something was happening. It felt like the air pressure in their invisible little dome was building.

“What’s happening?” Amelia piped out.

“We need to get out of here right now.” Athena tried to maintain her calm. “Seri, come on.”

“I can’t.”

“Damn it Seri, it’s time to stop playing curious George.”

“No. I mean I can’t move.”

Alarmed, Athena tried to move her legs and found that she couldn’t either. She turned her head and met Amelia’s horrified expression and knew that they were all trapped somehow.

“Let us go.” Serena demanded.

Unfortunately it seemed like their unknown captor was done talking to them. She could still hear him muttering but could barely catch what he was saying. Then, if she could’ve moved anything below her neck, she would have jolted when she heard him clap his hands once, then twice.

“Shit.” She managed to say to herself before if felt like all the air was being sucked out of the clearing. She tried to turn her head and yell out to her friends but couldn’t. It wasn’t long before little black dots started to appear in her vision. No, she thought to herself, she was not about to pass out. It was her last thought before everything went black.

hope you guys leave some feedback these women lives depend on it..lol, seriously, if there aren't any reviews or just bad ones, i'll simply dub this story a lost cause