Part I

The unforgiving sun beat down mercilessly on my back. Sweat dripped down my spine and pooled at my lower back. I took a deep breath and continued along the track. I could see the shade up ahead and that only pushed me to go faster. Faster to get out of the hell that I was in.
The shade crept over my body and I slowed down my pace a little bit, but the hell didn’t go away. The burning only got worse, more intense. I collapsed on the ground, my breathing heavy, sweat dripping into my eyes. I lay heaving on the ground. Around me colours and shapes swirled and moved, morphing from one shape to another. Koda stood in front of me. Smiling, waving, beckoning me over. Red hot fire burned all around. Koda continued to smile and wave. The fire tore at his body, melted his clothes, but he didn’t seem to notice. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he feel the pain? I could. The pain was searing. Almost unbearable. I tried to call out to him, to warn him of what was happening, but he couldn’t hear me. Smiling waving fire heat Koda pain pain pain HELL


When I awoke I found night had crept over the forest. Mixed-up shadows were cast over my body and I was shivering. The hot day had turned into a freezing night. I groaned as I turned over and knelt on my knees. I rested my forehead on the ground fighting the urge to just lie down and go back to sleep. I don’t know how long I had been out but it seemed to have been hours. I don’t know why it happens. I feel the searing heat, and then I black out, and then…nothing. I don’t know what happens next. Usually I’m not around other people so I don’t freak them out. But when I am on my own, I freak myself out. Especially when I am alone out in the forest and no one knows where I am.
My head pounded, another side effect of the black outs, and I gave in, slipped down onto my stomach and lay in the dirt. I knew it would be impossible for me to stay there all night, but that’s-for-sure what I felt like doing. Some people might say, if you stayed long enough others would come look for you, but I knew that wasn’t the case. No one would look for me.
After another ten minutes I once again pulled myself onto my knees, forehead on the ground. This time the headache wasn’t so bad, and I managed to stagger to my feet. I stood swaying, hands on my head. I dusted my clothes off as best I could in the dark and turned around back the way I had come.
I had hardly entered the forest and already it was giving me strange feelings. Light and dark play mean tricks on the mind. I walked as fast as my legs would allow to get out of there. It was giving me the creeps.
The headache eased a little and I picked up the weary pace I had been trudging along. I could hear sounds of humans further up ahead. I glanced over my body as best I could and carried on walking, trying to act normal. I laughed and in my mind heard a moo. Only it wasn’t the usual moo from a cow, it was a moo that came from the lips of Lizzie while in the back of Jordan’s car. Only being on his restricted Jordan didn’t want to get pulled over by cops so he said “if you see any pigs, just act normal.” From the back seat I heard Lizzie giggle then utter a loud “moooooo.”
That was back when everything was how it should be. Back when everything was right.
I smiled and continued walking. I felt better now and I started to take in my surroundings. It’s not as if I didn’t know them. I had run the same track for the past 5 years but everything takes on a new, different meaning at night. Tonight for example everything was looking more sinister. I looked to my right and saw that for once the tree that was once considered a fairies’ hide-away because of its intricately bent branches and roots above the ground had turned into a menacing oak that could have easily been the hide-away for murderers and criminals, or evil witches hundreds of years ago.
The fairies were a relic from my childhood days spent playing here with Lizzie. The witches were something that stopped us playing. And now, even though that was years ago and I was much older ‘fairies’ had become to mean something good and ‘witches’ something bad.
I walked off the track and onto the street. The street light above me flickered and at the other end I could see the moon light reflecting on the still waters of the ocean. The human sounds I heard before were louder now and I walked a further 50 yards before I saw the party next door. That was Lizzie’s house. I stood in the shadow watching the lights flicker in the windows as a drunken body stumbled past. The song playing was one of my favorites. A techno number that featured the smurfs doing cheerleading that went on for ten minutes. Lizzie and I used to laugh at how funny they sounded but when it really came down to the nail, this was the song that really got us into the mood for a night out, and a night that was always going to be eventful.
A door banged open and laughter sounded as a drunken guy walked out on the front lawn with a blonde on his arm. I looked closer and noticed that it was Rex. No surprise there. Rex liked to have a girl on his arm, and it didn’t really matter who it was. His charm and wit never failed to assist him in his quest for a girl for the night. I had lost count long ago of how many girls he had been with, and I was only counting because half the time he couldn’t even remember if he was with anyone at all. He had taken to asking me if he had been with a girl before approaching her, that’s how shocking he was.
Rex and the blonde sat down on the wooden bench and each in turn took a swill on the wine bottle in Rex’s hand. I shook my head and smiled. The blonde had no idea what she was in for, and probably wouldn’t remember anyway.
I jumped as a dog barked behind me, and heard the blonde give a little shriek and then giggled drunkenly leaning into Rex. He stood up and proceeded to lead her back into the house. When I heard the door slam shut again I moved from my hiding spot in the shadows and tried to walk in front of the house without being seen. When I was halfway there I heard the door open again and hastened my pace to get home before I was noticed.
“Hey!” called out a slightly drunk male voice. “wherrrrugooing?” make that a very drunk voice.  I ignored it and carried on.
“Hey,” said a female voice, slightly less drunk. “Scott’s talking to you! It’s rude to not answer.” I turned around and saw Lizzie smiling sweetly at me from the doorway. “I wondered when you were going to turn up. I thought you might not come. Pity, we are having such a fun time.” I saw her smile widen as she leant over and kissed Scott. I spun around and started walking faster. “Oh? Where are you going?” I heard her call out. “We thought you might join us, didn’t we Scotty?” I pulled open my front door and slammed it shut blocking out her icy laugh. I leaned against the solid wood breathing deep. Seeing her kiss Scott had brought back too many memories. That used to be me there with Scott. Lizzie had Joel. Obviously things had changed.
“Is that you Alexis?” I rubbed my hands over my face and straightened up.
“Yes,” I replied kicking my sneakers off.
“Ok. You missed dinner. There is some leftovers in the oven for you.” Dinner. That was all my mother worried about. Weather or not her food was going to go to waste. Nothing about where I was and if I was ok. She wasn’t asking because she didn’t care. She wasn’t asking because she didn’t want to know. She was too scared to hear that I was falling around all over the place with no idea what was happening. That’s the way she worked. If she was afraid of something she just ignored it and pretended it didn’t exist.
“Alexis?”
I sighed. “Yes, ok, thank you.”