When we arrive at our spot it looks completely different. The blankets and pillows we had laid out had become completely dirty. We had dug a pit in which we hid our snacks. The food was way past its expiration date. "It doesn't look too bad," Jaden said with a laugh. I brought a picnic mat and put it down. Jaden sits down, I take my laptop out of my bag and sit next to him." So, what do we have to do?" he asks. "I've already made a big part," I say. Jaden looks at me incomprehensibly. "Thats amazing, but why?" he asks. "I thought it was going to be easier" I used. as an excuse. Without him thinking about it, we try to work on the task. It's already four o'clock and we still don't have anything. Jaden doesn't take this seriously, so we have gotten nowhere. I don't know what suddenly possessed me, but I became very emotional and I couldn't bottle it up anymore. When I looked at this place, so many memories came up. Jaden and I sat here for hours. There are two large umbrellas hanging in the tree. We complained about that for days. Eventually, my father drove us to the thrift store to buy umbrellas. The three of us hung them up and then suddenly it started raining very hard and we hid under them for an hour. Jaden had just asked me a question that I hadn't heard. "Levana?" he says. I look at him and see his gaze change.
"Why weren't you there for me, Jaden," I ask sadly. "I needed you; you were my best friend and you left me." He looks at me and says "I was at your door every day Levana; you didn't want to see me anymore." I want to burst into tears and scream that I had just lost my father. The person that was there for me since day one. The person who tucked me into bed at night and said he loved me every day. The person who, after work, even though he was dead tired, went to do something fun with me to see me happy. I want to say that I was grieving and he should have understood that it wasn't personal. I want to say that he should have reached out to me when I was able to go back to school. But instead, I bottle up my feelings and don't show how I really feel. "I want to be alone for a while," I say as I stand up to walk away. I hear Jaden calling my name, but I've already left.
I'm walking hopelessly through the woods and don't know where I'm going. My heart rate is getting faster and it feels like I'm having to make an effort to breathe. I'm conscious of my breathing and feel like I'm going to suffocate if I don't control myself. Everything around me starts to spin and it feels like the trees are bending towards me to strangle me. Suddenly, I'm startled by my phone going off. I take it out of my pocket and see that my moms calling. I try to cool down before I pick up. "Levana where are you, it's almost dark?" she says worriedly. "I'm still in the woods with Jaden, I'll be home in an hour mom." I say irritated, I put my phone back in my back pocket, before she can say anything. I look around and I try to figure out which side I'm coming from. I start wandering around a bit and realize I'm lost. I don't remember where Jaden is. "Jaden!" I shout. Suddenly, something in the distance catches my attention. I see a cave with flickering lights. It has a reddish color like a fire flame. I walk over to see what it is. As I get closer, the light gets brighter. I'm standing in front of the cave and I'm not sure if I'm going to go in. My curiosity takes over and I take a step into the cave. I immediately have to turn left so there is no more daylight, only the light in the distance. I walk forward and enter a larger space. The light source was not a flame but a floating sphere in the air. It looks magical and it changes in different shades of yellow. It caught my attention and I couldn't resist. I touch it with one finger and at that moment I hear a branch crack behind me and before I could turn around, I am lying on the ground in the grass.
