The sun is high in the sky, and people are laughing as they splash in the lake. The boy's camp has the day off, and my mom encouraged me to go play with them and make friends. I obeyed, kissing her, my grandmother, and Aspen a quick goodbye.
I trot down the path in my swimsuit, grass fresh and thriving beneath my feet. I stop at the edge of the commotion, looking at boys who already know each other, and probably don't want me to bother their fun, either.
The boy I had befriended last summer had gone back home, and I never had to approach him. He came to me first, and it was the most fun year of my life, climbing trees and collecting cool stones that I would then return to him as precious gems. His name was Eason.
I was thirteen at that time, and this year I turned fourteen. My hair was cropped shorter than it had ever been, up to my shoulders, and I was hating the way I looked. A ball of nerves formed in the pit of my stomach as I walked toward the group, who didn't seem to take notice in my presence.
A beautiful boy, who must've been about sixteen, stopped chasing his friend as he caught sight of me. We stared at each other for a moment, and I gave a nervous wave. He returned it before striding over to greet me.
"Hi," he said, his voice deep. His skin was a light brown and his hair was long and wavy on his head. He had light brown eyes and natural freckles sitting his face. "I'm Porter."
"Willow," I said with a smile, and he smiled back.
"Wanna come hang out?" He asked, gesturing back towards the boys behind him. I nodded eagerly, and he reached out his hand.
I took it, letting him lead me to the water.

I cracked open my eyes to see the sun breaking through the glass of my room. Dog was next to me, already awake, staring at me. He lifted his head when he noticed I was awake, and gave me a firm kiss.

I smiled, giving him a head rub before stretching my whole body. My legs and arms ached from the chill and effort of the previous night, and I checked the time on the wall. It was around 10 AM.

I pushed myself out of bed, changing into some warm, fleece-lines pants and a sweatshirt. I pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks and began my descend downstairs quietly.

I peeked into the living room, seeing that Chris had disappeared. Confusion filled me, and I checked the bathroom door and all downstairs rooms before realizing he wasn't here.

He left.

I shrugged, but a strange ache filled my chest. He was handsome, tall and funny, but he was not my lost item to keep.

I stepped into the kitchen and did my regular routine, letting Dog out to run around and brewed coffee for Mr. Leland and ate some oatmeal. I then pulled on my winter boots and headed outside.

I saw footsteps leading around the house and following the line of woods, but pushed away my worry. He had gone the wrong way to the camp. But the clearing edge wasn't huge, so it would only be a couple miles' walk around to find it. I assumed he was going back, to tell everyone he wasn't lost.

I closed the heavy door and began my trek to Mr. Leland's, but I told him I couldn't stay when I got there.

"Busy day, Willow bug?" He asked as he sipped the coffee, giving me a grin from ear to ear.

"Something like that. I found something last night, in the woods." I said nervously, changing weight from either foot.

"Something good?"

"Something living. A boy."

His smile dropped instantly. "A boy?"

"Yeah, his name is Chris, and he said he's been out there since before the snow hit. He stayed at my cabin last night and was gone this morning."

Mr. Leland's face paled. "Willow, one of the counselors told me that boy went missing the night of the storm. He wouldn't have survived this long, not with so little skill under his belt. Are you certain it's him and not some punk kid from the camp?"

I stopped to consider, but then remembered his confused face from the night before. Maybe it had been all an act, but I doubted it. I shrugged. "Maybe. But he looked close to death when I found him, so that would be a pretty extreme prank," I said. I left out the butterflies because I didn't want him to worry.

I had seen the butterflies twice before; once, the day my sister drowned. And once the day my grandmother passed in her sleep.

"Well, I don't want to keep you," he said, taking another sip of his coffee, and grabbed the thermos from yesterday from somewhere behind him. "Go do whatever you young folk do up here in the snow." His usual demeanor had returned, and he gave me a smile. I smiled back.

"I wouldn't know, Mr. Leland," I whispered as the door shut, and I trailed down the stairs to make my way back to the house. To track the missing boy.

-

I told myself I didn't care that he had left, that I had done everything I could've, but for some reason worry still eddied away at my brain. He had been delirious the night before, and paired with the hypothermia, he could be dead already.

I made it to the front door and inspected the footprints. Snow was falling slowly, and I knew soon it would be a storm. I was going to have to try and find him before then.

Dog led the way, and I followed the edge of the wood to where the footprints veered off, then disappeared. Confused, I looked around to see if maybe I had missed a step, but no.

They had just vanished. Along with him.

"What the hell?" I said under my breath, retracing the steps. The cabin came back into view, and I slid inside, firmly shutting the door behind me. "Chris?" I called cautiously, removing my boots and setting them by the door.

"Yeah?" The call came from upstairs. Confusion knit in my brow, then panic. I let a stranger in my house, and he's taken it upon himself to explore.

I raced up the stairs and slammed into his chest as I veered around the corner. My hand flew to my head and stars bursted in my vision. "Ow!" I cried, then looked up to meet him. I shoved my hands against his shoulders, hard. "What the hell are you doing searching my house? Where did you go this morning?"

He stumbled, catching himself of the corner of the wall by the stairs. "I-I went for a walk because you weren't awake yet. When I came back, you still weren't up and I was, I don't know, worried? I came to check on you, and then saw the library. I didn't mean—"

I pushed past him and threw open the library door, but nothing seemed to be out of place. "Did you touch anything?" I demanded, examining books that had been left on coffee tables. It was all my family's history.

"No, I was just looking when you got back. I swear, I didn't touch anything."

I looked at him with fire in my eyes. "Don't ever come in here," I said as I stomped past him, closing the door behind me. I was about to brush past him when a realization hit me. "How did you know my room was upstairs?"

"I didn't, I just checked all the rooms—" He hastily tried to explain, but I scoffed in disbelief.

"This isn't your house, Chris! You can't just walk around doing whatever you want." I could feel tears brimming my eyes as I thought of him going into my sister's room. My grandmother's. My mom's. "I'm taking you back to the camp."

"Look, Willow, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't want to make you mad or anything. I was literally just trying to look for you, but it's probably better the people at camp know I'm okay." His face is flushed red. Embarrassed. I feel a pang of guilt hit me and I realize my overreaction, but I know it's too far now.

"I'm sorry," I say, forcing the ball of emotion down my throat, but it bobs right back up. "I just-I'm sorry." I look at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. Now I'm the crazy one. "I'll make tea before we leave."

He follows me down the stairs, moving to sit on the couch. Dog follows me into the kitchen as I make his food bowl, then brew some tea. I bring it to Chris and sit with him, but the air is thick and suffocating.

"I'm sorry again," he says softly. I put my palm on my forehead, trying to ebb at the headache that was forming there. "Are you okay?" He asks, and I meet his eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm glad you're feeling better. You seem better, anyway," I say, sipping my tea. He grins and reaches into his pocket, pulling out the herb jar.

"Helped keep me warm," he says with that same boyish smile from before. I can't help but smile, and a familiar, unwanted feeling rises in my gut.

He didn't call me crazy and leave when he found out I was a witch. He's been nothing but nice to me, actually. And I feel my cheeks heat up as I realize I like him.

No. I haven't liked anyone since him. Since Porter. And I swore I would never let myself do it again.

I had to get him out.

"I'm glad," is my response, and I take the final sip of my tea. He finishes his, too, and I get up and wash them in the sink. Dog is there, looking up at me. I get on my knees and grab his head, giving him a pat. "You're gonna wanna sit this trip out, bud," I whisper, rubbing his ears. He looks up at me with his dark eyes, and I smile at him. "Be good." I give him a farewell kiss.

I meet Chris back in the living room, slipping on my boots and giving him a pointed look. He stands and looks around the room a final time, like he's trying to remember every crevice. The heavy door creaks open with a tug, bringing in a blast of cold air, and we enter the snowy wasteland outside.

-

Anxiety rises in my gut as we walk towards the camp. The last time I was here, I got my first kiss, and my worst memory.

I try to keep my mind from going back, but Chris is silent, so I find myself falling back into it.

We played at the lake for hours, and I was glad I had made more than one friend. And Porter seemed to like me. He whispered to his friends, then came over and offered to let me eat at the mess hall with them. I agreed, of course, finally fitting in.
We ate the slop they could barely even call a meal, laughing and chatting with each other. After we were done, there was still about an hour left before sunset. Porter told me he wanted to show me something, and lead me outside to a clearing in the woods.
We sat and chatted until he moved closer to me. When I turned to face him, he planted a kiss on my cheek, and I returned it by kissing him on the lips. My face flushed red as he pulled away, and I sheepishly smiled.
I then heard laughter coming from all around, and boys I recognized from the lake came out from behind the massive old trees. "Who knew it would be so easy to seduce a witch?" A larger one said.
Embarrassment grew in my gut and I pushed myself up, giving Porter a look that was either a cry for help, or betrayal. He gave me a crooked smile. "You didn't think I liked you, did you?"
In that same moment, something was thrown around my torso, and I was secured tightly to the tree.
"What's going on?" I asked, panicked. I tugged at the rope, but it was tied too tightly. I felt tears rush to my eyes as I looked back up, seeing a group of 5 boys all surrounding me.
"Do you wanna see if this witch will burn?" The portly one asked, and revealed a lighter he had been holding in his pocket.

"Hey, you okay?"

The voice brought me back to reality. I blinked away the memory. "Fine." I responded curtly. He looked like he was going to push, but the cabins I had hated for so long came into view. "We're here."