"Is it done?" Titus lifted himself out of the water.

"No." I pushed him back in with my foot.

He groaned before continuing to swim from one side to the other. At least, he wasn't doing the backstroke. The boy had no shame.

"Are you finished yet?" he called.

"If you'd stopped bugging me, I would be." I had restarted three times. I finally had one that looked halfway decent. The anxiety of messing up had me scared to make any big adjustments.

Titus continued swimming and splashing around, getting me wet each time he passed. He was the size of a linebacker and was acting like an impatient five-year-old.

"Aden," he whined.

"Not yet." I only had the tail to do. One more cut and it would be done. "Ow!" I dropped the wolf and set my knife down. A red stream trickled down my arm from a slice in my thumb.

Titus was at my side in seconds. "Is it deep?"

"No, I just nicked it." I sucked on the cut. "I'll be fine."

He moved in close beside me on the rock where I was sitting and pried my other hand away.

I tried to resist. "Stop it. I said I'm fine."

"It's not too deep." He poured water over it to wash away the blood.

A gash could be seen along the edge of my thumb. My eyes went wide. It looked deep to me.

He met my gaze. "You're going to have to trust me for a moment and not freak out about personal space issues."

I scowled at him. "Shut up."

He smiled and leaned down. His tongue flicked out and he licked the wound. I sat up straight. Every hair was on end, but somehow, I managed to not jerk my hand away. It was the weirdest sensation.

"There." He kissed my palm.

I hugged my hand to my chest and examined it. Only a red line remained.

"It wasn't very deep at all," said Titus as he slipped into the water.

I pressed my finger against the wound. It felt perfectly fine and didn't even hurt. "What did you do?" I grabbed the wooden wolf before it fell into the water.

"Stop the bleeding, that's all."

"Oh." I bit my bottom lip. "Here, I'm done." I held out the wolf to him.

Titus took it from me and examined it. He smiled. "I love it, thank you."

"It's a little better than the other one." I scratched my arm and peered off into the trees.

"They're both perfect." He hurried to shore and produced the other figurine from his shorts pocket.

He came back and placed them on the rock side-by-side. I slipped into the water. One was noticeably bigger than the other. After getting a better look at them in the light, I was happy with each of them.

He pushed the wolves closer to one another. "They go together."

"Yeah, they do."

Titus sunk down in the water, so he was at my level. "Thank you for making them for me." He scooted closer.

"It's fine. You're the only person who's ever asked me for one. It was fun to make." I laid my head on my arm that was resting on a ledge.

"It means a lot to me," he whispered

I smiled and received one from him in return. His face sat centimeters away. I closed my eyes and felt his lips touch mine.

Reality hit.

My eyes shot open. I pushed off his shoulders and dunked myself in the process. Titus grabbed my arm and helped me stand.

"Aden?" He released me.

I shook my head and hurried to shore. Leaning against a rock, I ran my fingers across my lips. 'What have I done' was the only thought that was racing through my head. Why hadn't I reacted faster? I had let him kiss me.

"Aden, I'm sorry." Titus appeared at my side. "I didn't mean to—"

I turned my body away from him. "Don't," I said as he tried to touch me. "I... I need a minute. Just go." I traced my lips.

"Aden?"

"Just go!" I snapped, covering my face. "Leave me alone."

Titus clenched his jaw. "I didn't mean—"

"Leave!"

Pain filled his eyes.

Shaking my head, I sunk to the ground and hid behind my knees. "Please, go away."

Titus nodded and backed off. "I'm sorry, Aden. I really am."

I took a deep breath but didn't reply. I glanced up and watched him disappear into the trees. Something ran down my face. I quickly wiped it away. I wasn't gay. I was not gay.

***

I changed out of my swimsuit and shoved it into my bags. Wiping my face again, I wedged my feet into my shoes. It was a stupid thing to cry about. It was a dumb mistake. I shouldn't have let it happen. When I saw Titus next, I'd apologize and we'd figure something out. There was nothing to be upset about.

Taking out my phone, I checked the time. My dad was going to be furious. I wasn't going to beat him back to the campground. Walking to the forest edge, I looked around. Titus was the one that led the way. I was such an idiot for yelling at him like that. I had hurt him so badly.

I took a deep breath. I could do this by myself. It shouldn't be that hard to find my way back.

I walked along the trail that led to the hot spring. I stumbled over the usual rocks and fallen trees. Reaching the top, I looked around and chose the path that looked the most familiar.

Some time past and the trees started looking all the same. If I could locate the clearing or even the fence, I could find my way back. Taking out my phone, I saw that I had been wandering around for over thirty minutes.

"Damn it." I sat down on a log and clutched my knees.

I should have never left the hot pool. Titus would have come back eventually. Now I was lost and no one knew where I was at. I had to at least find my way back to the spring.

***

I stumbled down an embankment and slow to a stop at the side of a river. Scanning the area, I felt my chest tighten. Nothing looked right. I didn't even remember a river. I climbed onto a boulder to get a better view.

"Titus!" I yelled. "Titus!" I searched the trees. "Titus, I'm sorry! Titus!" I sat down and hung my head. "Titus, I'm lost." Tears ran from my eyes and dripped off my chin. "I'm so lost."

It was starting to get dark. My dad would have called me in as missing by now, but they'd never look this far away from the campground. I was on private ground. I shouldn't even be here.

Taking out my phone, I stood and held it up. If I could find a signal, I could call them. No matter which way I turned, my phone showed no serves. My foot slipped and I dropped to my knees before I fell. My phone slipped from my hand. It tumbled through the rocks and splashed into the river.

"No!"

I cursed and slid down the rock. I hurried and grabbed it. It turned on just long enough for me to see one bar before the battery died and it powered down.

"Damn it!" I throw the phone at the boulder and it shattered. Running a hand through my hair, I shook my head. I didn't want to die out here. My parents probably wouldn't even find my body.

A low growl sounded from the bank.

Holding my breath, I slowly turned my head. "Oh my god." I staggered to the rocks.

The red monster bared its teeth and stepped into the water. I panicked and started the desperate climb to the top of the boulder. Reaching the top, I glanced back. All I saw was a blur of red as the animal launched itself from the riverbed. I was sent flying through the air and landed on a sandbank.

Pain ignited from my shoulder. I screamed, clutching my arm. My skin was burning from the claw marks. A fire had been sent racing through my veins. It hurt to even breathe. I rolled on the ground, struggling for air. The animal stomped on my head, and I felt its claws press into my skin. Closing my eyes, I stopped moving and waited for the end.

Its cold tongue ran across my skin. I gasped. The pain dulled and the animal left. Curling into a ball, I hugged my arm to my stomach.

My jacket was removed and something warm fell over me. I heard a ripping sound as my sleeve was torn. I tried to roll over, but they held me in place. Fabric was placed over my head and I was lifted off the ground.

We started to move. I peeked through a small opening in the blanket I had been wrapped in to see the trees flying by. It was dark and the forms morphed into animals running along with us. Closing my eyes, I just wanted to go home and be with my parents.

My mind slipped for what felt like only a moment before I was jolted awake. The person set me on the ground and removed the blanket. Rolled onto my side, I slowly sat up. My head was throbbing and I was all alone.

"Aden!"

My head snapped around. "Here," I coughed. "I'm here." My throat hurt. Using a nearby tree as a support, I rose to my feet. I stumbled along toward the voices. "Mom," I yelled, though it came out barely above a whisper.

"Aden!"

"Dad." I stumbled to the ground.

A light shined on my face, and I reached up to shade my eyes.

"We found him! Over here! Quint, we found him!"

Figures ran toward me and helped me stand.

"Aden." A large man ran to me and hugged me tightly. "I was so worried. Why did you run off like that?"

"Dad"—I hid my face in his chest—"I want to go home."

He rubbed my back and helped me to where the search party had gathered.

My mother ran to me with tears in her eyes. She hugged me tightly and kissed my face. "Thank god, Aden. You're safe."

A blanket was put around my shoulders, and I was taken to my father's truck. The back door was opened and I was helped inside. My mother slipped into the front seat. I gazed out the window, while my father thanked the other forest rangers. I saw someone standing in the trees. I rubbed my eyes.

"Do you need something, honey?" asked my mom.

I nodded. "My head hurts."

She dug through her purse and took out a pill container. She handed me two with a water bottle and brushed back my hair as I took them.

"We were so worried."

"I'm sorry."

She cupped my cheek. "Never wandered off like that again. I've never been so scared."

"I won't." I leaned forward and hugged her. "I promise." I glanced outside and saw the man was still standing in the trees.

The truck door opened and my father climbed inside. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired."

My dad clasped the back of my neck and pulled me to him. He kissed my forehead. "Get some sleep."

"'kay." I peeked out the window one last time.

The man was gone. He might not have even been there to begin with. With all that had happened, I didn't know what to consider real. Bunching up a blanket, I laid my head on it and closed my eyes. I wanted this day to be over and never see one of those demons again.