Nora shuffled along the dirt path nervously. Every few minutes she glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. She thought she was in the clear, but kept checking...just in case.

The sun was high overhead but the humidity was low and there was a gentle breeze. It blew her tangled locks and Nora used her fingers to sweep her hair off to the side. Large oak trees provided adequate shade and the temperature was quite comfortable for a walk.

Nora's breathing was a little heavier than usual as she matched the pace of her feet to her heart. If she could just get to the nature center, she knew she'd be alright. At least she hoped so, anyway.

Nora sighed.

What'd been going on? She thought to herself. She turned into the winding drive of the nature center and kicked their gravel. How had she gotten to Pennsylvania?

Bits and pieces of her life came back to her. It was like seeing memories through frosted glass and Nora didn't know why. The fact that she had spent the last year living as a human teenager really threw her for a loop.

And her appearance; red hair? She hadn't been a redhead before. Her hair'd been naturally blond, so blond, in fact, that it'd been almost white. Walking by cars earlier Nora realized she also had freckles. Since when? What in Tir Na Nog'd happened to her?

As she walked, Nora's ears were peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Chipmunks darted in and out of the shrubs. They made her jump each time they ran into her path. If they weren't bad enough, the errant rabbits and deer added to her heightened emotions.

Usually, setting foot into any wooded property acted as a calming agent for Nora but today, with those things after her, every noise was a cause for alarm.

Which is why, when she heard someone giggling behind her, Nora practically climbed the nearest tree in fear.

"Who's there?" She hollered.

"Who's there?" her tormentor echoed. This time his voice came from her right. Then an acorn fell on her left shoulder and Nora shrieked.

At this point she was ready to explode. "Son of a bitch!" Nora yelped when another acorn hit her ankle.

"Son of a bitch!" Someone giggled in a high pitch tone.

"Whoops!" A small voice laughed as a third acorn plopped on Nora's head.

Suddenly a thought unfolded in her mind. A bow came undone and Nora had the presence of mind to recognize a familiarity to the situation. When she figured out why, it was Nora who started laughing. At first she did so out of astonishment, and then wonder. But then her glee escalated to relief and delight.

Thank Goddess, she thought to herself.

Nora bent over and picked up one of the acorns that'd been thrown at her. She placed it carefully into her pocket and walked over to a nearby outcropping of rocks. Slinging her backpack from her shoulder, Nora opened the front pouch and brought forth a small skein of cotton yarn. It was navy, brown and grey-blue with a thin line of green filament weaved throughout it.

Nora didn't have a lot of time so she worked fast, singing a little ditty to herself while her fingers worked.

"Birds and trees,
Bumbles and bees.

Buzz, buzz, busy, busy bee,
It's Wemategunis I see."

As Nora finger-crocheted she sung the song in an endless loop. At one point, she took out the acorn and knotted it into her creation. Before long, the telltale jingle of her invisible friend tinkered in her ear. "What'cha making, Norie dear?"

Nora smiled to herself as she tied off the end of the yarn. Shaking her head in disbelief, she looked up into the gentle, mischievous eyes of her old friend. He had materialized next to her. "Talks-with-the-Trees, I knew it was you!" She exclaimed.

Talks-with-the-Trees looked down at Nora's hand but her fist was closed, hiding its bounty within. He loved surprises. His curiosity was getting the better of him and he fidgeted restlessly.

"Oh, you know the rules, Old Friend," Nora said in cheerful familiarity. "First, a hug. Then your prize."

Talks-with-the-Trees clapped his hands in glee. "It's been too long my little angel. I've missed you."

The Wemategunis leaned in for a hug and Nora held him tight. Reuniting with him was a blessing. Unfortunately, as his words penetrated, Nora shuddered and Talks-with-the-Trees felt her fear. His nickname for her reminded her of her enemies.

"What is it, Norie?"

Nora looked around cautiously and sucked on her lip. She held her opposite hand out and Talks-with-the-Trees frowned. He put his wrist in hers but waited for her explanation.

Nora opened her other hand to reveal his prize. Then she silently tied the friendship bracelet she made for him on his small wrist. After tying the yarn ends in a knot, she centered the acorn on the middle of his wrist and glanced up. "All life is a cycle," she whispered to him.

"And yours is beginning a new one, Norie," he replied quietly. "We've been waiting for you to return to us, my child."

Nora scratched her forehead and blocked the overhead sun from her eyes with the back of her hand. She crept off of the rock and stood up, turning back to her friend. "What happened to me, Talks-with-the-Trees?" She asked softly. "There are all these holes in my memory. And vampires; two of them! They're after me. I was at school and they-"

Nora stopped to catch her breath. She turned in a circle and kicked a stick. "My friend," she pleaded. "Why was I going to school with humans? I don't understand."

"It's my fault," came a voice from behind her. Nora turned around to find Kaden standing beside her. She hadn't even heard his approach. "A human year ago, you were almost killed and it was all my fault...just like today."