Dad had been very conflicted about letting me go back into the forest after I had gotten lost, so rather than have my hiking privileges taken away, I convinced him that I would give him my phone every night so he could make sure it was charged. Score: Mira: 1 Dad: 0.

Sure I guess I would give up my precious phone, but it's not like I had any social media or any friends to text. Dad never let me have social media, and I never knew why, plus being homeschooled never really meant one had plenty of friends anyway.

So after a very long conversation of the dangers of the forest and blah blah blah don't get lost again blah blah, I was free to go. I'm sure Dad would have wanted to come with me, but he started his shifts at the first-aid center today, and I assured him nothing bad would happen to me.

"So I won't see you there?" Dad asked, picking up his wallet, phone, and keys as he prepared to head off. The wrinkles on the top of his forehead were starting to show again. He really did worry too much.

"No, you won't. Nothing bad will happen to me." I assured him, pushing his body towards the door with no success. My skinny arms were no match for his huge frame. He had played basketball in high school so he was a pretty big guy. Dad seemed to find my lack of strength amusing as he exaggerating leaning back.

"Are you sure, Mira? Maybe I should stay just to be sure." He chuckled as I groaned from the weight.

"Yes, I'm sure Dad. Now go! You'll be late!" I urged him, finally succeeding in getting him through the open door of the cabin. He laughed before turning and giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"Alright, baby girl. Be safe, keep your phone with you. I'll be back soon." He said, and then he was walking down the sidewalk to his old truck, and set off for the main center of Briarwood.

Finally, now I could go to the forest in peace.

I was determined to find out where those yucca flowers were coming from. I had even done my own research on an old laptop Dad had, and sure enough, the flowers that were now decorating the kitchen in a purple vase were yuccas.

So after gathering my stuff and throwing on my army green overcoat over the sweater and jeans I wore, I set off on my mission to find the yucca flowers from the day before.

It had rained last night, so a dense fog enveloped me once I stepped outside. It wasn't so bad to where I couldn't see very far, but it gave the forest a mystical and magical touch that I loved. Pulling my coat closer to my body when a sudden chilling wind blew, I set off towards the forest full of unanswered questions.

I pulled the folded papers I had scribbled on earlier out of my pocket, reading over them as I navigated my way around the forest. I had left little markers in the form of little stacks of pebbles around the trees yesterday, and I soon found my little trail without much difficulty.

My papers claimed yucca flowers didn't grow anywhere near Washington. Why not just one, but a trail of them were in the forest was beyond me. While I followed my trail, I took out a pen from my backpack and made a crude map on the back of my yucca flower notes. I had a feeling I would need this map again sometime in case I didn't find anything today.

My long hair whipped around my shoulders as the breeze flowed through the forest again, its strength tampered by the thick trees. I took a deep breath, feeling the crisp air swirl in my lungs before exhaling, my mind completely at ease and my heart refusing to fail me today.

I continued on my trail, my hand still tracing the squiggly lines of a map as I walked forward. I would occasionally look up every now and then so as not to run straight into a tree (I'm sure Dad wouldn't have appreciated a huge bruise on my forehead when I returned to the cabin), but I must not have looked up soon enough, because I ran right into something solid. I fell back and landed on my butt in the dirt, my hand drawn map falling along with my pen as I looked up to see what I had run into.

It was a man, not much older than me with electrifying azure eyes and messy chestnut hair. He was dressed in a blue denim jacket a little darker than his sparkling eyes, a grey t-shirt showing underneath leading into old jeans and sneakers. Faint lines of black tattoo barely poked up over the collar of his t-shirt but were completely out in the open on his arms, what looked like a bird and several other designs combining into an intricate art form on his skin.

His expression of surprise mirrored mine as he rushed to help me up.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry."

His calloused hands grasped my own as he pulled me to my feet, my wide eyes having to look up slightly to stare into his own. The man reached down to pick up my pen and poorly drawn map, his eyes fixating on the paper as he stared at it in confusion.

"Here's your...um...actually I don't know what it is." He chuckled, making me snatch the paper from his hands. "A snake?"

"It's not a snake, it's supposed to be a map." I mumbled in embarressment, the man smiling faintly at me.

I soon realized I was the one who had actually run into him, and therefore I was the one who should be apologizing, not him.

"Sorry for running into you, I should have been paying more attention." I spoke, my cheeks flushing as he smiled.

"S'okay, no harm done to me. You, on the other hand, look a bit roughed up." He laughed as his hands tried to flatten my now crazy hair, only managing to get a few pieces to stay flat on my head.

"Still, I should've figured other people would hike the forest. I just forgot since I haven't seen anyone hiking in the few days I have been." I told him, my cheeks still warmed and probably splashed with pink. I was never good in social situtations, especially not with attractive boys.

"Really? You too?" He asked, making me raise an eyebrow.

"You never saw anyone? Do you come here often?"

The man smiled like he had just heard a joke, though I didn't see what would be funny.

"More than you would think." He held his hand out to me to shake, my much smaller grasp looking like a child's in his hand. "Louis."

"Mira." I replied, shaking his hand before watching his eyes move to my chest. I was about to slap him or run away in disgust when his fingers wrapped around my heart locket, pulling the chain up slightly so he could get a better look at the glowing metal.

"Cool necklace." He mumbled, eyes wide with amazement as he stared at the jewelry. "Where'd you get it?"

"My dad." I answered, Louis releasing the pendent so it would return to its place just above the deep collar of my top. He seemed deep in thought, staring at me for a few moments before biting his lip. An awkward silence settled over us, and I decided to break it before things got any weirder.

"Do you live around here?"

"You could say that. I probably spend more time around here then I do in an actual house though." Louis answered.

"Same here. I usually come here to take pictures." I told him, feeling strangely trusting of this man I had met no more than ten minutes ago.

"A photographer? Sounds like a relaxing job."

"Oh it's not a job, it's just a hobby. I mean, I've been looking into getting someone to buy some prints but I haven't actually sold any yet, so I guess this isn't really a job." I rambled, Louis' lips curling up in amusement as I went on and on until I realized he probably didn't care. "Sorry for boring you."

"No, please. I find a pretty girl who loves photography more interesting than walking around boring trees." He assured me, rendering me speechless. He wanted to hear more?

"Boring trees? Do you just, like, walk around here for no reason?" I asked, Louis' body leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree as he spoke.

"Not really for no reason. I just like the way nature clears my head." Louis looked up at the crystal clear sky above the treeline as another breeze rustled the branches of the forest, Louis' eyes looking at me. "It's like I just come alive here. I usually feel foggy and kind of sluggish everywhere else in the world."

"That's strange." I told him, realizing I had to get back to my yucca flower search. "Well it was lovely talking to you, Louis, but I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Louis instantly asked, pushing himself away from the tree.

"To find this flower I found here yesterday. There was a whole bunch of them and now I can't find any." I sighed as I tried loking around tree trunks for my little rock piles to keep going on my trail.

"Would this flower happen to look like that one?" Louis asked, pointing to something behind me. I turned around and my jaw dropped in shock.

A yucca flower, clear and pristine white, was growing by a tree behind me.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" I asked hesitantly as I turned back to Louis. He shrugged before walking over to the flower and plucking it from the ground, smiling as he turned to give it to me.

"Lucky guess." He said before handing me the flower, my eyes never leaving his as he bit his lip before speaking.

"Hey Mira, since you are an avid hiker like me in this strange forest, wanna meet me here again tomorrow? I have the perfect place for you to take pictures, it's a small creek with a  great view." Louis offered, my mind warning me of possible ways this could go wrong. What if Louis was a rapist? A murderer? A druggie? Anything? There were plenty of ways this could go wrong.

Strangely though, I didn't really care. Louis was the first person my age I had talked to in this tiny town, and I was determined to make friends here. Besides, if anything bad happened, I could call Dad or someone else to help me.

I smiled as I looked up at Louis, who was anxiously waiting for an answer.

"Sure."