My mother did not get any better. She was not breathing correctly and when she tried to stand she'd fall down to the floor like a tower that had just been hit by a bomb. Suzanne's mother had taken her to the hospital. As they left Suzanne looked blank, it was like she had already mentally prepared herself for this situation. I watched as they pulled away, not knowing if that was the last time I'd see my mother.  Or was she going so insane that even if I were to see her again she wouldn't remember me? Or would she just stay inside that house forever wrapped up in a cacoon? I worried about her. I wanted her to get better though, and if that meant she had to get away then I'd have to accept that. Leaving her alone is a chance that's too risky to take. 

    Suzanne and I stood in the streets. It was dark and the only light came from the poles over top of our heads. It was quiet, but the quiet felt thin as if at any moment their would be something to interupt, and break, through it.

    "For as long as I could remember I've had nightmares about this forest...dreaming that one night my brother would come for me and kill me in my sleep..I'd lay awake, eyes widened, so I could catch him if he tried..he never did. Although, maybe that was the point. He terrified me so bad he didn't have to be in my presence for me to be afraid..I just had to think he'd show up. The fear of anticipation" Suzanne remarks, thinking out loud I suppose. She was right, he had power over our minds. Power that is not created by him, but by us. 

    "You think this time he'll be afraid? He's anticipating our arrival.." Suzanne questions

    "No...unlike us he doesn't have any fear...he's already dead" I answer her 

    "Do you honestly think this'll help?" Suzanne asks, lifting up a bookbag filled with things I had gathered. Things that I don't think would do us a favor, but it wouldn't hurt to bring. 

    "A flashlight, a knife, clothes, water, food, cellphone, ...you got any death certificates by any chance?" she asks, anger in her face. 

    "Give me that" I say and take it out of her hands, "...I don't know what to prepare for..this isn't exactly a camping trip" I whisper pulling out the knife that I had in the bag roling it through my hands, "but if he wants a fight...I'll give him one" 

    "We have to stay close and alert..anything and everything can happen" Suzanne said and an image of Elizabeth made it's way into my head. Seeing blood all over the floor and hearing that scream...that'll haunt me. It still does to this very moment. No matter who you are or how old, no mercy is made for you in the forest. 

    "Let's go" I pronounce and I could feel my whole body shaking again. We walked over to the fence. I took the knife and cut a bigger gap into it so we could fit, then I took out the flashlight handing it to Suzanne. I take a glance over at her and take a step inside. I could hear how heavy I was breathing. I couldn't see anything. It was too dark for me to make out any figures. The flashlight only permitted some light and only showed cracks inbetween the trees. There was a smell...a smell that reeked of rotten flesh and blood. It made me feel sick. There was also a fog or mist that sort of sprayed in our eyes. It made me feel faint and distraught. 

    "I..I don't see anything..I feel dizzy" Suzanne whispers from behind me because of her fear. 

    "I don't think they want to be seen..." I respond, but only loud enough for myself to hear. This sense of security can only last but so long. Or is there really any security at all? Our minds are trying to covince of things that aren't true. 

    We took small steps, listening and observing. Suddenly a strong wind started to blow it seemed out of nowhere. It gushed and blew harder than any wind we've ever felt before. It started to circle around us so quickly we didn't have time to react. It turned up and spun us over and over. We tried to hang on to each other. Underneath us we could feel the ground shifting. 

    "Matthew..what's that?" Suzanne asks in terror as the ground started to create a wormhole. We grabbed onto a tree. The force was so strong though that we dropped to the floor furiously. The wormhole started to suck trees and pieces of the ground inside of it. There was no force to stop it. We could see the fence circling around us. The wormhole only pulled in the forest and left the rest of the world to stay in place. 

    "Matthew! This wind is too strong! I'm trying to hold on, but ..I..I am losing my grip!" Suzanne shouts at me. I start to panic at the realization. There was nothing we could do to stop it. It won't stop untill it has us in it's possession. 

    I grab Suzanne's hand in mine. 

    "Do you trust me?" I scream so she can hear me

    "You're not thinking of letting go are you?" she yells back, looking at me like I was insane. 

    "It won't stop..we have to let go.." 

    "Where does it go? We could die down there!" she says and then I hear a shout.

    "Matthew...help me Matthew! Let go!" I could hear a voice say. Sammy? 

    "Don't listen to that..it'll be just like last time..he won't be there" Suzanne yells at me. 

    "We have to let go or we'll never find him...it'll never stop. He could be down there!" I try to convince her. 

    "And if he's not?" she yells at me

    "Then maybe Jasper will be" I say and she stares back at me knowing what we have to do. We both let go. The force pulled us closer and and closer to the hole. Our bodies dipping into the darkness as enter. Then a strange thing happened..we were sent somewhere else. Sammy's bedroom. It was light out again and the setting was completely altered. The floorboards were no longer snatched out of the ground and the door was in place. 

    I felt a strong pain in my head as I tried to wrap my thoughts around what was happening. 

    "How did we end up in here?" Suzanne asks

    "I have no idea" I answer her and lift myself off the ground. 

    "Wait a minute...that's my dad's police car outside the window..and there's my mom. They're carrying a large, blue box" Suzanne says with confusion on her face. "That's..that's Jasper's birthday present" 

    "What?" I ask Suzanne because I didn't know what she was talking about. 

    "We're in some type of flashback..this is Jasper's birthday..I remember that box" she continued, "My parents thought Jasper was in just some type of rut and needed some cheering up. So they went and bought him a present." she tells me. 

    "Why do you think we're here? Why do you think we were sent here?" I ask her, still not fully understanding. 

    "I think he wants us to see what happened to him"

    "For what? Sympathy?"

    "No, not sympathy."

    "Then what?" I ask in frustration. 

    "I don't know" 

    There was a sound at the bedroom door. We wanted to hide, but there was no where to go. A young boy walked into the room. He had a blank stare, and he didn't even acknowledge we were standing there. 

    "Can he see us?' I ask Suzanne

    "I don't think so" she answers to me. 

    His eyes were as dark as marbles. His blonde, thick hair was slick back. He had cuts and sores on his lips and his left eye had a twitch. His skin looked a sickly purple color that reminded me of a dead body. He sat on the bed and stared at the wall. He didn't move or even flinch when I walked walked near him. Jasper. 

    "My mom and dad are going to come upstairs in a few minutes if I remember correctly.." Suzanne says with fear in her voice. 

    "Are we supposed to do something?" I ask her

    She walks over to her brother, tears in her eyes. She snaps her fingers in front of his face. She shakes his shoulder, but nothing happens.

     "I don't think there's anything we can do..." 

    Suddenly another sound comes from the door, a young girl cracks the door slowly. Her head peaks in and you could tell by her eyes she was afraid. 

    "Jasper?" she says, "Mom and dad have something for you". Her face looked familiar I could tell and I turn toward Suzanne. She appeared shocked. 

    "That's me" she says, staring at her younger self. 

    I move toward Suzanne's younger self, but she doesn't seem to notice me either. It's like we're invisible. 

    Sheriff and Suzanne's mom walk into the room. Jasper slowly sinks his head down not making eye contact with them. 

    "Happy birthday sweetie..we got you something" Suzanne's mother says. Her voice sounded cheerful but her eyes screamed worry and fear. They all seemed to walk slowly toward him as if any wrong move would set off a bomb. 

    "It's a present we bought for you" Sheriff says

    Jasper didn't move or respond. 

    "Honey, are you alright?" Suzanne's mother asks him

    Again, he says nothing. 

    "Matthew, why don't you open it for him" Sheriff says and faces me. I thought they couldn't see me. 

    "What you scared?" Sheriff asks, smirking and a loud laugh erupts from his lips. Soon they all start laughing at me. Young Suzanne, her mother, and sheriff. Then their faces turn into Jasper's all at once. My head was spinning. Was this a nightmare? 

    "What the hell is happening?" Suzanne screams in frustration. Then the room goes black.

    The room is empty now and only Suzanne and I stand there alone. The present lay on the floor right in front of me. 

   "I think I am supposed to open the box" I tell her and she stares at me, not processing all of the events that occured clearly. 

    I kneel over to open the box and fall back in horror. It was Caroline's dead body and I knew this was the beginning of the mind games Jasper would play on me. He wanted me to feel pain and fear of death. He wanted Suzanne to remember her fear and impliment it into her brain, because it didn't matter that he wasn't there...we were just anticipating his arrival.