"I didn't know you would be here", I said in a surprised tone. Nixon returned his attention back to the video game.

"Yeah, I'm here. So what", Nixon huffed out in an irritated tone. There were so many things I wanted to say to him but the words caught in my throat. I looked towards Valerie who walked up to Nixon without worry.

"Nixon, I missed you", she said as she threw her arms across him in a brotherly fashion. Nixon grunted in response but didn't take his attention off his game. Valerie ripped the controller clean out of Nixon's hands.

"Cut it out Val", Nixon stated in a threatening tone. He stood up towering over Valerie's small frame. Valerie stood her ground under his intense blue gaze defiantly. "Be grateful that Ian is your brother. Otherwise I'd kick your ass, you little punk", Nixon said in a dark tone. I looked over expecting to see a scowl on his face but found a crooked smile instead.

"I'd like to see you try and kick my ass. All talk no action Eh Nicky boy", Valerie stated teasingly as she hopped onto his back. The playful banter between Nixon and Valerie threw me for a loop.

"Don't mind them. They tend to act like children" Ian chimed. I stared at Ian who stood next to me now. "I'm glad you came. Nixon was worried about you", Ian said. I looked at Ian in disbelief that Nixon would ever worry about me. As far as I knew Nixon hated every single part of me.

"Shut up Ian", Nixon roared loudly Valerie hopped off of Nixon's back to stare at his angry figure. Nixon walked up too close to me. His eyes turned to ice as he stared into my eyes. "She always causes me trouble wherever she goes", Nixon said broodingly.

"Thank you Nixon. If you hadn't been there", I said with a sheen of tears clouding my eyes. I turned my eyes to the ground to avoid looking at him. I touched my hand to the patch of uneven hair on my head from the incident.

"Whatever, I'm getting a drink", Nixon said in response. "Do any of you losers want one", he asked as he moved towards a mini fridge in the corner.

"Ooh, ooh, pick me, pick", Valerie said as she hopped up and down. "Get me the usual Nicky boy", Valerie told him. Nixon turned to face Ian with his questioning gaze as he waited for his response.

"I've got my water still", Ian said as he held onto his steel water bottle. "What about you Rowen", Ian asked me kindly as he draped an arm over my shoulder. I stiffened under his touch because boys never stood close to me ever. Nixon stared daggers at Ian for a reason I didn't understand.

"I'll just have water", I said to Nixon as I removed Ian's arm from my shoulder. "If you have another one that is", I trailed on awkwardly. Nixon nodded his head acknowledging my response. He disappeared into a separate area of the room to grab the drinks.

"Come sit down", Valerie said as she pulled me to the couch. I realized that Valerie was kind of pushy. She never gave me any room to argue with her. It was her bossiness that led to us staying friends this whole time. I felt bad for being such a crappy friend while she put in all the effort.

"This is all new to me. I've never had friends before", I said to her shyly. Valerie held her finger up to stop me from continuing. She reached into the coffee table beside her to rummage through it. I watched her tear the drawer apart looking for something.

"I have to show you something", Valerie said seriously. "I found it", Valerie said loudly. Valerie waved what looked like a picture around in the air. Ian shook his head as he recognized the photograph.

"Not this story again. No one likes to hear it anymore. She's never coming back", Ian sulked. I looked at him with confusion but he had a dark expression on his face. I didn't quite understand the situation but as Nixon returned he nearly dropped the drinks in his hand.

"Put that shit away right now", Nixon yelled harshly. He slammed the drinks down on the coffee table. He reached over the table to take the photograph from Valerie's hand but was too slow. "Fine, screw you Valerie", he said as he left the room and his drink behind. Valerie looked towards Ian who looked displeased.

"Valerie, you know how much it still upsets him", Ian stated as he left the den to probably catch up with Nixon. Valerie looked at Ian's receding figure with sad eyes.

"Sorry about that Rowen", Valerie said. I didn't respond because I was a stranger in this scenario. I watched Valerie holding the photograph with a nostalgic expression. This photograph obviously meant something to everyone.

"Why did you invite me over", I asked Valerie finally. "You said you had to tell me something but all you've been doing is playing around", I said honestly. I knew that Valerie had important information to tell me so I wanted a direct explanation.

"Sorry, its hard for everyone to talk about", she said. She held up the photograph in her hands with tears in her eyes. "It might be easier to just show you", Valerie said as she passed the photograph to me.

I looked at the photograph cautiously not knowing what to expect. It was a picture of a group of best friends. I recognized every single one of them except for a girl with golden colored hair and pale skin. I paused as I skimmed over her because she seemed slightly older than the rest of them. She had on a yellow dress with sunflowers on it.

There were a few people in the photograph that I didn't expect to be there. One of those people was Ember, with her arms wrapped around Valerie, looking so happy to be there. Nixon had his arm draped over this mystery girl. It was strange to see a bright smile on his face. The group of them were under a tree in a park maybe.

"You and Ember used to be friends", I asked. She shook her head in acknowledgement. "Who's the mystery girl?", I asked her. Valerie rubbed her hand over the mystery girls face in the photo.

"That's Skylar. She was Ember's older sister", Valerie stated. "She went missing 7 years ago. Ever since then its been like this", Valerie continued. I looked at the photograph completely taken aback. I still didn't understand what this had to do with me though.

"Why did you show this to me", I asked her. I felt uncomfortable looking at the photograph. In the background I noticed a bench some of them were leaning on. It looked like the bench in my painting at home but that couldn't be the case. Then again there were those odd shaped trees swaying in the background. I bet that the the crunch of autumn leaves was afoot. I didn't want to think about that night sky for a second longer.

"I wanted you to understand because I want us to be close friends", Valerie stated. I could tell there was more to it than that. "I care about you Rowen, so does Ian, even Nixon. Hell, its the first time I've seen him show real emotions since Skylar died", Valerie stated.

"Honestly I'm not someone important. I'm more damaged than you can even imagine", I told her in a hushed tone. I wanted to tell her more but she already saw my scars. "I had a question, did you see my scars", I asked her nervously.

"Yeah Nixon and I both saw them", Valerie continued as i cringed in response. "Hey, at least you're alive. And maybe one day you can tell me all about how you got the." She stated. I never thought of my scars in a positive light.

"Yeah, maybe", I told her. I could never tell her about my memories from that night because i didn't even know myself. I checked the time to see that it was about 8 o'clock at night. "I should probably call Aunt Tabby to have her come pick me up", i said

"I can drive you home. Please don't disappear on me again", Valerie said as she gripped my hand in hers anxiously. "Can I pick you up tomorrow", she asked hopefully. She had an intense expression on her face as she waited for my response.

"Ok, yes to both of those. I'm never taking the bus again", I said to her. She fist bumped the air at my request with the biggest smile on her face. Valerie brought me out to a garage filled with 3 different vehicles. She hopped into a Honda Accord then started to head towards my house. It didn't take her too long to get to my house because we lived near each other so we had some time to talk. I sat inside her car anxiously while looking out at the night sky. I couldn't leave because there was something that still bothered me. It was the picture that Valerie showed me earlier that kept reappearing in my mind. 

"By the way this is going to sound random but where was this photograph taken", I asked Valerie with an inquisitive expression. Valerie had a veiled expression on her face at my question that she replaced quickly with a smile. "I feel like I've been there before. I just sense it inside of me", I said to her quietly. 

"Probably not. Its about 2 hours from here in a little town called Serenity Falls. They have nice Trails", Valerie said. I recognized the name of the town but I knew my parents never took me there as a child. It didn't help get rid of the feeling that I saw this place before. If I asked Aunt Tabby she might know more about it.

"Alright, now I really ought to go", i said checking the time. I stepped out of the car to leave. Valerie followed me up to my door. I hugged her goodnight, watched her drive away, and went to step inside my house. Across the street a different car turned its lights on. It came crawling across the road at a snails pace. I slammed the door shut thinking nothing of it.......

AN:// hope you enjoyed this chapter. Im setting up the story for the big even that si going to happen soon. Just wait as the mystery continues....//