“Why?” he asked, with disbelief reflecting in his eyes.

There was no answer and then her father’s eyes suddenly moved toward Tara, realizing she stood there for the first time, and his face abruptly morphed into something else—a look Tara hated. It was the look he had given her mother many times before when she angered him.

“I had to do it,” he said. “You understand, right?”

Tara stood terrified, feeling her mother’s blood begin to dry on her bare feet.

“You’re not going to tell anyone about this, right?”

Tara’s small body stood frozen. She looked at her mom, hoping she would wake up and help her, but all she could see was the blank stare in her eyes, and she knew she was all alone.

“Right?” he repeated. “You’re not going to tell anyone.”

A smile began to creep on his face, an attempt to calm her as he crept forward.

But Tara knew what she had to do next. She turned on her heels and ran. She ran down the hall, toward the front entrance. She ran past her bedroom and past her parents’ room. She could see the front door as she approached the dining room, as she heard his footsteps behind her begin to pick up into a run.

She could see through the storm door and that her neighbor was in her driveway, pulling groceries from her car. Tara screamed and cried uncontrollably as she flung the door open. The startled neighbor looked over at her.

Suddenly, Tara jumped up in bed, and was relieved to find herself in her hotel room. It was just a dream, she told herself as she reached for the lamp next to her bed. Light filled the room, and Tara focused on her breathing, slowing the rhythm of her heart. It was her most vivid dream yet and Tara rubbed her hand, wiping away the coolness of the doorknob she could still feel.

Afraid to close her eyes, she stared at the TV as she wondered again if maybe she wasn’t strong enough for this case.

Chapter Eleven

Maya Green let out a laugh as her boyfriend kissed her neck.

“Why you always gotta laugh?” he asked with a smile of amusement on his face.

He shifted closer to her on the ground as he reached his arms further around her and pulled her in close.

“I’m so glad we did this,” he said in between kisses.

Maya agreed. It was their first solo adventure as a couple and it had brought them closer than ever before. They were both twenty-four and had been together for only a year now. But there was now no doubt in Maya’s mind—he was the one.

This adventure was something Maya had wanted to do for a long time, ever since she was a teenager, when she would hike and camp with her family. She knew the Appalachian Trail would be an experience like no other. To her, it was the ultimate freedom to step away from the pressures of city life and trek through the woods with only oneself to depend on.