Connie smiled to herself as she roved the halls of Jefferson High. It was late afternoon on the last day of school before Christmas vacation. Loud shouts and exuberant laughter echoed through the white building. The excitement was unmistakable.
We’re almost free!
Connie pushed outside through the heavy doors, feeling like a bird released from a cage. She breathed deeply, sucking in the cold December air.
“Ready to be done?” Alice said quietly behind her. Connie turned with a smile.
“Aren’t you?” She snatched her new friend’s mitten-clad hands and pulled her out into the grassy field. They ran laughing across the frosty grass. At the edge of the field were the woods and the paths that eventually lead down to the river.
“Do you have class next period? We should go exploring!” Connie said eagerly, pulling Alice along towards the shadowy grove. Alice stopped abruptly.
“No. The woods aren’t safe Connie.” Her voice was a whisper that made Connie look back at her curiously.
“What did you say?” Connie raised a brow, knowing she should drop the subject. But she was too curious. Her heart began to beat faster, and she dropped her eyes from Alice’s face.
“I know what you’re thinking Connie. I said, ‘the woods aren’t safe.’ And they’re not. But not for the reasons you're thinking.” Alice turned on her heel and started back to the school. Connie bit her tongue, wishing she hadn’t let her friend see her curiosity. It was true. She wanted to know what had happened to Alice’s face. She had wanted to know from the first day she saw her. Connie hated to look at that face, and loved to at the same time. It held a fascination over her. Those brutal scars contrasting with Alice's clear blue eyes. Connie shivered. The air was too cold to endure alone. Strange how friendship dimmed the bitterest things.
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