Seven Springs

Five Years Ago

It was a Sunday afternoon, the brown and red leaves dancing their way along the swirls of the wind, the trees moving in a rhythmic motion to the life of autumn. The sun shone down, blanketing the mixture of dirt and plant life against the cooling breeze.
In the distance, small footsteps crescendoed their way in. A young girl entered the scene, her brown wavy locks tangling along her back. However, the look on her face was not of pleasantry. Instead, a frown appeared on her lips as her gaze jumped from tree to tree. She spun around one way, and then another, holding up her arm to shield her browns from the sunlight piercing through.
"Are you there?" She called out. "Lydia?"
The only sound the girl heard, however, was the same musical composition of the autumn afternoon weather. Frustration revealed itself in her stance as she folded her arms across her chest. "Whatever!" she called out. "I'm heading home without you!"
The girl wasn't fooling herself. In truth, she managed to get herself lost in this unpredictable forest. "Go figure." she muttered, shivering from the instant burst of cool air. Turning around again, Juniper analyzed her choices of which direction to head, yet found no comfort in her mental search. She sighed and made her way to a log, sitting down and dusting off her jeans. 'They'll find me here eventually', she thought.
"Eventually" turned into half an hour, creating a stir of anxiety in the girl, who sat with her knees to her chest, while hugging her slender frame. Sighing, she stood up and stretched her legs, noticing the sun wasn't as bright as it was the hour before.
"Hello?" she called out. "Can anyone hear me? Lydia? Mom? Dad?"
The air was being painted more rapidly in the scene, the wind chill creating even the trees to draw back, their armor of leaves abandoning them. Juniper, her heart rate beginning to race, straightened up her posture and marched in a single direction, hoping she'd find a hint of recognition on where she was headed. This only made things worse for her as the surrounding forest felt like a cruel trap. Shivering, her vision jumped from one direction to the next yet again.
"Are you lost?" The stranger's voice slightly scared her, her heart giving a sudden thud in her chest. It was that of a boy, the sound of his footsteps crunching their way over the leaves and in her direction. Juniper stopped, turning around to meet his gaze. The boy halted several feet away from her, keeping his distance.
"Can I help?" he asked, refusing to move forward toward her again. Juniper tilted her head and watched him, pondering. She had never seen eyes so blue before. It almost kept her from speaking for just a moment too long.
"I'm...not sure." she replied, brushing several strands of brown hair away from her eyes.
"Are you Juniper?" he asked.
Juniper hesitated. "Why should I tell you my name?" she asked defensively.
The boy grinned. "My name is Levi. I live down the street from your family. You just moved in, am I right?"
Juniper wasn't sure what to say. Mom and Dad had always taught her to be careful around strangers. This boy was clearly at least a couple of years older than her.
"They've been looking for you. Said you were out here with your friend Lydia, but never came home. "
"You mean Lydia's back at the house? I hope she enjoyed leaving me out here to die alone," Juniper said, her frustration clear.
Levi chuckled. "Here, let me take you back. I won't leave you, I promise."
"I'm glad you think it's funny." Juniper pouted, waiting for him to make his move in the direction to go home. She felt the need to cry; angry she had been out here this whole time while Lydia galloped around at her house instead of searching for her. She could have frozen to death. She fought back the tear that struggled its way out of her anyway. Levi frowned.
"I'm sorry, I ...I didn't mean to upset you." he said, "I'm sure she didn't leave you on purpose."
Juniper shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway. I'm ready to go home." She hugged herself tighter, doing the best to avoid the chill. Levi held her gaze for a moment longer, and then nodded his head, stepping in her direction. "This way."
They made their way back to her house, Levi walking slightly in front of her, turning back occasionally to check up on her.
"Juniper!" Juniper heard the sound of her mother's voice, her mother moving quickly toward her with her arms out. She embraced her daughter, Juniper feeling a hint of embarrassment at the hug as she looked up at Levi.
         "Mom, really, I'm fine." she said, pushing her mother back and brushing off her clothes- as if it would help. Levi held a small grin on his face.
         "Thank you." Grace said, turning toward Levi and placing a hand on his shoulder.
         "It's not a problem, Mrs. Knight." he responded.
         David Knight appeared from the front door of Juniper's home, his tall, slender frame casting a long shadow while his brown eyes Juniper shared with him swept over the scene in front of him. His eyes rested on her.
         "Juniper, it's time you come inside." he told her. "It's getting late."
         Juniper nodded, moving her eyes away from Levi and back to her father. She headed toward the door, then stopped for a brief moment, turning back to him.
         "Thanks." she said. She then turned and made her way inside.
         "Thank you, son." David said, shaking Levi's hand. "You should come around more often and help out around here. I could use an extra hand."
         "That sounds good, sir. Thank you." Levi said. "Anyway, I should go. My mom's waiting up for me."
         Juniper sat on her bed that night, wrapped in her pajamas and listening to the sound of the heater as it vibrated through the room. She thought about Lydia and decided she didn't want to speak to her again. They had only met a few days ago at school, yet she knew it was done and over. She was still uncertain about the move her parents made to this small, almost abandoned town- what was here again? They had left the beautiful city in warm Louisiana and ended up here in Independence, Colorado.
         It was pretty, she had to admit. But it was lonely. She missed her old friends and familiar surroundings. She missed the city lights and even the sounds which accompanied it. It was too quiet here- she wasn't used to listening to nature at such a close proximity.
         Her thoughts jumped to Levi, the blue eyed boy she had just met. She wasn't sure what to think of him just yet. Did he save her life? What if he hadn't come along? Would she still be there, cold and alone? Would she have found shelter, only to realize it was a bear cave? Then what? She had never encountered bears before. Would they have eaten her? Would a bear even eat her?
Sighing, Juniper crawled into her warm bed and rolled onto her side, eyes still open, wondering how long her thoughts could continue on. It wasn't long. She was asleep within seconds.
Present Day
Juniper and Levi ran through the rain toward the tree house in the woods behind their homes. It was April in Independence, Colorado, the snow-capped mountains in the distance melting back into the blue, the hills and trees blossoming with flowers and leaves. The weather was still chilly, but but the sub-zero temperatures were no longer present.
Juniper sat back against the wall of the tree house, snacking on a bag of hot Cheetos after realizing she was starving, while Justin lied on his stomach on the floor, working away on his math homework. Juniper could never understand why he liked math so much. Though he explained to her repeatedly math was just another language to learn, and how it was more fun once learned, she still found herself with headaches every time she opened her math book.
She watched him working away and tossed a Cheeto at his head. "Hey, why do you make that look so easy?"
"You just have to understand it."
"Uh huh," she responded, closing her eyes. Her favorite part about hanging out with Levi was how they could sit in silence for a long period of time without it being awkward. They could speak to each other just by looking at one another.
She opened her eyes several minutes later to the sound of Levi closing his heavy math book. He sighed and sat up, stretching and popping his neck. The rain outside picked up its pace, and the sound of thunder shook the tree house. Juniper loved the smell of the rain. Spring was by far her favorite season, as she hated the cold weather. As much as she found to love the beauty of Colorado, its majestic mountains and fresh air, she struggled during the colder months.
She felt a presence next to her and in that moment she was glad he was there.
"June?" he asked.
"Hmm?"
"Please don't ever hurt yourself. I can't lose you too."
Juniper opened her eyes. Levi wasn't the type to always express he feelings, and in fact was quite the opposite. Often times it was frustrating how closed off he could be. She turned and looked at him.
"Don't worry about that, Levi. It won't happen."
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"I'm okay now." she responded, resting her head on his shoulder.
It had only been two days since she lied on her closet floor, staring up at the ceiling, the smell of alcohol wafting through the house. She had pill bottles on her floor, her eyes glued to them. She had imagined what it would it have been like to have a secret door in her closet, one where there was another world on the other side. Where her parents were alive.
Levi had crawled through her window that same day, and although she had tossed the pills to the back of her closet and straightened out her shirt, he couldn't mistake the red in her eyes when he found her. He had sat down next to her, shared some of his chips, and told her stories about his mom's adventures as en E.R. nurse until they found themselves laughing until they couldn't breathe.

Five Years Ago

"Let's go- get out of bed. It's time for school."
Juniper moaned, tossing a pillow over her head.
"I mean it, young lady. Out of bed. Don't make your mother late for work."
"Ugh, fine. I'm up." she replied rebelliously, rolling out of bed anyway.
She noticed the outfit her mother had picked out, gently placed on the end of her bed. I'm eight, she thought. I can pick out my own clothes.
The drive to school was a quiet one as she gazed out the window, her eyes peeled on the neighborhood around her. The orange and brown foliage blanketed the ground and every now and then she'd get to see an actual house. Oh, so people do live here.
"Sweetheart, what is it?" the sound of her mother's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You're quiet. Is it the school? Is it your classmates?"
Juniper turned toward her mother, noticing the sincerity in her blue eyes.
"I don't know, Mom. I don't know anybody yet. I don't want to see Lydia again and if she tries to come up to me, I'm going to ignore her. Plus, everybody here is so different."
"Give them a chance. Give Lydia a chance. Remember it's important to be kind to others."
"Even if they leave me trapped in the woods to die?"
"Juniper, what happened was a mistake. Both of you should have been more careful. Take it as a lesson to be learned and move on."
Juniper looked back out the window, seeing the school in the distance. She felt her mother place a hand on her knee.
"Everything's going to be okay."
Juniper was quick to notice Levi was not present at her school. She tried to find him, but decided he was too old for Gardenbrooke Elementary. He had to be ten or eleven, which would qualify him for- what was the name of the middle school? Chaz? Chavez? Yes, Chavez.
She ran into Lydia- and quite literally, it was, as she had zoned out during student pick-up, her eyes focused on the row of cars. Lydia's books had fallen in the process, Juniper letting out a small gasp of surprise.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see..." she started, as she bent down to assist her.
"Are you still mad at me?" came Lydia's unexpected question. Juniper caught her eyes as she handed her her math book.
"Um, I, no, I don't know."
         "It was an accident. I didn't mean to leave you out there. I thought you were behind me, and when I turned around you were gone, and I tried to find you, but when I couldn't, I went to get your parents, and I told them it was an accident, and they said you didn't know the woods very well."
         Juniper sighed. She couldn't stay mad at her, could she? Lydia brushed a strand of her curly black hair out of her face.
         "I'm not really mad at you. I was just scared I guess."
         Lydia smiled. "Good, I was so worried we wouldn't be friends anymore. You're the only one who's really nice to me."
         Before Juniper could give any response, Lydia's head turned at the sound of her mother's voice. "Hey, my mom's here. I'll see you tomorrow! We should hang out during the weekend."
Juniper gave a wave, then waited for her own mother.
Juniper spent the following Saturday with Lydia, and the next several days were spent with Levi after school. He would politely knock at her door, asking if she was available to to be in his company. His company often involved a tour of the outdoors, Levi showing her around the backwoods, Juniper cozied up in her thick, purple sweater. She never understood why he avoided his own home, though she didn't ask.
The first snowflake fell mid-November, Juniper's eyes lighting up at the scene. She placed her small, gloved hand out in front of her, her palm facing up, catching the next flake as it danced toward the wet, crunchy terrain below. Her wavy brown hair was braided behind her, though it was hidden under the hood of her sweater.
"First time seeing snow?" Levi asked, mimicking her actions as he attempted to catch the snow himself.
"First time being IN the snow," came her response. "I've seen it, just...never been up close like this."
"This is just the beginning. Next thing you know, you'll be wearing higher boots to get through here. You'll love it next month."
         "How high does it get?" Juniper asked, her attention turning to his blues.
         "About four feet."
         Juniper took a moment to let that sink in. Four feet of snow? "How long have you lived here?" she finally asked.
         "My whole life. I was born here, in my home."
         "In your home?"
         "Yeah. My mom gave birth to me, right in the kitchen."
         "Wow. I bet your dad was nervous about it."
         Levi's eyes went back to the snow. There was a small moment of silence before he spoke again.
         "She was by herself. My dad couldn't...well, he wasn't exactly there. He died before I was born. My aunt showed up after my mom managed to get to a phone to call her."
         "Oh. I...I didn't know. So it's just you and your mom?"
         "Yeah. Well, sorta. This guy Bill comes around sometimes to help fix up things, but..." he drifted off, looking out on the horizon, the snow-capped blue mountains in the distance. "Hey, the sun is starting to go down. We should go back to your house."
         They arrived at Juniper's home, Levi walking her to the door.
         "Thanks for your company." he told her.          
         Grace opened the door, greeting Levi and making room for them to come inside.
         "You are more than welcome to have dinner with us, Levi. Would you like to join us? Also, I made some bread for you and your mother." she said, waving her hand at them to come inside. The two of them stepped inside and proceeded to take off their shoes. Juniper could smell the bread her mother had made, the warmth of the active, burning fire in the fireplace suddenly spreading across her skin as she pulled off her jacket. Her shoes off, she turned toward the kitchen on the left, seeing the pot of...smelled like chili, settled on the stove. There were bowls set up at the rectangular, oak table at the far end right of the kitchen. She noticed the bread, a layer of foil on top of the pan, placed on the kitchen island, and two more loaves placed next to it, open and warm.
         "Thanks, Mrs. Knight, but I'll be helping my mother tonight with dinner. It smells delicious, though. We really appreciate the bread." Levi replied.
         "We have plenty of chili, so please, take some home. I insist." Grace said, as if he wouldn't have a choice. She tucked a wave of her loose brown hair, behind her ear. There was no doubt Grace was Juniper's mother, Levi noticed, as they were almost identical minus the eye color. They both shared the same, small, upwardly curved nose, as well as the full lips and smile. Juniper's long eyelashes, he decided, were shared with her father.
         "Sure, that would be great." he responded.
"Warm up for now, though, Levi. It's cold out there and the snow is starting to fall. It's time to start limiting your outdoor time with one another and remain indoors more."
"Yes, of course, Mrs. Knight."
"Come sit." Juniper said, guiding Levi to the couch. Levi obeyed, brushed off his pants, and followed Juniper to the off-white colored couch to the right of the entryway, as it nestled into the light brown carpet, warming itself in front of the fire as well. Juniper's gloves off, she rubbed her hands together to create heat. Levi's eyes were focused on the fire, she noticed, as if he were in a trance.
"First time seeing fire?" Juniper joked. Levi smiled, his eyes remaining on the flames ahead.
"It's relaxing." he said. "I like looking at all the different colors."
Juniper looked back at the mingled colors ahead, her mind suddenly thinking back to their earlier conversation. So, she knew a little more about Levi today. His father had died, and he lived alone with his mother. Where's his aunt? She wondered.
"Juniper," Grace said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Your dad is going to be a bit late tonight. Jannette's horse gave birth this evening, and it looks like the babies aren't doing so well. Here you are, Levi." Grace said, bringing over a plastic shopping bag, the contents of chili and bread inside. "You should probably head home before it gets dark. Would you like me to drive you?"
"No, ma'am, but thank you. I really appreciate it." Levi said, standing up and accepting the bag. "Juniper, I'll see you tomorrow."
Juniper and Grace walked him to the door, and he was gone.
Levi didn't show up the next evening, nor the following evening. Juniper patiently waited for his company. She waited three days, then five. She began to worry. Not only did she worry about him, but she worried at the possibility he didn't want to see her anymore. What did she do? What did she say? Was it asking about his father? Did she scare him away and he never wanted to see her again?
Maybe she would go to him. He said he lived a few houses down, right? Their homes weren't exactly close together, but if he could make it here, she could make it there. She packed on her winter clothes, gloves, and proceeded to the front door.
"Juniper, honey, where are you going?" her father asked. He was standing in the kitchen, chopping onions. "We're just about ready to have dinner. Plus, there's a storm out there. Not the best idea."
Juniper sighed. "Levi hasn't been here in a long time. Can I please go see him? Can you drive me to his house?"
"Not tonight, dear. The weather isn't good."
"But Dad, I haven't seen him. He doesn't come here anymore. Why doesn't he want to see me?"
"Honey, I'm sure he's busy with schoolwork and other things. Plus, the rain has been a little tough lately. Come. Eat."
Juniper was back in her bed after dinner, thinking about all of the things she could have done wrong to make Levi not want to be her friend anymore. When she closed her eyes and began to drift off, she heard a knock on her window. She jumped, not wanting to get out of her bed. Do bears knock? Is it a killer? Who could be there?
She heard the knock again. Okay, bears aren't that smart. She sat up in bed and turned toward her window. Levi stood there, waving at her. He was bundled in a black jacket, hood over his head. But with the sun not quite set, she was able to see his blue eyes. She went over to her window and helped open it.
"Levi? What are you doing? It's cold! And why have you disappeared for so long? Do you not like me anymore?"
"June, of course I like you! It's just, well, I've been busy is all. Will you come outside with me? Grab your jacket."
Juniper glanced at her bedroom door and back at the window. "Okay, fine! I'm coming." She pulled her jacket out of her closet and stuck it on. Levi assisted her out of her window, and she stood, facing him. "Well, I'm waiting for my explanation."
"I just gave you one, June! I've been busy. You know, with school work and such. I just wanted to come by and say I'm sorry and I wasn't trying to avoid you. I promise."
Juniper sighed and wanted to yell at him, but she was just happy to see him. She hugged him. He put his arms around her and hugged her back. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Juniper glanced back at her bedroom door, then said, "okay, show me."
She followed him into the woods, the dark clouds scattering above them. The rain had stopped about an hour ago, but she knew it was only a matter of time before it would start again.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Just wait and see." he told her. He took her hand and guided her along a creek, the trees seemingly getting bigger around her as they crunched along the autumn leaves. Levi suddenly made a turn toward the creek, guiding her with his hand as he stepped over a small bridge of rocks. It was then she felt a drop of rain on her head.
"Hurry!" he said, picking up speed. Just when Juniper thought they were never going to make it, she saw through two giant oak trees, a spacious tree house with a ladder dropped from above it.
She stopped and stared at it before saying, "What is this? Is this yours? Is this what you wanted to show me? Are we going in?"
"You ask a lot of questions, June! My dad built this when my mom was pregnant with me. Come on, let's go inside."
Juniper wanted to ask another question, but instead walked over to the tree house, stepping up the ladder and inside the large space inside. There were books, three large red and blue blankets, and a couple of backpacks inside. She looked around the place, before finally asking, "why haven't you shown this to me before?"
Levi shrugged. "I just, well, I haven't gotten to it yet. But I'm showing you now. This is for us. I want this to be a place we can go and hangout together in. What do you think?"
Juniper smiled. "It's great, Levi!"
Levi smiled back. "I have snacks. Want some?"
"Yes, please!" Juniper exclaimed. Levi pulled out one of the backpacks, and Juniper noticed it was a bit old and torn. He pulled out some Cheetos and tossed her a bag. "We should head back soon. I promised your mom we wouldn't be out here too long."
"Did you tell her we were coming here?"
"Well, not exactly. I just wanted to show this place to you real quick."
"It's so much better here though." Juniper said, tearing open the bag of chips. She looked up at Levi, and went to take a bite of a Cheeto when she noticed the bruising on the temple of his head. He knew immediately she noticed and tugged the hood further on his head.
"What..." Juniper began.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I fell. That's all."
She shrugged and jammed the chip in her mouth. "Does it hurt?"
"Not really. We should head back now."
Present Day
Juniper awoke, her vision temporarily blurry. She rubbed her eyes and stared up at the top of the tree house. It was morning, she noticed, as the sun broke its way through the entrance. She stretched her arms and sat up, the red and blue blanket falling off the top of her body, and glanced over next to her to see Levi asleep. He looked so grown up, she noticed. She noticed how wrinkled his gray shirt looked, the corner slightly rolled up, revealing a bit of his skin. The same blanket covered his body below the waist, and she noticed his hair was a bit messy. She quickly looked away when his eyes opened.
"Hey." he said.
"Hey to you." she said back, nudging him. She attempted to straighten out her dark brown shirt and fix her wavy locks as they fell over her face. As she shifted her body, however, something felt wet beneath her, wet in her jeans. Confused, she lifted the blanket off of her lower body and gasped.
"Oh, my God." she said too loudly.
"What?" Levi asked, sitting up. "What is it?"
"Please leave." Juniper said to him. "Just go."
"What do you mean?" Levi asked again, pulling the blanket back. Beneath Juniper, he noticed the blood on the wooden floor. Juniper shoved him away.
"This...this..." Juniper began. "Oh, just leave, Levi."
"June, it's perfectly normal. I...here, I have some towels..."
"Get out!" Juniper shouted, her face heating up. She was fourteen, so she knew it was bound to happen. But she felt humiliated. She again swept her long wavy hair out of her eyes.
"It doesn't bother me..."
"Oh, Levi, please. Please just give me some space. Go now!"
Levi didn't argue this time and stood himself up, stepping outside of the tree house door, his back turned. "June, you don't have to be embarrassed."
"Ugh, you don't understand. I just want to go home and die. I need towels..."
Levi turned back around to come back inside. "Let me..."
"No! I can get them myself. Turn back around." Juniper scrambled up and found the towels. Emotions got the better of her and she burst out crying. Why did he have to be there during this moment? Why, oh why couldn't this happen at another time?
"June? Are you okay? Are you sure you don't want me to help?"
"I'm sure. I'm just..." she sobbed, "I'm okay. I'm okay. I really hate you right now."
He continued standing in silence as she cleaned up the best she could, then gathered up the blankets. "I want to go home now," she said.
Levi understood and remained with his back turned while she exited the tree house.
"You go first." she told him, refusing to make eye contact.
Levi made his way down the ladder, Juniper following.
"It's totally normal, June." Levi told her. "I pick up products for my mom all the time at the store..."
"Just shut up, Levi!" Juniper snapped. He immediately went silent and continued walking ahead of her.
They reached the split between their homes.
"I'll see you later." Juniper said, and from there, she took off at a run to her house, refusing to look back.

Five Years Ago

On Juniper's ninth birthday, Levi brought her over a necklace he had made, her initials carved in the teardrop shaped wood, with twigs braided and intertwined, fitting perfectly around her neck. She jumped and hugged him, thanking him. He flinched when she grabbed him, but hugged her back.
"Did you fall again? Why did you jump?"
"No, I just, I'm sore. I've been working out more, trying to get into shape."
"But you are in shape! Don't you exercise a lot with all those hikes you take?"
"I suppose. I'm just trying to get stronger."
"But why?" Juniper genuinely wanted to know.
"Because. Why can't I get stronger? What so wrong with that?" Levi snapped, defensively. Juniper did not expect that reaction, and struggled to say something back. "I mean, sometimes people just want to get in shape. You're asking too many questions again."
"You're being mean, Levi." Juniper managed to say back, feeling the hurt build up.
"Mean? I just brought you a necklace, dammit, June! You're going to call me mean?"
"Why are you acting this way?" Juniper snapped back, feeling the lump come into her throat. She didn't like this. She didn't want this to be happening. "Any why are you cussing at me?"
"You can't handle a few bad words, June? Are you that naive?"
Juniper didn't respond this time, but instead turned around and began her trek back to her house, tears in her eyes. The snow beneath her was deep. She was cold. She was angry. She was sad at the same time. She couldn't move as quickly as she wanted to, but she didn't care. She was letting her anger push her through. She fell once, twice, three times, until finally she gave up and sat in the snow. "Dammit!" she screamed, before dropping her head in her hands. She started to cry.
She felt the hand on her shoulder. "June. I messed up. I'm sorry."
Juniper ignored him, wiping a tear. "Just leave me alone. You really made me angry."
Levi sighed. "I know. I just..I've been struggling lately. My mom has been sick, and I'm working too hard to take care of her."
Juniper looked up at Levi, the anger leaving her body. "She's sick? I didn't know that. What's wrong?"
"It's a long story, June. Right now I'm too tired to talk about it."
"Is she going to be okay?"
"I don't know, June. I don't know."
Three days had passed, and Juniper hadn't seen Levi. She had a science project due, and Christmas was soon. She and Lydia hung out mostly together at school, and in the evenings she was either at Lydia's house or her own. They worked together on the science project Thursday night while her mother filled the kitchen with a wonderful smell of potato soup and garlic bread.
Saturday evening, Juniper sat at the dining room table with her parents, eating grilled cheese and tomato soup, when she heard a pounding on the front door.
"I've got it," David Knight said, standing up and heading toward the door. When it opened, a tall, large figure stood at the doorway. His shoulders were wide, his gray hair sticking out from his beanie. His eyes were a deep pool of brown, almost black. His voice boomed when he spoke. Juniper shuddered, instantly feeling discomfort from this man.
"Hi, Bill Ullman," he said, sticking out his hand.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Ullman." David said. "Come in. Have a seat and warm up."
"Actually," Mr. Ullman's voice boomed, "I'm here looking for Levi. Have you seen him?"
Bill, Juniper thought. Levi had mentioned a Bill. A guy who was hanging out at his house, he said.

"No, no, I haven't. How long has he been gone? Please, come inside."
Bill Ullman's large frame stepped inside the house, his eyes noticing Juniper. "You must be June. Levi talks a lot about you."
Juniper didn't respond, just nodded her head.
"Anyway, he disappeared about three hours ago and hasn't come home. I thought maybe he has come here instead."
David Knight scratched the top of his head. "No, we haven't seen him. What can we do? Does he have another friend who he might be staying with?"
"No, no. He doesn't have many friends, and we've called other people who may know already. You see, he and his mom had a bit of a misunderstanding. As you know, she's been under the weather. Levi was feeling a big overwhelmed, and he expressed his frustration. And, so, things got out of hand from there. Levi said he needed to step outside, and we haven't seen him since. We're terribly worried."
"Do we need to call the police?" Grace asked, as she came up behind Juniper and placed a hand on her back.
"No, no. I'm sure he's fine and will be back soon. I just wanted to come and check here."
"Are you sure?" Grace pressed on. "It's awfully cold old there. And how is Emily? I'm sorry to hear she's been so unwell lately. What can we do?"
"Oh, no, she'll recover just fine. Just a bit of the flu. Her immune system isn't really that great. Anyway, I'll be heading out. If you see him, please give us a call."
Juniper moved away from her mother's hand and excused herself to her room.
"You don't know where he could be, do you Juniper?" Grace asked.
"No, I don't, Mom. I really hope he comes out soon."
"Me too. Did you finish your plate?"
"I did. I need to finish my homework now."
"You're not going to sneak out again, are you?" Grace asked. Juniper met her eyes.
"I...um, no, of course not."
"I mean it. I don't mind you spending time with Levi, Juniper, but next time tell me if you're going to go out. Remember, mom's know everything, sweetheart."
"Okay, yes." Juniper responded. "I'm just going to do homework. I won't go anywhere."
"Good."
Juniper sat at the desk of her room, her mind wandering from her homework as she stared at her window. Ugh, she was totally planning on sneaking out to find him. He had to be at the tree house, she thought. But it was their secret place. Why do parents always know what's going on? Are there secret cameras around here? Juniper looked around her ceiling and her walls, but couldn't find any indication of a camera. However, thinking maybe there was a chance of a camera, she went back to her homework.
She heard a knock on her door an hour later. Grace peeked inside. "It's almost lights out, dear," she told her. "Look at me."
Juniper turned toward her mother.
"You really don't know where he could be? Bill called and said he hasn't come home yet. Sweetheart, if you know anything..."
"I don't, mom. I really wish I did. I'm scared for him."
"Okay, honey. If you need to talk, please do so."
"I know. I will."
"Goodnight, sweetheart. Your dad and I are headed to bed. We'll keep our ears open for more information. We love you."
"Goodnight, Momma. I love you too."
Juniper's door closed, and she glanced back at her window and sighed. "Levi, please, please, please don't be hurt," she said.
An hour later, she was back outside her window.
Present Day
"Lydia, it was absolutely humiliating. I wanted to die and kill him at the same time."
Lydia placed the bag of feminine products on her bed. "You know, it was just me and my dad when it happened. It was sooo awkward. I think he was more embarrassed than me though. At least Levi was trying to be understanding."
"That's worse," Juniper responded.
"So, let me get this straight. This happened in the morning? Did he like, sleep over?"
"What makes you think it was morning?"
"You said it was after you woke up. I just assumed it was the morning."
"Okay, yeah, it was the morning. But it wasn't like that. At all. We were just talking and fell asleep."
"Interesting." Lydia responded, fixing the pins in her curly black hair while standing in front of the mirror in Juniper's bedroom. "Ooh, speaking of, did you see Hendrix during P.E. today? Girl, he took off his shirt and I about passed out. Now that's somebody I wouldn't mind spending the night in my room. I'd need more than just that shirt off, though. Can you imagine what's going on below?"
Juniper laughed. "I try not to. He's too hot shot for me."
"Good, because I've got my eyes locked on him." She continued messing with her hair. "I wish I had your hair, girl. This hair is all over the place lately."
"I love your hair, Lydia." Juniper responded, coming up behind her to help her with the pins in the back. "Mine is so long and boring! Yours frames your face just right."
"So you're going to the dance right? I mean, I'm not going to get all dressed up if you're not even going to be there. I'm going to make sure Hendrix sees this," Lydia said, turning around in her deep blue dress. "I work hard for this ass."
"You look great, ma dear." Juniper said. "He can't not see how hot you look right now."
Juniper walked over to the mirror and looked at the freckles on her nose, her long wavy brown hair down her back. She didn't have the curves Lydia had, but she was noticing the small changes her body was making. Her breasts were sore and tender as they were finally growing larger, her hips wider than they used to be. Cramps were the devil, she had decided. "I'll go to the dance," she said.
"Will Levi be there?"
"Oh, I doubt it. Not really his thing. He's probably doing physics homework or something and enjoying it."
Lydia's mother picked them up at seven pm, and drove them to Maxwell High School. Lydia felt weird in her newer body, noticing her dark green off-the-shoulder top was cut lower than she wanted it to be. This time, however, her breasts filled out more than they had been just a month ago, and she tugged the shirt up a little higher. She had on her light blue jeans and white sneakers. Lydia had French braided Juniper's hair down her back.
The music was loud inside the gymnasium, but Juniper seemed to enjoy herself in Lydia's company. It didn't last too long, however, when Lydia caught the attention of Hendrix, a tall and athletic senior, who did well on the football team. She's really going for it, Juniper thought. She stood awkwardly at the refreshment table and took a drink.
"Hey, Juniper," she heard. She turned around and saw Brayden, a Freshman who was in her English class. He had broad shoulders, reddish brown hair, and bright green eyes. He was of the lucky Freshman who had made the football team as well that year. "You look pretty today."
"Oh, um, thanks." Juniper said, feeling her cheeks warm up.
Her attention went back to Lydia and Hendrix, Lydia twirling a strand of her black hair while chatting with him.
"Look at her, like she has a chance." Juniper heard the voice coming from a group of girls standing nearby, a group Juniper regularly avoided. They oozed with toxicity, mean girl behavior, and attention-seeking attitudes. Walking into them was like walking onto an activated landmine, with no chance to prepare yourself for the disaster ahead. "Let me teach this fatass how it's really done."
Desiree Simmers tossed her straight blonde hair over her left shoulder, her bright blue eyes shining like smoothed silver, and walked her long legs over to Hendrix. She wore so much makeup, Juniper imagined she had a different identity beneath it all.
"Wanna dance?" Brayden interjected, extending his hand, the obliviousness written on his face. Did he not hear any of that? She wondered.
"Um, I'm sorry, excuse me." Juniper said, pushing past him. "Thank you for asking me though."
Before he could speak, she was out of site, making her way up to where Lydia was.
Too late. Desiree's five-foot-ten model of a body was already wedged between Lydia and Hendrix, her hands flirtatiously on his body. Hendrix was immediately responsive to her, and only within moments was dancing with her along the dancefloor, almost like she had set him into a trance.
Lydia was already gone, disappearing out of the gymnasium door and into the cooling night. She sat on the stairs, Juniper shortly joining her.
"Lydia? Hey, you okay?" she asked her.
"Oh, fantastic, Juniper. I totally made a fool of myself. There's no way he'd be into someone like me anyway."
"What the hell are you talking about? You're amazing."
Lydia scoffed. "Yeah, okay. Have you seen Desiree? She could get a guy off just by looking at him."
"Well then you're better off without him if he's into her. She's probably slept with half the football team anyway." Juniper said.
"Psh. Yeah, I suppose. Don't want to get whatever she's passed to him. I'm better than sloppy seconds."
"Damn right you are, Lydia." Lydia turned to her.
"So um, was that Brayden Miller who approached you? Girl, why aren't you dancing with him? He's been staring you down since you got here."
"Eh." Juniper shrugged. She stared out at the school courtyard ahead, noticing the chill in the air.
Except, this felt different than a usual chill. It was almost instinctual, she realized. Ominous, dark. The hairs on her arm stood up and her ears began to ring. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to a dark figure who stood behind a tree like a long, taunting shadow. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was looking directly at her. Almost as if he was reaching into the deepest parts of her body. She was frozen.
He has control of me, she thought. How can this be? Her own increased heart rate took her by surprise. What the hell?
"Juniper?" she heard Lydia's voice, but she couldn't respond. Instead she felt fear creep into her body, flowing through every vessel in her body. The chill increased in complexity. Why is he staring at me? Who is he? Better, yet, what was he?
The figure didn't move, but she could hear him. She could hear him talking to her, whispering to her in a language she didn't understand. Except, she could understand. Juniper used whatever willpower she had to attempt break free from this grasp, and found herself covering her ears, letting out a scream before she found herself covered in darkness.
5 Years Ago
Juniper knew where she was going. She was bundled in jacket like a rolled up bedspread, but she didn't wear her warmest shoes. He feet felt frozen as she tread through the snow behind her home, feeling the sting on her cheeks. She was going to find him.
She regretted going in the dark. What was she thinking? How could she possibly find her way around in this black maze? She found the frozen creek and stepped over the rocks, her teeth chattering. No, it was going to be worth it.
Her mind instantly jumped to the worst scenario. What if there was a killer? What if he's out here now, with me? What if he's watching me, laughing at me? Oh, no, what if Levi was in the tree house, but dead? She hated bears more than anything in that moment.
No, keep going. Juniper pushed on until she saw the outline of the tree house ahead. No lights were on inside, but she took a deep breath and climbed up the ladder.
The lanterns and flashlights flicked on. He wasn't here. Juniper sighed with frustration and grabbed the blankets on the floor, wrapping them around her body, adding to the layers she already had on. Why couldn't this winter be like it was in Louisiana? She huddled up against the wall. Where could he be?
It was only moments later she was sitting on the floor, drifting off into a light sleep. The sound of footsteps snapped her out of it and she saw a frame in the doorway. The killer. He's here to kill me.
"June? What in the world? Why are you here?" Levi hurried his way toward her and threw an extra blanket around her. She felt like a penguin.
"Levi! I was looking for you! Where were you?"
"You came out here without the right clothes, June. That wasn't smart."
"You're not answering my questions, Levi." She looked up at his face, the hoodie over his head. "I don't know where you've been. You just disappear sometimes."
"I'm fine, June. You're in more danger than I am coming out here in the night, without a light, and without proper snow clothes. You could have frozen to death! What were you thinking? What if you would have gotten lost? That was stupid, June."
Juniper found herself angry at him again. "No, what's stupid is you disappearing the way you do! Bill showing up at the house looking for you! You not even coming to me first! And you..." she lifted up the lantern to find his eyes, "ugh, you making me think something bad happened to you."
She found his eyes, but it wasn't the only thing she found. There was a black ring under his left eye. "Don't tell me that was a fall, because I won't believe you."
Levi turned away from her. "I'm taking you home, June."
"No!" June cried, reaching out toward him. She pulled the hood of his coat off of his head. "Not until you talk to me! And you don't get to tell me what to do."
"There's nothing to talk about!" Levi snapped. "Leave it alone!" Levi pulled his hood back on and turned around. "You're right, I'm not in charge of you. I just...I can't...".
Juniper was taken by surprise when Levi began to cry. She had never seen him express emotion like this before, let alone cry. The anger quickly left her body. She went to reach out to him, but he stepped away and hit the wall. He hit it again. And a third time. She was frozen, and didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to respond to him.
"Levi?" she asked. "Levi?"
Levi dropped to his knees, his energy spent, sobbing into his hands. Juniper slowly made her way toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't speak or react to her. She knelt down next to him.
"Is he hurting you, Levi? Is it Bill?"
Levi didn't respond, but quickly wiped his eyes and stood up. Juniper didn't take her hand off of his arm. "I want to listen if you want to talk."
Levi shook his head. "We...I should get back. I don't want to tell you what to do, but it's really cold tonight and I'm worried you'll freeze."
"You want to go back there, Levi?" Juniper was confused. Why was he going back to the man who was hurting him?
"What choice do I have? It's my mom I need to protect. I shouldn't have left her alone."
"You can call the police. You can tell my parents."
"No, June. Don't you get it? He IS the police. And my mom, well, they'll just find the drugs and he'll blame her."
"I can't let you go back there." Juniper said. "You can't get hurt anymore, Levi. No, I won't let you get hurt anymore."
Levi turned toward Juniper, meeting her eyes. "June, it's her or me. I can take it."
"No..." Juniper began.
"I have to go, June." he pulled his arm away. "Please don't tell your parents. I'm worried he'll kill my mom if anyone else knows."
"I don't want him to kill you, Levi."
"He won't." Levi said. He handed her a flashlight and headed toward the door. "Now, please. You should go back to your house before your parents know you're gone. If your parents call Bill because you're gone, he'll know we're together. I can't let anything happen to you."
Juniper nodded her head. After all, she was nine. How can she defend herself against Bill, who she now learned is a police officer? She started to cry.
"Don't cry, June. Please. I'll be okay. We'll meet here tomorrow when it's light and sunny, okay?" Levi headed toward the ladder and made his way down. She followed him.
In silence, he walked her back to her house.
"I don't want you to go, Levi. Please stay at my house."
"No, June. I need to care for my mom. I promise I will see you tomorrow." He wiped a tear from her face. "I promise."
With that, he was gone.