Unknown
Under my weight, the forest floor crunches. My feet finding pine cones and branches beneath layers of different stages of browning pine needles. The earthy scent of dampened soil and decaying bark wafts in the air with the cool mountain summer breeze, tickling my nose with the fragrance of nature. Golden rays from the sun filter through the trees, casting dancing shadows in a multitude of patterns across my surroundings. Birds fly across my path, chirping happily, landing on the ground to peck the earth for feed.
It's such a beautiful, and peaceful scene, giving one a sense of calm that I can't help but join in.
Whistling a cheery little tune, I snap my fingers to the made-up melody. My heart beats excitedly in my chest, threatening to flee the cage my ribs ensnared it in. The closer I get to camp the brighter my mood becomes.
For years I've been waiting, waiting for the day Sapphire Davenport turns eighteen. I've patiently bided my time, fighting my urges. In tarry I've imagined all the different ways I could kill her, each one more painful and sometimes bloodier than the last. A knife to the throat, a spray of crimson from the vicious slice across her delicate neck. Smashing a rock down onto her face over and over again until she becomes unrecognizable, a lifeless corpse of disfigurement. Fingers twisted into her raven hair, feeling every thrash as she desperately claws at the ground, trying to push herself up out of the icy water I hold her head under.
Yes, I've been thinking about this for quite some time now.
Dreaming about it really.
I've decided the perfect place to kill her would be Camp Elk Wood; she's been coming here for years. In these Colorado woodlands that are endless—just like all the lies she's spewed—it wouldn't be difficult to make it seem like she simply disappeared.
She'll become nothing more than another name on a faded page, forgotten with time.
In the distance I can hear the screech of brakes as the buses carting counselors and campers stop. I can picture them in a neat row in the large pull off just outside of the archway welcoming you to camp. On especially windy days the Camp Elk Wood sign will give a low eerie creak. Having been exposed to the elements for so long. It's amazing the chains still hold, given the fact they're mostly rust at this point.
The entire camp could use some sprucing up, no pun intended, I grin patting the trunk of an old spruce I pass. It fades when I think back on my own time wasted in these decaying woodlands.
A week every summer from the age of ten.
So much wasted time that I'll never get back.
The councilors entertained us with mediocre means: crafts, fishing, canoeing, hiking, and bird watching. I mean how many children does anyone know who actually enjoys bird watching? At least fishing had a dash of excitement in between long, endless minutes spent waiting.
I didn't mind the waiting, after all we're old friends.
While I found fishing to be the most enjoyable part of camp—with the capturing of something defenseless and whatnot—it was still boring.
It's mind boggling that anyone would like this place, like a math equation I can't solve.
And I never excelled in mathematics.
Definitely explains why Camp Elk Wood never appealed to me.
It's barely holding on to the frayed tether of life. One that's eventually bound to snap. I'll take immense pleasure by doing the honors; what parent will want to send their children here after someone vanishes?
Oh, sweet, manipulative Sapphire, you'll ruin this place.
Just like you ruined my life.
She'll be stepping off one of those buses, unsuspecting of what awaits her at the end of the week.
I cease my whistling, coming to a stop at the edge of the woods. Leaning my back against a large boulder, just out of sight, my cool gaze scans the grounds, seeking. It doesn't take me long to spot my reason for being here; her long, pin-straight raven hair has become my beacon.
I look for her everywhere, not that she's hard to find, given that I've been following her.
She stands with her arms around her friends, gazing at them with bright eyes like her namesake. Brown-haired Ember stands beneath her right arm, head tilted towards her, smiling shyly. Blond-haired Forrest towers over them, grinning; he leans down, and lays a friendly kiss on top of both their heads.
The best example of a love triangle I've ever seen. Two girls equally in love with him, the idiot clueless to their feelings.
I'll be doing sweet Ember a favor, eliminating her competition, leaving Forrest for herself. They can comfort each other when the lies of their closest friend are revealed, and she vanishes into thin air.
She might even silently thank me.
The director of Camp Elk Wood starts to speak, my cue that my brief reprieve from my deadly plans has come to an end.
It's time to get started.
I push off the boulder, stretching my arms above my head and spinning on my heel to vanish into the vast Colorado mountains. If anyone has seen me, they'll simply think their eyes must be mistaken, that I'm an animal or a shadow playing tricks.
Why would they assume a stranger lurks in the treeline?
Striding away I whistle my melody from earlier, snapping my fingers, with a dancing slide to the side just for fun.
The excited voices behind me threaten to drown out my tune, but above them all, I can hear Sapphire’s laugh. A joyous sound from her isn't enough to darken my mood; after all, she won't be able to laugh for much longer.
I'll be back soon.
