""Where am I?" I look around curiously, my eyes locking on every boy in the room.
Everett steps forward, a slight smile on his face. "You're in hell."
I stare at him for a moment before shaking my head, "No, seriously..."
"No, seriously," Everett...
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I WAKE UP to a wet sponge pushes against my face. A big sniff comes from somewhere, my hair blowing across my face. Another little wet sponge presses against me and then a lick. Suddenly, everything comes back to me. Birds tweet in the trees above me, some leaves drifting down covering me in a blanket. I startle awake, my eyes snapping open to show Ember, Princess, and Prince all curiously staring at me.
"Ember!" I gasp. "I haven't seen you in forever!" The little red fox tilts its head at me, her ears flopping to the side. I met Ember a few months ago when I helped her move her little pup that got stuck behind. I couldn't stand there so I reached out and picked it up. Ember was intimidated by me, but then she warmed up to me when I sat her baby down in front of her. I'm just thankful she didn't rip my throat out. Speaking of Embers pups, the two little foxes pop their heads up around the log I was sitting on last night.
Last night.
Oh no! I look up, my mind finally getting thrown into reality. School. Mom. Me, dead, buried six feet underground. Mom is going to kill me!
I stand up, startling Ember and Princess a little. They back up. Ember takes one last look at me before motioning for her babies to follow her. They bounce off into the woods. Prince comes around my side, groaning as I reach up and rub his head. "I need to get to school. Damn, my mom is going to kill me!" I whine in Prince's face as I look into his big brown eyes. Prince tilts his head. I roll my eyes before just rubbing down his back and waving at him. Prince stands beside Princess as I move through the woods.
"Bye buddy, and bye Princess."
Prince just snorts at me while Princes turns around boredly. I sprint to my house, wincing as I see the sun halfway across the sky. Mom is seriously going to kill me.
I enter my house through the back door, stepping up the creaking deck steps. As soon as I enter, my mom's friendly face pops up around the corner. What surprises me, though, is my dad looks at me as well. They both show instant relief before coming to me and wrapping me in a hug.
"Everleigh Jane Nelson! Never go out like that again and not call me!"
"I'm sorry! I fell asleep!" I cry, just wrapping my hugs around my mom trying to be an angel to her. She wraps me into a tiger hug, blocking my dad out entirely. I look at my dad. "Help me," I mouth to him. His eyes widen before he rolls his brown eyes.
"Why didn't you call! How do you fall asleep with a deer! Ever! I would be much happier if you were sleeping with a boy rather than in the woods with a deer!"
Somehow, I got mom to accept my friendship with Prince. Of course, she had to see to believe, but when Prince gave her the cutest look ever, she sort of fell in love with him.
"I don't know."
"God, I need to check you for ticks."
"What? Mom! I'm fine. What I need, is to get to school," I say, pushing out of her hold. My dad wraps me in a quick hug. "Hey dad," I grin at him. "How was work?"
