The Wicked of Wicker Woods

When The Lost Are Found

"𝚆𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚢𝚜𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚢𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

The roar of the fire dwindled as Anna sat between Claire's legs, resting her back against her chest. They were alone, transfixed by the flames in front of them. It was something that Anna cherished because it was a time Claire cut the bullshit and acted human.

Reese's annual lake party was well underway as most of his guests took the party inside, leaving the pair to nestled by the fire. It was the last big blow out before the summer weather turned into the bitterness of fall, which had seemed to arrive early. 

The cold settled in early.

Reese hosted 50 of his closest friends at his family's estate on Lake George. It was one of the many properties they owed in the upstate area, not to mention the countless others around the world. 

Reese and his family were never shy about their wealth, it was something they gloated whenever they could. Hosting lavish parties was a way of showing off just how much money they had. It was something that Anna learned to not complain about, for she enjoyed the free booze and the party-loving company.  

It was her world now, so different from anything she ever experienced and she didn't want it to end. 

But tonight, Claire was laying low, unlike her center of attention alter ego. She wanted to stay out of the limelight inside and choose to spend her time with Anna in front of the dying fire. 

Anna could feel Claire's hands run through her hair, twirling a piece between her fingers as the crackle of the flames and waves of the water crashed against the dock beside them. 

Watching the burning embers float into the sky, Anna was tempted to reveal her troubles to Claire. She wanted to confined in her in some way and usually, this rare alone time was the perfect way to do so. 

However, she didn't know where to begin. 

And she could sense that Claire didn't want to speak about the night that Molly vanished and the events leading up to it, as she did her best to avoid the subject with anyone who tried to rekindle it.

But each thought burned hot in Anna's mind, just as the embers of the fire did. She watched the ash disappear into the night scary, only to be replaced with new ones, until the process became so overwhelming she couldn't keep track of any of it. 

Much like her thoughts.

But what she experienced in the woods was the most startling of all and it was something she wanted to get off of her chest. 

It was if she blacked out, losing all sense of time. Or, was she hallucinating? 

What if she had a mental illness? Did this mean she was becoming sick like her grandmother? 

Surely that was the reason her father looked at her the way he did the day of the search. Perhaps he feared that Anna would end up just like her.

The thought filled her heart with dread knowing that it might all be the beginning of an ongoing illness. The same illness that ripped her father and her grandmother apart. 

"What's on your mind?" Claire asked quietly, still playing with Anna's hair. It was a known fact that when Claire was away from the group, she was a good listener. Someone who would carry all the thoughts and burden of another person, just so they could feel less heavy, "You've been quiet the past few days. Haven't seen much of you in school."