"Pretty girls like you get lost in these woods all the time, Alexa."
On the night of Sebastián's annual Beginning of Summer Bash, amiable and adventurous Melody Tryniski went missing. What might have appeared as a juvenile escapade - a casual incide...
Sebastián's summer house October 7, 2018 11:50 a.m.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE PATH THAT LEADS to Sebastián's summer house seems longer without Melody by my side.
We would laugh whenever we came to cool off in the riverbank, our arms intertwined as we skipped along the path. The smell of sunscreen would always linger in the air, a cocoa butter scent that Melody preferred because it enhanced her femininity. Our constant chatter about anything and everything that was gossip would echo back at us, as if the woods were digesting whatever information about the town we were providing. The heat was mostly unbearable during that time -- sunrays bronzing our skin -- so we would always be eager when we heard the riverbank. It meant we were close to our destination.
Now it's just lonely. The day is gloomy, despite the beaming sun. There's no echo of our voices, no cocoa butter scent in the air. It smells like a combination of mildew and petrichor. I suddenly hear her laughter, a distant memory that's been resurfaced, and turn around. Melody is standing behind me on the night of Sebastián's bash, clutching Logan's hand as she looks nervously around the woods. Her gaze shifts to me, her eyes wide with terror. What was she trying to--
Footsteps are heard close by, a series of crunching sounds that make me think of broken leaves. My chest tightens as the beating of my heart accelerates to an abnormal pace, and a sense of dread grows in my stomach. Melody is no longer behind me, but I can feel eyes on me.
Then, I remember -- the woods are Levittown's eyes.
I pick up my pace, leaves and twigs crunching with each step I take. Suddenly, I'm beginning to agree with Mr. Ellis -- they should band access to the woods. If a mysterious guy can lurk around and listen to private conversations, then any lunatic can do the same thing. If a mysterious, older guy can seduce underage girls so close to the riverbank, then it means this place is no longer safe.
The riverbank can be heard somewhere near, the splash of water against sharp rocks. My steps slow down until I'm walking normally again. If the riverbank is near and I can hear it taking its normal course, then it means that Sebastián is within hearing shot and can come to my rescue if something happens.
There's no one here. There's no one here. There's no one here. For crying out loud, I just imagined Melody. I'm just seeing things, hearing things, feeling things. It's the medication. It has to be that.
The sun is radiating in a beautiful sea of celeste blue, some clouds floating around it. Its reflection glints on the riverbank's strange transparent water. Today, it resembles the surface of a mirror, smooth and crystalized. I tilt my head up as I walk ahead and watch as the sun follows after me, some tree branches hiding it from view sometimes.
What happens if I disappear?
Chaos and death. I'm sorry for not being a good friend to you. I'm sorry for not protecting you that night when you obviously weren't safe.
