The Victim (Book #1)

Chapter 19

We got off the freeway and turned down quaint residential streets for a while as I relished the feeling of the unnaturally beautiful day. One of the amazing gifts of living in California is that no matter the season, you will always be blessed with at least a couple sunny and perfect days.

Damon took a sharp left that none of us expected and we pulled out from the houses to a beautiful and far reaching blue lake.

"Whoa." I said, looking around. The streets were cracked or dirt roads, but the land next to the lake was covered in green trees and thick vegetation.

He followed the curves of the street and he lifted higher and higher on the mountain resting behind the lake until we came to an area where we could park. He pulled in and opened the doors as we ripped our seatbelts off.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking at the trees that nearly covered the sky around us.

"Lakeshore Park." Caleb answered, coming around to my side of the car with Brooks.

"A lot of people hike here, or go camping or fishing, but we know all the best spots." Brooklyn explained with a confident smile.

I looked down at my yellow vans. Probably not the best for hiking, but I'd make it work.

Damon grabbed a large backpack from the back of the truck and threw one to Caleb and we set off. The trail we walked was barely wide enough for a bike tire, so I had to make sure I wasn't tripping on loose roots and trees that had fallen over and never been cleared. We had been walking for almost 15 minutes when we heard noises from ahead. I moved closer to Brooklyn and ducked down a bit.

He looked back at me then, almost immediately noticing what I was doing, and smiled.

We reached the clearing and the group of people and my jaw dropped at the view. You could see the lake as it seemed to stretch for miles, and almost the tops of the green trees that covered the trails beneath us. There was a rocky wall for us to lie against and an edge to the cliff that dropped sharply to the water below. I stayed away from the edge.

Damon walked over to the middle of the group and began giving people handshakes and hugs. Caleb was just behind him, but Brooklyn matched my pace and called everyone's attention once we got there.

"Hey, everyone!" he said loudly. Boys and girls turned to look at me, eyes dropping from my feet to my hair, then turned back to him.

"This is Maya, she's going to Washington High with us this year. Be nice to her or I'll murder you." He said, eyes crinkling at the corners. Most of the girls around us laughed but I saw the guys shift nervously, one of them even talking a half step back. I smiled up at Brooklyn as he walked towards one of the girls and gave her a kiss.

He dragged her back over to me as everyone began to talk boisterously, anew.

"Maya, this is Valerie. Val, Maya." He said, hands waving. I reached out and shook her hand but looked at him again. Who was she?

"Oh!" he said, facepalming. "Val is my girlfriend!"

I looked at her and smiled, saying "Hi" but then shutting up. Although she had yet to speak, I almost couldn't help but like her immediately. She had a sweet, heart shaped face with long blonde hair and little hazel eyes. And although she was taller than me, she seemed softer. Maybe she just wasn't as jaded at the edges, like I seemed to be. She smiled, seeming as awkward as me.

Suddenly a guy came over to talk to Brooklyn about some football game and he was gone.

She looked at him with some panic in her eyes, making me realize she didn't want to be meeting new people alone either. I let out a loud laugh at that and she turned back apologetically but began to giggle too.