Stephanie leaned forward to blow into the orange glowing embers. Smoke stung her eyes and drifted into her lungs. She sat back on her heels and coughed.
“And then there was light,” Marquita said. She took some sticks from this pile next to her and put them into the fire.
“Leave it alone for now,” Stephanie said. “It has to get going before we had more wood.” The tangle of dry grass they’d used as a starter glowed with heat.
“It’s a good thing we have light,” Marquita said. “You never know what might sneak up on us in the dark.”
“Now they’re sure to find us.” Stephanie started the fire because Marquita wanted it. She didn’t think it was a good idea. They spent all evening hiking to the other side of the lake to escape, and this fire could give them away.
“We’re too far away. It’s better to have a fire to scare the wild animals away.” Marquita crossed her skinny legs in front of her. She was scared of the dark and even though in this situation lighting a fire didn’t make much sense, Stephanie did it anyway to help her feel safe. Stephanie knew that she shouldn’t have brought Marquita with her, but she was supposed to take care of her. She couldn’t do that if she wasn’t with her. They weren’t sisters but they called themselves that because they’d known each other all their lives.
As soon as night started closing in on them, Marquita got scared. She wanted to go back to camp, but Stephanie couldn’t go back. She heard the counselors talking about sending her home early for shoving Danielle during lunch. Home was the last place Stephanie wanted to be. Her mother told her that she’d give her one last chance to prove that she knew how to act. She’d blown it, and she knew it. If she went home early, she’d be sent to live with her grandma down in Georgia for sure.
Grandma was the strictest person Stephanie knew. Even though she walked with a cane and was as thin as a rail, she was strong. She smoked a pipe. The sweet smelling smoke would curl around her face when she talked. Stephanie swore she’d never seen her laugh or even smile, not once. Living with her would be a nightmare: no internet, no cable, and barely any cell phone reception. Stephanie would rather make the best of things out in the woods than live there.
She didn’t think this whole running away thing out very well. It was night now they had no tent, no flashlights, and nothing to eat. Stephanie had a few survival skills. She could keep a fire going. She was lucky she had a book of matches in her pocket. She didn’t know how long she’d really be able to last though. She couldn’t catch any food for them. She didn’t know where to get fresh water. In reality, they’d have to go back to camp eventually, but Stephanie was hoping that if they stayed away long enough when they went back, everyone would be so happy to see them that they’d forget how much trouble they were in.
Once the counselors did the evening checks, they would realize that they weren’t there. Stephanie imagined the panicked counselors waving their flashlights back and forth as they searched for them. She wondered if they were close yet. Evey now and again, Stephanie would turn and look behind her checking for their beams of light pushing through the darkness. Nothing yet. Should she wait for them to find her or should she go back on her own?
“I wish I had a sleeping bag,” Marquita said. She watched the flames rising in front of them, like forked tongues licking the air.
“You tired?”
Marquita nodded.
“We’ll have to sleep here.” Stephanie looked at the sandy soil around them. “You can put your head on my lap.”
Marquita’s head was heavy on Stephanie’s thigh. She’d closed her eyes and fallen to sleep right away. They’d walked far so it wasn’t surprising that she was exhausted. Stephanie couldn’t think about sleep. She was too worried about what would happen when she finally did go back to camp. She sat up and watched the fire until her eyelids grew heavy.
Stephanie must’ve fallen asleep for a split second because when she opened her eyes the most beautiful woman that she’d ever seen was standing on the other side of the fire. Marquita had rolled over, so her head was no longer on Stephanie’s lap. That was good because if it were Stephanie would’ve woken her when she jumped. It was still dark, and the golden glow of the fire made the woman look like an angel. She wore a long white gown and her black her hung down in many long thin braids.
“Who are you?” Stephanie asked.
Marquita groaned and curled her arm under her head.
“Who are you?” Stephanie asked again in a loud whisper.
“I hear you’re running away,” the woman said, her voice was light as air.
“How did you know that?”
The woman smirked. “I just know.” She swayed as she talked like her words were music. “What good is running away if you have nowhere to run to?”
Stephanie bit her lip. She did have a point.
“That is your problem, right?”
Stephanie nodded.
“It doesn’t have to be. You could come with me.”
“I can’t go with strangers. You could be anyone.” Stephanie wasn’t stupid. She’d heard about all of the tricks bad people used to steal children away.
“My name is Elsa,” the woman said. “Now I’m not a stranger.”
“I still don’t know you,” Stephanie said.
“But I know you, Stephanie, and your mother too. I know what you did at lunchtime. It wasn’t your fault. Danielle is a bully.”
“How do you know that?” Stephanie asked. She looked around thinking she might see someone from camp. This had to be a joke.
“I know everything that happens in these woods.”
“Is that right?”
“If you come with me, you won’t get into trouble, and you’ll have all the freedom you’ve ever wanted. You’re almost a grown up and you should be treated that way. No one where I live will boss you around. You’ll make your own decisions and do what you want.”
That sounded good to Stephanie. Ever since she turned thirteen, she’d been trying to tell her mother that she could take care of herself. “Where do you live?”
Elsa pointed to the thick oak tree behind her.
“In there.” Stephanie scoffed. “That’s impossible.”
“Is it? Maybe you should come with me to see. You don’t have to stay. If you don’t like it, you could always go back to camp.”
“Stephanie! Marquita!” the camp counselors’ voices rose in the air. They were getting close. When Stephanie twisted around to look behind her, she could see the dots of light from their flashlights getting bigger.
“They’ll be here soon,” Elsa said. “What will you do?”
“What about Marquita?”
“They’ll be here in a few minutes. They’ll find her.” Elsa held out her hand.
Stephanie rose to her feet and walked around the fire. When Elsa took hold of her hand, a chill ran through her. Stephanie’s heart thumped in her chest.
Elsa led Stephanie to the oak tree, and when she touched it, a hole opened up in its trunk. White light poured out.
“I can always come back, right?” Stephanie asked.
“Of course,” Elsa said.
Stephanie looked back at Marquita still fast asleep by the fire. “Goodbye,” she whispered before following Elsa into the light.