𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊, Lydia Martin

prologue

DRY LEAVES CRUNCHED UNDER HIS BOOTS as the twelve year-old boy jumped off the fallen tree trunk, almost slipping on the muddy ground in his hurry to catch back up to his parents in front of him. The forest was dimly lit around him, the dense foliage and cloudy day making it hard for sunlight to reach them.

"Mama!" His youthful features, not yet changed by puberty, contorted to show a bright smile, one that was replicated instantly by his mother once he reached her side.

"Yes, my love?" The blonde woman, only a few inches taller than him, answered as she moved to wrap her left arm around her son, her other arm holding a bag with groceries. To her right, her husband, holding a bag to match hers, remained focused on the trail in front of them, attentive to any sound that may indicate his friends and other child were out and about as well.

"So, I had an idea.."

"Mhm?"

"Do you think we could maybe have a small bonfire tonight?" He pressed himself deeper into his mother's side as a cool breeze passed them, the weather in Arkansas not getting better despite what meteorologists had predicted for late January. "We've only got a couple more days here and it'll be months before we're all together again..." The boy trailed off, turning instead to give his parents the best puppy eyes he could manage.

"Hmm," Florence reached up to tuck her hair, a golden shade that shone even in the darkest of settings, behind her ear. "I don't know, Tobes. Everyone seemed pretty tired from the hike this morning." She gently denied.

"But—"

"But," His father interrupted him before he could argue, his tone firm before he softened at the sight of his pouting first-born. "We could do it tomorrow."

"Really?" Tobias halted in his steps, grinning once again as he looked up at the other man.

"Only on one condition," James held up his index finger as he and his wife also stopped walking, both smiling as they turned their full attention to their son.

"Yes. Anything." The young boy was bouncing in the balls of his feet as he waited for his father to elaborate.

"We're gonna need some more sticks if we want to start a proper bonfire."

"I'll get some," Tobias called back to them, having gotten to work the moment his father had finished the sentence. He could hear his parents' amusement echoing in the quiet forest as he ran down the trail leading towards their cabin, grabbing every stick that he encountered and deemed dry enough for the following night.

He'd barely been collecting branches for a few minutes, yet his arms already carried enough of them to obstruct part of his lower vision, perfectly concealing the rock in front of his feet as he walked towards it. Before he could even think of putting his arms out to brace for the fall, he felt the ground move from under him and then only the feeling of cold mud painting his face and staining his knees where his pants had ripped.

"Aw, fudge nuggets," The boy groaned as he lifted his upper body from the ground, staying on his knees as he tried to clean his face. He spat some dirt that had entered his mouth during the fall before looking back up, getting ready to stand up before he noticed the sticks in front of him were just as muddy as him. The back of his eyes stung slightly as he bit down his tongue, doing the best he could to keep his frustration in check. "Dad! Ma!" Tobias called out half-heartedly, keeping his head down as he stood up, leaving the branches there.