THE LOST ONES - Short Stories

Where the Wolves Sleep

Smoke swirled in the air above the dismantled vehicle, and the thick black dust clouded the night sky from view. Jenna Blackwood crossed her arms when a chilly breeze swept through the woods. Her eyes flickered to her right, where Tala stood beside her with a knife clenched in her left hand.

"What are we going to do?" Jenna asked as the wind blew through her sister's long coal-colored hair.

"How about you think of something," Tala muttered. Her dark eyes glared back at Jenna. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere because of you."

"Maybe we should follow the road down," Jenna suggested, ignoring her sister's heat. She peered south along the dusty street. "We might get better cell service outside the forest."

"Outside the forest," Tala mocked, staring at the smoky car. "Out of all the places you could crash the car, it had to be here."

"I'm sorry," Jenna stuttered. Tala clenched the pocketknife even tighter. "I just got my license last month-"

"Still doesn't excuse you for nearly killing us," Tala argued as she shot a glare at her. "I've had my license for years, and I've never had an accident."

"So? When was the last time you even drove your own car?" Jenna turned toward the road. "You've been away for years. It's because of you that we're even out here."

Jenna heard nothing back as her older sister continued to stare at the demolished vehicle. She wondered what Tala thought of her after being away for so long. They spent five years apart, and in those five years, they both changed. After Jenna had picked her sister up at the airport, they spent the last few hours driving home silently; but that was until she dodged an elk in the road and swerved into a nearby tree.

She peered down at her hands, covered in ash and grime. She used the sleeves of her green jacket to rub the dirt off her golden-tanned skin, then noticed Tala watching her.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Jenna asked as her sister grimaced. "It's my car. Why are you more upset than I am?"

"I don't want to be out here," Tala mentioned, then crossed her arms. "Coming back home was a mistake. Especially with you."

"Well, Mom didn't want to pick you up," Jenna told her, then turned to walk south along the road. The fallen leaves crackled beneath her with each step. "For reasons."

"Oh, I bet she's excited to see me," her sister scoffed while she rolled her eyes. "Haven't talked to her in years."

Jenna glanced behind her and exhaled sharply. "You haven't talked to me in years, either. The last time I saw you in person, I was eleven."

"And now you're sixteen," Tala pointed out sarcastically. "I was in college, Jen."

"Really?" Jenna choked out. She swerved to avoid stepping on the sharp rocks beside the curb. "You couldn't visit? Not even during the summer?"

"I had a summer job on campus."

Jenna tensed sharply. "Vacation, Tala! Haven't you heard of one?" she snapped. "You wouldn't visit us after Dad died in the train wreck. You couldn't even bother to attend his funeral. For the past few years, it felt like I never even had a sister."

"Well, I'm here now," Tala argued as she followed closely. "I'm coming home, just like what you and Mom wanted."

"Yeah, after you graduated. How is that engineering major going for you, anyway?"