Cameron Keen never expected her life to become entangled in the horrors of Blackwood Mountain.
Drawn back by a past she can't escape, she soon finds herself face to face with her old friend Josh Washington, a man haunted not just by grief, but...
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GRIEF.
[ January 6th, 2012, 2 years before the prank ]
Cameron stood at the edge of the school courtyard, her fingers gripping the straps of her backpack so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
The familiar hum of students rushing to classes surrounded her—laughing, talking, living—but it felt like a world she no longer belonged to.
It had only been two weeks since her mother's funeral. She had barely eaten, barely slept, and now she was supposed to just... return to that? To a place that had no idea the kind of grief that had carved her out?
She swallowed hard, her throat tight with the threat of tears. She couldn't cry—not here. Not in front of everyone.
"Keen?" A familiar voice broke through her spiral. Cameron lifted her head, blinking away the blur in her eyes.
Josh stood a few feet away, hands shoved deep into his pockets, his usual smirk replaced with something softer, something that made her heart clench.
He had been her best friend's older brother, therefore her friend by association, and also coincidentally her crush, even though she rarely saw him, since he was the year above her.
God, if Beth ever found out about it she'd freak. Brothers were strictly off limits.
"You're back." He said, stepping closer, his voice quieter now. He wasn't smiling, but there was something in his eyes—concern, maybe. She didn't want to entertain that if that was the case.
It was the same look he'd given her at the funeral, the one that had made her crumble then and threatened to do the same now.
"Yeah." Her voice cracked, and she hated how small it sounded. "I'm back."
Josh didn't say anything right away, just stood there with her in the silence. Cameron's gaze fell to the ground, her shoes suddenly very interesting, as the silence stretched between them.
The longer it went on, the tighter her chest felt. She wanted to run, to hide, to pretend she hadn't shown up today. But then Josh moved, his hand reaching out and gently touching her arm.
"You don't have to do this today, you know." He told her. "If you're not ready, I can drive you ho—"
"No." Cameron's voice was sharp, harsher than she intended, and she immediately regretted it. She looked up at him, the hurt flashing in his eyes, and sighed. "Sorry, I just... I don't want people treating me like I'm some porcelain doll."
"You're not!" Josh said quickly, the words tumbling out with more certainty than she expected. "You've been through... a lot. And that's not something people just bounce back from." He dropped his hand from her arm but didn't move away. "You're strong. But even strong people need a break."
