The Grim Attraction

Prologue

Prologue

Mia shook her twin brother's limp form as she sat by him on the cold dirt ground. The woods were getting dark quickly, and the sounds of crickets, birds, and other creatures of the dark grew louder from all around her. Her eyes searched diligently as she kept her hand on Roarke, shaking and coaxing him to wake up. Ever since he had fallen over and hit his head on a stump, he hadn't woken up or responded to her voice. That had been hours ago.

She wondered where the members of their camp where. Where they looking for them? She hoped so, because she was cold, hungry and scared.

"Roarke come on you need to get up." she said in a much lower voice when she heard a growl not far from her left. She peered down at her brother's face, observing his serene expression and slightly opened mouth. He had always been a heavy sleeper, she knew. But never had she had this much trouble to wake him.

"Roarke please!" she begged. She moved closer to him after a few moments and rested her head on his shoulder, trying to get as warm as possible. Both children wore khaki shorts and a plain green t-shirt with the logo 'Camp Longhorn' on the front. Their mother had signed them up for the camp to "experience the beauty of nature" in a more fun manner. But so far, Roarke and Mia had hated camp life. The kids in the camp ranged from eight to seventeen years of age, and they seemed to have much more knowledge in surviving in the woods then the twins did. They were all cocky, competitive in games, and downright rude to her and her brother.

This had been their second day of week two in camp, and Roarke had suggested they hike the trails in the woods designated for visitors when the camp counselors had announced that the campers could have an hour free from activities. Mia had only agreed because she trusted Roarke and his keen sense of direction. One of the counselors from the camp had asked that they wait for a guide and a small group of kids who were planning to hike as well. But Roarke had snuck them out from under the counselor's nose. And now, hours later, she was lost with her unconscious brother, and she was getting cold and numb by the minute.

She wasn't angry with her brother though; after all he hadn't meant to put them in their current situation. No the ones to blame here were the kids from camp and their own mother, who had dumped them and hadn't bothered to call.

She rubbed Roarke's head a bit, hoping it would rouse him but he remained so still. She felt something cold and wet on the hand she had touched him with, and she wiped it off on her shirt without looking. Her eyes began to burn with sleep as time passed, and her mind became foggy by the second. She was shivering and snuggling closer to her brother, but he was not providing her with warmth. She crossed her arms about herself and closed her eyes, finally allowing herself to succumb to sleep.

He approached the children in the form of a mist, his vision zeroed on the dead boy under the sleeping girl. The woods became silent immediately as his presence became known, and even the moon hid beneath a puff of dark grey clouds. But he paid little attention to the details around him as he neared the children.

The boy had met his impending death the moment his delicate head had hit the stump of a tree. Death had seen this repeatedly throughout the time of man. He could not claim to be sad for the boy, since it was his duty to take the boy's spirit away from this plane and on to the next. Centuries of repeating the same routine had made him indifferent. He cared naught for anything other than to keep the balance between life and death that he was created to maintain.