Mysteries

Lost

The trio sped down the bumpy road, the sun shining in the car, and the radio blaring music. Nash , Ashton, and Jennette were singing along. But, after a few hours had passed, and as the car disappeared further into the forest, the teenagers began to lose their spirit. Jennette flipped the music off, and Ashton asked Nash for directions .He pulled out a map, glancing from it to outside the window.

"Uhhhh , Ashton? When was the last time you looked at the map? Or just asked for directions, in general? " Nash asked, worry thinly laced in his voice.

Ashton's eyes opened wide. She thought for a moment. Then she shook her head ." I don't remember! I have just been driving ... Forward!" After those words, the trio began looking outside, glancing at their surroundings and trying to make a guess of where they were. However, the sun was retreating, and the surrounding area was becoming cloaked in darkness. Jennette began to speak -

"Well, at least it can't get worse--" but she was cut short when Ashton's hand covered her mouth.

"Jennette! Don't ever say that! Whenever something like that is said, bad things are bound to happen! Have you never seen a horror movie?" Ashton took her hand off of Jennette's mouth and leaned forward to get a closer look at the road, however, the car began to jerk and sputter, resulting in a complete stop . A thick cloud of smoke arose from the hood of the car, and it started making ghastly noises.

Jennette, Nash,and Ashton stepped out of the car, and Nash opened the hood. Even more smoke flew from the inside, and the teens took a step back to breathe. Once the majority of it cleared, Nash examined the engine while the girls attempted to receive a connection on their phones. Nash got the girls' attention and pointed to the largest piece of machinery in the car.

"Well. That is the thing the smoke is coming from. And I'm pretty sure that " thing" is the engine, soo ..." His voice trailed off.

Jennette punched the passenger car door. She drew back from pain, but hid it. " Now we are stranded?! This is all going great!" Then, after a few moments, she recollected herself, and sighed. " We need to move on. Maybe we'll find a campsite, or a house. Or car . . ." She looked around her and noticed Nash and Ashton still looking at the car.

"Guys!" Jennette tried to get their attention. "Give up on the car! We'll have better luck if that thing catches on fire! Then at least we'll have a signal for a helicopter to see us!"

Ashton slumped her shoulders. "Yeah, you're right. We need to go. " The kids grabbed whatever they could carry on their backs and set forth into the darkness.

* * * *

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Small rain droplets had begun to fall from the sky, hitting the kids. Nash hung his head. "This is just what we need." he said, beginning to lose hope a little more with each raindrop. Jennette's optimism kicked in, and her naturally sunny disposition tried to shine a light on the situation.

"Come on guys, it could be so much worse. And I mean it. I'm absolutely positive the school wouldn't choose a forest that was infamous for, ya know. Serial killers?" It came out wrong. Jennette realized a tad too late . Nash and Ashton shot Jennette a look. "I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you need to look on the bright side of this."

"What bright side, Jen? We are lost in a forest, at night, and our supplies are running low. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I don't think there is a bright side this time." Nash told Jennette.

The trio trudged along through the darkened forest, soaked to the bone and growing weary. There was an awkward silence between them, and the were growing slower with each step they took. Suddenly, Ashton's phone buzzed, and a melodic tune shot through the air. Ashton quickly grabbed her phone out of her pocket and eagerly spoke into it.

"Ash? Where the hell are you guys?! I've been calling for hours! Where's Jennette? Is she okay? What about you, are you guys together? " It was Reese, Jennette's friend. Ashton talked to him faster than her mind could process the words.

"Reese! Yes, I am with Jennette, and Nash is with us too. Listen , you need to have someone trace this call! We are lost in the forest, and we don't know the way. Please, hurry!"

"Ash , speak up! Are you guys outside? It sounds like it's raining."

"Trace this c-" the dial tone hung dead. They had lost reception. Ashton threw her phone down.

"DAMMIT!" she cursed, and her hands curled into fists. "Why? That was our only chance. And it's gone." Jennette walked over to where Ashton slammed her phone on the ground, picked it up and slid it into her backpack. Then she wrapped her arms around Ashton.

"It's going to be okay. Just calm down, Ash." They hugged for a few minutes , then Nash spoke up.

"Guys, I suggest we stay in one area. If Reese did hear us, and the call gets traced, it would be easier for them to find us if we stay still. Plus, if we keep moving, we will probably just get ourselves even more lost into the forest. " Jennette and Ashton agreed , nodding their heads. They found a generally dry spot under a tree, and they sat their gear down near the trunk. Nash drug over a log for them to sit on, and the kids relaxed in the quiet serenity of the rain.

Jennette eventually fell asleep , curling up in Ashton's lap. Ashton sighed. "Have a pet Jennette is difficult." Nash laughed at her.

Eventually ,Nash had begun to wonder around, and after a few hours had passed, Ashton was beginning to fall into sleep's embrace. Nash came up with with an excited look on his face. "Look what I found, Ash." He presented it to her. She took it out of his hands and examined it.

"This looks extremely old. I don't even see a title. Where did you find this?"

Nash clapped his hands together to shake off excess dirt. "Halfway buried in the ground. I tripped over it, and then unearthed it. I figured you might know something about it." Ashton woke Jennette up, then asked her to look at the book with her. Neither of them noticed anything.

"Let's look inside," Jennette suggested.

" No , its raining. The cover is the only thing keeping the inside dry. Let's just put it in one of our bags and look at it tomorrow."

The other two agreed, and they went back to sitting on the log. One by one, they all eventually fell asleep.