Touched by the Fear

[16]

Hollis stood in the stillness of the forest, camera raised to her eye. The forest was still save for the twigs that crunched under her feet, the occasional wind that rustled the leaves and the chirping of birds as they fluttered above. By the time she had gotten home, her dad had been on his way out. Other than a brief greeting, they hadn't had a chance to delve into a conversation other than the basics. Hollis had informed him of the car, who's stalling had ceased on the drive home. The news still disturbed him, seeing as how the car had just been repaired a little over a month ago. He had advised against going out but Hollis was itching to get some pictures taken. She didn't want to disappoint Mrs. Carrillo, considering the generous extension she had given to her.

Her submission to the literary magazine was long overdue but she still had a chance. Although she hadn't been certain if she wanted to enter anything at the start of the year, that doubt had faded. Now was her chance to get a piece of her work published, even if only the students and faculty would see it. It was still something, though. A short story accompanied by a picture of her own taking would be perfect, just like Mrs. Carrillo had suggested a little over a week ago. But the idea for the story was still out of reach, and Hollis knew that the picture would have to come first.

Focusing the lens upward, she took a picture of the treetops. The blue sky was radiant against the now changing leaves that were tinted with reds, yellows and oranges. A smile spread across her face as she quickly set the camera setting to black and white. She snapped another picture then moved away from her spot, eyes searching the area for something else, something...better.

She moved deeper into the Beacon Hills Preserve, moving up to where the view would be more spectacular. Hollis knew that it was a dumb move, considering that the mountain lion was still out there. For all she knew, it was in the forest with her right now, watching her. She shook that thought off despite the chills that went down her back.

When that thought left, another entered. This one seemed to disturb her more than possibly getting attacked by a wild animal. Her mind traveled back to earlier that day in the school parking lot, to the obvious lie Stiles and Scott told her. They were horrible liars, that much she knew. But that fact they tried to force down that ridiculous story about Derek traveling all the way to the school to get to the hospital was ridiculous.

She felt angry but, most of all, hurt. The reason for their lie was unclear and, even though she wanted to know the truth, it was beside the point. Something was clearly going on, and she couldn't help but recall Jackson's earlier words of drugs. It seemed ridiculous but, then again, what could it be?

Lost in her thoughts, she had trekked up the hill. Her boots caught on roots and rocks and slipped on leaves during her walk but she had made it.

"Finally," she said breathlessly, grabbing onto the tree in front of her. She took a second to catch her breath but when she looked forward, her breath caught in her throat. Her previous thoughts of Stiles, Scott and Derek vanished from her mind as she looked ahead. The view from this far up was amazing. The entire town of Beacon Hills was laid out before her, tiny dots that were presumably houses and buildings.

Hollis reached for her camera, too excited to rest. Looking through the lens, she captured the brilliant fall colors that made up the small town. She could surely use this as a start to a story, perhaps darken the image or make certain colors show while making the entire photo black and white. Whatever she would do, she was beyond excited. Ideas for a haunting yet beautiful story revolved around her mind. After she snapped a few more pictures from every angle and distance, she decided that she had enough.

She quickly looked through the pictures on the small screen to make sure that they weren't distorted. They weren't. Smiling, she put the camera into her bag.