I awaken to screaming. The crackling of fire, chanting, shuffling of feet in the dirt. The muscles in my neck ache as I lifted my head and squinted against the light of the fire.

“Callum!” A girl screamed as robbed figures drag a young man towards the bone fire.

I tried to move but my hands were tied behind my back. Beside me Kacey and Delilah were unconscious, tied to the same wooden fence. Glancing around me, my eyes fixate on a body. It takes me a moment to realise what’s happening. It’s not the only body on the ground.

Dark blood pools in the dirt on the ground around the head of the body. The robed figures are dragging Callum to the fire. Although he is struggling against them, his movements are slowed and uncoordinated. Pushing him to his knees the chanting rises as a ceremonial blade is raised in the air. I struggle against the ropes and try to feel them out. Pulling against the wooded post, I tried to stretch and loosen the ropes.

A shadow moves in my peripheral. I glanced up to see a robed figure walking towards me. Instinctively I retracted in on myself and ducked my head. They crouch beside me and tighten my robes as the ceremonial knife is brought to Callum’s neck. With a fistful of Callums hair, the figure places the knife against his neck while Jenna screams and struggles against her captors.

In one quick motion the knife slices across Callum’s neck. Red spills out as the robed figure throws him face first into the earth. Jenna wails as she collapses in defeat, the robed figure now dragging her towards the fire.

The robed figure besides me peers into the darkness behind me. Hesitantly his chanting drops to a whisper as he climbs through the wooden fence. I here the sound of a blade being unsheathed as he left. Turning as best as I could, I tried to see where they were going.

The darkness twisted behind me. A glimpse of a shadow. The robbed figure is off into the woods. A moment later I stifle a scream as Claude crouches behind me. Not wanting to draw attention to us, I stare straight ahead at the bonfire as Jenna is pushed to her knees. Claude frees my hands but I remain still while he unties Kacey and Delilah’s ropes, gently whispering in their ears and nudging them awake.

The girls eyes are heavy as they blink against the light of the bonfire. The ceremonial knife is once again being held in the air. Kacey and Delilah quietly crawl under the fence as Claude points for them to go into the tree line behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see a figure shrouded in darkness, waiting.

I watched it in slow motion. A robed figure slowly started to turn in our direction. Claude disappeared before he was seen. The figure stared at me for moment, like they were trying to figure out what was missing. Slowly they paced towards me, past me, crouching beside the ropes that held Kacey and Delilah.

A sheathed knife hangs from his belt. Jenna’s bleeding corpse was thrown to the earth. The robed figure looks at me. Dinah disappeared from behind him, causing a commotion among our captors. As the figure turned to look, I grabbed the knife from his belt and kicked him as hard as I could in the chest.

I scrambled under the fence and run towards the stand of trees behind me. Shouts cut through the summer night as I heard foot steps trampling after me. I could no longer see figures in the woods. Skipping over and around small shrubs and plants I reached the stand of trees.

I didn’t even know where I was, or where I was supposed to be going.

It’s just like Christmas all over again.

The robed figures crashed through the bush after me. I didn’t know which direction Kacey and Delilah went in, but I didn’t want to lead tour captors to them. Not again. Swerving to the left, I jumped over a fallen tree. In the distance something glittered between the branches.

Water?

The branches smacked against my skin. A sharp pain dragged across my upper arm but I kept moving. I could see the surface of the water rippling gently. Charging into the stream the mud seeps between my toes. I remember Dinah saying something about a nice spot near the river earlier, this must be that river.

Wading closer to shore I jogged down stream as the robes hesitate by the shore. They watch me run through the water, around the bend and out of sight. I didn’t stop.

The darkness on the opposite side of the shore shifts. I slowed my pace so I could try to spy what’s lurking within the stand of trees.

“Mystery girl?” A voice called as they appeared by the rivers shore.

“Claude?” I replied breathlessly.

“Nope, his brother.” I stared up at the unfamiliar face. “You can call me Atticus.”

The black water flows between us. Something cold crawled under my skin. The surface of the river rolled and rippled steadily.

“It’s okay, I’ here to help. ” Atticus crouched by the shore and motioned for me to cross again, “it’s only waist deep, just walk over.”

His leather jacket looked far too warm to be wearing in the middle of summer. Dark jeans and boots were more practical for walking through the bush, I was slightly envious. I could see the resemblance between Atticus and Claude, but I had thought they would look the same.

“I don’t trust you, I don’t know you.” I said as my voice shook.

“Just get out of the water, you noodle.” Atticus sneered.

I tried not to smile at the comment. In the distance I heard the whistling and then the bursting of fire works. “I thought Claude said you were twins? You don’t look exactly the same.”

“Oh, we’re unidentical twins,” Atticus replied nonchalantly as his eyes scanned the woods behind me.

White light flashes across the sky, lighting up my way, I wade into the depths of the river. The cool water crept up my legs, to my waist. Atticus patiently waited on the other side of the river. The tiny scratches and cuts on my legs stung in the cold water. I reached the opposite side of the river and Atticus offered me his hand.

I stared at it for a moment. I could just climb up the river bank on my own. For all I knew this wasn’t Claude’s brother, but there was something about him that felt familiar. Atticus gave me a forced smile as he waited for me. I took his hand and he pulled me out of the water and onto the river bank with ease.

“Come on, mystery girl, you really got to stop meeting people in the woods like this.” Atticus teased playfully.

“I guess I forgot stranger danger too,” I retorted.

“Are you always this forgetful?’

“I have no idea, I don’t remember.”

Atticus snickered until he realised I wasn’t joking. “Wait, you actually can’t remember?”

“Yep, lost all my memories before Christmas.”

“Well, lucky you. I would kill for someone to wipe away my memory.”

“How is having no memories lucky?”

“Memories are like sharp objects, keep them around long enough and they’re bound to hurt you. Some hurt you more than others, some don’t hurt you until you realise their value, and others bury themselves into you like a cancer. They ruin you from the inside out.” Atticus held a branch as he waited for me to pass.

“But memories are what makes you who you are. Without them, I…”

“Without them you’re free, free to choose who you want to be. Memories don’t make you who you are, you do. So mystery girl, decide who you want to be today. Then tomorrow, do it again, and everyday after that.”

“I have to decide everyday?” I replied flatly.

“Yep, everyday, the person you wanted to be yesterday might not be all that you thought it was.” Atticus lead me onto a grass paddock. In the distance I could see the lights from the house party.

Finally.

“Alright mystery girl, you are back safe and sound…wherever this is.”

“Hey, uh,” I frowned as I tried to remember his name, “what happened to-“

“Everyone’s waiting for you at the house with my brother.”

“And the robed people?”

“Also alive, for now.” Atticus answered with a mischievous smile.

“And the people they killed?”

Atticus stared at me for a long moment. “I guess we will find out tomorrow. Good night mystery girl, stay out of the woods.”

Before I could reply Atticus was gone.

I walked back to the house, where Dinah was asleep on the couch. Sadie had helped get Delilah and Kacey back to the house. Sirens wailed in the distance as the police drove out to the property. Elijah picked us up, took us home and sent us to bed, without a lecture.

The lecture came the next morning.