AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s all good now.” I lean my head over onto her shoulder briefly, then gasp as the river comes into view. “Oh, wow! Look!”
“Nice,” Logan says, picking up his pace. “I call dibs on the tree as my first photo spot.” A large oak tree sits near the shoreline, its branches bare and spindly against the darkening, gray sky, making it a perfect addition to any photo with a thriller novel. I suspect we’re all thinking the same thing.
We make our way down to the water and split up, each pulling out our various books and posing them in different ways, snapping moody pictures against the desolate backdrop.
The sun seems to set quicker as I snap my last few photos—one against a pile of rocks and one held out in front of the water. Chills line my skin, even under my coat.
“It’s starting to get dark, guys,” Paulette says, trying to stand from the ground where she was taking a photo. Instead, she trips and lands face first. She lets out an uproarious laugh and slaps the ground. When she turns over, her shirt and jeans are smeared with mud, but she doesn’t seem to mind. “And that’s one way of making an exit.”
“You okay?” Mara asks as she and I rush toward Paulette and help her up.
“I’m good.” She dusts off the knees of her jeans. “Just clumsy.”
“She’s right,” Austin says, appearing next to us. For a second, I think he’s agreeing with her about being clumsy. “It’s going to be dark soon. And, anyway, we should get back before the groceries spoil.”
With everyone in agreement, we make our way toward the house. Just as we top the hill, something in the woods to our left—back behind the market and the small downtown area—catches my eye.
I freeze.
“What’s wrong?” Mara asks. At the sound of her voice, everyone stops and turns back to face us.
I peer into the treeline, trying to spot whatever movement I just saw. “This is going to sound paranoid, but I think someone’s out there.”
“Out where? In the woods?” Austin asks, moving in front of us. Logan follows him.
“It looked like it. I thought I saw something out there a little while back, but…now I’m nearly positive I just did again. Like someone’s following us.”
Mara gives me a playful look. “Oh, wait. Haha. Very funny. You almost had me.”
“Seriously? You’re joking?” Memphis asks, his voice low and grumpy.
“No, I’m not. I swear. I saw something—someone—in the woods.” I take a step forward as if trying to go for a closer look.
Austin puts a hand up behind us, herding us forward. “We should keep moving. We’re almost to the house.”
He stays in the back of the group, trying to pretend he’s not afraid but when I look over my shoulder at him, I see him watching the woods with a gaze that tells me something else.
It’s possible I’m not the only one who saw something, and either way, I’m not the only one afraid.
CHAPTERFOUR
When we get home, Mara and Logan set to work preparing our first meal while the rest of us hang out in the living room. I zip to my room to get my laptop and return to the empty spot on the couch to begin editing the photos I took down by the water, searching for a preset filter that will do the eerie background justice.
Nearly everyone else seems to be doing the same thing—Austin on his phone and Paulette on her laptop as well. It’s just Memphis that can’t seem to be bothered with the content he created. In fact, now that I think of it, I only saw him snap one or two pictures while we were down by the river. I’m sure he spent the entire time thinking about how shallow we all are. Instead of working, he has a paperback book open in his lap, one leg crossed over the other as he reads with a serious expression, clearly unbothered by the things I spend my days thinking about.
In a way, it must be freeing not to care so much. I can’t remember the last time I read a book without thinking about how it would fit into my page’s aesthetic or what sort of backdrop would look best with it. I’m not sure how to feel about that.
I wasn’t always this way. That much I do know. There was a time when I started posting about books because I loved them. This was before the challenges asking me to share the books I hated, which phrases I’m tired of seeing in novels, and even bad reviews for books I’ve loved. A time when I only wanted to post about books because I loved them so much I wanted others to hear about them. Before it all became a popularity contest.
I remember when it all changed for me if I really think about it. When my page was really starting to grow, there was another influencer who posted similar content. A lot of our followers overlapped, and people started comparing us, both in good and bad ways. Comparing the posts we made about the same books. Comparing the challenges we participated in. Saying whose content they liked more—and it was usually hers.
I never wanted to compete with anyone.
Growing up with a sister who was practically perfect at everything from academics to sports, who then went on to have the perfect wedding and a beautiful family, all I’ve ever experienced is people comparing me to her, even when they don’t mean to.
So, the experience of being compared to anyone else is triggering for me now. And that experience in particular has been really hard for me to overlook and move on from. Especially when the comments and messages comparing us or praising her continue to come in. Especially when I don’t ever seem to get praise for anything alone. It’s always check out LenaandTae.They’re both so great.
If you like Lena, be sure to check out Tae.
