Would it be a good thing? Or would it ruin the small-town charm of Willowbrook?
Growing up in Willowbrook had been suffocating. Everyone knew each other and their business, mostly. Those closer to the center of town acted like a dysfunctional family, while the more affluent residents lived out on the outskirts. Their sprawling mansions overlooked Crystal Hollow Lake. Those folks were rarely seen venturing into downtown, preferring to do all of their business in the city instead.
I wonder where Jake lives now.
Frowning at the direction of her thoughts, Gia forced Jake out of her mind, choosing to focus on her surroundings and “bepresent” like the yoga teacher was always telling her to do. It wasn’t her fault her mind liked to wander. She’d always been this way. For as long as she could remember, she’d had a wild imagination. Being in Willowbrook always made her feel restless. Agitated. Like there was an entire world out there for her to explore.
Except she did explore the world, and she had nothing to show for it. The grass hadn’t been greener on the other side. Despite the glitz and glamour she experienced in Hollywood—an experience soured by her addiction—it hadn’t lived up to her expectations.
Maybe the problem was withher.
She was chasing an impossible dream.
A dream of taking care of this empty void, which only hollowed her out, leaving her vulnerable and desperate to cling to anything to fill it.
First, it was chasingthe dream. Then it was chasingthe high. Now, she was chasinga ghost.
Or is the ghost chasing me?
It was hard to tell lately which way was up or down.
At roughly the halfway mark to her destination, Gia stopped to peer over a giant rock. Beneath her were more trees, dirt, and rocks. And probably some critters in their hidey-holes.
Already she was feeling a little better. Even as her heart raced and her breaths were shallow, her mind felt calmer and more at peace. Maybe it was the fresh country air, or the forest’s ever-expanding sea of greens, oranges, reds, and browns that calmed her restless nature.
Or maybe it had to do with where she was headed. And who she was about to see.
Her mouth was parched. She should have at least brought a bottle of water with her. It was probably not wise for a woman to be alone in the woods with nothing but the clothes on her back and her cell phone. No doubt, it was a horror story waiting to happen.
Reaching into the pocket of her leggings, she pulled the device out. Sure enough, there was no service.
Out of habit, or perhaps vanity, Gia posed for a few selfies to post later on her social media. Gia made a note to edit the photo so the fading bruises were filtered out completely. She’d wait until she was no longer in Willowbrook to share it. One time, a well-known celebrity had been robbed at gunpoint because the assailants knew where she was going to be—all thanks to her habit of always updating her location in real time. Thankfully, nobody had been hurt, but Gia didn’t want to be the first. Since then, she’d been cognizant of waiting until she was far away from the destination she posted about.
Inhaling a deep breath, Gia backed away from the cliff’s edge and continued up the trail. If memory served, she had about ten more minutes before she reached her destination. As each step drew her closer to the peak, the familiar itchiness returned.
It made her feel jittery and out of control. The slowly creeping edges of anxiety threatened to overtake her, but this time she braced herself against it. Shaking out her arms, she continued her trek up the mountainside. Instead of focusing on her feelings, she kept her thoughts on the act of putting one foot in front of the other—partially so she wouldn’t trip and fall down the cliffside, but also so she had a mental exercise to complete.
It seemed to work a lot better than she expected, which was a relief. The last thing she needed was to have another panic attack in the middle of the woods. Then she’d definitely be making the local news as a missing person. Sometimes her attacks were brief, but they had the potential to last longer.
If it happened when a bear or mountain lion came across her, she’d be completely defenseless. She was not confident in her abilities to fend off wild animals when shewasn’thaving a panic attack, but at least her odds would be a little better.
“Okay, Gia. Get it together, girlfriend.” Buoyed by her pep talk, she marched determinedly toward her destination.
Am I ready for this? No, not at all.
But it was absolutely necessary.
It was time to confront her past and say hi to someone she loved more than anything left in this world. Someone she loved more than even herself, based on her history of self-destructive behaviors.
As she approached the peak, the trees parted to reveal a large, open area. Giant rocks jutted from the mountainside, providing the perfect area for picnics or sunbathing.
This was the perfect time of year to peer over the edge at the magnificent colors of fall. Though it was still early in the season, the kaleidoscope of autumn was awe-inspiring. She loved this time of the year. Fall was her favorite season, while summer had been Thao’s.
Over to the right was where he used to love jumping over the cliffside, down into the watery depths below. She avoided the corner of space for as long as she could before bracing herself for impact.
It’s now or never.
Heaving in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Gia turned her body toward the corner where she’d spent most of her teenage years with Thao and Jake.
