Prologue

                                    

                                          
I think of myself as a good girl. I always did what I was told. I always told the truth. I never cheated on my boyfriend. I was always a loyal friend. I deserved it. It was one night. What harm could it due? As new graduates, my brother and boyfriend thought that it would be a good idea to go camping with a huge group of seniors. My dad hated the idea. He hated the woods ever since my mother died. Of course, she did die in the woods, so his fears were somewhat reasonable. But I was a curious girl. And living my whole life told of it's horrors, I wanted to explore them for myself. My brother packed up the rest of the car as he came around to my side. 
                          
"Call me whenever you get there okay, Nova?" my dad said to me specifically. He knew Nolan wouldn't do it. I knew he was worried about us. It took half a year of begging to make this happen. It wasn't like we were totally 'roughing it'. One of our friend's dad was loaning us his mansion of a cabin to sleep in. My dad went over his worry checklist one last time before we were off. I sighed in relief. 
                          
"I honestly thought he was going to drag us back into the house," my brother, Nolan laughed. Nolan and I were twins, but we were fraternal. I had copper red hair and hazel eyes while Nolan's was more of a sandy strawberry with hazel eyes.  We looked nothing alike. We jammed out to the radio the whole hour drive. 
                          
Eventually, we saw the cabin. I smiled when I saw my boyfriend, Mason. Mason and Nolan were actually good friends. I hopped out as soon as the car stopped. Mason smiled and kissed me gently. 
                          
"There's my girl," he said. I couldn't help but smile. Mason was my rock. We'd been dating for two years and he's all I've ever known. If you asked me what a perfect relationship looked like, I would point to us. We were perfect for each other in every way. He stood a good 6 foot 4 with black hair and warm brown eyes. His skin was always a deep tan shade, even darker than mine. He was built like a football player, swimmer, and soccer player rolled into one. He was popular when it mattered and not in a bad way. He pretty much got along with everyone. Plus, he was sweet and kind and funny and just... perfect. 
                          
"I'm really excited for this weekend," I smiled excitedly. And I was. I had been waiting for this moment all year. Mason slung an arm over my shoulders and led me inside. 
                          
"Me too. I convinced your brother to let us share a room," he said. My smile only widened. I was still a virgin at 19 years old which was like the equivalent to a 21st century whore. But I planned on changing that tonight. Mason and I had been going steady for 2 years. He's never done anything to make me not trust him and I could easily see myself spending the rest of my life with him. 
                          
Inside the house was amazing. It looked like something off of MTV Cribs. It was made for parties. There was even a bar. People started filling in quickly. By the time the sun went down, the place was packed. It was a good thing we were far from the next resident, or there would have been a huge noise complaint. The house was throbbing with music. You could feel the base in your shoes and I loved it. I danced with Mason in between drinks. I was buzzed and feeling good. 
                          
I don't know at what point, the room started getting stuffed and clammy, but I excused myself. Mason went to get me another beer as I made my way outside. I wasn't drunk enough to stumble, but if a rock was in my way, I wouldn't notice. I wandered into the tree line and touched the rough bark. All this time, I'd been missing out on all of this nature. It was truly stunning. 
                          
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" a voice said from behind me. I turned quickly. The voice was deep and sweet, his voice made my toes curl, and his voice did his face justice. He was a gorgeous stranger. Only he was only wearing a pair of basketball shorts, giving me a good view of his chest. I wanted to run my tongue over his abs. They were so pronounced. I could cut myself on his lightly stubbled jawline. He was... appetizing. His muscles rippled with his every movement. His body had smudges of dirt on his tan skin, but it looked good. His dark hair was disheveled. But what really caught my attention were his eyes. They were practically silver.
                          
Then his eyes landed on mine. I held my breath as it felt like every nerve in my body was suddenly very aware of him. My eyes had tunnel vision and I couldn't focus on anything but his piercing gray eyes staring back at me. 
                          
"Hun! Princess, where did you go?" I heard Mason yell. I shook myself out of my haze and looked at him. 
                          
"Who are you?" I asked curiously. 
                          
"I was just wandering the land," the man answered, his voice was deep and thick, like you could cut it with a knife. He smirked, sending my heart into overdrive. I felt my knees wobble slightly. I looked down as I blushed. I needed to get a hold of myself. 
                          
"Where did my girl sneak off to?" I heard Mason's playful voice closer than before. I pointed back to the house. 
                          
"I have to go," I said, turning. I wasn't sure what else I was supposed to say. It's nice looking at you? This was been a wonderful and awkward encounter? I felt an arm go around my throat. I could still breath, but my vision started to go blurry. I clawed at the arm before everything just went black. 
                          
~