February First, 2014

11:30 AM

"Come on, chicken shït! Truth or dare?" Mindy Whitbend asked, her voice shrill in the night.

Cara Heartbelt shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn't cold, but something about the place freaked her out. "Maybe we should just go inside," she whispered.

Mindy giggled as the coyotes in the fields howled loudly at the moon. She threw her head back, inhaling the cool breeze as it tousled her long, blonde hair. "Let her choose," she said.

The girl in question -- Linda Horseroot -- sighed. "Truth," she said.

Mindy rolled her eyes. "I knew it! You never were any fun," she said.

"Knock it off, Mindy. Give her a damn truth," Edward muttered, his hands tugging at the collar of his jacket as he pulled it together tighter around his neck.

"Fine," Mindy said through clenched teeth. She let out a dramatic sigh as she glanced around the open space in front of her. "Do you like Edward?" she asked.

"As a friend? Yes. As anything more than that? No," Linda said.

"I think it's called truth for a reason," Edward said, throwing a wink in Linda's direction. She shook her head as Edward ran his long fingers through his dark brown hair and sighed. "It's too cold to be out here. Let's go in," he said.

"Not yet. Let's get in one good dare," Mindy said. She looked around at her friends. "Who's brave enough for an actual dare?" she asked. "Jason?" Jason Cloudwolf shook his head.

After several seconds of silence, Linda's hand went up. "I'll do it," she said. After chickening out into a truth the first time, she felt that she needed to prove her worth.

Mindy rubbed her palms together, both for warmth and the mischievous look it gave off. "I dare you to go into the woods," she said.

"Mindy!" Edward exclaimed. "A girl was killed out there last week," he said.

"And that's why it's the ultimate dare," Mindy said. "Five minutes. We'll come in and get you after five minutes."

Slowly, Linda stood up and walked to the edge of the woods. She rested her hand on the trunk of a tree and looked back at the people she had called friends for well over ten years. She let out a long breath and stepped into the heavily forested area.

Edward looked down at his watch. "Five minutes," he whispered. "She could freeze out there," he said.

Mindy shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. "Nothing will happen. She'll be fine."

And then Linda screamed.