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Chapter One
Jenna Burrow
2012
"Come on, slowpoke!"
Jenna turned around to walk backward along the uneven trail. She wasn't worried about tripping since she was familiar with the route from her house to the family pond. It was her younger sister who was holding up their pace.
Today was important to both of them, and Jenna couldn't help but experience a sense of nostalgia. Ever since they were little girls, they would walk to the pond for one last hoorah before the ice melted to become their father's fishing sanctuary. To make their annual outing even more special, their mother always made sure they had a thermos full of hot chocolate and mini marshmallows. Jenna and Phoebe would then skate for hours, talking and laughing about what the summer months held for them.
This summer?
This summer was Jenna's last one at home before she went off to college in New York City. She was excited and nervous all at the same time, but she had discovered something in the past few weeks that could destroy her life.
"I forgot our thermos," Phoebe suddenly called out with a frown. No wonder she had been lagging so far behind. "Maybe we should go back and get it."
Jenna stopped right at the edge of the small forest, her boots crunching to a halt in the snow. The woods stretched on for acres on either side of them, with barren trees and their dead leaves scattered in spots where the snow couldn't reach. The worn path wound its way from their back door, through the patch of woods, and out to the makeshift ice rink on the pond.
The once inviting trees took on an ominous air as Jenna gazed between their wide trunks. The deep, dark shadows were perfect for hiding items if one wanted to conceal something away from prying eyes.
Jenna shivered, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck. The woods suddenly seemed colder. She thought back to the times when she and Phoebe would play hide and seek amongst the trees. Their giggles had echoed up through the branches as they used to race from one another through the underbrush.
Phoebe wanting to return home to grab the thermos full of hot chocolate had been a gift in disguise. It was one that Jenna wouldn’t pass up.
"Here." Jenna held out her hand and smiled so that her sister wouldn't notice anything amiss. "Give me your skates. I'll lace up while you run back home. Don't be long, though. Uncle Billy and Aunt Trish are coming over for dinner tonight."
Jenna took Phoebe's ice skates and hung them over her shoulder by their laces. She had done the same with hers before leaving the house. She glanced down at the burnt orange fabric that her mother had used to knit her sweater, making sure that the material hadn't been snagged in any way.
"Don't go on the ice without me," Phoebe warned as she spun around and began to hurry back to the house. "I'll be right back!"
Jenna watched her younger sister disappear down the winding path back towards their house. As soon as Phoebe was out of sight, Jenna carefully studied the area for a perfect spot to hide the evidence.
She needed time to verify some information before she could go around accusing someone of murder. She chose an oak tree that she could remember due to a noticeable branch that had wrapped its way around the limb of another. It was almost as if the trees were holding hands. She knelt and quickly swept away a thin layer of snow to reveal a small hollow at the base of the thick trunk.
Jenna removed her gloves and tried to unclasp the necklace that she had tucked inside her sweater. The tips of her fingers were cold, and it didn't help that there was a tremor in her hands. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally had success, but the tip of the silver moon pendant had snagged her scarf. She couldn’t stop the flood of panic over the possibility that someone had seen her wearing the necklace. Surely someone would have said something.
Phoebe was bound to sprint to and from the house instead of taking her time, so Jenna couldn’t waste a precious second. She tried to scoop out some dirt with her hand, but the soil was too hard. She picked up a stick and managed to make a hole deep enough to hide the necklace. Tucking it inside the small hollow, she then recovered the discreet area with dirt. She stared at the spot before deciding to add some leaves and debris for good measure.
Rising to her feet, Jenna brushed the dirt from her jeans. She grabbed her gloves and both sets of skates. Once she double-checked that nothing appeared disturbed, she began to hurry her way out of the woods. Her breath came out in white puffs as she struggled to calm herself. She had been so careful to not let anyone know of her suspicions, but she was eventually going to have to tell someone.
Jenna finally broke through the tree line. The pond was glittering with a white sheet of ice. It was smooth and unbroken. In the distance, a bit of sunlight glinted off the frozen pond as some rays finally broke through the overcast sky.
Today was supposed to have been perfect.
Jenna fought back against her tears as she finally reached the old wooden pier. The cold from the hard planks seeped through her jeans as she took a seat to wait for Phoebe. Setting their skates down, Jenna promised herself that she wouldn't ruin this time with her sister.
Thinking something didn't necessarily mean it was the truth. There could be several explanations for what she had discovered, but she wouldn't know until she could speak with—
The squeak of a plank had her scrambling to get to her feet. She whirled around, knowing that it would have been impossible for Phoebe to have made it around the pond without being seen. Jenna’s heart raced with fear as she spotted a dark figure standing a few feet away from the pier.
"I know what you've done," Jenna exclaimed, her voice quivering slightly. Every muscle in her body tensed as she thought through her options. "I'm going to tell everyone if you come one step closer."
It was clear the person had no intention of letting her leave this pier alive.
Adrenaline coursed through Jenna's veins. She had no choice. She turned and sprinted down the length of the pier, her boots thudding heavily on the old wooden planks. She could hear the figure pursuing her, footfalls falling rapidly behind her.
Jenna's lungs burned from the frigid air. The end of the pier was only ten feet away. She only had to make it to the ice, and then she could sprint toward the other side. She poured every ounce of energy into her legs until she reached the edge.
