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Speaker 1: When I was thirteen. The summer we moved, we left

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the city behind in a cloud of dust, trading, traffic

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and noise for long, empty roads that stretched on forever.

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On Newtown, hollow Brock was, for a lack of a

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better term, frozen in time. Main Street had a diner,

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a single gas station, and a convenience store that doubled

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as a bait shop. Everyone seemed to know everyone. My

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mom loved it instantly, my dad muttered something about peace

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and quiet. Ay hated it. It wasn't just that I

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had to leave behind my friends, my school, my entire life.

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It was the fact that there was nothing here. No

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movie theaters, no arcades, no malls, just houses, trees and

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a school that looked like it had been built a

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hundred years ago. The first few days were the worst.

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Boxes stacked in every room, the smell of fresh paint,

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the hum of Cicada's outside. No Wi Fi for the

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first two days, which meant I had nothing to do

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but help unpack or stare at the ceiling, counting the

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tiny cracks in the plaster. Then I met Ethan Jake

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and will it happened at the basketball court behind the school.

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I wasn't even playing, just sitting on my bike watching.

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Ethan was the first one to talk to me. He

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had shaggy blonde hair, her red sox cap pulled low

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over his face, and a kind of easy confidence that

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made it impossible to dislike him. Jake and Will were

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always with him. Jake was stocky, with a sharp jaw

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and a habit of cracking his knuckles. Will was lanky, quiet,

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always a step behind the others. Ethan dribbled the basketball

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absent mindedly, squinting at me. So you just moved here, right,

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I nodded, Yeah, last week? Where from? Jake added Boston.

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All three of them looked at each other, then back

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at me. Whoa Edan said, grinning city kid. Yeah, I muttered,

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unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

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Will spoke up for the first time. But it's way

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better there, I shrugged. I don't know, I guess. Ethan

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passed the ball to Jake, then turned back to me.

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You have had a hideout before, I blinked, like a

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real one. Jake snored, No, a fake one, I mean no. Never.

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Ethan's grin widened. Dude, Then you're gonna love this. Jake smirked.

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We gotta hide out. Best spot in town, Will nodded,

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deep in the woods. No little kids there. I pugged

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up for real, for real, Ethan said, we'll take you tomorrow.

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That was how it started. Ethan showed up at my

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house after lunch, knocking on the door. Before I even

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saw him coming. He had his bike with him, one

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foot resting laisely on the pedal. Come on, he said,

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we're taking you with us. I berely had time to

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grab my own bike before we're off, pedaling through the

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quiet streets, cutting through yards, jumping over curve rubs. The

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further we went, the fewer houses there were. Soon the

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pavement turned to dirt and the town faded behind us,

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swallowed by towering pine and at some point Ethan told

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us to ditch our bikes. I expected them to stop

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at some random part of the woods and then take

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a hidden trail, but instead we ended up on a

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narrow dirt road, tire tracks worn deep in the ground.

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It snaked through the trees, winding up a gentle hill

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before disappearing ahead. I squinted, Wait, if there's a road,

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why don't you guys just ride your bikes all the way.

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Jake chuckled, nudging my arm, where's the fun in there?

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Ethan smiked, Yeah, what's cooler walking through the woods to

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our secret hideout or rolling up on bikes like we're

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going to the grocery store. Will grinned, we're off the gridman,

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no roads, kind of I laughed, shaking my head, but

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I had to admit it did feel cooler, like we

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were heading somewhere no one else knew about. And then

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I saw it. Perched in the thick arms of an

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old oak tree was the tree house. It was perfect,

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the kind of hide out every kid dreams of, big

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enough for all of us, but not too big, like

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it belonged in some fancy magazine. The wood was weathered

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but sturdy, the boards nailed tightly together. A simple rope

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ladder hung from the entrance, swaying gently in the breeze.

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Ethan climbed up first, followed by Jake and Will. I hesitated,

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staring up at it. I'd never been to a place

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like this before, never had a clubhouse, a fort, a

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secret spot to escape to. In the city. We had

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cracked sidewalks and fire escapes. This was different. I grabbed

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the rope ladder and climbed inside. The walls were covered

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in drawings and initials carved into the wood. A feord

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camping chairs were tucked in the corner. A flashlight and

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a deck of cards sat on a crate. It smelled

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of dirt, pine, and the faint smell of something I

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couldn't place at the time. Ethan flopped onto the ground

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in the corner. So what do you think, I sat

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across from him, still taking it all in. It's awesome,

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Jake grinned told you. For a while, we just talked

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about nothing, the kind of stupid conversations kids have when

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they're bored. Who would win in a fight Batman or

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spider Man, if aliens are real, if we'd ever drink

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beer when we're old enough. It felt normal, like I'd

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always been here. Then Ethan leaned back and stretched man,

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I wish we could just stay here all night. I

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raised an eyebrow. Why can't you, Jake groaned, tilting his

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head back dramatically, Because our parents are lame, Ethan sighed.

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They don't like us being out past nine. Will rolled

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his eyes, especially after Sarah went missing. That name stuck

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with me. I'd heard it before on the news, a

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girl from school gone without a trace. I frowned. So

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if they think kids are getting kidnapped or something, Jake scoffed, Dude,

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parents think everything is out to get you. They hear

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about one kid going missing, and suddenly they act like

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we're going to get snatched off the sidewalk. Ethan nodded, yeah,

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like I get it, but it's annoying. We're not little

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kids anymore. Will grinned, knocking his knuckles against the wooden wall.

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I mean, come on, we got our own house and everything.

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Jake sat up, smirking exactly. We got a house, we

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got furniture, we got food. Ethan held up a half

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crossed bag of Dorito's rations. Will laughed. We're practically grown ups.

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We even cleaned sometimes. I grinned, Yeah, except your house

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doesn't have a bathroom. Jake tossed the bald up napkin

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at me. Dude, it's called nature. We all cracked up

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after that, and for the first time since moving, I

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felt like I wanted to be here. As the afternoon

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stretched on, the air cooled, and the trees outside cast

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long shadows across the forest floor. Sometimes we find stuff

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moved around Jake said, after a particularly long stretch of silence.

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I looked up. What do you mean? He shrugged, like,

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we'll come back in A chair has been moved, and

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one of our flashlights is missing. I frowned. You think

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someone else knows about this place? Jake shook his head. Nah,

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we never told anyone. Will leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

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If we started asking around, people might get curious. They'd

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come locking, and then we wouldn't have it to ourselves anymore.

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Ethan sighed, So we just ignore it. The sun was

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beginning to dip behind the horizon when Ethan suddenly checked

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his watch. Crap, it's almost nine, Jake groaned, standing up

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and dusting off his jeans. Ah, fine, will side. I

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guess we gotta be responsible and head back. By my

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second week, I couldn't go anywhere without hearing about Sarah.

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Her face was still on Flyers taped the telephone poles

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pinned up in the school office, stabled to the bulletin

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board at the grocery store, missing last scene, Hollowbrook Elementary.

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It didn't feel like something people talked about in whispers.

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It felt like a weight everyone carried. The teachers looked tired.

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Parents were extra careful about pickups, and kids traded stories

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in hushed voices at lunch. Things like this didn't happen

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much in a small town like this, But there was

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one person who didn't carry that heavy energy with him,

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mister Harris. He was the kind of guy every kid liked.

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Tall and broad shouldered, with a thick mustache and an

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easy smile. It wasn't like other adults. He actually listened

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when kids talked, didn't yell when someone ran in the hall,

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even slipped us candy sometimes when teachers weren't locking. How

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are you liking hollow Brook, he asked me one afternoon.

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I had stayed after school to grab a notebook I

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left in my locker. Mister Harris was mopping near the gym.

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I shrugged. It's all right, not too boring for you,

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he chuckled. Kids from the city usually think were a

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bunch of weirdows. I don't know, I said, I kind

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of like it. He nodded, leaning against the mop handle. Yeah,

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this town grows on you. Always been real close knit.

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I shifted, unsure what else they say? He must have noticed,

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because his expression softened. All right, kid, go off, now

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make sure to pick up those packages over there, like

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Miss Wren asked you to all right, see you, mister Harris,

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see your kid. The treehouse became more than just a hideout.

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It became home. Anytime I was upset, frustrated, or needed

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to be away from the world for a bit, I'd

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find myself biking down the dirt road, cutting through the trees,

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climbing up that rope ladder. And I wasn't the only one. Ethan, Jake,

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and Will used it the same way. If one of

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us showed up alone, the others would always come, no

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questions asked. We didn't talk about it, but we all

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needed the tree house. It was a place where nothing

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else mattered. The thing was, the longer we used it,

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and the more comfortable we got with each other, the

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less we thought about the rules. At first, we were careful,

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always watching the time, always heading home before the sky

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went dark. But after a few weeks we got comfortable

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if the sun set while we were still in the treehouse,

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we didn't panic. If we stayed a little later than usual,

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no one seemed to notice, so when Ethan joked about

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staying overnight, it didn't calm as a surprise to anyone.

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We basically live here anyway, he said, stretching out one

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of the old cushions. Jake laughed, Yeah, we got food,

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we got supplies. We'll like a step away from moving in.

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We'll leaned forward. Imagine how cool it a beat to

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wake up here? No parents than nag us. I hesitated, Yeah,

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but I child off. We all knew what I was

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going to say. We weren't supposed to stay after dark,

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but no one else seemed worried. Dude, Jake said, shaking

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his head. They're all stupid anyway. Our parents just don't

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want us out late because they're paranoid. You really think

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something bad's gonna happen if we sleep here for one night.

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Ethan grinned. I say we do it. Let's prove our

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parents wrong, man, prove to them that nothing would happen,

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Jake said, in a hush tone. That part got to me.

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It made the whole thing feel like a challenge. It

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wasn't about breaking rules, it was about proving we could.

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I looked around at the others. No one seemed scared.

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Finally I nodded, all right, one night. That was all

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it took. The plan was set that night, I waited

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and til my parents went to bed. I stuffed my

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sleeping bag into my backpack, grabbed a flashlight, and quietly

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slipped out the back door. The cool night air hit

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me as I stepped onto my bike. The town was quiet.

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I peddled fast, cutting through the streets, heart hammering for

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no reason at all. It wasn't like I'd never snuck

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out before. By the time I reached the dirt road,

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my pulse had settled up. Ahead. I saw three familiar

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figures waiting for me, their bikes already tossed to the side. Ethan, Jake,

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and Will. We grinned at each other, no turning back now.

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We made our way through the trees, flashlights bouncing off

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the trunks, a crunch of leaves the only sound in

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the stillness. The closer we got to the treehouse, the

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more real it felt this was happening. We climbed up,

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one by one, the old wooden boards creaking beneath our weight. Inside,

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I was greeted by the same comforting scent we'd all

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gotten used to. Jake unzipped his backpack and dumped out

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a pile of snacks, chips, candy bars, soda cans, Ethan grinned.

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We were all excited. We set up our sleeping bags,

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tie on the flashlights, and started telling stories. It felt

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like every other night, like we'd done this a hundred

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times before, like nothing bad could ever happen. After we

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got tired of ghost stories, we played card games by flashlight,

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laughed about stupid things, and ate way too much drunk food.

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The tree house felt safe beyond words. And then we

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heard the rumble of an old engine. I barely noticed

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it at first, half thinking it was just the wind

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or a plane overhead. But then headlights. Bright beams cut

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through the trees, casting strange, stretching shadows through the cracks

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of the wooden floorboards. The light flickered as the vehicle turned,

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angling toward the treehouse, illuminating the lower part of the trunk.

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We froze for a moment. None of us panicked. Ethan

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sat up, rubbing his eyes. Is that Jake shifted closer

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to the window, squinting. Is that your dad? That made sense?

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One of our parents must have noticed we were missing.

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Maybe someone woke up, checked our beds, put the pieces together.

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I waited for the headlights to cut out, for a

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card door to slam for the familiar sound of an

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angry dad calling a name. But when the engine turned off,

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no one called for us, No voices, just silence. Jake swallowed,

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that's not my dad's truck. The air changed. Ethan grabbed

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his flashlight over the window sill. Could be a hunter,

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he whispered, or someone camping. That didn't feel right. No

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one hunted at this spot in the woods. I moved closer,

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heart hammering, peering out through the crack in the wooden planks.

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The truck was old, dented, covered in dust, and then

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a door opened. Someone stepped out. Their footsteps crunched against

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the dirt, slow and careful. Will breathed out. Who the hell?

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I could barely see them, just the dark outline of

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a figure moving through the trees. My stomach twisted. Jake

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slowly moved away from the window, eyes wide. Why are

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they coming straight here? No one had an answer. The

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person reached the base of the treehouse. For a second,

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they just stood there. Then the creak over foot and

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the first rung of the ladder. Ethan sucked in a breath. Guys,

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and second footstep they were climbing. I felt it in

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my chest. Now the slow creeping realization that something wasn't right.

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Jake turned toward the trap door, eyes darting, what do

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we do? And back toward the window. We need to go,

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but no one moved another step closer. Now, whoever it was,

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they didn't hesitate. They were coming up. I turned back

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toward the window, gripping the ledge. My pulse pounded in

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my ears. Another step closer, then they spoke a voice, low, familiar.

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What the hell? I turned just in time to see

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the man's head push up through the trap door. His

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face was partially shadowed, covered by a hoodie, but I

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could still make out the shock in his expression. Whoever

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this was, he wasn't expecting us. His eyes flickered between us,

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scanning the room, and then his expression changed, a slow

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realization like he had just been handed something he wasn't

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expecting but wanted. That was all I needed to see.

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I didn't wait. I jumped. I grabbed the windowsill and

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threw my myself forward, twisting my body mid air as

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I plunged toward the ground. The fall knocked the breath

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out of me, pain jolting on my legs as I

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hit the dirt, But I was already scrambling forward, arms

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pumping above me. Chaos, go go, Ethan yelled. Jake was

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already pushing past him, diving for the window. Will hesitated

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too long. The man lunged. Ethan jumped, but the man

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grabbed for him at the last second. His fingers brushed

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Ethan's ankle as he twisted him mid air, the force

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throwing him sideways. Then a sickening crack. Ethan's screams ripped

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through the trees. I skid it to a stop, chest heaving.

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He was on the ground, clutching his leg, face twisted

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in agony, my leg His voice was raw broken. I

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stepped toward him, about to help, but then a thud.

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The man had jumped down, following us. He wasn't waiting.

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His boots hid the dirt hard, sending up a cloud

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of dust. Then he straightened, staring at us. Jake grabbed Ethan,

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trying to haul him up. Come on, dude, we gotta go.

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Ethan choked back a sob. I can't. My head spun.

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We couldn't carry him, not fast enough. The man took

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a step forward. I took a step back. I ran.

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I hated myself for it, but I ran branches tore

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up my face, leaves whipping past as I bolted through

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the trees. My breath was ragged, my legs A blur

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beneath me, behind me, a cacophony of noise. I didn't

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dare look back. The only thing I focused on was

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getting home. The dirt road loomed ahead, glowing faintly under

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the moonlight. I tore through it, sneakers slamming against the

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packed down earth. The town was a blur street lights, houses,

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the distant glow of my own porch. I sprinted up

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my driveway, heart in my throat, slamming into the front door.

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I banged my fists against the wood, sobbing. Mom Dad

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opened the door. A light flicked on inside, A shadow

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moved behind the glass. The door swung open, and I

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fell into my dad's arms. Son, What is call the cops?

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I screamed. My mom was already grabbed the phone. I turned,

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chest still heaving, expecting to see a dark figure standing

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at the end of the driveway. The police arrived within minutes.

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By the time we got to the treehouse, the area

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was already swarming with officers. Red and blue lights flickered

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through the trees, casting long shadows across the dirt. The woods,

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which had always felt like our sanctuary, now felt like

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the most unsafe place in the world. I stood next

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to my parents, shaking, wrapped in my mom's arms, as

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we watched the officers search the area. They moved quickly,

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flashlights bouncing against the trees, the radios crackling with updates.

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Jake was found first, just at the base of the treehouse.

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He was alive, but shaken. His face was streaked with dirt.

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His hands were shaking, but he was breathing. Then they

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found Ethan. He was curled behind a tree, barely visible

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in the darkness. His leg bent at a horrible angle.

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When they carried him out on a stretcher, his face

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was pale ay He's hollow. He barely spoke, barely reacted,

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then came well. For one terrifying moment, I thought he

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was gone, But then a radio crackled. An officer had

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found him running down the dirt road toward town. He

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said he just ran and didn't stop. I didn't blame him.

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We all got to go home that night, and for

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a while that was enough. I learned the rest from

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news reports, police chatter, and hushed conversations between my parents.

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At first, no one knew who had done it. The

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cops only had bits and pieces. The whole town went

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on edge. People whispered about who it could have been.

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The stranger had drifted, passing through some local guy. No

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one suspected. The answers came. Days later, the police found

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the truck again. It had been left in a creek,

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half buried in mud, and in the trunk they found Sarah.

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She had been missing for weeks. She'd been there the

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whole time, cold wrapped in plastic, stuffed beneath a pile

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of tarps. But it wasn't until the police tracked the

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truck's registration that the real horror set in the name

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attached to the vehicle, mister Harris. I remember the exact

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moment I found out. I was sitting at the kitchen table,

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picking at my cereal while my parents stood by the counter,

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talking in low voices. I wasn't really listening until my

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mom said his name. For a second, I thought I misheard,

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thought she was talking about something else, But then my

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dad's sighed, rubbing his face. Jeez. I felt like my

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stomach had been ripped out of my body mister Harris

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was still on the loose and a curfew was set.

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I never saw Ethan Jacob will at school after, so

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I don't know what came of them. I kept thinking

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about how lucky we were. If we hadn't heard that

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truck pull up, would one of us have been next?

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Us s