<span style="font-style: italic">I must be crazy...</span>Alex thought, a crow flapping away from a nearby tree. This made the third time he was spooked by a sudden rustling noise. First a forest squirrel, then a nimble doe--that was especially unexpected--and finally this blasted crow. If he didn't man up he'd never be able to traverse the forest he had mastered when he was just a kid. Things were different now. Perhaps he was afraid because at any given moment, it seemed like he might collapse from a sudden flashback. He would be rendered defenseless, easy prey for any lurking visitors...or so the thought went.<br/><br/>What would be his next move? His letter didn't mention anything specific. Unless...well it probably did. Impulsiveness was not exactly the best trait one wished to have when it came to these things. As a bonus, his organizational skills dictated that he would have not thought to bring the letter with him. So...great. He was stuck in a camp from his childhood, at least for the night, and with not an idea of what he was going to do. What if the letter had mentioned a different address and this one was no longer in the camp service? That would serve him right. Best to just turn around and leave...but, he couldn't. Literally. As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, Alex made to turn away and walk briskly down the hill but, something was blocking him. It wasn't physical. Just, as though he could think about leaving, but he never actually gave his mind the command to move his legs. He didn't want to leave, not just yet.<br/><br/>That was all it took. Alex was moving promptly down the back face of the hill, heading towards the main portion of the camp below. It was then that he realized everything was backwards.<span style="font-style: italic">No.</span>He thought, giving his memory a voice.<span style="font-style: italic">You just came in the back entrance.</span>This rational thought caused a slow smile to spread across his face. Of course; from the direction of town he came from, the back way would make sense. Maybe there were more people from his teen days after all; they would've had the smarts to use the front entrance.<br/><br/>By the time Alex was nearing the trough of the hill, the time of day had slowly sunk into an early twilight. The sky had faded into many hues of magenta and puce, leaving some darker blue areas still untouched. Alex loved the outdoors. Epileptic fits or whatever was going on with him, he still craved the feel of earth beneath his shoes, a light breeze on his face, and the many smells that he could faintly detect inside a forest. Walking a ways, he saw a small pillar of smoke rising up under the diffuse light of the sun through the trees. Someone was here after all! Farther down the path, Alex was able to see lights on from within the main cabin. He was baffled as to how he knew it as the main cabin; certainly there was no sign. The fact that it was the largest on the camp site was enough to convince Alex that he had only assumed. A heavier breeze picked up then, swirling dust dunes around and causing leaves to bustle along the ground. Looking down, he perceived a small pulse of heat emanating from his leather cuff. The stone seemed to be slightly illuminated but, that was not possible. Stones did not simply glow when the mood struck them; they were innate and impersonal objects.<br/><br/>Just as he was looking up, dismissing the glow from his cuff, he heard a woman's voice nearby. He couldn't quite make out what she had said, but he quickened his pace nonetheless. Rounding a bend in the trees, Alex now had a clear view of the area where he'd spent so many of his long lost days. The main cabin was just up ahead, lights still visible in the window. There was a moderately tall woman standing a few feet from him and two indistinct figures by a small cabin near the fire pit.<span style="font-style: italic">How do I know there's a fire pit there? I can just barely see the cabin, never mind the people, but the fire pit would be blocked from this angle's view...</span>His mind must be playing tricks on him. The woman had turned slightly and Alex caught view of her face.<br/><br/>"Seria!" He called after her, not quite sure how the name had leapt to his tongue. "It's a good thing you're here. I was beginning to wonder if I had come to the wrong place." She turned, her eyes widening.<br/><br/>"Alex." she breathed, still staring at him. It was as though she had grown overnight. One memory of a young girl lingered in his mind from a forgotten past. The new and most definitely improved version was standing in front of him, looking almost as confused as he was. Seria 2.0 was at least a foot taller, with short slightly cropped fire read hair. Deep blue eyes stared at him quizzically, and a new tattoo adorned her exposed left shoulder.<br/><br/>He didn't want to seem to wary, but things were just getting weirder. Still inwardly defensive, he spoke. "Hey! Uh, maybe we can head over to the fire pit. The farther in this place we go the stranger itâ€™s sure to get." He knew it was her, that part he could not doubt. But he still had to testâ€¦<br/><br/>"Yes, sounds like a good plan." She turned and followed him to the pit. "So Alex... how have you been?" she asked. Alex was wondering why he couldn't remember the names of his other friends. Shadowy images of what they might look like remained on the edge of his consciousness. He felt bad for not knowing their names too.<br/><br/>"I've been good I suppose. Just trying to figure out what the hell's been goin' on here lately. You?" He questioned, still sizing her up in his mind.<br/><br/>"Pretty much the same... When that letter came this morning...it was so strange."<br/><br/>"You're tellin' me..." He spoke, trailing away. Alex assumed she had her letter with her and he didn't want to let on his remained abandoned at home. "I don't know about you, but I picked it up and..." He also did not want to admit that he had seen horrid images that might not lend to the idea that he was in fact sane. Plus he wanted Seria's impression of the letter. "...I sort of went blank." he finished lamely.<br/><br/>"Yeah...just reading it reminded me of so much. It was strange." For the moment, Alex was not going to press what Seria had recalled. If they were anything like his memories, well...he would be all the less sane. Feeling a bit like he was deep in thought, he turned his head to the ground. He walked a ways with Seria, both making their way steadily to the fire pit. Alex remembered how much she had enjoyed fire and he surmised that she would be the one to start the blaze. He certainly was not equipped to do so.<br/><br/>"We're almost there." He said, an uncharacteristically coy smile playing about his lips. When they finally reached the edge of the encircled cabins, the fire pit became visible as did the individuals by the small cabin. One was a man and the other a woman. He thought he remembered another man in his tight group of friends and the realization that he knew nothing about him hit Alex hard. He didn't even know his name! All of his other friends probably remembered him and each other. Had he gotten so caught up in his career he'd lost such important ties? Guilt and unease mixed with a laden pot of emotions: his happiness at being reunited with one, if not more of his friends; the fear of his forgotten past; and the anticipation of learning more. What had his letter said, and was it really coincidence that they were all here, at the same time and the same day? Some things were too good to be true.