As tired as she was, McKenna couldn't sleep.  She lay in her sleeping bag, listening to the crickets singing and the same old tired owl hooting somewhere in the trees. Her legs kept getting tangled up in her sleeping bag. It felt suffocating in the tent, so she unzipped it and opened the flaps. The night was chilly, and she breathed it in. It was better but still not enough.

Crawling from her tent, she wandered over to the dying fire and stared at the red embers that fought to stay alight in the fire pit. She felt ridiculous. Why would a cemetery being moved bother her so much. But four hundred bodies. And the old cemetery being flooded and underwater, how could they find all of the graves to move to the new graveyard?

McKenna left the fire and shuffled toward the lake. Slipping off her flip-flops and staying close to the edge of the water, she let the small waves wash over her toes. It felt good on her hot feet. She breathed deeply, the scent of wildflowers filling her nose.

On the lake, the geese and tundra swans floated silently, their beaks tucked under their wings while they slept soundly. Somewhere deep in the forest, white-tailed deer were sleeping, the fawns wrapped up in their mother's coat. Even the campgrounds were quiet; everyone bedded down for the night.

So why did she hear rustling in the woods?

Turning suddenly, she almost slipped and fell into the shallow water but caught her balance at the last moment.

"You should be more careful. The sand is very slippery under there."

"What?" The color drained from her face as she whirled around toward the voice. Her breath quickened. She never heard him approach.

"I said..." He threaded a hand through his blonde hair.

"I know what you said." Her voice trembled. She raised her chin defensively. "I just didn't hear you. What are you doing sneaking around here in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, sorry." He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. "Not sneaking. Just walking. The night is my favorite time for some reason."

"What are you, a vampire or something?" she snorted.

He laughed at this. "Not that I know of."

"Are you stalking me?" 

"Nope. Not stalking. Just observing."

She drew in a sharp breath. "Observing what?"

He slipped his hands in the pockets of his jeans and lowered his head. With the toe of a shoe, he drew trails in the sand. "You sure do ask a lot of questions.”

“I need to get back to my camp,” McKenna said, suddenly afraid. She turned swiftly and lost her balance again. This time he caught her by the arms. For a long moment, he held her, then she stepped back, and he dropped his hands.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

She stepped back and turning, stumbling up the bank to her camp.

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