Jillian grabbed her bottle of water and keys and shouted a goodbye to her mother, who was watering plans on the back deck. Looking at the microwave quickly she smiled, “Plenty of time!” she chirped to the cat, patting him on the head and heading toward the door. It was the first day of summer vacation; she’d arrived home from college the night before. It had been a long drive filled with anticipation about the burgeoning summer and all the promises it held. It would be the first summer she didn’t work as a cocktail waitress at her parents’ club.

This summer, Jillian was going to work for a local senator. While it paid less than the club, she knew the experience would be much better and look great on her resume once she graduated. Also, she figured she could do some bartending in the evenings to make sure she had enough money to get her through the summer and take back to school.

*****

“Hey!”

“Hey, great to see you!” Jillian nearly leapt into her friend’s arms. It didn’t matter that they emailed, texted and spoke often, sometimes daily, there was nothing like spending face-to-face time with your best friend.

Suddenly, the time apart melted away, and it was as if the two girls hadn’t spent the last few months 600 miles from each other; they were back into their rhythm immediately, making the most of their first of several summer days spent together. “Okay, so whatever happened with Eric?” Jillian had been dying to hear about the status of Sara’s life.

“Eh, I don’t know. It sucks that things happened to close to summer. I was thinking about having him come out here for a while, but you know how it is… summer…” The two girls laughed. Jillian knew.

For as long as she could remember, Jillian and Sara’s summers had been filled with adventure, nights out, laughter and sometimes, love. They’d learned in high school how easy it was for boys and relationships to get in the way, so college summers had pretty much been devoted to just having fun. Sure, there were guys they’d hung out with at school who might come visit for a bit, but summers generally weren’t serious when it came to that stuff.

“So I told him I’d see him in the fall,” Sara ended her story.

“He must’ve loved that,” Jillian laughed.

“He was actually pretty cool with it. I think we’re both at the point where we know if it’s going to become something, it’s going to become something… so why rush it?”


Jillian smiled at her friend. She smiled at the gorgeous morning and the fact that she had a day with Sara before starting her summer job. The girls always opened summer the same way: coffee and a light breakfast at their favorite diner and then a day of surf and sun with tons of books, magazines and tunes.

“What about you? I mean, sure, we talk every day, but any boys in the last few days of school that you didn’t tell me about?” Sara asked her friend as they pulled into the parking lot of their favorite diner a few towns from where they lived.

Grabbing their bags and walking toward the front steps of the diner Jillian playfully punched Sara in the arm, “Like you wouldn’t know?!” Jillian had been seeing someone the past two years at school, sort of casually, sort of not, but after a rocky ending had been a little gun-shy about relationships.

“Nah… no new boys. But wouldn’t mind running into a few from last summer!” They both laughed remembering a group of guys they had befriended the summer before and spent a great deal of their summer nights with. Barbeques, pool parties, nights at the dive bar that opened onto the beach: it had been a good summer.

Sitting at a table along the window wall, looking out onto the highway the girls ordered their breakfast and played catchup on the minor issues of their lives. Summer jobs, their parents, siblings and their trip planned for the end of summer vacation.

The day was perfect: blue skies, no clouds, only a slight breeze. The water was clear and the sound of the waves the perfect backdrop. They spent it reading their books, talking, and simply enjoying being home.

“Alright, I’ll call you in a few hours, or just come by if you want…” Jillian rolled down the window as Sara got out at her house.

“’Kay… I’ll see if anyone called,” the girls had a strict “no cell phones on the first day of summer,” rule that they honored and kept like an ancient secret. Jillian pulled away from the curb.

The deck stretched behind the house, strung with white lights. Outdoor speakers spilled quiet strains of various singer songwriters. Jill’s parents were great hosts and many people loved their opening of the summer party, traditionally held whenever their oldest son, Max returned home from college. When Jillian and Max were both at school, the party was held once they were both home, but always the first full day of that child’s summer. Max was currently in Africa, working in Uganda at building schools, but he had arranged to take some time to Skype in order not to miss the party.

“Are you excited about your new job?” Chuck, who lived next door asked Jillian, “I hear you’re working with the Senator instead of at the club,”

“Yes, definitely excited – it’s about time I did something more in my field, well, sort of. I’ll miss the club, though, it’s always a fun time.”

“More in your field? That’s right – you’re a poli-sci major, right?”

“Poli-sci with a minor in English and considering law school… I want to be a lobbyist,”

“I have some friends who are lobbyists, later on this summer we should get together for golf, introduce you to them,”

“Hey, sorry I’m so late, couldn’t get off the phone with my grandma – she wants to know when we’re coming to see her,” Sara hugged her best friend hello once she made her way through the crowded house onto the deck. Jillian hugged her back and then greeted Sara’s parents with genuine enthusiasm.

“We on track for tradition tonight?” Jillian shot a conspiratorial glance at her friend.

“Hell’s yeah,” Sara whispered back.

The girls had a tradition of capping the first full day of summer with a drive to 7-11 followed by a tour of all their favorite local spots.

There was something about that first full day of summer vacation and the girls celebrated it in style. Driving around, listening to music, gossiping, and making a final stop at a playground many miles away where they would sit on the swings, nearly make themselves sick swinging, and then stop and talk some more.

“Why do we always start work the day after the first full day?” Sara asked her friend.

“Tradition?” Jillian answered and they both laughed.

“Yeah, that’s one that might need breaking,”

“We’ll be fine… we always are.”

Sara would be interning at a local law office.

She’d decided to pursue a career in law, but had no clue what type; her dad suggested summer internships with a variety of firms, or companies who had a legal department where she could work, in order to get the flavor of it. She was looking forward to it, even if she was just filing or typing briefs. She knew it would still be the place to get information on exactly what went in to each job. “So weird that we’re not working at the club this year… but I’m glad to have Fridays, nights and weekends off for once!”

“I called Reeb to see if she wants to go out with us tonight… she just got home today,”

“Cool,” Sara smiled thinking of Rebecca, the friend she’d known since first grade. Reeb was studying piano and voice at Julliard, and had spent summers travelling world-wide with orchestras. This summer she was taking time off from classical music to work with a folk musician on the festival tour, being paid with guitar lessons. She’d joked that it would round out her resume but Sara and Jillian insisted it had something to do with the good pot on the festival tour.

“Shoot, Jillian, I don’t think I remembered to feed the fish,” her mother whispered quietly, both of them laughing.

“What would you do without me?” Jillian looped her arm around her mother’s shoulder, “More importantly: what would those fish do without me?”

Years before, Jillian and her father had dug out a coi pond, complete with landscaping and a small fountain as one of their annual summer projects.

Jillian grabbed the fish-food from under the deck and started walking across the lawn; her stomach filling with butterflies as she got close enough to see the familiar outline in the darkness.

With a mixture of excitement in fear creeping from her stomach on down she approached the pond without saying anything. Let him be the first, she thought to herself. It never changed… at some point during the summer she’d see Kieran, her high school boyfriend, in her yard. Always the same thing, she didn’t understand it but let it happen each time.

As she fed the coi he walked over and sat on a huge rock, her favorite in the landscaping. Reaching out in the dark he pulled, softly, on the hem of her skirt. “Sit with me,” he whispered.

His finger brushed her lower inner thigh, not too far above the knee and it was like an electric shock. DamnitDamnitDamnit, Jillian cursed herself for falling into this each summer. Sitting down next to him she said, “Hi,”

“Hi, Jillian,”

Placing the container of fish-food on the ground she felt his face close to hers before finishing sitting up. His chin grazed her jawbone and then, as always, she found herself making out with her high school boyfriend in the darkness between their two houses, a place where there making out would stay when it randomly occurred throughout the summer.

Jillian seemed to find herself in this position at least twice each summer, sometimes more. In the dark, on a rock/in her car/in her neighborhood somewhere, acting like a ninth grader with her very much ex-boyfriend. Worried that her parents or, possibly worse, Sara, would stumble upon her.

“How’s Dahlia?” she asked when they finally came up for air. Years before this would have sounded like the jealous whine of a sixteen year old dating a much older guy, now it sounded like a 20-something who was getting really sick of the ex who’d cheated on her far too much.

Kieran immediately stiffened and moved back a few inches. Through slit eyes he looked at her sideways and then sighed, “Seriously? Nice buzz kill…”


“You know how my parents --,”

“Are we twelve? Your parents shouldn’t have a say. NOT that I want a relationship with you. I just think it’s fucked up,” she stood up, signifying that their conversation was over.

“Jillian, we were in high school, and I loved you. Probably always will. My parents and Dahlia’s are very close, our dads are in business together, you know how it is…”

Jillian did, in fact, know how it was, and appreciated that her parents didn’t subscribe to the same old money philosophies as Kieran’s. She was over her relationship with Kieran but wished, even after all these years, that it had ended better than walking in on him and Dahlia in his pool-house. Dahlia, who was modeling for Penthouse. I’m jealous? God help me, Jillian thought to herself. Straddling Kieran she put her face close to his, kissed him until he pushed her back.

“Shit, is that Reeb?”

Jillian looked and saw Rebecca bouncing past the pool toward them, “Shit! Go!”

“Jilly! What’s up, girl?” Reeb grabbed Jillian and pulled her into a gigantic hug. Reeb was a tall and willowy girl, but her personality was big; her hugs even bigger.

“Hey, Reeb, you ready for summer?”

“Always! This summer especially. I see you’re starting early,” Rebecca’s eyes drifted back over the expanse of Jillian’s property, to the woods where a path led to Kieran’s parents’ land. Rebecca was the only person who knew about these happenings; you couldn’t keep anything from Rebecca, “I don’t care, it’s your business, but if Sara ever finds out it’s going to kill her, Jillian.”

“I know… but I feel like it’s not even worth saying anything. It’s so fucking stupid…” Jillian didn’t understand why she hooked up with Kieran every summer. She just did. And it was always at random times, there was no regularity to it.

“Let’s not let that ruin our night, Jill – there is way too much fun to be had!” Jillian loved that Rebecca wasn’t judgmental. She took Jillian at her worth and loved her for every good thing and flaw alike, “C’mon… before people think we’re hooking up over here!” Reeb took off running toward the house. Jillian followed.

“Go,” her mother smiled warmly at the three girls sitting at the edge of the deck. She didn’t know what it was they did each year, but she knew it was killing them to wait any longer, “Go and I’ll leave the lights on in the pool – just be safe, please,”

Sara, Jillian and Rebecca piled into Sara’s Jeep laughing. Reeb reached into her bag, the “ugliest bag I’ve ever see,” as Sara loved to call it and pulled out a bag of what appeared to be very fresh, very good weed. “That explains your drive to Vermont yesterday, eh?”

“It’s a good thing none of us plan on being teachers,” Jillian laughed.

It didn’t fail that they ended up spending one late-night-early-morning of summer incredibly high, laughing so hard Sara once posed the question, “Do you think anyone ever died because they were high and laughed so hard they couldn’t breathe?”

“Okay… game plan?” Sara and Jillian were planners… Reeb just went along for the fun. Sara liked to start the night with a game plan, always leaving room for some adventure.

“Well, it looks like you need gas,” Reeb called from the back, “Which means: trip to Sevos!”

After deciding the plan for the night, keeping in mind that two of the three probably needed to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for their first day at new summer jobs, they took the back roads away from Jillian’s house toward their destination. After a few miles they came upon a frequent first stop: a gas station with a 7-11 across the street. Pulling into the gas station Reeb said she’d pump gas and entrusted the other two at the convenience store. She’d had an embarrassing moment there over the December break and still wasn’t ready to face the clerk.

Sara and Jillian ran across the road to grab coffee and a bag of Haribo Frogs to share on the way to the pool hall.

“You wanna go shopping Thursday after work? We have that party Saturday,” Jillian suggested.

“Definitely,” Sara responded while perusing the headlines of the many tabloids on display.

They paid then ran back across the road. “Is it me, or was that dent not on your car earlier?” Jillian asked her friend, pointing.

“Shit,” Sara swore under her breath, “Wait… why is Reeb’s bag on the ground?”

“Reeb?! REEB?!”

They saw it at the same time.

The door handle was hanging from the side of the Jeep, hinged precariously by one remaining bolt, as if someone was holding on to it as a matter of life and death. Jillian shuddered at the thought and let her mind go to its darkest corner. “Shit, look at that,” Sara pointed to the window, “What the fuck…”

“Sara, we need to call the cops,” Jillian said, reaching for the handle of the car.

“Don’t!” Sara grabbed her arm, “I don’t think you should open your door to get your phone… is there a pay phone?”

“I’ll ask the clerk,”

The girls stood, rooted to their spots, transfixed on the sight of the passengers’ side window, even though they knew they needed to call the police. Written in the dirt kicked up from the drive down the one dirt road in town was, “HELP ME – BDW 398”

“Tell me I’m dreaming…” Jillian looked at her friend with more fear in her heart than she thought possible.

“I don’t understand this at all – why would someone grab Rebecca??” Sara was incredulous, “This doesn’t make any sense,”

Sara stayed by the car while Jillian asked the clerk to let her call 911.

“911, What’s your emergency?”

“My friend, she’s missing,”

“Missing for how long?”

“Five-ten minutes?”

“I can tell you’re upset, but she’s not considered missing until it’s been 24 hours”

“Officer, I’m pretty sure she was abducted,”

The seriousness in Jillian’s voice was unmistakable… the officer paused, “Abducted? Are you at a gas station on Cherry Hill Road?” The officer knew this wasn’t a prank, but used the test. Prank callers agree to the wrong address.

“No, I’m close to that… a gas station on Circle Rock Road.”

“I have an officer in the area – he’ll be there in a minute,”

The clicking of the camera and popping of the flash was painful to Sara. What the hell was going on? Who would grab Reeb? Why would someone take her friend? “I’ve known her forever, you know…”

“I know, Sara, but she’s going to be okay.”

“She’s dead, I can’t explain how I know, but I can just feel it,”

Jillian reached for her friend, pulling her close. A cop watched from where he collected what little evidence there was. “We gotta look in the woods back there,” his partner said quietly.

Sara turned, hysterical at the sight of Rebecca’s parents.

Darkness. The crunching sound of boots on the path. The officers shined their flashlights through the area of woods behind the gas station, the beams criss-crossing in a lightshow for woodland creatures of all types. They walked past her at least three times, if not more. The girl stuffed into the bushy growth, eyes partially opened, breath shallow and labored, wound on her temple and another on the front hairline oozing blood. Each time the foot neared her face what was left of her being prayed he’d see. He didn’t. Images and questions flashed through her head. She let go.