Read Servants of the Living Forest for Free Online Page A

screamed, quickly scrambled to her feet and ran from the cabin, crying and swatting at the giant insects.
    Bright lights shined against her face, and she stopped and squinted through her tears.
    Jocelyn revved the engine. Cameron glanced back. The earth rippled under the cabin, bringing it closer to the reaching trees.
    "Get in already!" Jocelyn shouted.
    Cameron jolted and got into the passenger seat. Jocelyn turned the van, ready to drive off, when a massive branch slammed against the ground, with a boom like an explosion, splashing the pools of blood.
    They screamed, and Jocelyn drove around it.
    As they sped down the forest path, sliding and wavering in the mud, the trees slithered toward them, closing in on the vehicle like a wall, scraping at its sides with a deafening shriek.
    And then, they burst onto the desolate county road, straightening out on the smooth pavement, returning to the quiet and calm of the real world.
    The van thrummed as Jocelyn drove, gripping the wheel. After a while, their shaking ended and they slouched and slumped in their seats, too exhausted to stay upright or feel anything more.
    They traded places when they stopped to refuel an hour later, under the bright suburban lights. Cameron cleaned the blood from her face with a shirt from their bag and put on another. The shadows and the night hid the rest.
    For the rest of the drive, they did not say another word to each other.

Part V: Epilogue
    Jocelyn looked in the mirror and sighed. It had been weeks since she had gone out or worn makeup or put on anything bright, or even smiled, and still she was dissatisfied.
    She smoothed her gray sweater and light blue leggings, unable to figure out what more had to be done to make things right. She had stripped away all that she was until she no longer resembled herself.
    Her small apartment, awash in pale daylight, was bare, except for a few furnishings. She had left without a word, and when Cameron called, would not answer the phone. She did not have any answers to give. Eventually, the phone stopped ringing.
    She knew she had to be alone, to get everything clean and straight, to make sense of the chaos of her life. So far, she had found nothing. A mote of dust landed on the gleaming coffee table. She wiped it away, and returned to sitting at the corner of her couch, holding herself.
    The hours passed in silence, marked by the dimming light, until there was a knock at the door. She got up, and only reluctantly opened it.
    Cameron stood on the other side. She wore dark makeup and a neon pink top and ragged jeans, and her chestnut hair was a tousled mess. Despite her newly found vibrancy, she had the same listless demeanor as Jocelyn.
    "Hi, Joey," she said. She smiled crookedly, fidgeted. "How are you?"
    Jocelyn nodded. "I'm fine," she said, without emotion. "You?"
    "Good."
    They stood there, looking at each other, only inches apart, but distanced by leagues from their shared experience.
    "Want to come in?" Jocelyn asked.
    "Yeah, thanks." Cameron stepped inside, and Jocelyn carefully closed the door, checking twice that it was properly locked. "So. What have you been up to?" Cameron asked, hands in her pockets.
    "Nothing, really," Jocelyn said. "My stepdad's still mad at me. He thinks we trashed the cabin. I never told him what happened."
    "I haven't told anyone either," Cameron said. "I'm still not sure what happened to us. But I, um, I really could have used your help figuring it out."
    Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "I don't want to deal with it, okay? Something was stolen from us, and it's my fault, I know!" she shouted. "I wanted it. I'm the one who got us into that nightmare. I don't need you to remind me."
    "I don't blame you for what happened!" Cameron pleaded. "Joey. I need you. I see you every minute of every day. And when I realize you're not really there, it breaks my heart. Why does it have to be this way? Why can't we be together, the way I know, deep down, we're supposed to be? Please! I can't live