Thirteen

Dawn came with a majestic brilliance. The sun dispersing golden and blinding rays to a still waking world. It was a beautiful sight. Hailey sat there observing the sun as it made it’s slow progression across the sky. She felt herself warm up with a contented feeling, a feeling she hadn’t known since the event of that tragic night. The fire had eventually died and still there was no sign of Ryan. As she suspected, he had simply wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Or away from her prying eyes and questions a mocking voice said to her. Hailey felt like going back into the tent to check up on Trey but she was afraid of what she might do. As things stood, she couldn’t trust herself around him. So, she sat there staring at the smoke wisps from the embers of their camp fire. Occasionally, she flung a dead leaf or twig into it and watched it flare up before turning to ashes. That was exactly how Ryan found her when he returned. He was carrying an armful of dead tree branches and parts