OV: The Original Vampire (Book #1) Read Free Page A

be exploited by large hotels and tourism.
    Josie came to a sign that read Camp David Junior. She had gone to summer camp there when she was twelve. She met Daira, a girl her age. They did everything together. They laughed so hard they would almost pee their pants. At night, they would tell stories and giggle. She wished it had lasted forever. Even today, Josie cried as she drove past the entrance.
    She took the off-ramp next to the sign that read: East Beach. The sunset shone through the car windows and the warmth on her arms felt good. She managed to take a deep breath and smile. There was a place to park next to the trailhead. She got out and looked around. She was embraced by serenity. A large raven bounced on a limb and made a sound like a ball-bearing being dropped in a toilet bowl.
    The trail was easy and flat at first. The crystal blue water was on one side and the sheer cliffs on the other. There was fresh snow on the peaks. Once in a while, there would be a giant Douglas Fir tree that fell across the trail and into the water. Forest rangers had cut chunks out so hikers could pass through. Josie tried counting the rings on the tree, but lost count after 300 years old. There were old pieces of rusty train track and railroad spikes protruding from the weeds.
     
    The trail began to look familiar. She went back through her memories. About an hour later it dawned on her. She and Daira had played on these slopes twenty five years ago. They had to walk back three miles to camp with sand in their bathing suits. Josie remembered hearing the logging trucks across the lake all night, using their Jake Brakes rumbling down the hills. Daira had been taken home early because of the flu. That was the first heartbreak for Josie, there would be many more, so many that life would become blurred through tears.
    It was becoming dusk as Josie slipped out of reverie and focused on shelter for the night. There were some deer trails that went up the mountain. They were steep, but they were off the beaten path and Josie would less likely be discovered. Her paranoia of being caught and beaten kicked in her primal instinct. She wasn’t hungry or tired and her eyes were open wider.
    As she climbed, the moisture from the ground, heated by the sun, acted like a sauna. She was drenched with sweat. Her pores were being cleansed from the bar smoke, grease and the bile aura of her boyfriend. It was near dark when she reached a plateau. Fog rose from the lake and got caught in the trees. A sliver of moon rose from the east. Josie took off her shirt and lied on her back on a large rock. It was just her and nature. Stars became visible as the sun’s last flame licked the horizon.
    Josie fell asleep. Nature supplemented her insanity with tranquility. Never had she slept so sound. Her dreams were vivid and positive; she was the star of a show, or she was hugging her dad in Heaven. Her suppressed subconscious was acting out in positive ways.
    The hoo hoo of an owl awoke her. It was jet black night with bright shooting stars. Redish-green dust clouds swirled in the sky, a neon marbling of sorts, called “The Northern Lights.” It was like a ride at Disneyland. She lied there mesmerized.
    The rock was hurting her back so she moved into the mossy den of the forest. Giant fir Trees surrounded her. Some of the trees grew so tall that they broke in half during storms. She knelt down and sat Indian-style on the bed of moss. The large limbs of the trees waved at her. She felt protected. She began to sing as the tears rolled down. Either it was a revelation or a revolution but her spirit was renewed.
    Sh e lied down on the moss.The moss tickled her body and kept her warm with moist heat. The limbs of the tree swayed. With all the trees of the forest it sounded like waves of the ocean with every gust. She reached behind her head and touched the bark of the tree. She studied its lines. There were dark brown veins and jagged light brown peaks. The tree possessed a