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“No thank you. I just wanted to ask you for a
favor.” I leaned against the door frame.

“Sure, what is it?” Lorelei asked as she
grabbed an old faded Christmas cookie tin that was her stash of
teas.

Breathe, stick to the plan. I had a human
friend from high school that I still kept in contact with. From
time to time we’d go out for coffee or text. Still, I would have to
tread this lightly so as to not arouse suspicion. “I… uh…I’m going
out with my friend Emily and I was hoping that maybe you would do
my makeup?” It felt just plain wrong lying to my sister. “I… um…
don’t really know how to put it on.” No hint of anything
suspicious.

Lorelei turned to me then and gave me a huge
grin. “Absolutely!” She grabbed her seeping tea cup and pointed me
toward the hallway that led to her bedroom.

When we got to her room I sat down on the bed
and waited while Lorelei grabbed what looked like a tiny brown
leather suitcase and set it down on the nightstand next to the bed.
I fiddled with the end of my braid while I watched as Lorelei took
out several containers of makeup and set each one down on the
nightstand next to the mini-suitcase. She seemed to be debating
with herself over which plastic container to use first. This made
me a little nervous. “Lorelei, I don’t want to be painted, I just
wanted a little to, you know, make me look pretty.”

Lorelei turned her head to me then and
laughed. “You don’t need to worry about that because you are
already pretty.” She looked back at the makeup, picked up a flat
little compact and sat down on the bed next to me. “Close your
eyes.” She commanded.

I closed my eyes and felt her gently brushing
a finger against my eyelids. She stood up again for about thirty
seconds and then sat back down. I kept my eyes closed. She softly
brushed some more eye makeup in large sweeping motions that started
at the inner corner of my eyes and ended at the edge of my
eyebrows. Then she took what must have been a small tipped thing
and drew a line across each of my eyelashes.

“Okay, open your eyes and look straight at
me.” She said. When I opened my eyes she brushed mascara across my
eyelashes a few times. Lorelei cocked her head a little to the side
and smiled at me. “You look lovely. But,” she stood up and walked
over to her dresser. “You need a little finishing touch.” She
brought over a small round crystal bottle of pink perfume in one
hand and a hair brush in the other. “Take your hair down for a
minute.” I looked at her, confused. “This is a little beauty secret
I learned along time ago.” I pulled my hair band out of my braid
and shook out the plait until my hair hung loose. Lorelei sprayed
the hairbrush with perfume and handed it to me.

“I brush my hair with this?” I asked. Lorelei
nodded. I slid the brush through the strands and the smell of
sugary smell of vanilla and jasmine settled in my hair. It was
delicious. “When did you get this? It’s dazzling.” I breathed in
the scent of my own hair before putting it back into my braid.

“John bought this for me last Christmas. I
don’t wear it as often as I should.” Lorelei inhaled the heavenly
scent. “Give me the brush; I’m going to wear some tonight,
too.”

I hugged Lorelei and left. After gathering my
jeans jacket and purse from my bed, I quickly made my way
downstairs. I hadn’t even left the last step when I heard Tristan’s
voice. “Who’s got perfume on?” I froze. I was not trying to draw
attention to myself tonight. Play it cool. You’re just meeting
Emily for a movie. She was a friend I went out with once every few
months so it wasn’t a far-fetched lie. But it was still a lie.

“Where are you going with perfume on?”
Suspicion hardened Tristan's voice. I feigned intense interest in
my cell phone as Tristan stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Sophie?” I looked up at my twin. He wasn’t smiling.

“I’m going to the movies with Emily.” Was I
actually stuttering? I wasn’t any good at lying. Or sneaking
around.

Tristan must have believed me. He moved out
of my way and his tone softened. “You look really nice.”

Guilt weighed down my stomach. I had just
lied to two members of my family and for what? A stupid date with a
human? This wasn’t me at all. It was as if someone else had taken
over my body. This person was calling the shots – recklessly
abandoning sense and deceiving those I loved most. I didn’t like
her very much. Yet I was more than willing to let her lead me
astray.

As I traipsed through the woods, the quickly
guilt faded away into nothingness. All thoughts turned to Jaime.
Before long, the center came into view. I pulled the band out of my
braid and shook my hair loose. A few deep breaths and I was ready
to go. I wasn’t a nervous as I thought I would be. Until I saw
Jaime was standing by his Jeep, that is. His back was to me since
he was keeping an eye on the road and not the woods.

“Hey!” I called out as I wormed through a few
low-slung branches at the edge of the trees.

He spun around at the sound of my voice. “I
thought you’d be driving.”

I shook my head. “It’s not that far.”

He looked puzzled. “I thought you said you
lived a few miles away from the research center.”

Whoops.

“Um… I’m an avid hiker.”

“A hiker, huh?” He smiled and opened the
passenger side door for me. “I hope you’re hungry after all that
walking.”

“Actually, I’m starving now.” I admitted and
got in. Jaime climbed in the other side and we headed toward
town.

“Do you like Italian food?” Jaime asked.

“I do.” I watched out the window as the trees
flew by us. “Italian and Chinese are my favorites.”

“Great! I found an awesome Italian restaurant
in St. Mary's.” He glanced my way and winked. “I assumed you
wouldn't mind eating somewhere other Kane.”

“Not at all.” I sighed with relief. Nobody
would see us, no one would know. This night would be my little
secret. A single memory for me to tuck into my folder of life
experiences.

“So Italian tonight and maybe Chinese next
time?”

“Sounds good.” I murmured, though I reminded
myself that there really wouldn’t be a ‘next time’.

“So back to hiking. Do you have a favorite
trail?”

“Not really. I usually just go wherever. What
about you?”

“I'd say the Tionesta trails simply because
the area hasn't really been touched by the logging industry.” He
gestured to the dense forest on either side of us. “But in truth,
the whole National Forest is my stomping ground. I'll take any
excuse to go camping and get outdoors.”

For most of the drive Jaime spoke on of his
love of camping, fishing, and hiking. The words were simple but the
fiery emotion behind them was incredible. I assumed, being a
Wildlife Ranger, that he had a higher level of appreciation for the
natural world. But to hear him speak of colorful wildflowers and
napping under the shade of a black cherry tree lit something deep
inside me. I rooted to my seat. I absorbed every philosophy and
idea he presented, like a flower basking in the last rays of the
fading summer sun. Eventually it would be over and I would have to
let him go.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant,
dark was approaching.

“No meat?” Jaime asked after I ordered simple
alfredo pasta without chicken.

“I’m a vegetarian.” I explained. Sort of.

“Oh.” Jaime looked a bit surprised. “I can’t
go without steak.”

I nibbled on the inside of my cheek; my
dietary restrictions were not a topic I really wanted to
discuss.

“You know, my family isn’t from around here.”
Jaime changed the subject.

“Where are you from?”

“We are originally from right outside of
Concord, Massachusetts but we moved to this area when I was in
fifth grade. My dad got a job as a manager at a logging company. He
retired from the company a few years ago and my parents moved back
up north.”

“I’ve never been to New England but I hear
it’s beautiful, especially in fall.” I said, a little envious. I
never really left northwestern Pennsylvania, other than the few
trips to Philadelphia to visit Thomas at college.

“It is. Some of my favorite memories from
childhood involve playing in the fall leaves. The trees there turn
such vivid reds and golds that the mountains actually look on fire.
It’s truly breathtaking. I think that’s one of the reasons why I
love it here so much, you know? My childhood in New England really
helped shape who I became.”

“Why did you stay here if your parents moved
back?”

“I was a freshman in college. I knew I wanted
to work in wildlife conservation and around here is the perfect
place to be for my field. Plus, I just really loved this area. I
know Kane is small but I feel a connection to this town, like this
is where I'm supposed to be.”

“Hmm.” I nodded and fiddled with my napkin
corner. Could he be any more perfect?! I thought miserably. This
was supposed to be awkward and uninteresting. Yet, sitting here
talking to Jaime was just so…easy. Be realistic Sophie. This can’t
happen. Remember that. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him
for fear that my resolve wouldn’t hold.

“Massachusetts is a great place though. Not
going to knock my home state. The rocky beaches are quite
breathtaking. And Boston? I bet you would love that town.” Jaime
continued unaware of my inner discord. “They have some amazing
nightclubs. And the Irish pubs have some of the best food you’ll
ever try.”

“I’m really no good in a city.” I dismissed
him, still refusing to meet his eyes. “They freak me out.”

“I can see why. If I had grown up around
here, I would probably feel the same way.” He took a bite of food.
After swallowing he let out a small, reminiscing laugh. “My mom had
the opposite problem. She spent years complaining that this area
felt constricting. Like the trees were prison bars. Mom still can’t
understand why I love it here.”

“Yeah, I don't ever plan on leaving. I can't
imagine making anywhere else my home.”

“It also helps that you all of your family
here.”

“True.” I sipped my glass of water.

“Thomas has said that your family is really
close.”

“We are very tight knit. It makes it hard
sometimes because everybody knows everything.”

“Well, not everything.” Jaime leaned in
toward me ever so slightly. “I don't want Thomas to think I'm
trying to seduce his sister and steal her virtue.”

I cracked a smile at his comment. “I don't
want that either.”

“In all seriousness, I have an immense amount
of respect for your brother. He has accomplished so much at the
center. He has this way with animals; he understands them. And they
listen to him.” Jaime scooped up his last bite of steak. “Like Dr.
Doolittle without the goofy dialogue.”

I squirmed in my seat. Mercifully, the
waitress appeared at my side and began clearing our table so there
was a rather long break in the conversation while we waited for the
check.

We drove back to the research center again
with a fair amount of quiet. The strangest part wasn’t that we
weren’t talking non-stop but that the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
I was contemplating the lack of apprehension in the air when Jaime
pulled into the research center parking lot.

“Listen, I just want to throw something out
there and I want you to answer honestly.” Jaime put the Jeep in
park and turned toward me. “I’d like to see you again. You know,
just spend some time with you. Maybe try to break through that
somewhat shy exterior.” Jaime paused. “What do you think?”

“I want to Jaime but I….” What am I
doing?

“But what?”

“My family has…rules.” I finally looked at
him.

Jaime leaned close enough to whisper in my
ear. “I won’t say a word. Scout’s honor.”

I don’t know how it happened. One minute he
was leaning forward and then…. It should have been just a kiss.
Lips meeting and parting, a taste of tongue, maybe a hand in my
hair. Standard issue kissing. Text book even.

But it wasn’t. The jolt of electricity which
ran from my head to my toes whenever I was close to Jaime came to
it’s blazing conclusion as his lips touched mine. It was protons
and electrons colliding mid-air in an enveloping cloud. It was an
epic particle battle in which all positives and negatives exploded
and then turned neutral upon detonation. An explosive joining of
energy at the sub-atomic level. Tangible. And Incredible.

Then as we gently pulled apart, it just
stopped. The charges in the air separated once again, returning to
their previous state. Was I the proton or the neutron? Did it
really even matter? What occurred in that moment was something I
could never have predicted. I was no longer Sophie, I was simply
elemental.

Somewhat unsteady, I opened the door to get
out when Jaime stopped me. “Hold up! I'm not sure I should let you
walk home. Can’t you call someone to pick you up? It’s pretty far
to be walking in the woods alone, don’t you think?”

I shrugged. “There’s nothing in these woods
I’m afraid of.” The rare, true wolves all but bowed down to me when
I encountered them, even in human form. Bears would stop to watch
me in deference. Even mountain lions, which have very aggressive
natures, simply ran off any time I came close. They wouldn’t have
dared attack unless intentionally provoked. That was a stone-cold
fact.

“Do you at least have a flashlight?”

I pointed to my purse even though it was a
lie. I didn’t need a flashlight to find my way home.

“Seriously, I think I should drive you home.”
Jaime’s voice notched up an octave with worry. “There are huge
wolves in this forest.”

I smiled. “I’ll call you tomorrow Jaime.” I
shut the door and made my way into the pitch of night.

“Just making sure u r home.” Jaime’s text
flashed on my phone.