Chapter 1: A Date Gone Wrong

Patrick sat alone, brooding in the hotel lobby. It was one AM in the morning on the last day of his family’s vacation to New Orleans. He knew he had to get back up to the room before his parents returned.

His sister would be back soon also, and he wanted to be in bed when she returned. He decided to take a few more minutes trying to figure out what exactly had gone wrong.

“What did she think I was doing? I thought we were having a great day, and then suddenly she exploded on me. Hrmph, I wish I had gotten her number or something. Then I could call and apologize for whatever it is I did. I wonder...” he stared at the wall, his thoughts trailing off.

Patrick had just turned 14 last month. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was still short for his age, but his mom kept telling him he would catch up. He was also relatively thin and not muscular, but that was from spending his days playing video games and surfing the Internet.

He was a bit of a geek. He did not have very many friends, but the few he had were very loyal. The popular kids at his school did not bully him like they did some of the other geeks. He had also never been very good with girls, and obviously that had not changed today.

He raised his hand to rub the red mark on his face and winced. She must have cut him with a nail when she slapped him. He just wished he knew what it was he had done.

Patrick had spent the whole day with a girl he had met in the French Quarter. They had seemed to hit it off very well, laughing and joking the whole day. Things had been going so well, she had even invited him to join her for the day.

Things only went wrong when Patrick decided he would try a suggestion from his best friend Mark. He had figured “what did it matter” if it backfired, it wasn’t like he would have to see this girl every day. He sighed to himself and decided he was glad his family was returning to Ohio the next morning.

That morning, his parents decided to take the day for themselves. Patrick and his sister, Lily, had been starting to squabble and the adults wanted a break.

Sibling arguments were expected after being forced together the whole week. They usually got along just fine. But, they also usually got more alone time than they had on this vacation.

Patrick’s parents had left early in the morning to walk around the city and relax. They told Patrick and his sister that they would be back very late after the bars closed. They also instructed the two teenagers to stay near the hotel and behave themselves.

Just like any other kids their age, Patrick and Lily left the hotel within an hour of their parents leaving.

At first, the two of them stayed together and wandered the town. They were both enjoying the freedom of not having their parents around. By lunchtime, however, Lily had taken off on her own with a boy they met nearby.

This was typical of Patrick’s sister and it didn’t bother him. She was a bit of a flirt and never seemed to have difficulty finding guys who were interested. She was also a couple years older than Patrick. She didn’t want having her younger brother around to prevent her from having a bit of fun with her new friend before she left.

Patrick went to a cafe after Lily left. After eating he just sat wondering what to do now. He was just about to head back to the hotel, because he couldn’t think of anything.

He started to look for the waitress when a pretty raven haired girl walked up to his table.

“Do you mind if I share your table? All the others seem to be in use,” she asked.

Patrick smiled, answering her, “No, I don’t mind. I was just about to leave though, so you can have it for yourself if you want.”

“Oh ... I was hoping to have some company for my lunch,” she said with a bit of disappointment.

“Well, if you really want company, I guess I can stay. I’ve already eaten, but maybe I could get another drink while you eat,” he offered.

“Perfect! My name is Tara,” she said and a huge smile crossed her face, lighting up her eyes.

“I’m Patrick, nice to meet you,” he replied, smiling back at her. He started to extend his hand for a shake; but then drew it back, unsure of himself.

Not much later the waitress noticed Tara at Patrick’s table. She arrived and took Tara’s order. Tara ordered a grilled turkey sandwich and a cup of soup. Patrick simply asked for another coke. Shortly after, the waitress returned with the food.

“So, where are you from,” Tara asked in between bites of her sandwich.

“Oh, I’m from Ohio. A small town, south of Cleveland. We don’t live on a farm, but it’s pretty rural,” Patrick explained.

He then asked, “Are you on vacation also?”

He wondered, because he wasn’t used to girls his age not traveling in groups. He had noticed that she was also very pretty, and pretty girls really didn’t seem to go out alone much.

“No, I’m from here. I’ve never even left Louisiana. I was s’posed to meet a friend of mine for lunch here. But, she needed to stay home and do some chores,” she answered.

They began to hit it off very well and Patrick learned the basics about her quickly.

Tara was three years older that Patrick and lived in the eastern part of the city. She was going to be a senior next year, and had no idea what she wanted to do in the future.

Patrick was a bit surprised the she wanted to spend time with him since he was just going to start his freshman year. But, he figured that he was the only one around and her plans had been ruined when her friend couldn’t join her.

They spent the rest of her lunch chatting about what he thought of the city. For a while they discussed what he had, and hadn’t, seen.

After she was finished they continued to sit at the cafe drinking for another hour just talking about themselves. Patrick didn’t know why, but he was very comfortable talking and joking with her. He suspected part of the reason was that there could be no expectations, since he was leaving in the morning.

Suddenly, Tara stood and grabbed his hand. Throwing down enough money to cover the bill; she dragged him out of the cafe.

Shocked, Patrick couldn’t seem to get the words out to ask her where they were going. It did not take long, however, until they turned the corner and stopped beside an old beat up Chevy pickup.

Tara turned to Patrick and said, “Get in, I want to show you somewhere outside the city. You just must see it before you have to leave tomorrow.”

“Hang on a second! I’ve only just met you, and now you are dragging me out of the city? Are you some kind of weirdo,” Patrick asked with a smirk on his face.

Patrick could barely keep the laughter out of his voice, he was so happy. He felt pretty comfortable with her, however, he also knew he should find out where she was taking him before he got in the truck with her.

“Where are we going,” Patrick asked with just a bit of hesitation, and quite a bit of excitement.

“Oh! There’s an old church out in the bayou, about 45 minutes from the city. It’s just absolutely beautiful. You have to come with me to see it before you go home. You’ve never seen anything like it. Please, tell me you will come with me,” Tara was practically out of breath, trying to explain everything at once.

Patrick checked his watch, seeing that it was only three in the afternoon. He had plenty of time before his parents would return to the hotel. They wouldn’t expect him and Lily to be there until eleven. Also, knowing his sister, she probably wouldn’t return until after midnight, since she knew their parents were going out to the bars that night.

He thought about it for a moment and realized he should just go for it. He was surprised by how much he trusted Tara in such a short time.

“What’s the worst that could happen,” he wondered to himself.

Climbing into the truck he said, “Well? Let’s go!”

Tara beamed when he agreed to join her. She knew she liked him, and wished that he didn’t have to leave in the morning. Knowing she couldn’t change things, she decided to just go with it and have a fun day with him. And, maybe they could email each other once he got back home.

Starting up the truck, Tara pulled into the light traffic and headed out of town.

The first half of the trip, Patrick pointed out parts of New Orleans he had visited. After they drove out of the city, she pulled onto a two lane highway and headed further into the wild. Pretty soon, Patrick had no idea where he was. Not knowing didn’t really bother him, he was just having a great time with Tara.

As they drove beside the green trees, their conversation quieted and each teen became lost in their thoughts.

Patrick was transfixed by the beauty of the surrounding environment. The highway slowly became a twisty road with sharp turns. He was fascinated by the trees, many of types which he didn’t see in is native Ohio.

Tara seemed to be focusing on the road and Patrick did not want to distract her. Soon, he began to notice small streams of water running along the road. As they continued to drive further from the city the streams opened into standing pools of water. Shortly after that, Patrick started to have a hard time telling the difference between solid ground and muddy water.

Tara pulled off the road and onto a dirt path. She drove for another five minutes. She then pulled the truck over, turning off the engine.

“We have to walk the last few hundred feet if you don’t mind,” Tara explained while getting out of the truck.

Patrick followed her and glanced around nervously, realizing how deserted this place looked. He followed her footsteps, picking his way among the pools of water.

Patrick was used to living in a place where there are not many people. But this place was very different. In the farming community he lived in there weren’t many places where someone could go that was truly isolated. He was not sure how comfortable he felt with coming on this trip any longer. The only reason he followed Tara, at that point, was because he could not think of a polite way to back out now.