Free The Wisherman by Danielle

back home. She won't even recognize me after I've been here for a few months.” Oliver thought back to Dean Tenbrook's tour, a dark thought forming on his lips. But before he'd had the chance to speak, Malachi had clapped Paul on the back.
    "I bet she'll be proud."
    The three boys spent the rest of the evening going over schedules, silently wondering what the next day would bring them, no one wanting to jinx their first day with silly expectations and hopes. The occasional low cheer filled the air as the crossed compared classes. Oliver had the first half of the day with Malachi and Paul and the last half with upperclassmen. "I bet those classes are much harder." Paul remarked, confidently as he looked over Oliver's schedule. The evening ended on a slightly nervous note, which each boy departing to his room with a wave, as if to say See you on the other side .
    Chap ter 5
    A jarring sound, like that of ten thousand horns pulled Oliver from his dream in such a manner that his heart nearly jumped from his chest. The previously dark bedroom was flooded with bright, blinding light.
    "Wake up!” A voice said.
    Oliver rubbed his eyes, yet he still couldn't fathom what he was seeing. As the shock of the light slowly faded, Oliver surveyed his room. On the other side, his roommate was yanked up and directly in front of him, a boy with a dragon mask leaned down. His face came within an inch of Oliver's and Oliver could feel his hot breath on his cheeks.
    "IT'S TIME."
    Twenty minutes later, Oliver was running naked through the woods. As he did, he couldn't help but wonder if this was one of those pivotal moments in his life. He remembered briefly the drug free advertisements on television, where the camera would slowly pan up to the face of a drug using teen, with the bold, black caption "Is this where you want to be in ten years?” He could admit pretty easily that at no point in his life had he ever planned or expected to be in this situation. The thoughts quickly disappeared as he heard howling in the background behind him, and he quickened his pace, jumping blindly over branches. It wasn’t until this very moment that Oliver had felt awake and an active participant in his life.
    "Start running." Dragon Mask screamed, and the wispy baby hairs framing Oliver's face literally stood on end.   He had rushed to grab a pair of pants and a shirt, but before he could, he found himself being thrown from his room with Robert in tow. There they had stood, freezing in the dormitory halls in just boxers before a mob of boys wearing dragon masks jeered them out the front door. The air was crisp and he and Robert had jogged alongside each other for a few moments before the mob of dragons showed up once more, jeering and yelling and Oliver found he had lost track of his roommate.
    The full moon followed him as Oliver ran deeper into the woods. He was at once struck by the disappearance of the footsteps that had forced him from his room. The only footsteps he realized were his own. The howling too had grown distant and weak. At this realization, he stopped and put his hands on his knees, panting. He did not know how far he'd run . The trees, shrouded in darkness and crystallized dew from the cold New England night all looked the same and even they shivered at night.
    Oliver walked along the closest thing resembling a path. The path, or rather an indentation in the dirt wide enough for two feet, lead far off into the distance, winding into the darknes s. Oliver followed, legs suddenly aching as the adrenaline from earlier in the night wore off.
    “Robert?”
    His question was absorbed by the sounds of night, and in response, Oliver only heard the gentle rustle of the nighttime creatures. He continued on, feet slipping on the uneven path as he made his way towards the distant lights of Delafontaine. The lights glowed with the promise of home, though despite walking in their direction, the lights never seemed any closer. Instead, forever just out