The light between the trees

Chapter one:

As I stared at the same light like I did every night for the past ten years I wondered why I had never actually gone to see where it came from. I thought more and more about this but every time I tried to leave my body was reluctant to move. I thought about the stories I had been told about the light.

Kate Pentranson who has been my best friend since junior infants when we were only 6 years old. It was that year that this weird and mysterious light began to shine outside my window at 12 pm. It would shine for two hours and exactly two hours every night. Kate was the only person I have ever told about the light. To my surprise she had heard about the light before.

She told me that it came from a cabin that was in the woods outside my house. There was a man who lived there ten years ago but after his daughter died no one ever saw him again. She believed the reason he turned the light on at that time was because his daughter died at 2am but after being hit by a car at 12pm it took her two hours exactly to die. Before she finished she always said

"Jane what ever you do never go near the cabin. I've heard of a lot of people who never returned after searching for the light".

Her words always stuck with me. As I lay here looking at the light I grew more and more curious about this man and his nighttime ritual of remembrance for his daughter. I wondered why he never left his cabin. Why he never stopped his ritual even after ten years. I often thought about going down to see what his story was but after Kate warned me never to do so I couldn't go behind her back.

The next day I waited for Kate to come outside so we could walk to school like usual. When my names called. I know exactly who it is. I've had his voice memorised since I was ten. I can see his dark blonde hair before he even gets into view. Jared Bentley had been my best friend since we were really little. When I turned about ten my feeling went from friendly to a complete opposite. His blue eyes were so bright and shiny every time he looked at me I melted.

I spun around taking in his tanned skin. He always wore tight v neck tops so his muscles were defined perfectly and I pushed every urge to kiss him straight to the back of my mind like I did every time I saw him. Jared was a bad boy. He has been suspended from school so many times I had lost count. He was also going out with the most popular and bitchiest girl in school, Mia Tanning. She was 5'7 with wavy blonde hair that reached under her rib cage. She had the perfect figure and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. When Jared and Mia started going out I spent 3 days over our summer holidays in my pyjamas eating ice cream and watching movies.

Kate tried comforting me by telling me I was better than Mia. I was the complete opposite to her. I was tanned with long brown straight hair and hazel eyes that didn't sparkle when I smiled and my hair didn't shine when the sun hit it.

Jared was always so...well Jared. He had his days of being an asshole but before Mia he would bring me Ice cream or sweets to make up for it. Now things have definitely changed. He wasn't the same guy I met when I was 2 years old. He was more distant and cold but to my despair my feelings never changed.

As I was studying him I was so used to hugging him in the mornings but I stopped myself before I could. When Jared realised this I could see the smile wipe off his face and a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He was just about to speak when Kate ran out the door still half putting on her shoes. She ran over and was saying "So sorry jane my alarm never rang...", Just before she could finish her eyes widened in shock.

"Are you not getting a lift with your dog of a girlfriend?", Kate smirked. I had always loved her honesty. She would never hold back. Jared stared at her in disbelief and then said " No I thought I'd walk with my oldest friends for a change". I wished he didn't say friends. I knew exactly what Kate would say. "Friends?! Well I don't see any of your so called 'friends' here, Come on Jane or we'll be late". Pulling my arm to make sure I was following her. I looked at my watch realising we still had another hour to get to school and we only lived a few minutes down the road from our school. I knew she wanted to get me away from him.

I quickly looked around when I heard someone running only to see Jared. Making running look like it was effortless and graceful. He grabbed us both and turned us so we were facing him. "What did I ever do to you?", He shouted. Why couldn't he stop talking. I could feel Kate's grip on my arm. Knowing Kate would respond I stood there with my mouth shut. I was never good at this type of thing. I awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other.

I turned to look at Kate. Gritting her teeth and staring at him which I knew would make him incredibly awkward. "Let's begin shall we, Jane?", and it began. I looked at the ground, the sky and pretended to smell the flowers just so I could pull myself free from Kate's hold. "So we were best friends and everything was sweet and dandy until big guns over here decided he was too good for us. Got a shank of a girlfriend who we all know makes your life hell. You ignore us in school even though we had never been nothing but a friend to you". And then it came out. I died a little inside hearing her say it out loud. "And you broke Jane's heart and don't act like you don't know it. You kissed her the day before you announced you had a girlfriend". Once she said it her whole face went blank. She looked at me with the most apologetic look I'd ever seen on Kate.

Jared was in such shock he went to answer about five times but no words came out. I couldn't look at him. My face was gone so red I must have looked like a tomato. As I kicked a rock back and forward on the ground Jared finally found his words. "Jane is that true?", Before I could answer Kate grabbed my arm and pulled me towards school. Apologising over and over for telling him about my heartbreak.

Luckily enough I didn't have any classes with Jared today but I dreaded the walk home because Kate wouldn't be there but Mia would.

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Hey guys, I'm Aisling I wrote this at the most awkward time possible. So if my updates are slow it's because I'm in the middle of my junior cert. But anyways let me know what you think it's my first go at this so I'd love to hear your feed back and inputs.

If anyone would like to make a cover photo please be my guest!! :)

- Aisling