#YAShortStories

[tghwriting]

41. The Accident

Violet could still hear the crash like it had happened only seconds ago. She could feel the impact of the car and the tree, hear the crumbling of the metal, the shattering of the glass, the thump of the wood when the car finally came to a stop sideways against a large grouping of trees. She could feel the steering wheel bent up against her stomach. She could hear the faint gasps for air from the only other living person in the car. It had been a deer, hadn't it? It was gone now. She swore she had seen it. She panicked and swerved to miss it. Had it been something else? It had to have been a deer. But she knew not to swerve when it came to deer, that it was safer to plow through...so why had she swerved. Was it the panic? It had to have been a deer.

Her right side was splashed with blood that wasn't hers. As she moved her sore neck to look next to her she saw what she had feared she would see. Her best friend had been crushed by the impact, her lower half bloody and broken, splinters of bone were scattered over the passenger seat. Her head was lulled to the side against the cracked window, blood dripping from the open wound on her head and down her face.

“Vi.” The voice in the backseat was hoarse. Violet stretched upward, wincing in pain, as she moved the rear-view mirror to see behind her. Her sister, Scarlet, was looking back at her, her face splattered with blood. The girl next to her, her sisters best friend, was pinned back against the seat from the tree branch that had shot through the car, through her sternum, and secured itself to the back of the seat.

“Are you alright?” Violet asked weakly, smiling that her sister seemed mostly unharmed.

“Never better.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Can you get out?”

Violet looked down at herself, while the steering wheel had bent down and pinned her to the seat, she was relatively unharmed. “If I can push my seat back I think I can.” She said as she wiggled her toes and moved both of her arms to feel down her stomach.

“I've got room, come on back.” She said as Violet reached down and pushed the seat back with little effort. She was able to get the door open wide enough to get herself out of the car. As she turned to look at the wreckage she saw what she wouldn't have been able to see otherwise. Through the entire backseat of the car was another tree branch that pierced through the door and out the other side. She could see the blood dripping from the end of it and she knew where it had pierced through, there was no way that it hadn't. Tears were welling up in her eyes, her heart was pounding. “Vi?” She asked, reaching her hand up and through the open window. Violet limped over to her reaching her hand out to grab her sisters bloody hand. “Do you have your phone?”

Violet reached into her back pocket and pulled out her now cracked cell phone and quickly dialed 9-1-1. She didn't want to tell her sister what she knew. She knew that Scarlet hadn't noticed it yet. That the shock and adrenaline had taken over her thoughts. The woman on the other end of the call told her to keep the phone one as the police and ambulance were on their way. Violet placed the phone on top of the car as she leaned in through the window to look at her sister's lap.

Scarlet's breathing was shallow and weak. “It's really bad isn't it?” She asked finally. “I can't feel my legs.”

“Scar...I'm...”

“It wasn't your fault.” She said with a small cough.  “That man shouldn't have been in the road.”

Violet looked at her and then out to the road above them. “Man?” She asked leaning back to try to get a view of anything that would have shown her what she had avoided. “It was a deer, wasn't it?”

Scarlet slowly shook her head. “No, there was a man in the road.” She reached her hand weakly out of the window and brushed her fingers along her sisters arm. “It's really okay. I'll be fine.” She gave her a small, comforting smile.

“Scar...” She shook her head and leaned against the car, placing her hand on the door and closing her eyes. She could feel the pain slowly growing in her abdomen, her adrenaline seemed to be waning. Scarlet's eyes were starting to close. Violet jumped up when she noticed. “No, Scar, keep your eyes open. The ambulance will be here soon. Just hold on.”

“I'm awake. I swear.” She breathed out a long, pained breath. A cough escaped her lips and as it did she winced in pain. Violet could see the color slowly draining from Scarlet's face as she rested her head back against the seat. Neither one of them looked at the other two in the car. Neither one of them wanted to focus on their two dead friends, they just needed to focus on staying alive long enough for the ambulance to get there. “Violet.” Her soft voice startled Violet in the deafening silence that had engulfed them.

“Hey, I'm right here.” She grabbed onto Scarlet's hand, squeezing it tight. “Don't push yourself. They'll be here soon.” There was hope in her voice as tears were starting to drip down her cheeks.

“Vi, I'm not getting out of this car.” As she said the words, Violet knew that they were true, but she didn't want to believe them.

“No, don't say that.” She cried. “Don't say that. They're almost here. You just have to hold on.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. “Please don't say that.”

“It's okay.” She gasped for air, trying to muster up the strength to speak. “It's...okay...” Her head slowly lulled to the side as the last word slipped out of her lips. Her hand in Violet's fell limp. Violet screamed as, in the distance, red and blue flashing lights started to fill the darkness.

[tothepointtales]

Lost in a cave

He allowed the tears to flow. No one could see him now. It was so dark in the cave—darker than anything he’d ever experienced. Darker than the moonless night he and Father had searched for his missing puppy. At least there were stars that night. And they’d found the puppy. Maybe he and his friends would be found, too.

Hugging his shoulders, he sniffled, then bit his lip hoping no one had heard. Another sniffle came from beside him. His best friend. He reached out and grabbed his friend’s hand, receiving a silent squeeze of comradery in return. He wasn’t the only one missing his family.

Goosebumps broke out on his arms. Shivering, he inched closer to his friend until their shoulders touched. Water dripped down the walls, plopping into the rising water at his feet. He’d never been so scared in his life. What if the water kept rising? He couldn’t swim.

“We’re gonna make it,” his friend whispered.

“I know.” But, he didn’t. His friend could swim.

His stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten in days, though he had no idea how many days. He’d lost track of time. Coach’s phone didn’t work. They couldn’t call anyone, check the time or find a map of the cave. They were really lost and he was really hungry.

He brushed away his tears with the back of his hand. He had to do something. He may not be able to swim, but he could pray. So, he prayed. He prayed for forgiveness for blaming Coach for getting them trapped and for mercy for all of them. He pledged to never tell another lie and to always be kind to his sister.

A wave lapped up and covered his toes. He drew them in closer to his body, touching his chin to his knees and stared at the invisible water. His stomach clenched. He’d never been so scared in his life.

Coach whooped!

He jerked up his head. A light shone through the water in front of him. British voices echoed through the chamber.

They’d been found.

[allbookedupblogstuff]

Thoughts: Hungry Hearts

Short stories have been perfect for my brain lately, just the punchy nature of a good short story really helps me read and relax. I’ve also been able to enjoy YA a bit more with my inability to focus super closely on things – so I found a YA Short Story collection to try! Based on an entire street/area of a town these stories all loosely hook together and some were definitely stronger than others.

[megtrail1323]

Wow, I haven’t been on Instagram a bunch recently. I have been sticking to my #2018goal of limiting my time on the net and social media. BUT that leaves a lot more time for reading! I’m #currentlyreading Three Sides of a Heart and also In the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. I’m so addicted to Zafron’s writing! Oh my gosh is it good! I thought I’d take a break and take a frosty and icy walk to get something sweet! @tangerineregina has the BEST #coconutchailattes and I thought I’d try some #stickytoffeepudding since it looked yummy. 😊 #bookstagram #books #bookworm #bookcover #booklover #bookblogger #bookporn #booklove #books📚 #bookphoto #bookaholic #booknerds #bookish #bookaddict #bookhoarder #bookgeek #bookreview #bookshelf #readersgonnaread #carlosruizzafón #intheshadowofthewind #threesidesofaheart #nataliecparker #yaanthologies #yashortstories #goalslayer #recollectionsplanner

[simonjamesgreen]

Thanks @phoenix_faie for this gorgeous autumnal pic of NOAH GOES NUCLEAR 😊 You can still download the short story for free from my website - link in my bio! #yalit #lgbtbooks #shortstory #funnybook #yabooks #author #Repost @phoenix_faie with @get_repost ・・・ #noahgoesnuclear #simonjamesgreen #yabooks #shortstory #yashortstory https://ift.tt/2E7Wwbq

[princessalethea]

COUNTERCLOCKWISE on Kindle & Audible: https://amzn.to/2ERZhtd  ✨

Edith Hornby lives in the clockwise universe--Edward Moriarty lives widdershins. But they meet often enough throughout their lives to form a bond even stronger than that which holds the universes together...

[tghwriting]

10. Bound

A hush fell over the crowd as she stepped out between the groups of people filling the hall. The center of the room was empty except for two men. One very large, a great brute, with dark hair falling around his scarred face, and grayish skin that even in the shadows was visibly dirty. The other was small and lanky, with skin as white as snow and a long black cloak covering an all black attire.

She stood there in the folds of the crowd, her hand tight in her boyfriends. He knew what was to come, he knew what had to happen, but as they stood there he couldn't bare to let her hand go. She looked up a t him, meeting his bright green eyes. There was pleading in her eyes, the look of desperation. He needed to let go of her hand. But even as she tried to slide her hand out of his, his grip wouldn't falter.

He shook his head, silently pleading with her to stay. Pleading with her to find a different way, a way where this wouldn't have to happen. But he knew that that was just false hope. Finally, and reluctantly, he dropped her hand.

Then the murmurs started as she approached the men. The smaller one reached a skeletal white hand towards her which, as she approached, she hesitantly took. That was when the people in the room saw it, her hand. A golden glow wrapped itself around her hand and his as she made contact with his skin. The murmurs grew louder.

She turned back to look at the people she had just walked away from, her friends, her boyfriend, all standing there dumbfounded. "I'm sorry." She held up her hand to show them the mark, the golden glow, a binding curse. "It was the only way." She made eye contact with her boyfriend. He looked about as angry as she had expected him to look, but there was something there in his bright green eyes, understanding. He was better at acting than she had expected, which was good when it came to this moment.

She stood there in between the two men, looking out at that crowd of people, disgusted and angry. The golden glow still illuminated around her hand as she remained close to him. “You see, even your strongest has seen that this is the correct path.” The mans voice was soft but terrifying as it seemed to fill the air with ice. “You must make your choices now, follow me or suffer death.” His words echoed through the halls. She could do nothing but watch as the doors to the hall suddenly slammed shut, sealing themselves from exit. She hadn't expected it to go this way, she hadn't planned for this.

No one moved. “Death it is.” The other man said, his voice deep and distant. It didn't echo like the first man, it didn't carry itself with the confident gravitas. It was sharp, brutal, and in a way almost bored.

The groups of people, finally realizing what was happening started to rush for the doors. Her boyfriend stood there, looking to her for direction, but this time, she had none. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to save anyone and at this point she didn't think that she could. So she did what she was bound to do, what she was forced to do, the price for her request.

Red lights started shooting from the hands of both men, stabbing through people as if they were paper, one by one people were falling, dead. There was nothing that she could do except watch, she didn't have that power. Then then men turned to her and one reached out a white hand, touching gently on the arm. His skin was cold to the touch and sent shivers down her spine. Then suddenly something happened. She felt pain erupt through her hand, up her arm and into her head.

It was then that she saw it. Her boyfriend, collapsed on the ground. No dead, but wounded. The man didn't notice. He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to assess what had just happened. But it was too late. The golden glow around her hand shattered into pieces around the both of them then faded to nothing. Silence fell through the hall as people stopped trying to escape, as everyone turned to see what the burst of light had come from.

She smiled, she knew what had happened a split second before he did and she turned on him, her hand, glowing red, went straight through his chest. The other man had almost no time to react but was able to just pull her back after it was already too late. The first man collapsed, not dead, but mortally wounded. The brute held her by her shoulders, crushing her underneath his grip. Then she felt something surge in her and explode out without prompt, blowing him backwards and her forwards. She landed on her hands and knees, turning just in time to block the red glow from piercing through her own chest.

Her friends were by her side in almost an instant. “We thought you'd turned on us.”

“You think so little of me.” She said with a grunt as she stood up and raised both of her glowing red hands towards the two men that were now standing side by side in front of them. “You're curse is broken.” She called over the murmur in the crowd that was once again filling the hall.

“You dare defy me, child?” The white man said in a hoarse, pained voice. She noticed that he was looking even paler. She smiled as she stepped forward from her friends.

“Defy, betray, trick. Who's to say?” She laughed. Before she could attack, before anyone could attack, the two men glanced quickly around the room and then to each other before both disappearing in a puff of smoke. She waited until the smoke evaporated before turning to her friends, and in extension, to her boyfriend who was now standing, leaning against his sister. “That was a dumb move.”

“It worked, didn't it?” He said through bated breath. “Never said that he had to be the one to injure me.”

“I almost had him.”

“Plan B failed, onto Plan C.” He said with a pained shrug.

“More like Plan Q at this point.” She shook her head, taking him from his sisters grasp. “How many did we lose?” She looked around the hall to the bodies lining the floor.

“None.” Her boyfriend smiled as, slowly but surely, the bodies started disappearing into smoke. “Learned that myself from a few forbidden books.” He winked.

“You're not into making smart choices right now are you?”

“Eh, who's to say?” He said with a laugh. “Let's go home.”

[tghwriting]

7. No Regrets

The water gently splashing up onto her feet was cold, but Keely didn't mind. She sat there with her legs dangling over the dock side, her shoes sitting behind her. It was where she came to think, ti was the quietest place in town most nights. This night was no different. As she sat there she looked around at the lake, at the few cabins that lined the opposite side, the trees that seemed overgrown covering the other few that she could no longer see but knew were there. Including the old Prynn cabin, half burnt down, preserved like a grave, a reminder of that night so long ago.

The moon was the only light tonight, bright and full, shining down and reflecting choppily off the restless water of the lake. She stared at it, watching as the reflection changed with every tiny movement. It was relaxing just sitting there, peaceful.

Any other day she would have hoped for the crunch of leaves behind her, the gently rocking of the dock as she was greeted by Jason, with his long hair and deep laugh. But she wanted anything but that now, she wanted to be totally and utterly alone.

Her phone lit up next to her. Her twin brother Kyle's name appeared on the screen. She stared at it for a moment as it silently rang, before flipping the phone over and ignoring the call. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to be bothered. She had to think, she couldn't do that with anyone else around.

She laud back on the dock, looking up at the star-filled sky. This was it, this was what it felt like to be at peace, even if that feeling didn't last long. It was replaced by the same dread that she had felt before. The same dread that had led her out here in the first place.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, she lost herself in the movement of the stars, of the clouds. The sound of the water running over the rocky shoreline filled her ears, the only sound in the night.

The leaves behind her crunched, making her jumps up from her laying position. She turned around, pulling her feet back onto the dock and tucking her knees to her chest. Standing at the back of the dock wasn't Kyle, it wasn't Jason. It was Nick, her best friend and her brothers boyfriend. He stood there, head cocked to the side, his usually unkempt hair pulled back into a small bun.

“Thought I'd find you out here.” He smiled, stepping onto the dock and slowly walking over to her. He was in her baseball letter jacket, a black t-shirt, and gray school sweat pants. Just looking at him made Keely realize how cold it was out tonight and she shivered. He kicked off his sneakers when he got close to her before sitting down next to her and letting his sock covered feet dangle over the side of the dock to get wet from the sloshing water. “Kyle's worried about you.” He said after a long beat of silence. He didn't look at her, he kept his eyes focused on the other side of the lake, as if looking at her would cause her to run away from yet another conversation.

“He shouldn't be.” She shrugged, dropping her legs back over the edge of the dock and sliding closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She had thought the she wanted to be alone but she just didn't want Kyle or Jason to fine her. Nick was different. He wasn't going to make her feel worse.

“You know he told me what Uncle Sasha gave you.” He paused and finally looked over at her. “The letter.” She didn't meet his eyes, she fidgeted with her fingers and shivered again. He slid back for a moment to pull off his jacket and wrap it around her shoulders. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, holding her tight. “Do you wanna tell me what it said?”

“It was from my dad.” She said, her voice low. She tucked her head deeper into his chest and closed her eyes. “He left me something...something of my mom's.” Her voice shook as she spoke.

“That's good isn't it?” He asked, tilting his head down to rest atop hers, gently kissing her hair as he did. “Something of hers.”

“It's a house.” She blurted out the words before she could think about them. She sat upright and turned to look at him, pulling her legs back onto the dock and crossing them in front of her. She faced him and wrapped the jacket tighter around herself. “A house in LA.” She didn't meet his eyes as she spoke. He narrowed his at her. “He left this one to Kyle.” She finally said.

“What are you going to do?” He didn't take his eyes off her as he studied her face, trying to read any sort of emotion on it.

“I don't know what to do.” Her head hung there. She picked at the skin around her thumb nails, scratching the already raw skin. “What do you think I should do?”

“I think no matter what decision you make someone is going to be miserable, but you need to decide which one will make you happy.” He didn't want her to go but he knew that she was thinking about it and he knew that it was exactly what she needed, no matter who didn't want to hear that. “You shouldn't think about Kyle...or Jason...you have to think about yourself and only yourself. You know that right?” He reached out and grabbed her hands, stopping her from making them bleed.

“How can I not think about them? After everything that's happened....it's hard to no think how my decisions will affect them.” She was shaking, but he knew it wasn't from the cold anymore.

“Look, Kyle has me. I'll be here to make sure he doesn't try to off himself again...and Jason...Jason will understand. If he loves you like I know he does, he will understand.”

“No, he won't.” She finally looked up at him. “He's lost everyone....I don't know if he...” Her voice trailed off as she took in a few deep breaths to stop herself from crying again.

“He will probably be miserable for a while, but nothing he won't be able to work through. He won't be alone.” He smiled at her. “You need to do what's best for you.”

“I don't know what's best for me.” She sounded so defeated. That normal confidence, bordering on arrogance, that he had once known had melted away all at once and he looked at her. He really looked at her. He finally saw it, he saw that part of her that Kyle always saw, that he knew was there but had never seen for himself. He saw her mother in her.

He took in a long breath and nodded curtly. “Then take the summer to figure it out. Go, be in a new place, meet new people, get away from here. If you're scared of how he'll react then just go. Go tonight. Leave and see where this takes you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, shivering now in the chilly night air.

“What is it doesn't go well? What if it's the wrong choice?”

“Would you rather stay here and live in the shadow of everything that's happened? Or do you want to take a chance of being free of all of this.” He turned to fully face her, crossing his legs in front of himself, touching his knees to hers. “So many bad things have happened in this town, so many people died because of mistakes our parents made. Don't get yourself stuck here. You have a chance to really get out, to get away from it all.”

“I could just go back to Scotland with Sasha...” She looked away.

“You could...but is that what you want? Or do you want to have your own life.” He took her hands in his. “Sasha is great but you have to remember, that like your father, he sees too much of your mother in you and that isn't good. Don't you want to be somewhere where you can just be you, without those memories hanging over your head?”

She thought for a long moment. “I...I'm so tired.” she finally said, leaning forward and resting her head on his hands as they continued to grasp hers. “I can't be here anymore. I can't live around all of these memories. Of my mom. Of my dad. Of Melody. I can't do it anymore.”

“Then what's holding you back?” He narrowed his eyes at her, finally dropping her hands. She looked up at him. “Jason.” He understood.

“Leaving him last time was hard enough...”

“You're stronger than you give yourself credit.” He chuckled. “You've been through hell in this town, if you want to stay, then stay, but you're not going to be happy and you know it.” He slid back and started to stand up.

“I can take him with me.” She said, a glint of hope in her voice. But then it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “No, he wants to finish out at MHU. He won't want to come.”

“You could ask.”

She shook her head. “No, you're right.” She stood up and took his hand, sliding her sneakers back on her bare feet and bending back down to pick up her phone. “Tonight. Now.” She started down the dock, leaving him standing behind her for just a moment before he followed her in tow.

They walked back through the forest that led to her backyard. They walked silently, over broken branches and overgrown roots, until they were standing next to her family's barn. They both stopped and looked up at the house, lights were on in at least one room on all three stories. Everyone was awake, she knew that. She glanced to the house directly behind hers and she saw Jason, walking by his open bedroom window. She forced herself to look away and walk to her own house. Nick followed her and she silently opened the back door and slid into the kitchen.

The muffled voices of Sasha and her step-mother, Carol, could be heard from the living room. As she walked past the living room archway she could see them both sitting with their backs to her in front of the fireplace. She looked at them for a long moment, contemplating her decision. She looked over at Nick before nodding and slowly walking up the stairs.

“I can 'ear you!” Sasha's voice echoed through the hallway. Keely stopped halfway up the stairs and turned, walking back down. Sasha was standing at the archway now, arms folded across his chest, his bright red hair tucked behind his ears. “We were worried about you.” He looked at her through narrow green eyes. Then his gaze moved up the stairs to Nick, still standing halfway up. He nodded at him. “Glad you found her.”

“Dock, as usual, she really isn't that hard to fine.” He chuckled.

“Are you doing a'right, Wee Bit?” He asked, turning back to her, pushing off the wall and walking over to her still standing on the staircase.

“I'm fine.” She nodded. “I love you.”

He seemed taken aback for a moment by the sudden affection. “I love you too” He glanced back at Carol who shook her head. “Get some sleep.” He walked back over to Carol by the fireplace, glancing over his shoulder at Keely, the look of concern clear on his face.

Keely ran up the staircase this time, passing Nick as she did so.

“Keel!” Kyle's voice came from his bedroom at the top of the stairs as she ran past and into her own bedroom, slamming the door as she did. Kyle stepped out of his room and into the hall just as Nick stepped off the top step. “Nick?” He seemed almost shocked to see him standing there.

Keely sat on her bed for a minute, looking around her room, before she pulled a bag out of her closet and started to pack. She couldn't leave while everyone was awake, but she could get ready. Nick gently knocked on her door. “It's just me.” He whispered as he slowly opened her door and walked inside, closing it as he did. She already had her bag half filled as he sat on the edge of her bed. “I'm gonna miss you, you know that.”

“I know.” She stopped packing for a moment to look out of her window. Jason was still awake, still walking around his bedroom. She debating on calling him, on saying something to him, but she couldn't. She didn't know what she would say.

“I'm gonna go to bed, will I see you in the morning?” Nick stood up from her bed and walked over to her. She looked from her bag to him and shook her head. “Then be safe and please call when you get there.” He pulled her into a tight hug. After everything, after all they had been through together, this felt like an ending, a real ending. She held him tight, doing her best to memorize his scent, his grasp. He pulled away and smiled. “You should say something to Kyle. Don't leave without saying something.” She nodded, walking around him to leave her room, picking something up off of her desk that he couldn't see as she did.

Kyle was sitting on his bed when she walked in. He jumped as she closed his door behind her. She walked over and sat down next to him. “You know, I never gave you your graduation gift.” She handed him a small box.

He looked at her for a long moment before smiling and gently opening the wrapping. It was a small key-chain, a small rectangular picture of the two of them when they were about five, with their mom and dad Christmas morning. Kyle looked at it for a long while, smiling.

“I didn't get you anything.” He finally said, shaking his head. “I should have...this is so nice.” He couldn't stop looking at it.

“I'm glad you like it.” She touched his hand and gave it a small squeeze. “I love you.” She finally said before standing up and walking towards the door. “And I won't tell Carol and Sasha that you and Nick are sleeping together.” She chuckled.

“You just have to ruin the moment don't you?” He laughed as Nick appeared in the now open doorway. “Thanks, Keel. I love you too.”

“Good night.” She didn't look back at him. She met Nick's eyes as he walked past her though, nodding her goodbye to him. She didn't need to say it, he knew.

Everyone was asleep with the lights off by three in the morning. Keely had sat up waiting, watching as Jason's bedroom light turned off and her phone lit up with a 'good night' text. She sent him a 'good night' reply with a heart. He responded in turn with a single red heart. Carol was the next asleep, she could tell because the hallway light turned on and off as Carol made her way up to the third floor to her bedroom. Sasha was next, the guest room door across the hall from Keely opened and closed not long after the lights turned out. Kyle and Nick were last. She could hear them faintly talking through the wall of their bedrooms until just before three. Then it was just her.

She picked up her bag, hiking it up on her shoulder and started towards her bedroom door. She didn't need to take everything, she'd be back eventually. She made sure to grab her phone charger as she walked out of the room, sliding it into the pocket of her jeans and her envelope of graduation cash she had gotten earlier that day. She slowly closed her bedroom door, making sure to make as little noise as possible, and walked down the stairs.

She went into the kitchen before she left, grabbing a few bottles of water and some snacks from the fridge and cabinet for the drive. She pat her jean pockets, making sure her wallet was in there as she headed towards the front door and grabbed her keys from the hook on the wall. She turned around and looked at the house one last time, at the closed door to her father's office to her left, after letting out a long sigh she opened the door and stepped outside.

Her car was in the driveway, ready for her to go. She tossed her bag into the back seat as she sat down and locked the doors. She sat there for a bit, thinking, debating on if this was a good idea. On the passenger seat was the letter and the house key. She looked at it for longer than she she thought she should, going back and forth in her head about if this was a good idea or not. Then finally she started the car and drove off into the night. She didn't look back as she drove out of her neighborhood, down Main Street, past her father's law office, then finally past the “Thank You For Visiting Miller's Hallow” sign. It was when she was just out of town when she realized what she had done. She had left. She didn't know where she was going for the night, she didn't know how long it would take her to get there, but she was going. Just like that, every dark thing in that town was finally behind her, and for a moment, just a moment, she was happy.