The Tunnels

The Party

Lisa is at her best friend's party. If she was being honest with herself she'd admit that she was more than a little jealous. With their perfect life, and their money. It seemed her best friend, Mary, had it all. A dad who adored her, a mother who let her live her life and got her whatever her heart desired. Lisa sighed and walked out onto their balcony (that's right this house had a HUMONGOUS balcony, perfect for having a selfish little moment to yourself amidst your best friend's 17th birthday party). 

This was the first year in a long time they hadn't shared a birthday, they were only a year and one week apart, but Lisa wanted to turn 18 on her own this year. Next week she'd be getting in her car to escape this little town for the last time. She had saved up to buy a van and had found a remote job, being the middle (wo)man for a sales company. 

She snapped out of her escapism reverie just in time to notice a tall shadow standing under the lone willow tree in her nest friend's massive backyard. It served as an entrance marker to the hedge maze that took up a hefty chunk of the garden below. She leaned onto the balcony rails and raised her hand above her eyes, squinting to try to assess who this stranger was. He stepped out from the shadows momentarily to reveal himself to be a tall dark haired boy with light blue eyes (if she had to guess from way over here) and a seemingly pale complexion, quite thin too. He raised his hand in an awkward greeting and she involuntarily raised hers back. She opened her mouth to shout some sort of hello but he'd quickly darted into the maze, which was overgrown enough now that she couldn't see him even from where she stood on the second floor balcony. Before she could decide whether or not she should alert someone or follow him she heard a deep voice interrupt her thoughts. 

She spun around to see her best friend's father had come up behind her and was now squinting in the direction she'd been looking. She glanced back, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. "Lisa, Mary has asked if you'd still like to blow out the candles with her. More like begged, you know my little girl... What are you doing out here?" 

Lisa caught her breath and nodded "I was just getting a bit of air, enjoying the view of the garden" Lisa waved her hand behind in the general direction of the yard, "but yes, I'll be right there." 

Mary's father paused, looking at her intensely and the garden before sighing a response "yes, I'm sorry we do tend to do too much at these parties. Personally I like the affairs to stay more private but Mary loves to invite every person she knows here to share in her luxury." 

Lisa chose to keep her face even, and assume he didn't mean that in a backhanded way. 

"Anyway, we'll do the candles in about 10 minutes, they're in the den." With that he walked back into the house and shut the door to the balcony behind him. 

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and glanced once more to the garden. She thought she could see a mop of dark black hair and eyes looking towards her from the center of the maze, but it was too far to tell. She shivered and went back inside.