Never Trust A Silent Night (On Hold Momentarily)

Chapter 1: Simple Beginnings

It was strange to leave the place I had called home for the past sixteen years of my life. Watching the city lights fade away, each one burning like a bright electric star in the distance.

I was furious the day my father, Simon, told me that we were moving, then even more furious when he told me we were going to live in a tiny little house in a middle of nowhere town called Solstice Peaks. How could he do this to me?

Leave all my friends, all the special places that we would always hang out at. Even worse then that, we moved two days before summer vacation! Which meant I would have to try and figure out my new school in two days time. I was especially thrilled about that.

Probably the only thing that helped me end up accepting my fate was the fact that my amazing best friend, Tammy, tried to help me look at the positives. Which there wasn't very many. Since the town had one supermarket, two gas stations, city hall and a library. Oh, and don't forget the post office! Which you'll surely need since you're so far out, half the time there's no signal. But, she did mention that it would help me with loosing my grandfather. You see, it was his house we were moving into, left to us in his will. It was same house my dad grew up in and he thought it would be a good experience for me to spend my last years with them in the house of my dad's upbringing.

I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I felt someone gently shake my shoulder. One of my green orbs cracked open, looking up at my father, that cheerful smile of his, crinkling the laugh lines around his matching green eyes. "Come on, Willow. We're here" he walked away and I heard the trunk open, then the sound of our suitcases hitting the gravel driveway that lead up to the house.

I carried my suitcase inside, each room I walked past filled with boxes and some furniture. The moving people had come the day before and left everything we owned here for us, which meant a lot of unpacking for me. I went up the stairs and pushed open the door to the room that had been my room during the times I had visited.

The faded blue walls and familiar smell of mothballs and pine hit me as the door slowly swung open. The painting of sunflowers I had done in middle school still hung on the wall above the four post bed I had slept so many nights in. I dropped my suitcase by the door and tossed my bag onto the bed, walking to the window and throwing the curtains open.

The sun was resting high above the forest, dark shadows casting across the yard. There was always something so mysterious and ominous about those woods. I could never sleep with the curtains open, it felt like something was watching me if they were. It was silly though, just the imagination of a little girl. I had gotten past it long ago.

There was the loud crash of glass breaking downstairs and I heard string of curses. My father had to be the biggest klutz alive. You could almost hear the faint sound of Taps playing each time another poor dish lost it's life.

I rushed down the stairs to find him tip-toeing around a shattered plate He looked up and gave a faint smile, "Butterfingers strikes again" he lightly laughed, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, "How about I unpack the breakable things, ok? I don't know how I'm supposed to find anything to clean this up with in all these boxes..." I let out a soft sigh. This was going to be a long day

I flopped down onto the couch, letting myself sink in to the familiar, worn leather cushions. The sun had vanished below the horizon long ago. We had been unpacking boxes for hours -Without any other accidents- and finally had some semblance of a livable home.

I brushed a stray strand of my red hair that had come loose of my ponytail away from my face as I contemplated what was next. Now that todays battle was over, tomorrow I would have to deal with an even bigger one, Solstice Peaks High School. Not only was the name incredibly unoriginal, but it was also a small school. Which meant I was going to stick out like a sore thumb, not really very happy about that part. I don't think anybody ever wants to be "The new kid", but I was just going to have to make the best of this.