There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to our friends .
Spotlight
High school is torture for Steven Walthurst, and home isn’t a whole lot better. The only place that offers respite is an abandoned tree house at the edge of town. But something lurks in the nearby woods, and the long line of elm trees has a clear message for Steven: keep out. Then one day, Steven finds a little girl lying unconscious, perilously close to the woods. As the two get to know one another, Steven experiences real friendship for the first time—and gets closer than ever to knowing the darkness that skulks between the trees. He dedicates himself to keeping his new friend safe, but the tranquility of their fragile hidden world doesn’t last long. When an act of cruelty pushes Steven to his limits, his secrets—and those of the dark woods—come close to unraveling, threatening to destroy the one thing making his teenage life bearable. Can Steven save everything he’s built from crumbling under the pressure? This story will tug at your heartstrings as the characters experience friendship, abuse, mistrust, and deliverance. |
Excerpt
Steven stuffed a plastic container filled with chicken sandwiches into his backpack, zipped it, and slung it over his shoulders in three rapid movements. He clenched his teeth in concentration, trying to ignore the white noise of his momma’s voice droning on and on. Fat drops of sweat formed on his forehead and trickled down his eyebrows. He had to get out of there. Fast.
“That’s right, Stevie! Run. Run just like your pa did. Don’t give a damn about me!” his momma’s voice shrilled in the background. “One of these days I’m gonna find out where it is you keep running off to. ’Cause I know it’s not the library!” She glared at him. “You’re just like him, Stevie. Good for nothing! I had a good-for-nothing husband and he left me with a good-for-nothing son!”
Steven walked to the door, pulled it open and slammed it shut after him, muffling his momma’s voice in the house. The mild, sweet smell of hyacinths and freshly cut grass in the wind helped calm his nerves. Soon spring would come to an end, exchanging the temperate weather for harsh summer heat. He took a moment to suck in a generous amount of the cool air and looked around to see if anyone was watching before half sprinting to his tree house.
He hated doing that to her. Hated running out on her, especially knowing she’d equate him to his pa. But he also hated being with her when she was like that. Soon her hands would do all the talking and he had no intention of being there when that happened. He figured someday, when he was less terrified and his blood had stopped boiling, he’d stick by her. Keep quiet until she’d fully vented and then reason with her with kindness in his voice. He’d calm her down and hug her until she didn’t want to scream anymore. But as long as he was still fifteen, running was all he was willing to do. Just like his pa.
He’d been walking the exact same dirt path through the town for three years. It was always the same route, past the same cherry trees, the same dated houses and chickens. He didn’t exactly know how far the path led since he always turned down a narrow trail just before the creek. The place he needed to be in was about a mile from his momma’s house and it took him exactly eighteen minutes to get there.
After passing through the town’s main street, Steven took the dirt path and crossed a short wooden bridge. He skipped across a few missing planks, then turned left into a wide clearing. The sight of the sturdy old oak tree in the center was all he needed to relieve the tension building at the base of his skull.
Check it out at:
Please Click "Read More" or "Read in Browser" for Today's LIST
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|