I was nearly done, with just a few more items to put away. Most people would call it a day and leave it at that, but I was a compulsive person who liked everything to be in its place.

I knew I wouldn't be able to relax in my new room until the contents of the suitcases were completely unpacked.

My father had been offered a chance to work overseas for a couple of years. He worked as an English professor. My parents had discussed the possibility of me going with them but my grandmother, Anne, had offered to take me in while they were abroad. I'd been grateful even though it had entailed a move across country to the small town Anne called home.

Anne. I smiled as I thought about her.

She didn't like to be reminded about her increasing age so calling her granny or grandma was a definite no-no. She preferred to be called by her first name. She wasn't your typical grandmother who loved to bake and knit. No, still in her early sixties, she worked as a very successful investment consultant.

When I'd overheard my mother question her about retirement, Anne had shaken her head with a frown.

"Why retire when I still love what I do?" she'd shot back, and my mother had let the subject go.

She had the money to live anywhere she wanted but there was something about the small town she'd grown up in that made her refuse to live anywhere else. Even after my grandfather had died suddenly of a heart attack five years prior. She preferred to set up the appointments with her clients in the city where she traveled to when she needed to.

My room in my grandmother's house was bigger than my old bedroom and had been recently painted in a cream color. The dark-red curtains matched my dark-red comforter, which was folded neatly on my bed. My double bed stood in the middle of the room, with a dressing table and chair beside it.

The walk-in closet was quite big and I didn't really have enough clothes to fill it. I wasn't your 'typical' girl with loads of clothes and shoes. I wouldn't know fashion even if it hit me over my head. I loved simple clothes; no ribbons, no flowers and definitely no frills. I didn't even own a dress. My basic attire was jeans and simple T-shirts, which were generally paired with sneakers. Not to mention that I loved hoodies! My mom had given up trying to get me to wear dresses years ago.

Once I finished unpacking all of my stuff, I flopped down on my bed. I was exhausted, but at least everything had finally been put neatly in its rightful place. Just the way I liked it.

A glance out of the windows of my bedroom showcased the dark night above with stars sparkling down. It was getting late and I needed to get to bed to get some sleep.

Tomorrow would be my first day at my new school. I was starting my senior year and I wasn't looking forward to it. Making friends didn't come easily to someone who was shy like me. But at least I would know a few of the students from the occasional holidays visiting my grandmother through the years, although my last visit had been two years ago. Anne had come to visit us after that time.

I also missed the friends who I'd left behind, and even though we'd promised to stay in touch, it wouldn't be the same.

"Are you done?" Anne asked from my doorway, pulling me back to the present.

"Yes," I replied as I sat up, giving her a smile.

She returned the smile, showing the fine lines in her still beautiful face. Her silver-gray-blond hair was tied up in a ponytail and her warm blue eyes swept over my room.

"All settled in," she murmured.

"Yes, I am."

"Don't stay up too late," she reminded me, before she closed the door to my room.

I hadn't hesitated at the chance to live with Anne. Despite the fact I would miss my parents, I loved my grandmother and loved spending time with her. She was witty and funny. I also liked the fact that she never treated me like a child that should be seen and not heard. Instead, she'd treated me as an individual with likes and dislikes. She was interested in my thoughts and what I had to say.

My parents were all about rules and boundaries. It wasn't a bad thing but I liked the freedom I had with Anne.

When I'd first arrived, she'd sat me down in the kitchen.

"I'm not going to be one of those parent-type people who're going to police you," she'd stated. "Here I trust you until you prove I can't."

"Okay," I'd said, excited about my newfound freedom.

"Good. Don't give me a reason not to trust you," she'd added before helping me take some of my stuff to my room.

Feeling apprehensive about the year ahead, I walked over to my bedroom window.

There wasn't much happening in the town of White Cloud where I'd spent some holidays and where I now lived. It was surrounded by lots of dense forest. I knew it'd take some getting used to, living in such a small town after living in a big city. If I looked to the right, I could see the edge of the forest from the window. There were no houses on the opposite side of the street, just more forest. It was dark and, to be honest, a little scary.

Still staring out of the window, I saw a bright light flash through the dark trees —and then it was gone.

Had I imagined it? I rubbed my eyes and saw another flash of light within the forest, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

What the hell? I peered closer and waited for a few more minutes, but there were no more flashes of light. I tried to make some sense of what I'd seen, but I couldn't.

Maybe it really had been my imagination. I shook my head, waiting and watching for another ten minutes, but the forest remained dark and ominous. Had I really imagined it? There must have been some sort of logical scientific reason that would explain the light. It wasn't like it had been a flying saucer; it had just been a flash of white light.

Fireworks? But there had been no sound. No loud bang.

Thoughts of what I'd seen remained on my mind as I followed my nightly routine of getting ready for bed. I ran a brush through my shoulder-length blond hair and then climbed into bed. I switched off my lamp, and tried to close my eyes and get some sleep.

Wondering about my first day at my new school, I pulled my comforter over myself and drifted off into sleep, with no more worrying about the mysterious lights in the forest.

****************

The next morning, I opened my eyes even before my alarm clock went off. I was so nervous. I was hoping that the sooner I got to school and got my first day over with, the better I would feel. It didn't take me long to get dressed. I wore a pair of jeans with a plain blue T-shirt, black sneakers and my favorite gray hoodie. No matter what I wore, I was going to attract attention whether I liked it or not. This town was small and the high school didn't have a lot of students, so being the new kid was bound to attract attention.

My grandmother was already dressed for work. She wore a gray jacket over a white blouse and a gray skirt. She was seated in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee, when I came down. I'd inherited my grandmother's blond hair although hers was now going gray. She'd given up dying her hair and had decided to embrace growing old gracefully.

"Hi, sweetheart," she greeted with a big smile.

"Hi, Anne," I greeted back, giving her a quick hug. I got a smell of her soothing perfume, which helped calm my nerves.

"Are you excited about school?" she asked while I started to pour my cereal in my bowl and walked over to the fridge to get the milk.

"I'm a little nervous," I replied honestly, stirring my cereal. Suddenly I didn't feel very hungry. I was way too nervous to eat, but I forced myself to sit down and eat a couple of bites anyway.

"It'll be okay. You'll know some of the students there," she tried to reassure me before she took another sip of her coffee.

She was right. I would know some of them.

"I've got to go or I'll miss the bus," I said. I emptied my cereal into the trash, gave Anne a quick kiss on her cheek and grabbed my school bag, rushing out of the house.

Once I was outside, I put my earphones in and randomly selected a song from my iPod. The bus stop wasn't far from home. After about ten minutes of waiting, I got on the bus and headed toward school. As one of the songs from my latest playlist sounded through my earphones, I stared out of the bus and took in the scenery. Despite the tranquil music, I was slowly getting more nervous the closer we got to school.

I'd worked myself up into a bundle of knots by the time the bus stopped outside. It was an old building made out of stone, and had a big sign above the front entrance that read 'White Cloud High School.' I was still early, so there weren't that many students littering the hallways as I made my way to the office to collect my schedule. It was still hard to believe I was going to the same high school my mom had attended.