says.
"I don't think so," I say.
"What about John?"
"My brother? Are you crazy? He'd never let me come out if he knew."
"Meet me on the corner of Pincer and 44th Street," Jess says. "Half past nine. We'll get straight to the woods, and all being well we should be back out well before midnight. Do we have a deal?"
I nod.
"Wonderful," Jess says. "You know, Rose, I can feel it. There's something in those woods. After all the false starts, this could be when we get some proper evidence!"
"Sure," I say, already dreading being out so late on a crazy wild goose chase. But as Jess hugs me, I realize I have to go. For better or for worse, for reasons I can't even remember right now, Jess is my best friend, and I can't let her go into the woods alone. Forget mysterious lights: there are plenty of real dangers that need to be avoided, even in a small town like Dedston.
Sophie
Today
Adam leads the way out of town, down past the river and through the woods. Normally I'd be pretty wary of following a stranger into such an isolated area, especially after what's happened to me recently, but this guy has the kind of face it's easy to trust. Besides, I guess I need to take a few risks if I'm going to uncover the truth about Patrick, and I have a can of mace in my bag, just in case Adam tries anything.
After about a half hour walk, we come out of the woods near the beach, and I realize we're heading to the old lighthouse. "Is that where we're going?" I ask, looking straight ahead at the building.
"You wanted to see where they died, right?" Adam says as the wind picks up.
"I thought it happened at a house on Hoover Street?"
"No," he says with a knowing smile, "that's just where bits of the body were found."
It takes us another five minutes to get to the lighthouse. I know from my father's stories that this place has been abandoned since before I was born. There's a fence to stop people getting in, but over the years it's been worn down and Adam and I just stroll through. It's weird being here again, so many years after my father used to bring me out and let me explore.
"Want to go inside?" Adam asks.
"We can go inside?" I ask, a little surprised. My father always said the place was locked up tight.
Adam leads me to a small metal blue door, which he opens easily. We step into the lighthouse and find the floor of the large round entrance room is covered in rubble. Looking up, it appears the first floor has entirely collapsed at some point in the past, showering the ground floor with wood, metal and pieces of abandoned furniture. The place seems old and cold, as if no-one has been here for years. It also seems fragile, like it's just been left here to fall down of its own accord some day. Looking up, I can see all the way to the base of the light-tower that perches on top of the building.
"Spooky, huh?" Adam says. "I should warn you right now that this place is supposed to be haunted, if you believe that sort of thing."
"Have you been here before?" I ask, unable to stop looking around at the wreckage all over the floor.
"Sure," says Adam. "All the time. Me and some friends used to come here to hang out, smoke, that sort of thing. Not any more, though."
"Ever seen a ghost?"
He pauses. "No," he says, "but I know people who have. The two dead girls, Rose and Jess. People have seen their ghosts here. Again, that's only if you believe that sort of thing." He flashes a quizzical smile at me. "Do you?"
"I don't know," I say, honestly.
"The lighthouse was already abandoned when Rose and Jess died," Adam says. "It was abandoned a long time ago. There was... do you want to hear the gruesome details?"
I nod.
"There was blood everywhere. All over the walls, on the floors, on the steps. Jess Harper's body was just ripped to shreds. They found some of Rose's blood too, but not her body."
"So this is definitely where they died?"
Adam nods, before pointing to the other side of the room. "They found Jess's body spread all over
"I don't think so," I say.
"What about John?"
"My brother? Are you crazy? He'd never let me come out if he knew."
"Meet me on the corner of Pincer and 44th Street," Jess says. "Half past nine. We'll get straight to the woods, and all being well we should be back out well before midnight. Do we have a deal?"
I nod.
"Wonderful," Jess says. "You know, Rose, I can feel it. There's something in those woods. After all the false starts, this could be when we get some proper evidence!"
"Sure," I say, already dreading being out so late on a crazy wild goose chase. But as Jess hugs me, I realize I have to go. For better or for worse, for reasons I can't even remember right now, Jess is my best friend, and I can't let her go into the woods alone. Forget mysterious lights: there are plenty of real dangers that need to be avoided, even in a small town like Dedston.
Sophie
Today
Adam leads the way out of town, down past the river and through the woods. Normally I'd be pretty wary of following a stranger into such an isolated area, especially after what's happened to me recently, but this guy has the kind of face it's easy to trust. Besides, I guess I need to take a few risks if I'm going to uncover the truth about Patrick, and I have a can of mace in my bag, just in case Adam tries anything.
After about a half hour walk, we come out of the woods near the beach, and I realize we're heading to the old lighthouse. "Is that where we're going?" I ask, looking straight ahead at the building.
"You wanted to see where they died, right?" Adam says as the wind picks up.
"I thought it happened at a house on Hoover Street?"
"No," he says with a knowing smile, "that's just where bits of the body were found."
It takes us another five minutes to get to the lighthouse. I know from my father's stories that this place has been abandoned since before I was born. There's a fence to stop people getting in, but over the years it's been worn down and Adam and I just stroll through. It's weird being here again, so many years after my father used to bring me out and let me explore.
"Want to go inside?" Adam asks.
"We can go inside?" I ask, a little surprised. My father always said the place was locked up tight.
Adam leads me to a small metal blue door, which he opens easily. We step into the lighthouse and find the floor of the large round entrance room is covered in rubble. Looking up, it appears the first floor has entirely collapsed at some point in the past, showering the ground floor with wood, metal and pieces of abandoned furniture. The place seems old and cold, as if no-one has been here for years. It also seems fragile, like it's just been left here to fall down of its own accord some day. Looking up, I can see all the way to the base of the light-tower that perches on top of the building.
"Spooky, huh?" Adam says. "I should warn you right now that this place is supposed to be haunted, if you believe that sort of thing."
"Have you been here before?" I ask, unable to stop looking around at the wreckage all over the floor.
"Sure," says Adam. "All the time. Me and some friends used to come here to hang out, smoke, that sort of thing. Not any more, though."
"Ever seen a ghost?"
He pauses. "No," he says, "but I know people who have. The two dead girls, Rose and Jess. People have seen their ghosts here. Again, that's only if you believe that sort of thing." He flashes a quizzical smile at me. "Do you?"
"I don't know," I say, honestly.
"The lighthouse was already abandoned when Rose and Jess died," Adam says. "It was abandoned a long time ago. There was... do you want to hear the gruesome details?"
I nod.
"There was blood everywhere. All over the walls, on the floors, on the steps. Jess Harper's body was just ripped to shreds. They found some of Rose's blood too, but not her body."
"So this is definitely where they died?"
Adam nods, before pointing to the other side of the room. "They found Jess's body spread all over
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