The Fire Starter by Misty Wright, Summer Sauteur

glowing from afar. I shivered, taking a step back. The glow came closer as I hurried to take another step back. But there was something in my way.
    I had bumped into something--someone? I turned around to catch a blue light slowly dissipate right before my eyes. I swear it was hovering in mid air! "Who's there?"
    "Is that you, Kayleigh?"
    That voice. I can't be mistaken. "Kyle?"
    As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed that there were not only one, but two persons standing before me. Kyle and… "Blake."
    "Told you we'd find her here, this girl has a penchant for misadventures," Blake chuckled, reaching over to rumple my already messy hair.
    "Why are you outside at this time?" I asked, curious.
    "We're looking for you," Kyle answered, holding my arm to steer me back the way I've come. We didn't talk until we were outside the forest, and by then I was already shivering.
    Blake draped his jacket over my shoulders wordlessly as he took the flank and Kyle and I walked back to the bridge and into the castle. "Didn't I warn you before not to go to the forest?"
    "I was upset," I murmured, not in the mood to explain.
    "Kayleigh," Kyle looked toward my direction, already opening the front door. "You have to promise us not to go back there again. No matter how upset you are."
    "Why?"
    "Because it's dangerous. I told you I got lost there once, remember?" she looked at me with concern.
    The events of tonight and of last night came rushing back to me unexpectedly, and I couldn't help but break down. Fresh tears sprang from my eyes and I couldn't help them. They just kept coming unbidden. "Where else would I go then?" I asked in between sobs.
    Kyle draped his arm around me and patted my back. "You can always come to me. To us. You're our friend, remember?"
    Blake chimed in. "Yeah. You can even talk to me if you'd like. I swear I'll make you feel better," then, with a wink, he laughed.
    Kyle elbowed him and he shut up, feigning a serious mood. "You should go to bed."
    I nodded moodily.
    "Everything will be better in the morning," Kyle promised.
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    Did I believe that everything will be better in the morning? No. Was I right? Yes. It turns out, Spencer was gone the entire day, and so was Alice. They were probably out having fun somewhere. It was against the rules to leave school grounds except for select occasions, and as far as I knew, there was no special occasion whatsoever. And considering that Spencer had recently been suspended, I didn't think he would risk disobeying the rules blatantly.
    I guess this was supposed to be better for me, since I don't know how I would react with Spencer around. And it seems everyone else didn't too, as they kept throwing me strange glances when we sat together for lunch.
    Reid handed me a slice of cake saying he didn't feel hungry anymore, but I knew it's his way of making me feel better. I took the delectable cake without hesitation and savored every bit of it. Evan threw me worried glances, being the person who had experienced the tension last night between me and Spencer, but he didn't say a word. I know though that he had told everyone. That's the only reason they are affected.
    Even Xander, who usually paid me no attention, was hanging by every word I said, probably secretly eager to know how I was doing.
    "That tasted good," I said by way of thanking Reid. He nodded to me with a small smile on his lips, but he was looking at something taller behind me.
    I glanced around, and it proved to be a mistake. There was Spencer looking down at me, his full height towering over all of us who were sitting down. His hands were leaning on the arm of my chair, his brown eyes trained on me soberly. "Can I talk to you?"
    There was tension in the table. No one dared speak. It was enough torture for the uninvolved already. I have to step in. I stood up, leading the way for Spencer to follow. I wouldn't be talking to him in front of the others. When we finally reached the end of the hallway and the two