There were few things more terrifying than people excited at nine in the morning. Unfortunately, the sports hall was crawling with them, all hoping to lure innocent victims to their stall and assault them with a sales pitch and free pens.

"Hi!" called one girl. "Do you want to be part of the future?"

The girl smiled, waving a gift bag like a dog treat. Kaiya recoiled, staying firmly in the centre of the aisle as the girl moved her smile to another target.

Ashley snorted beside her. "You realise they're not going to kidnap you, right?"

"We don't know that. Have you seen Taylor once since we got here?"

"No, but she lives for this kind of thing. She will have shaken a hundred hands and filled two bags with freebies by now."

Kaiya groaned. Ashley was right - Taylor would be taking full advantage of the careers fair despite already having a plan in place for when they finished college in a few months. Even Ashley had a plan.   

"Come on, at least put your name badge on," said Ashley, holding out the offending item.

Ashley had written the sticker for her, claiming Kaiya's hastily scrawled name did not constitute a whole-hearted attempt. Unlike her effort that merely read 'Kaiya' this sticker said 'Hi, I'm Kaiya Parks' and dared to include a smiley face. Kaiya attached the sticker to her hoodie, drawing in a deep breath. She could get through this. Students filled every inch of the hall and she was just one of the crowd.

They wandered around the stalls though Kaiya shied away from approaching any. If any of the reps did attempt to make contact their attention was usually on Ashley, particularly the university reps. It never ceased to amaze her how the people running these stalls looked like they came straight from a reality show; perfect hair, the latest fashion and smiling as if they were happy to see you. Unlike Kaiya, Ashley fit right in with these people. Where she was short Ashley was tall - and fortunate to be effortlessly good-looking. With her bright blue eyes, curly blond hair and cheerful personality she drew attention everywhere they went. Some people might have been jealous to have such a friend but to Kaiya it was a relief. No one ever looked twice at her and Ashley handled all forms of socialising.

“Any ideas where you want to start?” asked Ashley.

“Not really.”

“There’s plenty to look at,” said Ashley. She glanced around the hall and the stalls crammed into every corner of the room. “This is busier than the last one.”

Since Christmas student life had become an endless cycle of career fairs and decision making. Teachers were drilling them for their post-college plans and lessons were a minefield of exam preparation and interview techniques. It was no surprise to anyone that Taylor had her life organised but when Ashley announced her university plans Kaiya knew she could put it off no longer. If her friend who flitted from one thing to another like a bee pollinating flowers could commit to a course of action then she should be able to find something in this hall that interested her.

"Miss Parks, it's good of you to join us."

Kaiya winced, reluctantly turning to face the careers advisor she'd evaded for most of the year. A subtle glance around her confirmed the worst; a university stall had drawn Ashley in, leaving Kaiya at the mercy of Mrs Dakon. Most of the teachers at Tynewood College were relaxed. Called by their first names rather than the 'miss' or 'sir' used in high school they generally left students to get on with their work. Mrs Dakon was the exception. A sharp bob of grey hair framed her face, and she wore the standard blouse and skirt combination favoured by all teachers of a certain age. Mrs Dakon had served as the careers advisor at Tynewood College for over thirty years, though legend said she'd been here much longer.

"In all my years I haven’t met a student who's gone to such great lengths to avoid me."

"I've not been avoiding you, miss."

"Really? It must be a coincidence you haven't attended either of your scheduled meetings with me."

Kaiya shifted from foot to foot. "Just bad timing I think."

Mrs Dakon lifted her clipboard, placing her glasses on the end of her nose. "Hmm, bad timing you say? Interesting, given you haven't attended any of the five careers fairs this year, or the CV writing workshops and interview prepping sessions."

"I'm sure I've been to some of them," said Kaiya, heat creeping into her face.

"My records are quite accurate," said Mrs Dakon. She peered over the rim of her glasses, her sharp eyes cutting through Kaiya. "The only career planning you've engaged in this year has been during your scheduled lessons and I suspect 'bad timing' might have afflicted you then if you'd known in advance"

"Well…I'm here now."

"Quite so. Though you don't appear to have picked up many leaflets."

Upon reflection, it might have been better to grab a few leaflets. Not to read, but to use as a shield against well-meaning teachers and Mrs Dakon. The only evidence she had of actually attending the event was her name badge. Before she could present the meagre evidence to Mrs Dakon another voice caught her attention.

"Kaiya!" called Taylor, weaving through the crowd. "I wondered where you and Ashley were. Good morning Mrs Dakon."

"Hello dear," said the older woman. "I trust you're enjoying the event?"

"Yes, thank you." said Taylor "It's even bigger than the last one. I don’t think I’ve seen some of these recruiters before?"

"It's better to have variety. You never know what might catch someone's eye"

Kaiya breathed a sigh of relief as her friend distracted Mrs Dakon. Unlike Kaiya, Taylor was organised to the last detail. She’d been working on her career plan for years and knew exactly what direction she wanted to go in. Events like this were opportunities to network for Taylor - it was little wonder she was one of Mrs Dakon’s favourites.

“Perhaps you’ll have better luck convincing Kaiya of the benefits of these events than I have,” said Mrs Dakon.

“I’ll certainly try,” said Taylor.

The woman’s eyes flicked between them before landing on Kaiya. “I’ll arrange a meeting for next Friday. That should give you enough time to think about what you want to do after college. Like it or not the future always arrives eventually, and it’s far better to have a plan in place when it does.”

Kaiya’s heart sank. “Yes, Mrs Dakon.”

“And take this.” She pulled a sheet of paper from the back of her clipboard and handed it over. “It’s a SWOT analysis to help you identify your strengths and areas for improvements. Complete that and bring it to our meeting along with any ideas you have for a post-college plan. One way or another I’ll get you on track.”

“Oh. Right,” said Kaiya, holding the paper as if it might bite her. “Thank you.”

Mrs Dakon cast a final glance between them before nodding sharply. “Very good.”

As soon as she was out of sight Kaiya’s shoulder’s slumped. “Couldn’t you have rescued me five minutes ago?”

“You wouldn’t need rescuing if you didn’t hide from her,” said Taylor.

“Where’ve you been hiding anyway? Me and Ashley have been going in circles around this thing and not seen you anywhere.”

“I’ve been talking to the reps at the stalls. If you went near any of them you’d have probably seen me.”

“You sound a lot like Mrs Dakon.”

Taylor shrugged. “She’s right. You won’t find what you want if you don’t look for it.”

With Mrs Dakon gone Kaiya turned her full attention to Taylor and realised two things. Firstly that arguing with Taylor was pointless unless she had logic to support her argument - Taylor was rational to a fault. Secondly that she might have underdressed for the careers fair.

Kaiya shook her head. “Why are you wearing a suit?”

“This is a professional event,” said Taylor, lowering her voice. “There are recruiters here!”

“You’ve already got the apprenticeship.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t network.”

Wearing a deep grey pant suit that complimented her straight black hair and dark complexion, Taylor could have been one of the recruiters rather than a student. Glancing around the packed hall Kaiya realised Taylor's style might not be completely out of place. Few of the students had gone as professional as Taylor but most of them were dressed smartly at the very least. Was that why Mrs Dakon had been looking at her so critically? Ripped jeans and a hoodie might not have been the best choice this morning, but she hadn't wanted to come in the first place.

"No one told me we were supposed to dress up," said Kaiya.

"Relax, it's not a requirement. At least you're here."

"I haven't been avoiding this."

Taylor patted her shoulder. "You don't need to convince me. Since you're here we might as well have a look around - there must be something that interests you."

As pleased as she was to see Taylor, Kaiya knew her fate was sealed. For weeks Ashley and Taylor had been dropping hints that she should come to the careers fair and she'd finally caved in. The end of term was fast approaching and time was running out to get something in place for next year.

"You're right," said Kaiya, sighing. "I do need to look around."

"Don't worry, I'll help you," said Taylor. She glanced around, her eyes landing on Ashley still chatting to a group of student reps. "Should we rescue her?"

"I think the reps are more in need."

Extracting Ashley from the group of university students proved difficult given she'd already signed up for four different societies.

"Did you even apply to that university?" asked Taylor.

"I didn't, but maybe I should have," said Ashley, pursing her lips.

Taylor sighed, her bag of free pens rattling. "You should focus on your first choice."

"So many choices. There are things I like about that one I don't like about my main choice."

"But you've already decided."

"Things change."

Not again. The three of them were close friends and had been since high school, but Ashley and Taylor differed in every way imaginable. If Taylor made a choice she stuck with it, whereas Ashley wanted to try everything and changed her mind like the weather. Stuck between them as they moved from stall to stall Kaiya found herself trapped in a battle between head and heart.

"Go with your gut," said Ashley, "whatever feels right in the moment."

"Analyse the pros and cons. Does this choice help you towards your future goals?" said Taylor.

On and on it went. The only thing Taylor and Ashley agreed on was that Kaiya needed to visit every stall in the hall and marched her around the event like a police escort. Escape was hopeless. It was nearing midday when they completed the circuit. Kaiya had acquired a Tynewood College tote bag overflowing with leaflets and freebies, along with a desperate desire to leave.

"It wasn't so bad," said Ashley.

Taylor nodded. "Did anything jump out at you?"

Kaiya's heart lurched at their hopeful faces. Both were concerned she was drifting towards the end of the year without a plan and their care meant everything - but it didn't quell the nausea that rolled through Kaiya at the prospect of the future. How was she supposed to choose a career when she couldn't decide what cereal she wanted for breakfast?

She forced a smile for her friends. "There's a lot to look through."

"Take your time to go through the details. What looks good or bad on the surface might be quite different the deeper you look into it," said Taylor.

"Try something totally new if you're not sure," said Ashley. "University can be great for that."

Taylor shook her head. "It's a waste if you're not committed to what you're doing."

"It's open-ended," said Ashley. "You've decided on a business apprenticeship but you could be bored of that in five years, then what?"

"In five years I'll have a degree and plenty of paid experience in an excellent company. I'll either have or be working towards a masters degree."

"What if you get bored? A range of different experiences would be better..."

For once Kaiya was grateful for their debate. They barely noticed as she bid them goodbye and slipped out of the stuffy sports hall. Students crowded the steps as Kaiya squeezed through them and into the fresh air. The careers fair had grown quieter as the morning wore on and it was easy to see why. After weeks of rain the weather had taken a sudden turn for the better. It was early spring but the heat was enough to think summer had arrived early, and no one was going to complain about the improvement.

Laden down with both her backpack and new tote bag Kaiya navigated around the groups of students taking advantage of the good weather. As a final year student her timetable wasn't as intense as first-year students, supposedly giving her more free time to study. Having only gone in for the careers fair Kaiya had the rest of the day to herself. It wasn't a pleasant thought but sooner or later she'd have to go through the mountain of leaflets she'd acquired and fill in the SWOT analysis for Mrs Dakon. It was foolish to think she could avoid the woman indefinitely - sooner or later Mrs Dakon always caught up to you.

The early afternoon sun warmed Kaiya as she trudged through the college gates and into the streets. Just because she had to do some career planning didn't mean she couldn't make it more bearable, and there was only one place to get her thoughts in order.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky as Kaiya wound through the streets, with the sun melting away her stress. There were several parks dotted around Tynewood but High Valley Park was by far the most popular. The park itself was huge with an extensive playground and large pond, but the real attraction lay just beyond the park. Tynewood forest spread for miles across the hills and valleys North of the town. A river ran east through the forest travelling down from the hills to the west and breaking into streams amongst the dense foliage of the forest. To Kaiya there was nowhere in the world that compared to it. The forest combined with the untamed natural landscape to create a place full of mystery - with plenty of places to hide from the world.

She turned right at the crossroads, her footsteps getting lighter as she wandered through the familiar park gates. The sound of children playing stirred nostalgia for her childhood, particularly as she passed the play area. How many times had she climbed too high and got stuck on the old rope frame?

Groups of pensioners crowded the benches, some with young grandchildren at their feet. Ducks waddled in and out of the pond, captivating the young and old alike. Kaiya carried on past them until she reached the tree line that marked the start of the forest. Almost at once she felt at home. Dozens of different paths ran through the forest, and Kaiya ignored all of them.

Instead of following the well-worn path she cut off halfway along and branched left into the trees. Like Tynewood town the forest ran over natural peaks and valleys creating plenty of hidden paths and adding depth to the forest. The earth crunched under foot as she weaved between the trees, following a path she knew too well. The sound of cyclists and loud groups of teenagers drifted to her, but the noise soon faded as she moved deeper into the trees. Ahead of her, two trees crossed each other. From the top you would never know their trunks cut across each other, but to Kaiya the crossed trees formed an archway to her favourite place. Ducking beneath the crossed trees Kaiya moved to the bank beyond them and scrambled up the incline. She emerged onto a small bank shaded by a great old tree. From here the rest of the forest spread out before her. Leafy tree tops filled the valley below with traces of the river sliding between them.

The forest was full of scenic views but this was by far her favourite; a quiet place to think with the whisper of the river keeping her company. Sinking to the ground at the base of the tree Kaiya took a final moment to enjoy the gentle breeze and the shafts of sunlight breaking through the leaves. It was a perfect afternoon to enjoy the escape the forest provided and if it wasn't for the tote bag overflowing with leaflets Kaiya might have done so.

She sighed, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a notebook. Some progress needed to be made in planning her post-college life, if only to keep Mrs Dakon at bay. The thought of dumping all the leaflets and free pens in the nearest bin remained a tempting prospect.

For the next few hours she laboured over her notebook, undisturbed in her tiny piece of forest. Time lost all meaning as she worked with the rustle of leaves and twittering of birds fading into comforting background noise. Settling back against the tree to review her afternoon's work Kaiya found an empty SWOT analysis and an intricate doodle of herself being abducted by aliens.

She groaned, dropping her head against the trunk of the tree - why was this so difficult? All she had to do was choose a stupid career and stick with it until she died. Everyone else managed to do it. Reluctantly she flipped to a clean page in her notebook determined to make a proper effort before going home. No more daydreaming; no more distractions.

Thump.

Her head jerked up at the sound.

Thump.

That wasn't a usual forest sound. Another thump followed, and then another building up in tempo to a steady rhythm. It stopped as suddenly as it started. Kaiya settled against the tree, turning her focus back to the notebook in time for it to start again. The thumps began slow and then built in tempo. Curiosity washed through Kaiya, tempting her mind like chocolate tempted her stomach. She glanced between her notebook and the trees surrounding her.

Kaiya wavered for a moment before cramming her notebook into her backpack and stuffing the leaflets back into the tote bag. Finding the source of the noise was the only way she would be able to concentrate on her vitally important career planning. How could she decide her future when the tranquillity of her favourite place was being disturbed?

Heaving her backpack onto her shoulders and grasping the tote bag of destiny Kaiya staggered to her feet and set off through the trees in the direction of the noise. In her mind, Kaiya moved with the stealth of a jungle cat stalking its prey. In reality, she stumbled over every branch she came across, lurching left and right until the sound got louder. The only thing she was certain of was the rhythm. It started with about two seconds between each thump before increasing in tempo until the thumps pounded together. It fell silent after that before the cycle started again a few moments later.

She was close to giving up when her path through the trees brought her to a ledge overlooking a small clearing below. The thumping sound was closer but it was the sight in the clearing that caught Kaiya's attention. Dropping to a crouch, Kaiya inched forwards until she was kneeling behind a row of leafy bushes that covered the ledge. Below her, a boy knelt in the long grass with his back towards the ledge. Finding another human in the forest was hardly a discovery but finding someone so transfixed by a tree was. The boy looked about her age with dark hair in soft spikes covering his head. He wore a check shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and grey trousers.

Disappointment spread through Kaiya as she realised what the boy was doing. From the back, he appeared to be transfixed by a tree about six feet in front of him but as he adjusted his position Kaiya glimpsed a camera in his hands. There was no sign of anyone else around and while the thumping had gotten marginally closer there was still no obvious source of it. Kaiya had no idea what she'd expected to find but she'd hoped it would be something more exciting than a boy doing photography. She turned her attention to the tree. There was nothing particularly unique about it. Like the surrounding trees, it was tall with a thick trunk and branches tangling amongst the leaves of its neighbours.

The rational part of her mind, which sounded suspiciously like Taylor, urged Kaiya to return to her tree and continue staring at leaflets. It would be the responsible thing to do. Following a strange noise deep into the forest had been a stupid idea anyway. Who knew what she could have come across? Kaiya turned on her knees, hoping to leave as quietly as she came when a voice called up to her.

"Are you alright up there?"

Her head jerked up of its own accord, both giving away her position and allowing her to see the boy had stopped his photography and now stood below her hiding place.

"I'm fine!" she called. Kaiya scrambled to her feet, clutching her tote bag like a shield. How could she be so stupid?

"Are you sure? I saw you in the bushes and..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and looking as awkward as Kaiya felt.

"Oh. I was just....um." Kaiya fumbled for an explanation that didn't sound creepy. What possible activity would be a valid excuse for lurking in a bush? Could she get arrested for this? The headline flashed before her eyes ' Seventeen-year-old girl arrested for lurking at local park'. Oh God, she was a creeper. The kind of person parents warned their children about.

"Why were you staring at the tree?" she asked. This was a good tactic. Move the topic to his strange behaviour rather than hers.

"I was just practising," he said, shifting on the spot. "My name is Benji by the way."

What was the proper etiquette for lurkers? Kaiya had done many embarrassing things in her life but being caught spying in a bush was rapidly moving to the top of the list. Before she could come up with a fake name and an escape plan something caught her eye across the clearing.

A slither of green shot upwards through the tree Benji had been staring at only minutes before. Her mouth went dry. That wasn't normal, but neither was the sky. It was mid-afternoon in spring; there should have been a few more hours of daylight left. Now the sun was rapidly disappearing, hidden by an inky blackness that spread across the sky and bathed the forest in shadows. Kaiya shivered, a sudden chill running through her as the heat of the day disappeared.

Benji had noticed too, but he was staring past Kaiya. She twisted on the spot, in time to see a slither of bright green moving upwards through the tree to her right.

"Argh!" she said, taking a stumbling step back.

"Hang on," called Benji.

Kaiya couldn't have moved if she wanted to, her legs had turned to jelly beneath her. Benji scrambled up the bank, pulling himself onto the ledge beside her as Kaiya realised the thumping sound had stopped.

"This isn't right," she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Benji was tall and lanky as he stood next to her. "I don't understand. It was still light a few minutes ago."

It was as if night had fallen all at once, snuffing out the light and heat that should have been there. Benji glanced around the clearing, the horror on his face mirroring her own. Within seconds the forest had fallen into unnatural darkness. The only source of light was the streaks of green now running upwards from the ground and through all of the trees around the clearing. They slithered upwards like luminous snakes, with each streak followed swiftly by another.

"There's no sound," said Benji.

"The thumping stopped too," said Kaiya, swallowing thickly.

"It's too quiet..."

Benji might be a stranger she'd been spying on minutes before but Kaiya was increasingly certain he was the only other living thing in the forest. The once blue sky was completely dark now, and the forest had frozen around them. There was no rustle of leaves or tweeting of birds. Even the comforting trickle of the river in the distance had stopped.

"We should go," said Benji. He took a step back from the ledge, glancing at the trees behind them. The only light was the slithers of green going through the tree trunks and Kaiya had no idea where they were in the forest. Following the thumping sound had distracted her enough that she'd left her familiar paths far behind. Benji turned to face her, offering his hand.

There was no choice but to trust Benji. Whatever was happening in the forest wasn't natural and she didn't want to be left alone here. She reached for his outstretched hand as the forest erupted around them.