Whispering Pines

Whispering Pines is a coming-of-age story.Three characters reside in its heart-Jon Wright (aka Midnight), a soft-hearted, sentimental young man wise beyond his years, Claire, a beauty in the traditional sense who lacks confidence and feels invisible in a household with nine siblings, and most notably Bryn Wilson, a smart, promising adolescent, poised on the threshold of adulthoodThe story begins with Bryn looking to escape yet another argument between her self-absorbed mother, Charlotte, and her brother, Jack. Bryn heads toward Claire's house, but gets sidetracked. She is pre-occupied with the ever-present anxiety in her home life. Without thinking, she goes well past her friend's house and runs into Christian Bello. He invites Bryn to go downriver for the afternoon and she accepts. Over the course of that lazy, beautiful trip, Bryn falls hard for him, but for Chris, it is nothing more than the beginning of a summer romance. When September rolls around, Bryn is abandoned. She is undaunted by the breakup and sets her sights on reconciliation. She ignores his rejections and the advice of friends and sets her sights on getting him back at any cost. When Chris is falsely accused of a crime, he ultimately seeks the solace of Bryn's long-waiting arms. They spend more and more time with one another, which arouses suspicions in those around her. Her friends, classmates, neighbors, even Chris, wonder whether Bryn had something do to with his fate in an attempt to draw him back into her life. Chris is dragged down by his arrest, an impending trial and probable jail time, and he takes his own life.Bryn is haunted by Chris's death. There is little sympathy from her family or friends she thought she could count on for condolence. Bryn decides to leave the small town she loves and look for a place where she can hide, but running away doesn't provide the cloak or clarity Bryn seeks until Midnight reveals something that rocks her foundation and forces her to make decisions about who she is and who she wants to be.