The Mystery of Lake Bright.

Night descended quickly and by six o’clock everything was shrouded in blackness. It hadn’t taken long for Beth’s mother to arrange her things, a few of her artworks now resting on the walls looked out of place, to bright-to happy, but it gave Beth a little comfort to see the abstract landscapes she had grown up with.

By six thirty Beth was still having trouble sorting her room. It was small and damp with a slight smell of mint, mothballs and something else strange that she couldn’t describe. She was grateful for the small window that over looked the property, if it wasn’t there she would have felt caged, like an animal. Even with it held slightly ajar by one of her novels she still worked hard to fight off the sense of claustrophobia that pulsed through her.

She didn’t have much in the way of possessions, she never had, and so when she arranged her porcelain horses on the wonky wooden dresser she couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself. She looked up from the fragile horses to find herself staring at her reflection, her appearance startled her. Her pallid cheeks were sunken in while her eyes were rimmed with redness, she brought a bony hand to her thin lips that were held slightly apart. While she ran a finger across the cracks of her lower lip she noticed a mass of brown hair covering the left side of her face. It was tangled right down to her waist.

Suddenly her mother’s voice rang throughout the house, “Beth, dinners ready,” she cooed.

Beth jumped at the sudden break of silence but corrected herself and without a word made her way to the kitchen. She found her mother dancing around, shaking her hips and occasionally raising her hands to the ceiling. Her curly blond locks bounced around her neck despite being restrained by an electric blue tie dyed scarf wrapped around her head. Beth couldn’t help but laugh at the woman in front of her and wondered how she was in anyway related to her.

They sat at the two seater dining table and feasted on noodles and toast, “excited about school tomorrow?” she asked Beth who paused with a fork full of noodles halfway to her mouth.

“I suppose it could be interesting…” she mumbled, “it can only get better after the last one you made me go to.”

“Honey if you act different that’s how people are going to treat you. Maybe this time you should try and be nice, smile and make the most of it.”

Beth placed her fork down beside her half eaten dinner, “I don’t want to change mom, for people who don’t like me in the first place. They aren’t worth my time, I’m going to bed.”

“Beth it’s only seven…” her mother began, but gave up when she saw that all too familiar look on her daughters face, she had had enough.

Beth stood abruptly and retreated to her room leaving her mother feeling slightly jaded. She didn’t bother turning on the light when she entered, instead she simply fell into the middle of her bed and sat cross legged, staring longingly out the window.

Why do I feel so different? So strange and out of place?

Those questions filled her mind all the time, she never wanted to admit that all she wished for was to belong and within her there was a constant battle between being accepted and staying true to her real self. She prayed she would never have to choose between the two.