Hanging Tree

Everyone knew the stories about the wood: passed between each successive class of students to matriculate through Barrow High — they said there was a tree standing at the exact centre whose boughs were weighted by the numerous sneakers draped over its branches. The senior dare had been the same for generations: Find the tree, then get the hell out. Corinth never meant to take the dare, but when Penn gets a little too handsy at the homecoming bonfire, Corinth escapes into the wood despite the warnings. The tree has another name, however, a name that no one can pronounce anymore — but in the thickest part of Barrow’s wood, the tree has been waiting for Corinth to find it.