Authors Note:
Hey, thank you for checking out this book! It means a lot!
Before I start, I want to say that I haven't been in the clique very long, so I'm not entirely sure this will be accurate. The dates in here won't line up. If it seems like some of the information is not accurate, don't be afraid to tell me. I don't bite.

Enjoy :)

Rey.

   •Tyler•

   Do you ever feel like you're thinking too much? Does it feel like thoughts are a swirling hurricane, trapped inside your head, and you can feel the wind howling in your ears, so you curl up and try to block out the sound but nothing seems to work? I do. Some days, I just want to be alone to calm the storm. This is one of those days.
    I tread through the soft earth, the surrounding trees disappearing in the gray, misty predawn. I don't need a flashlight. My feet know where to take me.
  Sleep avoided me during the night. My brain was too active to shut down properly. It's mostly my depressing thoughts. I hate them. Why do I have to be afflicted with this disease!?
  I sigh out loud. Summer is coming to a close, which means school will be starting back up soon. The only thing that I like about school is seeing my friends, like Josh and Mark. Other than that, I hate it.
  I get to the base of a large tree and gaze up into the mist. I reach out and touch the lowest wood board that has been nailed to the tree which serves as a ladder. With my ukulele occupying one hand, I use my free one to make my way carefully up the tree. I feel the weathered wood boards underneath my hands as I crawl over the ledge at the top of the ladder.
    My dad built this treehouse for me as a kid. Despite it's simple box shape with three windows, I loved it.  I'd play in it most days with my brothers. I'm the only one who goes back to it now. I've had to replace some of the rotting boards over the years to keep up to safety standards. It's my place to escape it all.
   I crawl to the back of the treehouse and open the trunk pushed up against the wall. Pulling out a red spiral notebook, I flip to the most recently written on page and sit down on the floor. Dawn is starting to break, and the light filtering through the treehouse is strong enough to let me read what I've written.
    I strum a chord on my ukulele. I plan to transfer this piano later, but I didn't want to put a whole keyboard in the treehouse. Too many elements can get to it.
   I strum the next chord and start to sing.

   I know where you stand,
   Silent, in the trees
   And that's where I am,
   Silent, in the trees
   Why won't you speak
   Where I happen to be?
   Silent, in the trees
   Standing cowardly.*

  I rack my brains, trying to come up with more lines. I nibble the tip of my pen, then stab it into the corner of the page, like a little harpoon. 
   I let out a frustrated moan. I hate getting writers block. Who doesn't?
   Flinging the notebook back into the trunk, I slam the lid shut and make my way one-handedly down the ladder, jumping off halfway to the ground and landing on my feet. No one at home will even know I was gone.

A/N 2/15/18 I just now realized today that Trees is on Tyler's No Phun Intended album, but I don't know what song to change it to now, so I'll just keep it as Trees. Sorry for the inaccuracy. Enjoy. Stay Alive.