sorry for any potential formatting issues! this is my first time using this site :)

  Prologue

  I could hear the birds singing above me, but as the water flooded in and out of my ears, so did their song. The breeze continued to drift me downstream, and I closed my eyes, smelling the cattle, which was strong, but nothing I wasn’t used to. The grassy hills of the Shenandoah were protecting me from everything I’d been floating away from. As the sun began to beat against my eyelids, I came to the troubling realization that I couldn’t keep floating like this forever. In that moment, I knew I either needed to rescue myself or be rescued. And with the way I left things, despite the people on my side, I didn’t think I could count on the latter.

  Honey And Lilacs

  This town made me sick. So many years of back roads turning to pavement, trees turning to houses, and cattle turning to people. I put the wildflowers in my bike basket and headed home. The summer had just begun, and I needed to enjoy as much free time as I could, so I slowed my pace to observe the scenery around me. As much as I dreamed of one day leaving this god forsaken land, I had to admit it held its beauty, even in the face of destruction. The sound of a jackhammer breaking into concrete shook me out of my daze, and I sped up to get home.

  Turning onto my family's dirt road, I felt a sudden appreciation that we had never changed or remodeled our quaint home. This was my last summer in the valley and the uncertainty of what I could come home to next year made me uneasy. I let my bike fall against one of the fence posts and saw Kenny walking over to me, Jasper in tow.

  “What? Not even a hello?”

  I bent down to pet Jasper, our corgi-shepherd mix. His blue eyes made me betray my sullen mood, and I started smiling

  “There she is! Look, I already said I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were looking forward to the last muffin, or I would’ve saved it for you!”

  I looked up and glared

  “Okay…” he kicked the dust and sighed, “maybe I would’ve just cut it in half… or left you a quarter. Look, the point is it’s not my fault, and it won’t happen again.”

  “It better not! You only need to leave my food alone for what, three more months? And then you’ll get full reign of the pantry.”

  I finally looked up, then groaned, “It really shouldn’t be that hard!”

  “Come on, Mom said we need to clean Brandy's stall. Oh, and she invited the new neighbors over for dinner.”

  I walked with Kenny, and we quickly made up. He was only a little younger than I, by two years, and I knew he was longing for his freedom as much as I’d been. After feeding our horses, Brandy, Edvin, and Ribbon, and our loving but mischievous donkey, Keeper, we sent them back to the field and cleaned the barn. The critters were starting to come out, and I felt a chill on my skin, making me suddenly aware that the sun had gone and my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. I motioned to Kenney, and we ran in to get ready for our dinner guests.

  I brushed my long black hair and rinsed off in the shower after Kenney, as he helped Mom prep dinner. I tried to clean my room, or at least pick up the clutter. I heard Mom mention the neighbors had a kid my age, and I wasn’t sure if she’d want to hang out after dinner. Either way, it was a good excuse to move my clothes from the floor to my chair. I picked up each article with my foot, flung it up, and was impressed when nothing missed my grasp. After dumping the pile on the old chair in the corner, I decided that would have to do and set off downstairs.

  I heard unfamiliar voices coming from the main floor and realized I must have just missed the arrival of our guests. Guilty, and somewhat relieved to not have had to participate in the welcome, I slinked down and wrapped myself around the corner. Mom was talking to an older couple who, with their daughter, had their backs turned to me. Kenney was obviously flirting with the girl, but from her body language- or what I could see of it, she didn’t seem to be giving him the time of day. I admired her from afar. Her short blonde hair fell just an inch above her shoulders in a soft bob. I could see the remnants of a pink hair dye underneath the layers; it had clearly faded in the sun, but it left the bits around her neck discolored. She moved her hand to rest momentarily on the back of her neck, and I saw her rings, gold and shining. Looking closer at her, she was covered in gems- real or not, I couldn’t say, but beautiful nonetheless. The rings contained yellows, greens, and opals, and I could see she had stacked two necklaces of opal as she played with the gold chains and pulled them to the side. Suddenly, she took a deep breath, as if impatient, and briskly turned around, letting her eyes land directly on me. Without a single glint of surprise at my presence, she said,

  “You must be Ama, I’m Skye.”

  She held out a less bedazzled hand and I accepted it. I felt a strange surge upon touching her, like I wasn’t supposed to be, but also like I’d never made a decision more right in my life. She smiled and tilted her head to the side a little, her bob following her movements lightly,

  “Kenney was just telling me all about you! And your plans, or lack of them, for the summer”

  I nodded slowly, aware of my utter lack of presence in the conversation and allowing myself to be awed by her just a little further before I got a handle on myself.

  “I’m kind of in the same boat,” she chuckled, “As you’re aware, we just moved here, so I think I’ll be taking the summer to just explore.”

  Finally coming to, I nodded again, but this time, I accompanied my motions with words,

  “Yes! That’s so exciting! There’s so much to explore around here- how are you liking it so far?” before she could reply, Mom saw me, “Ama!”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Suddenly aware that I was still somewhat slinked around the wall, I stepped out into the kitchen,

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” and suddenly, so was I. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

  “I see you’ve already met Skye, this is Mr. and Mrs. Loon.”

  I waved politely and reached out for their hands as they began talking to me,

  “How nice to have someone Skye's age in the area! We’re so blessed to have found this home.” Mrs. Loon was eye-catching, like her daughter. I glanced back to see the resemblance, yes, it was there, but somehow… distorted. I didn’t have time to dwell on it, I just stole another glimpse at Skye and realized I’d been holding my breath. She was staring back at me with a calm expression. She twiddled with the opal on her necklace and began to crack a smile as we locked eyes. I spun back around and gave my full attention to the Loons, but I could sense that Skye had kept her gaze on me and, through some form of sixth sense, I felt a shiver creep up my arms, knowing she was looking me over.

  “I hope you two will become good friends and can spend some of the summer exploring together. Although your mother said you’ve never left the area for more than a week's vacation, so maybe Skye can do the exploring and you can show her all the fun spots!” Mr. Loon had a glint in his eye that only comes from a genuine joy in the future, and I knew he did hope to see me running around with his daughter, and this wasn’t some poor attempt at pleasantries.

  “Let's sit down!” Mom announced, leading us to the table.

  The dirty plates clattered as I set them in the sink, and I felt Skye's presence return behind me

  “Need help with those?” her soft voice questioned me and sent shivers down my spine, not out of fear, but instead, how you shiver gently in the morning when the sun has just begun to peak through your bedroom window and caress you in bed.

  “What kind of host would I be if I made my guest do the dishes?” I replied with a smile

  “What kind of guest would I be if I didn’t offer? Slide over.” She bumped me gently and grabbed hold of the sponge in my hand.

  “I’ll wash, you dry. I don’t know where anything goes, so you have to put it away, too- I think it’s only fair that as the host, you get double the work.” Her blue eyes sparkled at me, and all I could do was grin and pick up the clean plate she set next to me.

  “So, where are you from?” I maintained my work but couldn’t help to ask a few questions, the adults had dominated most of the conversation with politics over dinner.

  “Colorado- Rocky Mountain High, and all that.”

  “Denver?”

  “No, no, not from the city. From a small piece out north, bordering Wyoming, you wouldn’t know it.” She set a glass down.

  “And what brought you here?” I dried it.

  “Lots of things. Is saying ‘the river’ too cliche?”

  “No,” I chuckled, “it’s common to hear that, sure, but it never does get old. Have you been down to it yet?”

  She let out a slight huff. “Not yet- I’ve been trying to convince my parents to go with me all week- I’m not about to head out there on my own.”

  “I’ll come with you!” I volunteered quickly, as if I was afraid there was a ghost in the room who might try to take my spot.

  “Really?” she grinned, tilting her head again

  “Sure, it’s no trouble to me. Just an opportunity to head back to one of my favorite places. I’ll show you a locals-only waterfall!”

  “No way! I can’t wait! Thank you so much!” She squealed and did a little spin with the last plate held tight to her chest and I watched her skirt and her hair move in time, each piece of her dancing under the kitchen light and suddenly, I came to the conclusion that I would take her to a new waterfall every day if it meant she always was this joyful. Did she have this effect on everybody? Was it effervescents, or mystique? Was she the sunlight or the moon? My heart raced at the thought of finding out.

  Something in me was pulled, and I took a step closer to her, hand on her plate, and gently tugged, asking for her to release it to me. She let it go, of course, but I found myself not wanting to step back to the cabinets. She calmed me with that effect she had, and the more I tried to move away, the more I felt cemented in place, right in front of her. She smelled of honey and lilacs, an utterly dazzling combination that I’d smelled before, but could not place. Her breath was sweet and soft and made me slightly dizzy. I knew something about her was different; it made my breath shorten, but out of fear or excitement, I couldn't be sure. She took a step back, and whatever had been cast upon me was broken. I gulped the air around me like I’d been frozen and found her smell lingered even in my mouth, which made it water. She laid down the sponge and swiftly moved to the end of the kitchen. Her presence was disturbed, I could tell.

  “All done!” she smiled sweetly and nervously. “Looks like my folks are getting ready to head out. It was lovely to meet you!”

  At that, her parents appeared around the corner behind her, shook Mom's hand, said a polite goodbye to me, and were off.

  “Well, that was nice!” Mom said, closing the door. “Kenny, what did you think?”

  He followed her into the kitchen, “Yeah, they were cool. Skye was kind of rude though, she didn’t really pay me much mind.” he slumped into a chair

  “Yeah, cause you were flirting with her right off the bat, doofus.” I retorted, “Maybe try being interested in her as a human being before making her feel like a piece of meat. Besides, I don’t think she’d be into you.”

  He stared at me inquisitively, “What makes you think that?” he sounded almost dumbfounded, and I rolled my eyes

  “I don’t know- a feeling.”

  He slouched a little farther and started tracing the wood floorboards with his feet.

  “How come you always end up dating the girls I talk to?” He said with his head still down, a cowardly move.

  “Maybe because you’re talking to older girls? Pick on someone you’re own size. Seniors and Juniors aren’t going to talk to you.” I slid over on my socks and pointed at him with finger guns

  “But when they realize the annoying little kid has a hot older sister, they’re going to talk to me.” I flashed him a winning smile, and he chuckled at me.

  “Yeah, sure.” he rolled his eyes, “I’m heading upstairs.”

  And with that, Mom and I were alone in the kitchen

  “Well, that was awfully nice of Skye to help clean up! She seems like a lovely girl.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Why did her parents say they moved here, again?”

  “Oh,” her forehead creased, “You know, I can’t exactly remember. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

  I looked out the window and saw the tail lights disappear down our long dirt road

  “Hopefully they get home alright in this darkness,” she continued, leaning her hands into the counter as she exhaled.

  “Yeah, it would be nice to see them again.”

  I felt the shiver run up my arms again; these early summer nights sure got cold quick.