Chapter One
I ran in the forest being chased by my best friend Lucan. We had been friends for as long as I could remember. We were practically inseparable.
My mother, Alana, had become close with his mother, Maya, long before I was born. When I came into this world, Lucan was already two and from what my mother told me, he had adored me since. Always offering to feed me or put me down for a nap. It felt like that’s why we were bonded.
My father, Cassius, passed away when I was six and I told the same story over again. He had some heart condition that was unknown, but I always felt like there was something more to the story. Maybe I was too in my head and wanted there to be more than some simple explanation. After he passed, Lucan grew more protective over me, maybe because he felt he had to. Maya became like another parent to me along with her husband, Baron. It felt nice to have another family.
“Ophelia! You’re going too far from home!” I heard Lucan’s voice call out to me in worry.
I let out a laugh, holding up my dress as I ran. “You’re just trying to slow me down, you can’t catch me.” There weren’t many things to do around Oxhill, so playing around in the forest became something the two of us did.
I turned my head to see the difference between us before running into something and falling straight onto my ass. I rubbed my now achy forehead, turning my head to see what I ran into. I had assumed it was a tree. That’s what I get for not paying attention.
I stared ahead, confused. There wasn’t anything there. I mean, there were obviously trees around, but none near me to run into.
Lucan caught up to me, running to my side to check on me. “Are you okay? What happened?” He asked while turning my head to examine my forehead.
I laughed it off as if it were no big deal. Telling him would make me sound crazy, he’d likely chalk it up to be some sort of head injury. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I just slipped, that’s all.”
He helped me to my feet and I dusted off my dress. “We should head back, our mothers are probably losing their minds.”
I nodded my head, glancing back at the area that caused me to fall. The area of nothing abnormal. I followed him closely and I couldn’t get it out of my head. We had gone too far and our parents would likely lose their shit if they found out.
Once we got back to my house, my mother’s face showed relief at seeing me before showing worry at seeing my forehead. Was it that bad? “Oh, Ophelia. What did you do?”
“I just slipped, I’m okay.” It didn’t make sense for a slip to land me on my ass and hit my forehead, but that was the best I got.
“See. This is why I tell you, both, not to go into the forest unsupervised. I know you’re eleven, but I thought I raised you better.”
I turned to Lucan, giving him a little smile before waving him bye, so he could return him. Maya was probably worried about him as well.
I finished cleaning up the kitchen because I had made a mess from baking cookies. It was Baron’s birthday and I never knew what to get him, so I always baked him some form of goods.
“Oh, dear. You look a mess.” My mother’s voice nearly startled me when she snuck up on me.
“Thank you, I was actually trying something new.” I turned to look at her, giving her a smile.
She walked closer to me and fixed my hair, moving it from my face. I groaned, pulling my head away before she chuckled a little. “You need a haircut, hun.”
I shook my head while scrunching my nose. “It makes me feel like a child.” I never liked my hair short, but for as long as I could remember, she would have my hair cut to my shoulders. I didn’t mind much when I was younger, it would keep the hair out of my face when I would go out to play, but it would also make me look more like my mother. I wanted to feel like my own person now. I hated to admit that I also felt prettier when it was. I started to feel that way when I started to get older, when I wanted more attention from boys.
I draped a cloth onto the basket of cookies I made. “I’m off for a quick wash before we leave, okay?”
She gave me a smile with a little nod before I hurried upstairs. It was only the two of us and if I were completely honest, I grew to love that. My mother refused to move on from my father, she would say that she had her “happy ever after” and didn’t feel the need to look for more.
I wanted to find someone that I felt that way for. At this rate, Lucan would be that. It was more so my mother and his parents that would push the idea. Lucan ended up being my first kiss and I remembered it being absolutely horrible, but we didn’t know what we were doing. We shared a few kisses since that was much better than our first. We never did anything more, though. It was mean, I wasn’t ready for anything more.
I couldn’t exactly see myself marrying someone like Lucan and that made me frustrated in a way because he is so amazing. We knew everything about each other. We understood one another.
I finished cleaning myself up in the shower before putting on a nice dress. I fixed my wet hair in the mirror before slipping my feet into my flats. I hurried downstairs where my mother stood waiting for me with the basket of cookies I made in her hands.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
The two of us left the house and my mother locked the door behind us before we began walking. The Weaver family didn’t live far from us, so it wasn’t a super long walk. It was also convenient to have your “second family” live so close to you.
I stepped up on the porch, moving my hand up in order to knock before the door swung open before I even had a chance to touch the door. Maya smiled brightly at the two of us, yanking me into a hug. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. She pulled away, placing her hands on my forearms. “You look so grown.”
“You say this every time you see me.”
“You look more grown up every time I see you.” She pinched my cheek before greeting my mother. I stepped inside, allowing them both to chat, while I rubbed my cheek a little. I hated when she did that.
I walked into the dining area where an older man sat. The wrinkles on his forehead seemed more pronounced. He was always expressive in his face, so it was about time it showed. “Happy birthday, Baron.” I walked over to him, leaning down to hug him. He kissed my cheek before the both of us pulled away. “Did you have a good day?” I sat down in the same chair I always did, on the right side of him.
“It’s been good, much better now.” He gave me a smile, which I returned. I wondered what it would feel like if my father was still around. What was he like? Was he bubbly like Baron? Or more serious like Maya? It hurt my mother to talk about him, so I eventually stopped asking.
“Lia!” I heard Lucan practically running into the dining room to see me. I hated that nickname, but he continued to use it.
“Lucan!” I stood up to meet him in the middle before the two of us hugged one another tightly. You would think it had been forever since we’ve seen one another, but it had only been a week. He was my best friend, could you blame a girl? Well, he was my only friend.
I returned to my chair while he sat down beside me. My other and Maya walked in soon after, placing down the food we planned on eating tonight. It smelled delicious and looked just as delicious.
After dinner, we spent the night enjoying one another’s company. It was nice because we didn’t often get together like this anymore. It was easier when I was younger, the bond between my mother, Maya, and Baron seemed tighter.
They were all still close, I do think my friendship with Lucan helped them stay that way. My mother didn’t have many friends, so I worried how alone she may feel if Maya wasn’t in her life. I was all my mother had at the end of the day, so I wanted to make sure that when I moved forward in life that she would be okay.
I stayed a little later than my mother did because I was catching up with Lucan, curious about his work and what I may have missed in the week of being apart. Due to it being dark, he insisted that he would walk me home. The walk would have been quick, but he often worried about my wellbeing. It was sweet.
“I miss when we were children again…” Lucan said, kicking a rock to the side.
“Times were easier.” I agreed and maybe times felt easier because we weren’t old enough to worry about things. We got to spend every moment playing around and though I’m glad I’m old enough that my mother could talk to me about her stresses, I do miss when I didn’t have to listen. Is that so bad?
Lucan talked about how he had been saving up for a place outside of the city. He wanted to leave to create a life outside of Oxhill. I didn’t blame him much for it, there wasn’t much for anyone here, but it was still home. How could he want to leave everything behind? He talked about it like it was no big deal.
He walked me right up to my porch before waiting until I opened the door. “Lia?”
I turned my head to look at him, “Yeah?”
“I’ve missed hanging out with you.”
I gave him a tight smile. “Me too.”
“Go out to dinner with me.” He blurted out before we just stared at one another. Of course we did everything together, we’ve had dinner together many times, but this time… It felt different. He was asking for more. “Friday night.”
I could hear my mother’s quiet snicker to my left, of course she’d be eavesdropping. I kept my attention on Lucan, taking a deep breath. “Okay. Friday night.”
A smile grew on his previously serious face. “Goodnight, Lia.”
“Goodnight, Lucan.” I watched him take a couple steps back before turning around to head home with a light jog. I closed the door, locking it. “You can come out now.”
My mother seemed so excited about the thought of Lucan and I having dinner together. “Oh, dear. You guys are made for each other, I have been waiting for this day.”
“It’s just dinner, mother.” I playfully rolled my eyes at her. I loved seeing her so excited. I wished she was excited by something different, though. “Don’t get all g-” I stopped my words when she pulled me into a hug. What was with the woman tonight?
I let out a soft sigh under my breath, deciding that saying nothing was the best option right now. I hugged her back for a long moment, not wanting to leave my mother’s arms.
She slowly pulled away and looked at me. “You’re growing up too fast. I want you to be happy and your face just lights up when you’re with Lucan. It always has.”
But, I was often just excited to see him. Was it actually more than that? Why don’t I know?
She placed a kiss on my forehead, “Go get some rest, dear.”
I nodded my head, telling her goodnight before heading upstairs to my bedroom. I stripped from my dress into a nightgown. It was more breathable and I was more relaxed after changing.
I went to crawl into bed when I saw a flicker of something outside my window. I moved back from my bed and made my way closer to the window. I moved the curtain a little to look outside and saw in the distance a flicker of light. It looked like it was coming from the forest and as I moved closer to the window as if that would help me see better. The flicker disappeared. What the… I rubbed my eyes a little, I must be tired, and seeing things. I closed the curtain before crawling into my bed.
