1. LEAVING

If I had any idea of the direction in which my life would turn, I probably would not have moved away from California.

However, if I had not gone, that would have prevented me from meeting him.

But that will all come later.

I would normally go on and tell you about my life so far, who I was, how old I was, what I looked like, but that's not important, and you will soon have the answers to such basic questions.

So to satisfy your curiousity, here is a brief outline of my young life so far.

I was born in 1990 (making me seventeen this year, as it is 2007) to Christine Mathers and Robert Linklater in Keys, Kansas.

My Mom died when I was only two, and my Dad found it too difficult and expensive to raise me, so I was sent to live with my Great Aunt Janiece Mathers and my twenty year old cousin Destry in California until my Dad thought he was fit to raise me.

The years went by, and my Dad visited me every month, then every holidays, until he only visited at Christmas.

I guess he sensed that I really loved it in California, and did not have the heart to make me leave the place I loved.

I had visited Keys a few times, and I had a couple of friends down there, but I was not to fond of the small farming community.

There was not anything wrong with it, it's just I wasnt that into hicks and rednecks and I didn't look so hot in a flanelette shirt.

So I had lived in California for almost fifteen years now, and I was about to leave.

My Aunt Janiece was fifty five when I moved in, so she was now seventy.

I love her very much, so when she had an unexpected heart attack about two months ago I decided it was time I went home and left her in peace for her Golden Years.

She was hugely objective to me leaving, but secretly we both knew that it was for the best.

Aunt Janiece would be lonely, for Destry moved to Amsterdam around five years ago, but she would be in peace.

I was going to miss Saints Beach, mostly my friends, school, baseball team, basketball team, rugby team, dance class, athletics team and mainly...the gym.

But we cant alway get what we want, or so I tried to assure myself.

I was slightly excited about moving to Keys, but scared at the same time, not knowing what adventures were waiting for me in the blistering hot sun...

"Is that the lot?" Dad asked, after loading in my seventh bag of sports gear and trophies into the back of his new Jeep. I put my hands on my hips and pursed my lips, frowning.

"Course not Dad, there's still four bags of clothes and stuff in my room." I informed him. He groaned and trudged back inside, his shoulders slouched.

Aunt Janiece came out, and looked at me with an angry face.

"I really don't understand why you have to leave, Amber, I'm perfectly fine." she lied, struggling to hobble down the stairs. I rushed by her side to help her, but she waved me off.

"You knew I had to go someday, aunt, just consider yourself lucky that you got to have me for fourteen years." I commented rather confidently, which was just my style.

"Lucky me." she added, her frown turning into tears.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulder and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"I love you so much aunt Janiece, and I will be forever grateful to you for taking care of me for all these years. But it's time I went home to Dad, because I think we should get some father-daughter time before I finish school and go to college. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" I assured her, before skipping back towards the car to unload the contents of my pockets, my phone, ipod and wallet, onto the dashboard.

I spun around to face the house that I had grown up in.

It was a small light blue cottage with white trimmings and a sun baked lawn, but I loved it.

I knew I would miss all this, the beach, friends, sports, my aunt, but it was time to move on into the inevitable.

I sighed and smiled, remembering all the good, the bad and the ugly memories of the past fourteen years of my life. My attention then turned to my diary, and the Chapter within it.

The first chapter was called 'Daddy's Girl', which was about me in the first two years of my life.

This chapter, which was coming to a close, was going to be called 'The Blue Cottage' Chapter.

I didnt know what this knew chapter would be called, and it will remain unnamed until it was over.

I just hoped it wouldnt be a bad part of my life, but then again, I had been to blessed to far, and was likely to run into some bad luck soon, to balance out everything.

I just hoped that what I was going to face would be bearable.

I felt my heart flutter as Dad re-entered the driveway with the remaining four bag in his arms, which he tossed carelessly into the back of the Jeep.

This was it.

I was leaving.