A/N: I am going on an updating spree at the moment. However, this is one of those stories (unlike Going Nowhere) where I have no idea what the hell I am doing and am just sort of going with the flow. So it shall be interesting for both of us. As always, I love your comments and all that jazz.

It was all Melchior Gabor's fault, honestly. If he hadn't rejected her with a brusque, "go away," Massie would not be in the situation she was in now. But then again, maybe that was a good thing. If she hadn't stormed off in such a huff, she would never have bumped into Moritz Stiefel that spring day. And that was truly when her life began.

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"Look at him. Isn't he beautiful?"

The girls sighed in unison, dew soaking through their stockings and dresses. Massie shifted uncomfortably, but the rest of her friends seemed not to mind. They were all focused on one thing- or rather, person.

Melchior Gabor. Every girl over the age twelve admired him from afar; it couldn't be helped. He was just so…..perfect, from his messy dark hair to his worn leather journal, which he carried everywhere. His journal was a source of mystery to the girls- what could he possibly be scribbling about all the time?

"Love notes," speculated Alicia, tugging the bodice of her dress. Her breasts strained the material in a manner that looked almost painful.

"Confessions for church." Kristen laughed her cackling laugh.

"Don't be stupid, he's never in church." Massie nudged her friend.

Dylan rolled over on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. "You know what I heard?"

All six girls turned to face her. "What?"

"I heard he doesn't believe in God."

There was an audible gasp, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out.

"How is that even possible?" Thea mused, braiding together stray strands of grass.

"How scandalous." Massie giggled.

"Mass?" Alicia's brown eyes twinkled, as if she had something deliciously fun up her sleeve.

"What?"

"I dare you to go up to him and ask him……" Alicia paused for a moment, considering.

"Ask him if he believes in God." Anna cut in eagerly.

Massie's stomach did a back flip. It was fine for her to admire Melchior from far away, but actually talking to him? She didn't think her weak stomach could handle it. Still, she stood up, wiping her palms on the sides of her dress. She wouldn't let them know that on the inside, she was trembling. It was a lesson she had taught herself over the years: never show fear.

"I suppose I could," she said offhandedly, hoping to create the impression that she talked to Melchior all the time. Naturally, she had never said two words to him, but they didn't need to know that.

She took a deep breath as she descended the hill, wracking her brain to think of something witty or clever, something that would make him notice her. By the time she had reached him on the riverbank, she had not thought of a blessed thing to say.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as she approached him; he was even more beautiful up close. His arms….Massie swallowed hard as she took in the rippling muscle, the kind one gets from doing real, outdoors work. She ripped her gaze away from his arms and forced herself to look into his eyes. Unfortunately, that was an even worse choice. His eyes were a pale blue, so pale as to almost appear grey, like the sweeping morning fog.

He didn't seem to notice her there, or if he did, he didn't care. He continued writing, occasionally dipping his pen into a crystal inkpot nestled in the grass.

"Hello."

Massie wanted to bury her face in her hands for sounding so stupid, but instead settled for studying the flower print on her dress very carefully. It was quite soothing in a way, actually.

His words were sharp pointed, barbed wire against her heart. "Go away."

"I-what?"

He brushed her off easily, looking somewhat irritated. "I said go away. Leave me alone."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Massie stood up and tripped over her own feet in her haste to get away.

Rejection stung as a thousand hornets, she tried to swat them away, but found that she could not. She tried to swallow, but there was a lump in her throat that would not go away, as much as she wished it would.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw her friends waving her over, giggling. But Massie walked straight past them, trying to breathe normally.

Who really wanted Melchior Gabor anyway? He wasn't anything special- so arrogant! What a snob. That would be the last time she ever talked to him again. Besides, he didn't know what he was missing.

Massie was so absorbed in her thoughts she crossed the worn dirt path without looking. The pounding of hooves in the distance, kicking up dust that made her cough. She felt as though she was outside of her own body, watching the action from the edge. She didn't feel fear- not the kind of fear that had her running. No, this feeling was different, a sort of apathy that left her frozen to her spot, numb on the inside.

Something slammed into her, Massie couldn't tell what. A person, she knew that much. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of Melchior- maybe he had finally noticed her above the rest. Whoever it was, they smelled nice, like grass and dirt and inexplicably, honey. It wasn't until her mysterious rescuer stood up that Massie recognized him. Messy hair, like he had stuck his finger into an electric spark, and brown eyes, puppy dogs eyes.

"Moritz Stiefel?"

Massie tried to keep some form of chivalry in her voice, but she knew that she was failing. Wish for a Melchior and get a Moritz. That said so much about her life. Not that there was really anything wrong with Moritz, it's just that….Massie had always found him a bit off somehow. Odd would be a good word to describe him. Ever since they were children he had been the nervous one, constantly teased and picked on by the others.

"I- should, I have to…." Moritz backed away, practically tripping over his own feet in his haste. "I should go."

Massie didn't bother saying goodbye and Moritz fled, much like a puppy with its tail between his legs. She didn't know it then, but that moment would soon come to be a turning point, a crossroads where old and new stepped over each other, lines that were not so clear now, but would be.

The old Massie Block was left behind in the dust, and the new one was just getting ready to begin.