"Anna, wake up or you'll be late for school!"
The sound of her mother's voice caused the young strawberry blonde to scramble from her bed and land on the floor of her bedroom in a tangled heap of blankets. She clawed her way out of the cocoon and gasped for air once her head was free. "Okay!" she called back.
The red haired teen quickly, more average speed, detangled herself from her blankets and grabbed the remote to her stereo. She pressed the "On" button and her favorite band, Roaring Wolves and Snow Leopards, blasted through the speakers. She rushed to her wardrobe while stripping out of her baggy, pink pajama pants and red t-shirt; replacing them with a pair of brown pants and a green, V-neck sweater with a white tank top underneath while dancing and singing with a shimmy here and there that was supposed to be seductive in order to match the current song. When she finished dressing, she stood in front of her mirror and smiled at herself as she braided her hair into two pigtails in an attempt to tame the snarling mess.
For some reason, she would always try to count the freckles on her face whenever she braided her hair. It was just something that happened one morning when she was little and had turned into a habit. Occasionally she would lock her gaze with herself and make a funny face at the blue-green eyes staring back at her, only to giggle at how silly she actually was.
She grabbed her coat and backpack and slid down the fireman's pole located in the corner of her room; landing in the corner of the entryway. A wild giggle shook the girl from head to toe as she jumped up and down. "I love this new house!"
"I'm glad to hear that," a calming voice replied.
Anna spun around and nearly fell over her own two feet. She grabbed onto the pole to keep herself from falling over. "Mom, don't sneak up on me like that! I could have died!"
The older woman rolled her eyes with a smile and shook her head. "Honey, I hardly doubt you would have died from falling over. You're just letting your sixteen year old exaggerations get the better of you."
The teen stuck her bottom lip out in the most frustrated pout she could muster. "How do you know? I could have cracked my head open on the wall?"
"Maybe I should have that pole taken out so we don't have to worry about it," the woman teased.
Anna's eyes grew wide and she hugged the pole tight. "No! It's fine! You're right! I'm just letting my teenage exaggerations run rampant!"
The strawberry blonde watched in embarrassment as her mother laughed at her immature rebuttal. Her mother had a calming voice and a beautiful laugh. She had dark brown hair that was tied up in a bun and lavender eyes; as well as an air around her that caused most people to treat her like royalty. It was a wonder that the woman was single.
Anna's pout only increased as she thought about her mother's graceful disposition and personality. How come none of it had been passed off to her? She was a klutzy, obnoxious, impulsive girl who liked adventure and getting into things she knew she probably shouldn't. Her mother was practically a queen. It just wasn't fair sometimes!
"Alright, Anna, are you ready for your first day at a new school?" the older woman asked, either not noticing the rather large pout on her daughter's face, or completely ignoring it all together.
The strawberry red head's eyes sparkled in excitement. "You bet! I can't wait to meet everyone! This is going to be so much fun! I wonder how many people will be in my class. Do you think anyone there listens to Roaring Wolves and Snow Leopards? I hope so! That's such an awesome band!" She quickly slipped on her jacket and threw her backpack over her shoulder while slipping into her boots. "Ready!"
"Hold on, Feisty Pants," Anna's mother sighs humorously. She hands the girl a plate full of food. "You're not going anywhere until you have some breakfast."
Anna felt her stomach rumble and laughed awkwardly to herself. "I guess I can't argue with that." She took the plate and devoured its contents in under a minute.
"Okay, I'm done! Thanks, Mom," she handed the plate and utensils to the brown haired woman and hugged her tightly. "What are you going to do today?"
The older woman shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I don't start work until tomorrow, so I could unpack a little more, or I could drive around town and see what there is to do."
Anna laughed lightly to herself and winked at her mother. "Just make sure you let me know if you meet anyone special."
The brunette's jaw nearly dropped at the complete shock at what her daughter had just implied. "Young lady!"
"Gotta go, Mom! Bye!" Anna sprinted from the house before her mother had the chance to scold her for being severely blunt. It wasn't her fault. In the sixteen years she had been alive, she had never seen her mother in an actual relationship. She had been through basic health classes in junior high school and knew what it took for a woman to get pregnant and have a child, but her mother just did not seem like the kind of person who would actually do that. She had even considered the option that she had secretly been adopted, but was proven wrong when her mother showed her the picture of her after she was born; being held in her mother's arms, wrapped in a soft, pink blanket.
Sure, the older woman had gone on a few casual dates once Anna was able to take care of herself, but none of them ever got a second date. The strawberry blonde was beginning to wonder if the dates were even real. Her mother was an attractive woman, and still very young, so why didn't she ever go on more dates? There had to have been hundreds of men who would be more than happy to have the chance to date her.
Anna's mind was so far along in her thoughts that she had not noticed that she was almost at her new school, Arendelle High. Nor had she noticed a dark blue snowmobile suddenly launch over the snowdrift on her right until the machine was almost on top of her.
"Look out!" a bell-like voice shouted over the roar of the engine.
The strawberry haired teen whirled around and leapt backwards just in time to avoid getting run over by the snow spewing machine. "What the Hell?"
The snowmobile landed hard, throwing its driver off the seat as it bounced off the frozen ground of the football field. The beast roared again as the throttle was cranked and the person controlling it was knocked off by a low hanging tree branch in the textbook example of a clothesline. An audible thud could be heard as the driver slammed into the compact snow.
"Oh my god!" Anna exclaimed and rushed over to where the person was groaning on the cold ground. "Are you alright?"
The driver quickly unbuckled their helmet and pulled it over their head. What Anna saw made her breath catch in her throat.
She was absolutely beautiful! No, she was gorgeous! She had shimmering, platinum blonde hair that sparkled white in the early morning sun, her skin was fair and had almost undetectable freckles painted across her nose, and her eyes were a deep, midnight blue that seemed to peer right into her soul. The strawberry blonde felt like she was drowning in those eyes, but she would have gladly plunged deeper into those icy waters if it meant she could stare at them forever.
"Wow, you're gorgeous!" she finally breathed.
The blonde girl slowly braced herself on her elbows and looked at the red head for the first time. Her face instantly changed from severely irritated, to completely shocked, bewildered, and…was that a blush creeping into her cheeks?
"What?" the girl asked in surprise. God, her voice was as beautiful as she was!
Anna suddenly flushed bright red at the realization of what she just said. "Oh! No! I-I didn't mean to say you were gorgeous! I mean you are gorgeous. You're probably the most beautiful girl I've ever met. I just wasn't thinking when I said that! Agh! I'm doing it again! I'm so sorry! I meant to ask if you were alright! God, your eyes are absolutely sparkling. Wait…what?"
The blonde simply blinked in disbelief as her ear was raped with the overabundance of unnecessary information the adorable girl was stammering. It was strange, but she found the still ranting, flabbergasted strawberry blonde to be oddly charming. It was not often that someone talked to her so openly, much less called her beautiful. She could feel a blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks, but she quickly composed herself and tried to smile despite the pain in the crook of her neck.
"It's quite alright," she cut into Anna's stammering with a regal tone that gave the girl shivers up and down her spine. "I should have paid more attention to where I was going. I was not expecting someone to be on the other side of that mound of snow."
Anna felt her blush only increase as the blonde suddenly turned and peered into her eyes with a sultry gaze that would have had sinful thoughts running through the mind of even the strictest nun. "Are you alright?" The angel asked.
The strawberry blonde had to kick the button in her mind that sent a kick start to her lungs in order to get them working again. "Y-Yeah…I'm just fine…"
The two girls stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. They probably would have too if the blonde had not suddenly leapt up from her sitting position and scanned the field frantically. "Shit! Where's my sled?"
Anna snapped out of her fantasy world at the sound of the girl cursing. She had not expected someone so composed and beautiful to use such language, but she didn't think too hard on it. That just meant that she really was human and not an angel or a figment of her imagination.
"Your what?" the pigtailed girl asked confusingly. She had suddenly noticed that the girl standing in front of her was wearing a pair of black, wind resistant pants and a steel blue jacket that looked more like it was meant for mid fall or late spring instead of the middle of winter. How was this girl not freezing?
The blonde quickly glanced down at the girl still kneeling on the ground before continuing her search of the field. "My sled, you know my snowmobile. Well, it's not actually mine. It's my sister's. She said I could drive it to school today since she didn't trust the roads." The girl quickly ran her gloved hands through her platinum locks in horror. "She is going to kill me if I wrecked her sled!"
Anna had to bite her lip to keep herself from snickering. "Kill you? Come on. Don't you think that's a bit extreme?"
"I'm sure she would probably say something along the lines of "I'd rather have a broken snowmobile than a dead sister," but you never-"The blonde goddess stopped in mid-sentence and tore down the field.
"Wait, where are you going?" Anna yelled and quickly bolted after her. She could not believe how fast this girl was running! It was almost as if she was gliding over the thigh deep snow instead of trudging through it.
The two girls finally made it to the dark blue snowmobile and the blonde sighed in relief as she gave the machine a once over. Nothing was broken; there were no scratches, no dents. She felt a huge weight suddenly lift from her shoulders. She would live to see eighteen after all.
Anna held herself up on her knees as she gasped for breath. "Has anyone….ever told you that…you are WAY…too…fast? I've never….seen anyone run like that on a track…much less through deep snow like this!"
"I'm sorry," the blonde giggled behind her hand at the freckled faced girl panting next to her. "Adrenaline is a dangerous thing."
It took a good minute before Anna was able to form coherent sentences. She took a deep breath and exhaled dramatically before quickly jumping where she stood and smiled widely at the blonde. "I'm sorry. I never told you my name!" She held out her mitted hand. "I'm Anna, Anna Summers. I just moved here over winter break."
The blonde raised her eyebrows slightly through her mask. That explains why she had never seen this girl before. She practically knew everyone in the town, so it was unusual for her to run into someone she did not know.
The beautiful, blue eyed girl took the strawberry blonde's hand gently, but firmly. "Elsa Winter. Actually, it's a hyphenated last name, but I go by Winter. My sister goes as the other half of the name."
"Ooooh," Anna smiled and wiggled, "what's your full name?"
The blonde, Elsa, thought for a minute before smiling. "Winter-Wolf."
Anna gasped in awe. "That sounds so cool!"
Elsa smiled and hummed a laugh. "I guess so." She looked down and realized she was still holding the other girl's hand.
She was just about to apologize when a loud bell chimed through the frosty air.
"A bell?" Anna's eyes widened. "Oh no! That was the first bell! I can't be late for school! It's only my first day! What kind of first impression would that make?"
Elsa straddled the snowmobile and turned the key while putting on a pair of sunglasses. The engine roared to life and she handed her helmet to the rambling girl standing next to her. "Here, put this on and hold on to me tight. We are going to have to book to get to class in time."
Anna's gaze shifted from the helmet in her hands, to Elsa, to the monstrous machine sitting between the beautiful girl's legs at a rate of a hundred in ten seconds. She had never ridden a snowmobile before. The low rumbling coming from the beast was sending vibrations through her feet and torso as it reverberated through the air. There was no doubt her mother would be fit to be tied if she ever found out, but she could not be late to class!
She quickly slammed the helmet onto her head, jumped onto the mechanical beast, and held onto Elsa for dear life. Her eyes pinching shut as she pressed herself into the girl's back. There was a strange comfort in being so…intimately close to this new girl.
"Ready!" She squeaked, not completely sure she wanted to ride the growling beast between her legs.
Elsa felt a fresh blush completely take over her face as she felt the girl behind her snuggle into her like a frightened child. Her arms were strangely strong for a girl so small, and it felt like she was going to suffocate. However, it was not because of the death grip coiling around her waist.
The blonde shook her head and slipped on a portion of her Ice Queen mask as she revved the engine. "Alright," she shouted over the roar of the engine, "hold on, Anna!"
The great snow beast lurched forward and sped along the snow like a demon escaping Hell. An exaggerated roar split through the calm, cold air from the mighty machine, but there were two voices that somehow carried over the roar of the monster. One voice was screaming in pure excitement, and the other was screaming in sheer terror.
Across town from where the two high school girls were plummeting through the snowy drifts on the football field to get to class on-time, a brown haired woman was sitting awkwardly in a café. She had heard about the small establishment while she was wandering around town to see what this new place had to offer. A fairly short, older gentleman with an obvious toupee and white moustache had mentioned it while she had gotten groceries the previous day, and it had tweaked her curiosity.
Wandering Oaken's Café and Spirits was what it was called, and she felt more than out of place at the local hot spot. The owner of the establishment was a nice enough man, though his stature was intimidating enough to say otherwise. When she had entered the small café and walked up to the diner counter, the man had stood up and wiggled his fingers at her while grinning a toothy smile while welcoming her with a very bubbly, "Yoo-Hoo! Welcome to Wandering Oaken's Café and Spirits! I can tell you're new to Arendelle. What can I get for you, dear?"
The woman had simply stared wide eyed at the lumbering man staring down at her. He had to have been at least two heads taller than her, and his voice was kind and gentle, which completely did not match the booming sound that reverberated through the air. He was wearing a green stocking hat with golden hair just barely sticking out underneath, a thick, blonde moustache that somehow managed to turn into muttonchops that dipped under his hat, and a very Christmassy sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The look on her face must have showed how nervous she was because he merely chuckled and sat back down so he was only half a head taller than her.
"Don't worry, dear," the owner said sweetly. "I'm not as intimidating as I look. What brings you to Arendelle? We don't usually get too many tourists during the winter months since we're best known for our summers."
The brown haired woman relaxed somewhat and took a seat at the counter. There were plenty of tables and chairs around the establishment, but she could use the company. Who knew? Maybe she could be friends with this man. It had been quite some time since she had a decent relationship with anyone other than her daughter.
"I actually just moved here a couple of weeks ago," she explained. "My daughter and I moved here from Corona. Have you heard of it?"
The bubbly man thought for a minute and his eyebrows sagged sadly, though his smile was still beaming at her. "Sorry, I can't say I have," he apologized. His thick accent made it a little difficult to understand him.
The woman sighed internally but managed to keep a smile. Not very many people had heard of Corona, but that was why she had moved here with her daughter. They both needed a fresh start, and she had heard from her sister that Arendelle was a fantastic place to start over.
"I'm sorry, dear," the bouldering man apologized. "I never caught your name? I like to know all of my patrons. It makes each person's visit more comforting."
The woman smiled and held out her hand with as much grace as she could. "My name is Lily, Lily Summers."
The bubbly man smiled from ear to ear and crushed her in a hug from over the counter. "It's nice to meet you, Lily. My name is Oaken. I'm the owner of this friendly little café. My family also works here," he turned to the kitchen and wiggled his fingers. "Yoo-Hoo! Hi, family!"
A large group of people suddenly appeared in the doorway and wiggled their fingers back at them while whistling the same "Yoo-Hoo" as Oaken. Lily could not help but giggle.
After about ten minutes of idle chatting, the owner, Oaken, had given her a menu and walked her over to one of the best seats in the house. He had to explain to her that the counter was usually busy with people coming in to grab a quick coffee and that he would hate to have someone spill their coffee all over her beautiful purple blouse. She had scanned the menu and ordered an Eggnog Latte and a slice of coffee cake.
She was surprised when her server returned after ten minutes with a giant cup of coffee with a coffee cake slice the size of her purse. The blueberries in the baked good alone were almost the size of quarters, but the smell alone was enough to cause her mouth to water. She had to quickly place her finger to her lips to make sure she didn't end up drooling.
Now she was sitting at a small table next to the window of a warm café, her latte and coffee cake half gone, and looking through the fairly busy establishment with nervous eyes. She saw Oaken bustling around behind the counter, giving people who she could only guess were regulars their coffee and/or pastry before clapping them on the back and sending them out the door with a smile. The atmosphere felt so welcoming; it was like a family holiday.
That was why she felt so nervous. It was not because of the fact that some of the people were drinking hard liquor this early in the morning, some with their coffee and some without. No, it was because everyone in the café seemed to know each other so well, like they were family. And here she was sitting by herself. No one to talk to; no one coming over to clap their hand on her shoulder and laugh with her over something insignificant. She was alone in this warm and friendly café, and that made her nervous.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she took another sip of her latte. A shadow suddenly surrounded her and she looked up. Oaken was smiling down at her with a sad look in his eyes.
"I know that sigh," he piped. "What's wrong, dear? Is the food not to your liking?"
"Oh, no! That's not it at all!" Lily blushed slightly. "The food is absolutely wonderful, and this place is so warm and inviting. It's like Christmas from when you were a child here…"
Oaken noticed her voice trail off. "Ah, I see. And that's the problem? This is such a warm, family setting and you feel like the black sheep, ya?"
Lily's eyes widened slightly. How had he guessed it so easily? She knew her daughter was an open book when it came to her thoughts and emotions. She supposed she had to get that from somewhere though.
The large man chuckled slightly and put his giant hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. You're still new to the area. Plenty of people are more than willing to open up and get to know everyone when given the chance. Arendelle is like one large family."
He stopped and looked out the window. A giant smile spread across his face as a booming laugh escaped his lips. "The perfect example is just about to walk through the door now!"
Lily raised an eyebrow questioningly and gazed out the vast window. A person was dismounting what looked like a dogsled with three gigantic dogs that looked more like wolves harnessed into the line. They were only wearing a pair of dark grey pants, black, fingerless gloves, ski goggles, a purple stocking hat, and a black and blue jacket that looked more like a spring rain coat. The person stripped themselves of the hat, goggles, and coat; stuffing them into the sled before pulling out three chunks of off colored ice and feeding them to the giant, furry dogs.
Lily felt her eyes widen slightly as the person turned to face the café. She had snow white hair and a dazzling smile that almost seemed to reflect the sunlight; her two canines were a little more pointed than most people's, she noted to herself. But what caught her attention the most were her eyes. They were like sparkling garnets that matched the red flannel she was wearing.
Oaken practically skipped to the counter as the woman disappeared from view. "The Beast Queen is here!"
Lily snapped her head in the man's direction and stared at him in complete disbelief. How could this happy, bubbly man call someone a name like that? He sounded so joyous about the name, but the name itself sounded like it should have been an insult.
The bell tinkled joyously and the white haired woman stepped into the café. A large smile nearly split her face in half as she laughed warmly. "Alright, who missed me?"
A roar of cheers erupted throughout the establishment. Everyone in the café was welcoming this woman; most of them had even gotten up from their seats and rushed over to give her a hug or clap her on the back. Lily just stared in awe at the whole situation. This woman was called the "Beast Queen" and yet everyone welcomed her so openly? Was everyone here completely insane?
Once the crowd of people dispersed, the "Beast Queen" made her way over to the counter and hugged Oaken tightly around the neck.
"How are you, Mountain Man?" she laughed heartily. Her voice was warm and inviting. It was almost enough to make Lily melt in her seat.
"I'm just swell, dear!" Oaken laughed back. "How are you? More importantly, how does it feel being so old? Your little snow leopard's birthday is next week. That means your birthday is only a month away." The mountain man laughed as he teased the white haired woman at the counter.
"Ugh! Don't remind me!" the Beast Queen dramatized. "I'm nowhere near old enough to have a senior in high school!"
This caught Lily's attention. So this woman had a child in high school too? But she looked so young! Granted, the brunette knew she did not look her age, nor was she exactly the average age of most high school mothers either.
Oaken boomed an earth shattering laugh. "So, how are you and the little girl?"
The Beast Queen smiled thoughtfully. "I'm doing great, but I think I'm going to strangle that girl. That little brat stole my denim shirt this morning! I had it sitting on the hook in the kitchen, and when I went to put it on it was gone!"
"You know she loves you very much," Oaken giggled. "She probably just wanted to dress like you. Isn't that how children work?"
A slight giggle escaped the Beast Queen's lips as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
The two talked for a few more minutes, but Lily couldn't quite hear what they were saying. Suddenly, Oaken stood up and went back to the kitchen; leaving the Beast Queen to lean her back against the counter and look in the brunette's direction. Their eyes met and the lavender eyed woman froze.
There was a puzzled look on the white haired woman's face at first, but it was quickly replaced with a charming smile that sent a wave of warmth to the pit of the brunette's stomach. There was no way this complete stranger knew what kind of a look she was giving her. She was probably just trying to be polite and throw her a hello smile.
Lily could feel the threat of a fresh blush creep across her skin and quickly tore her eyes away from the white haired beauty. A soft giggle that she could tell belonged to the Beast Queen reached her ears and she took a shaking sip of her latte. What was going on with her?
She suddenly heard Oaken's booming voice and a laugh from the Beast Queen. There was idle chatter before the woman said something about "double tap" and someone getting something. When the brunette glanced back over her shoulder to take another glance at the woman at the counter, she found that the white haired beauty was writing something on a piece of paper.
Oaken took the piece of paper and nodded at the Beast Queen. "Here you go….You have a good day!"
Lily strained to hear them over the sudden crowd that had entered the café. He had said the woman's name, but she hadn't caught it. Did it start with a K? It sounded like a K. Maybe it was a C that sounded like a K.
The woman's voice drifted over the large crowd as she opened the door. "Bye, everyone, I'll see you all again soon!"
The café cheered in response and the white haired woman suddenly appeared next to the window. She was pulling on her light jacket, hat, and goggles while trying to calm the giant dogs bouncing around in front of her. Her eyes caught the sunlight just before she pulled the goggles over her eyes.
That was it. Lily knew she had to at least get the woman's name. She had no idea why, but she just had to get her name. She just had to.
The brunette grabbed her jacket and slipped it on as she made her way to the counter where Oaken was fiddling with the register.
"Lily," he greeted her warmly. His expression suddenly turned to confusion. "Is something wrong, dear?"
"Could I get my bill? I need to…" What was she going to say? "I need to go catch that white haired woman before she leaves and get her name." Yeah, that didn't sound desperate at all. It sure didn't scream creepy stalker either.
"I need to finish unpacking the last of our boxes at home. I start work tomorrow and all of my professional clothes are still packed up."
"Smooth, Lily," she scolded herself. "That was almost believable. Anna seems to have gotten more from you than you thought."
Oaken grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that, dear. Someone's already paid for it."
Lily's eyes widened as her jaw went slack. "Someone paid for my bill?"
The mountainous man nodded happily. "Ya, you betcha! They even left you this nice little note." He slid a small, folded piece of paper over the counter and under the brunette's fingers.
Lily stared at the piece of paper as her mind spun circles around herself. Someone had paid for her meal? Her? A complete and utter stranger who was sitting by herself in one of the friendliest cafés she had ever been in?
She took the paper in slightly trembling fingers and unfolded it. Her heart was hammering in her chest. This hadn't happened to her since she had been in eighth grade when her crush had slipped her a note in the middle of math class. It was a little exciting to get a note from a complete stranger, but it was nerve wracking as well.
Oaken watched the brunette read the small note and smiled excitedly. "Well, what does it say, dear?" he prodded delicately. He knew exactly who wrote the note, but they had refused to let him see what was written. He hated secrets, but loved them all the same.
Lily's mouth went dry and she had to swallow multiple times to even get her voice to work. "Double tapped your check. In case you don't know, that means I paid for you. Little phrase we say around here whenever we want to pay for someone. I figured a new resident in our community should see how nice the majority of us are, especially someone as beautiful as you. Welcome to Arendelle!"
The bouldering man's hands shook in front of his body as he squealed quietly like a middle school girl. "Oh, that was so sweet of her! That's the Beast Queen for you! She's always so kind and considerate."
A small blush coveted the brunette's features. That woman had paid for her meal and complimented her? She had to get her name now! The least she could do was thank her after all.
"Thank you, Oaken!" Lily gushed as she, without thinking, kissed the proprietor innocently on his hairy cheek and rushed out the door; zipping her black coat up as she pushed through the door. "I'll see you soon!"
She didn't notice the faint blush that hid under the large man's moustache as he smiled and laughed softly as she frantically scanned the street. The white haired woman, the Beast Queen, was gone. A twinge of disappointment slithered through the brunette as she clutched the note tighter. The cold wind bit into the skin of her exposed fingers, but they felt oddly warm.
A crazy thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She quickly spun on her heel and strutted back into the café. Oaken stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Back so soon?" the bubbly man asked with a smile.
"Does the Beast Queen buy something from here a lot?" Lily asked, trying to be as polite as she could.
Oaken's eyes sparkled. "She orders the same thing every day; black coffee with a healthy dollop of chocolate on the bottom of the mug and five of our homemade vanilla sugar wafers." He pointed to the decent sized, sugary waffle cookies in the pastry case.
"How much does that usually cost?" Lily added.
"Oh, it costs about five dollars. That's three dollars less than what your meal cost, dear." Oaken wiggled his bushy, caterpillar eyebrows.
Lily felt a strange feeling of excitement well up inside of her. She took out her billfold and turned to the man standing in front of her. She could almost see the bubbles of excitement floating up and away from him.
"Do you have a piece of paper?" was the last thing she asked.