At first, Willow was thankful for Isaac. It meant she wasn't the only dark-haired and dark-eyed kid in Gatlin, which was nice, because it meant she wasn't different than everyone else. Craig was the only one to celebrate her tenth birthday, even after Skylar promised to be there when she went to his eighteenth birthday, and then Aunt Carrie Ann's death soon after. Aunt Carrie Ann was 67, and had a bad heart, so she was expected to die of heart failure, which she did. However, with it came problems, like Skylar and Willow now living alone, giving them both so many more responsibilities. Sky wanted to quit school, but Willow begged him not to, because education could get him a real job. So, they had to make due with the vegetables from Willow's garden. And the small paycheck from Sky's part-time job. It would be nice to have another friend, since she needed someone, and she knew that Craig needed time to himself sometimes. As soon as she saw him, Willow rushed to sit next to the new boy. "Hi," she smiled sweetly, "I'm Willow, Willow Tree Binx." The boy nodded, giving a shy smile of his own, "Willow Tree? What a unique name. I'm Isaac Chroner." Sitting right next to Isaac gave her a better chance to look at him; He was a little bit younger than she was, with hair as dark as hers, and his eyes were ebony with a little gold ring around the irises, if you looked close enough.
He, like her, was wearing black, although his clothes were a little more old fashioned. And while he was a very good-looking, sweet boy, there was something in his gaze that gave her the shivers, like someone dumped ice down her back. After school, she invited Isaac to join to Craig and her while they did their homework, but he only walked her to the meeting spot, then polite said he had other things to attend to. Willow looked from Isaac's back to Craig. The older boy was glaring intensely at the other boy's back. And, upon witnessing the face Isaac made when he saw Craig, Willow knew they had nothing but contepmt for eachother. Lovely. Willow sighed, sitting down next to Craig and pulling out her homework, which she promptly finished within a few minutes. She then proceeded to check over what Craig had finished.
It always vexed Craig that the ten year old was a genius. It couldn't just be a tough kid that had dragged him all the way home, but it had to a kid with an IQ as high as Einstein's. It bugged him even more when her answers were right and his were completely off. However, when he asked her why she kept her intelligence a secret, she always replied with a sweet smile and the answer, "But, if I went to a higher grade, it wouldn't be as fun, and I might not be able to see you as much." And then Craig would leave the subject alone. So, for now, he would just have to deal with being tutored by a little girl. "What's this?" he asked, pointing to a math problem, and Willow happily obliged, working out the whole problem while he watched, flabbergasted.
For the next month, it was nice to have two friends. At school, she never left Isaac, as they shared every class. After school, since Isaac refused to be near Craig for some reason, she'd help Craig with her homework, and he'd help with her garden. Despite being so tough and angry on the outside, he had a natural green thumb, and her plants grew better than ever. A few days before Deliverance, Isaac began to talk to her less. He was almost silent at school, and didn't even politely excuse himself when he left. Willow, somewhat puzzled by his strange behavior, shrugged it off, though it dwelled in her mind. She put on a cheerful face as she turned to corner to the highschool to meet Craig, but there was no mock-cheery greetings of "Hey, Tree." There were just a few other teenagers milling about on their way home. Willow was worried, very worried. The last time he skipped out on her was to confront some of her tormentors in a fight, which he won, but it was still her fault. She ran to the school's back entrance at the speed of a sprinter. She would not let him get hurt because of her! She slid to a stop, panting for breath. No one was there. Willow swallowed some of her fear, running to Craig's house, then all their normal hangouts, then to any of their hiding spots, but he was no where to be seen. She finally gave up around dark, walking home with her head down to work on her garden and homework. To tell the truth, she hadn't seen any children around…
The next day, I saac did not speak to her anymore than, "Hello," in the morning and, "I must go," at the end of the day. Much to her distress, Craig had disappeared again. She sighed, doing her homework alone, and inspecting her garden for nonexsistant weeds. Finding nothing to do, she turned to the corn fields. The corn had been failing lately. She didn't need the preacher's sermons to tell her that. There were insects, dying stalks, and more weeds than she could count. And crows. She saw them a lot, their plummage as dark as her hair. The old barn in the middle of the field was her favorite place to sit and think, and that was where she heard the hushed voices.
Craig was aware of what his absence would be doing to Willow. However, he had business to attend to, and Isaac said to keep it from Miss Willow Tree Binx. Yes, Isaac. The weird little kid Willow had taken a liking to. The one he despised. But, he had a plan. A good plan. Craig was painfully aware of the failing corn, and he'd do anything to save Gatlin. There was, however, one kink in the plan: there would only be corn children. Those who both acted and looked the part. Both he and Isaac were somewhat doubtful of Willow's status. "She doesn't," he continued arguing, trying to keep his temper in check, "Look the part, but she's as devoted as anyone to the right thing. Really, look at you!" Isaac looked at him with icy calmness, "Yes, but I am the lord's mouthpiece. What is she?" Craig bit back anything he wanted to shout, "She's your friend, for one thing, and she would be your closest follower. Probably more than myself, if she has the chance." Isaac considered it for a moment. A very long moment that seemed to drag on for hours. How long did it take this kid to think?! The younger boy finally opened his mouth to answer, but stopped and stared past Craig, icier than before. Craig whirled around in time to see the little black ponytail disappear behind the wall. He followed it, slipping into the barn.
Isaac was left behind to ponder for a few moments. His closest follower? (Well, His closest follower, besides himself.) Did she really care that much? He knew she followed him around for lack of friends and a sense of security in not being alone, but was she really that devoted? "Lord?" he asked aloud, "What should I do? This is incredibly confusing." He waited for a moment, closing his eyes. "Thank you." He was given the decision, but only if he was really sure about it. Well, that certainly was a lot of help. He sighed, walking into the barn. The older boy was sitting next to her in the corner, and the only thing that really stuck out about her was her pale face against the dark backdrop.
Willow felt very hurt inside. She'd only heard the last line, but it convinced her that her friends were planning to leave her, and Craig wanted for them both to sympathize for her. She crawled into the darkest corner she could find, huddling as small as she could. Her pale hands gripping her legs closer to her chest ratted her out, though, as she felt Craig plop down beside her. "So, Tree," he said, attempting to sound parental, "How much did you hear?" Willow sniffled, "The last thing you said." Craig stiffened a little. "Well," he began, shifting his weight more evenly on the random patches of hay, "He, Isaac, was just looking for reasons to share a big secret with you." Willow sniffled again, pulling her knees closer to her chest, "Really? Well, either way, it's good to see you two getting along better." Craig nodded, inwardly clenching his teeth. Genius or not, she was still a child; she still believed things, like him and Isaac getting along, or this 'secret'. Yeah, it was a secret whether or not she died, tommorow. A secret kept from him, as well. "Yes, a secret that I've decided to tell," came that icy, razor blade voice. He could see Willow shiver, as well. He looked up: Isaac was standing there, smirking. "Come to this barn at 8:00 tonight. You'll see." Willow was a little paler, but she nodded, "Of course."
