A lot of people will be confused by this chapter, but it will be explained very soon, including the name of 'Marla'...
Eight years passed…
"Marla!" a voice spat angrily, but with a tinge of care. "Would you get off that horse for once and come inside! It's your sixteenth birthday and you're riding on that horse? You do that every single day! Come inside and have your dinner!"
Oh yeah. Today was her birthday, wasn't it…? Marie wasn't the kindest person in Hyrule, but she really was fit to be a motherly figure. Marla pulled back on the horse, stopping it, and slipping off the side.
"Stay there," she murmured gently to the horse as she closed the gate to the pasture. The horse simply whinnied in response.
Marla shuffled over to the door and opened it, surprised to see most of her family facing her with a cake right in the middle of the table.
"Happy birthday, Marla!" her family cheered in unison. Wow. All of this for her? The cake was even vanilla, not chocolate, which she 'casually' asked for months ago to see if they would pay attention. And they did. Marla instantly began tearing up for more reasons than one. She just remembered one thing. No, dozens of things.
Today marked eight years. Eight years since then.
But she forgot about that when she was asked to blow out the candles. Blow out the sixteen candles. They flickered and wafted, awaiting to be diminished. Deep breath. Blow.
Eight candles were aflame; eight were sizzled.
"Blow again," a young girl urged, bobbing up and down. "Blow again, Marla!"
And Marla blew again. Steam rose up from the now-nonexistent flames. The younger girl squealed with delight. Marla chuckled.
"Exciting, huh, Sophia?" she joked, playfully ruffling the girl's curly, honey-colored locks. At that moment, an older boy with simple, brown hair that swooped in his face entered the room, his deep blue eyes looking thoughtful and somewhat nervous. "Ma, there's a guy in the back who wants to buy a few crates of milk. Crates." he indicated the other room with his thumb.
"Crates? Wow. I knew our milk was good, but wow," Marie jokingly responded, scootching back her seat, standing up and brushing invisible dust off of her skirt. "Y'all stay here, 'kay? And make sure Marla doesn't open that gift without me." she said in another serious yet caring tone. "Hunter, come with me to get the milk. My arms are skinny twigs, so I'll have to drag a crate or two. How many does he want?"
"Around three. Four? It don't matter, he said," Hunter replied, shifting his feet slightly, nervously peering at Marla and eying the doorframe to the entrance.
"'Kay, then. Let's get four to get more money," Marie joked as she headed into the back. Hunter trailed behind her, then suddenly froze and looked back over his shoulder. He then peered down at Marla and smiled, his face immediately brightening.
"Happy birthday, Marla."
Marla grinned back. "Thanks, Hunter." He simply nodded in reply and hastily shuffled into the other room.
It was then that Marla noticed what Hunter had looked so displaced about.
A young teenager peered around the doorframe to the entrance of their home. He had patient blue eyes that sparkled in the sunshine streaming through the windows. He had matted blonde hair that sat on his head. Marla's mouth dropped open, her heart dropped into her stomach, and her stomach did the opposite and seemed to rise.
"Marla, huh…?" he mumbled, and then made eye contact with her. "Why?"
Argh! Sorry this chapter is so short, but I felt like ending it there. Writer's instinct, I guess.
Next chapter will be flashbacks of what happened, breaking off the suspense of the now. Haha, sorry.
Thanks for all of the reviews, the story alerts and the enthusiasm! This story has 3 story alerts and one of my others, More Than What Meets the Eye, has 4. And this story is barely started yet!
(Oh, I kinda pictured Hunter like Rex Goudie. Heehee.)
