A/N: Yay, reviews! Love and many thanks. Sorry if there are errors; I'm typing with a sulking dog on my lap. Please tell me if I do!


Arrival

Aurelia stretched out her arms, her pale skin glowing in the last of the day's sunlight. The sun was beginning to set, turning a beautiful red before leaving. "It's already five; we drove for almost ten hours," she said while touching her toes, voice muffled slightly due to the thick curtain of auburn hair in front of her mouth. "Next time, let's bike. Go cross country. Or get a horse or some other mode of transportation besides a tin can of death on wheels."

"My driving wasn't that bad, considering I just got my license two weeks ago," Leya huffed jokingly. They had waited to take their summer trip until everyone could drive, except Kit.

"Even Kit could do better, and she can't touch the pedals," Lora said with a smile. Kit's height had stopped being a sensitive subject before she had even met half of the girls. Aurelia, Kit, and Alonna had been best friends since they were five, and Leya caught on quickly, along with Lora.

Kit had been diagnosed around age six with Russell-Silver Syndrome, slightly later than other children. The symptoms had never been severe, but her height was never on par with her peers; not even Lora, the second shortest, had a conversation looking at Kit straight in the eyes while standing. Aurelia was the tallest, and after was Alonna, so as children, Kit had seemed even smaller. However, as the symptoms got better with age, and since they were rather moderate to begin with, Kit's biggest problems were her calorie intake, blood pressure, and comments about her appearance.

Kit looked like a teenager most of the time; the stages where one's appearances started to finally establish themselves. She had large eyes that dominated her heart shaped, almost triangle shaped face; ethereal shade of blue caught everyone's attention first. Then they noticed her small teeth, slightly large forehead that she covered with her curly, dark hair, or her small, pointed chin.

In comparison to her close friend, Aurelia was tall, slender, with long, lithe limbs. They often joked that Aurelia should give some of her inches to Kit, or at least until Kit was tall enough to legally drive. Aurelia's wavy red hair hung loose, brushing the top of her waist. Similar to her, Alonna was also fairly tall, but seemed lean, fit, and wiry were better descriptions for her. Both were runners, but while Alonna was slightly tan with straight brown hair she kept cut to about shoulder length, Aurelia was pale, as pale as Leya.

Leya was not the oldest or the youngest, the tallest or the shortest, the most athletic or most artistic, but she was also easy to notice. With her thin, pale blond hair and a matching wispy figure, she seemed fragile. But when looking at her eyes, it was clear she was playful and able to take care of herself. Her cousin Lora was almost the same, but fuller and rounder with hazel hair, instead of the angles Leya seemed to be composed of.

The girls were now roommates in a small townhouse on the edges of town, close enough to reach their colleges or jobs. It was the last year of college, and they decided that before they inevitably went onto their own futures, they should spend one glorious last year together, including a road trip during their two weeks off.

The farm was small and lacked any farm animals; ducks would wander around in the small pond, and the owners, Lora's grandparents, kept a few horses in the neighboring farm's stalls, but the farm was now just a place to relax. Up in the golden hills, the air was fresh and peaceful, making it worth the awful amount of driving. Behind the farm were wooded lands that extended far over the hills, occasionally stopping in valleys to show a pleasant field to picnic in.

"Oh, the benefits of having a cousin with rich relatives," Leya said as she started to pull the luggage from the back of the car. "I knew I kept you for a reason!"

"Yes, remember to thank your grandparents. Both of you, to the same grandparents, I guess. This place is amazing!" Alonna gave the hills a quick scan before continuing to drag the bags into the small white house.

"Can we sleep in the barn? It's not used anymore, right? And we have sleeping bags," Kit added hopefully.

"If you like old, moldy hay that smells like horse poop, be my guest," Leya said.

"I miss the horses. They were nice," added Lora. "But we moved them mostly because they couldn't live in the barn anymore; I kind of doubt we would like it."

"No. Kit gets sick easily, and she always passes it onto Aurel. Who then gets me sick," said Alonna.

"Yes, but then you get Lora or Leya sick, and they get me sick again," interjected Aurelia as she came back from dropping off the icebox on the front porch. "Katherine, did you bring your pillow?"

"No, I left it at home again. We have some, right?" Kit asked hopefully.

"Nope, nothing but blankets. And we should wash those before dinner so we can go to sleep on dry blankets and soft beds," added Leya.

"I brought your pillow. Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?" Alonna said. "Come on, let's go in so we can set up before eating. No food until we're ready!" Alonna slammed the trunk door as she and the other girls began to walk into the house.

"Dibs on a room! I refuse to sleep on a pullout couch with any of you ever again!" Aurelia sprinted for the door, Leya right behind her. Kit laughed, hearing a crash against the screen door and knowing that Leya had just been tackled by Lora into the door Aurelia slammed back.

...

Unknown to them, their arrival would be short; but their trip would be longer than planned. As the sun set, laughter rose, friendly whispers began to fly between roommates, and the stars shined like diamonds onto the glorious hills and forests, another world drew nearer.


A/N: Thoughts? The plot starts to move next chapter, I promise. I just want shorter chapters so I can upload faster