Rayene Entei, or Raye to her friends, tilted her straw hat and wiped her forehead. " Yep, today is a perfect day to be outside, work or play." She finished raking the small plot of dirt she set aside for her veggies, stood up and stretched. What next…ah, the roses! She walked calmly and happily through her gigantic garden, treating each flower like a friend. She paused, however, as she had the sudden presence of someone coming near. Strange… She brushed it off, and continued with her work.
Strolling calmly along the forest path, Jake paused as he saw a side road that he'd never noticed before. He went down the path, and at the end lay the two biggest surprises of his life. He looked around in wonder and amazement as he came upon what had to be the largest garden he had ever seen. Jake could only stare as his eye caught something that, in his opinion, had to be the most magnificent sight in the whole garden. Standing there among a multitude of colorful roses was a tall, beautiful young woman, with dark, glossy hair down to her waist, and an elegant body. Whoa. I think I'm in love.
Rayene, momentarily unaware that she was being watched, was calmly tending to her roses. A ladybug landed on her nose and she laughed and blew it off. She gazed on as it flew away into the air, and as she lifted her head, eyed Jake staring at her. She straightened up and looked at him." Hello," she called, waving a greeting.
For a moment, Jake was speechless. He couldn't think of a thing to say except, 'Who are you, and where have you been all my life?' He figured that wouldn't make a very good first impression, so he said the only other thing he could think of:
" Hi…" he murmured dreamily, waving back. Uh-oh! She's walking over here. Think of something else to say. "This is a beautiful place."
Raye smiled at his comment and straightened her hat a little. " Thank you."
Seeing the smile as a good sign, he continued on. " I've never seen so many different types of flowers in one place. It's amazing!" But not as amazing as you are… Jake desperately wanted to say.
Rayene's grin widened. " Would you like a tour?"
" A tour? Sure." Jake smiled. If you're there, I'm there, beautiful.
" Right this way."
She led him through her expansive garden. It was almost like an outdoor flower shop. Roses, daisies, orchids, you name it, almost anything could be found. The flowers themselves were larger than normal, and in brilliant color as well. The tour ended as they stopped at a wood shed next to a small plot of land, with garden tools strewn about. She picked up the set of small garden tools and opened the shed to put in back.
" So…" Jake was becoming nervous again. " You live here all by yourself?"
Raye's voice answered him from the shed. " Yeah, just me and my flowers."
" You don't get lonely?" he asked hopefully.
Raye reappeared, closing the door behind her and leaning on it. " Well, sometimes I do…" her voice suddenly took on a wistful tone. " But my friends visit, and then there are people like you." She sounded considerably cheered as she headed for her house.
Jake followed, confused. " People like me?"
" You find me. A person could walk through this forest every day and not find me. But some get lucky. I truly love it when someone shows up unexpected. And no one leaves without a present."
Jake smiled. " Do I get to pick my present?"
" Sure."
" Ok…How about a date Friday?"
Raye said nothing, but her golden brown eyes darkened. Seeing that look, Jake suddenly had the feeling that there was much more to Rayene than her looks, something wild and dangerous under that gentle beauty. He took a very cautious step back.
Raye, her back to Jake, took a deep breath and locked her temper back under control. She turned back around with a pleasant, if not forced smile.
" That's not quite the gift I had in mind."
" I don't get it. I asked for a date and came out with a fruit." Jake had returned home, and had told Chance of his meeting.
" I thought tomatoes were vegetables." Chance said confusedly.
" Nah, it's a fruit. That's what she told me." He sighed softly. " I don't even know her name. I want to see her again, but she got kind of mad when I asked her out, so I don't want to go back there without an excuse."
Chance pondered this, and snapped his fingers. " I have an idea, but you're going to have to sacrifice your plant…"