Author notes: Hey, thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter, like
I promised. Keep reviewing!
Chapter Five - "First Encounter"
The next day Lily decided she had waited too long already. She made up her mind that no matter what the circumstances she would speak to Jesse Tuck. So she once again pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed her knapsack and headed out.
The walk to the clearing seemed much shorter today, when she wasn't jumping at every sound that came from the brush. She emerged from the trees into the clearing, only to find it empty. She had known it would be too simple if he had been right where she had left him the day before, of course. But a girl could hope, couldn't she?
Since she knew of no other place to look for Jesse, Lily settled down to wait. She had brought a book and for awhile she read silently, ignoring her surroundings. After awhile, however, she put down her book and thought about the fact that she was sitting practically on top of a grave. Lily had always thought of cemeteries as scary places, but the atmosphere here was very different. If anything, it was rather nice to be here at Grandma Winnie's grave. It gave her a sense of nearness to Grandma Winnie that she hadn't felt in these five years since she had passed away.
Lily moved closer to the headstone and ran her fingers over the engraving. Winnifred Foster Jackson. A tear ran down Lily's face. She missed Grandma Winnie so much. She had been the one that Lily always went to with her problems. Even when she was several states away, Grandma Winnie was always there for her. And Lily felt that she needed her most of all right now.
"Grandma Winnie." She said softly, uncertainly into the air. Wasn't it only crazy people who talked to people who weren't there?
"I don't know what to do without you here to help me." Lily continued, figuring no one but the squirrels were around to judge her, and she didn't really care what they thought. It just felt good to be talking to Grandma Winnie again.
"This is a really big decision you've left me with. I think I made up my mind, but I'm so unsure. I mean, you were faced with the same decision, and you chose the opposite. But what would you do now, in my shoes? Would you still make the same decision?"
Lily brushed away the tears she had shed and looked at her watch. She had been waiting here for hours. She sighed. A few more wouldn't hurt. She curled up more comfortably against the headstone and gazed at the woods around her. They really were beautiful. No wonder Grandma Winnie had held such a special place for them in her heart. Seeing the world was exciting, but who wouldn't want to always know they could come home to these woods? Lily was lost in these thoughts as she slowly drifted to sleep.
She awoke groggily but still managed to immediately note two things. One: it was dusk, so she must have slept for hours, and two: someone was staring at her. This realization had her sitting up quickly and then grimacing at the stiffness in her joints. Apparently a grave was not the most comfortable place to sleep, she thought wryly.
Lily looked up at the figure that stood on the edge of the clearing. Just from the silhouette she could tell it was Jesse. Her heart began to race. This was it. He stepped further into the clearing and into the failing light.
"Are you lost?" he asked. He didn't look pleased to find her there. While she might have played the helpless female and told him yes, she was lost, his tone had her snapping,
"No, as a matter of fact, I'm not." She immediately regretted it, scolding herself for becoming upset at his tone. He was startled to find her here, after all. But she had always been guilty of speaking first, thinking later. It was something Grandma Winnie said she had suffer from, too.
"Well, if you're not lost, what are you doing here?" He asked a trifle more patiently. He had clearly been hoping to set her on her way and be rid of her, but now seemed resigned to the fact that that wasn't going to happen.
"Well, I was sleeping." Lily said, stalling. He smiled slightly.
"So I noticed. Bit of an unconventional place to sleep."
Lily decided that the truth, or at least the partial truth, would be her best bet.
"Not when you love the person who's grave you're sleeping on." She replied quietly. His eyes widened.
"You knew Winnie Foster. I mean, Jackson." He corrected himself quickly.
"Yes," she said, standing up and reaching out a hand to him. "I'm Lily Jackson, Winnie's great granddaughter."
She could tell she had stunned him, for it to him awhile to acknowledge her outstretched hand and shake it.
"Great granddaughter." He repeated, shaking his heard. "Should have known. Look just like her." He muttered to himself, not mentioning the fact that when he had first entered the clearing he had thought she really was Winnie. His heart had leaped before he realized his mistake.
"Did you know her?" Lily asked, playing dumb.
"Briefly." He replied. Then he seemed to think of something. "You should meet my mother. She truly loved Winnie, and she'd like to meet you."
"Alright." Lily said, picking up her knapsack. "Lead the way."
As they left the clearing, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"By the way, you never introduced yourself."
Chapter Five - "First Encounter"
The next day Lily decided she had waited too long already. She made up her mind that no matter what the circumstances she would speak to Jesse Tuck. So she once again pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed her knapsack and headed out.
The walk to the clearing seemed much shorter today, when she wasn't jumping at every sound that came from the brush. She emerged from the trees into the clearing, only to find it empty. She had known it would be too simple if he had been right where she had left him the day before, of course. But a girl could hope, couldn't she?
Since she knew of no other place to look for Jesse, Lily settled down to wait. She had brought a book and for awhile she read silently, ignoring her surroundings. After awhile, however, she put down her book and thought about the fact that she was sitting practically on top of a grave. Lily had always thought of cemeteries as scary places, but the atmosphere here was very different. If anything, it was rather nice to be here at Grandma Winnie's grave. It gave her a sense of nearness to Grandma Winnie that she hadn't felt in these five years since she had passed away.
Lily moved closer to the headstone and ran her fingers over the engraving. Winnifred Foster Jackson. A tear ran down Lily's face. She missed Grandma Winnie so much. She had been the one that Lily always went to with her problems. Even when she was several states away, Grandma Winnie was always there for her. And Lily felt that she needed her most of all right now.
"Grandma Winnie." She said softly, uncertainly into the air. Wasn't it only crazy people who talked to people who weren't there?
"I don't know what to do without you here to help me." Lily continued, figuring no one but the squirrels were around to judge her, and she didn't really care what they thought. It just felt good to be talking to Grandma Winnie again.
"This is a really big decision you've left me with. I think I made up my mind, but I'm so unsure. I mean, you were faced with the same decision, and you chose the opposite. But what would you do now, in my shoes? Would you still make the same decision?"
Lily brushed away the tears she had shed and looked at her watch. She had been waiting here for hours. She sighed. A few more wouldn't hurt. She curled up more comfortably against the headstone and gazed at the woods around her. They really were beautiful. No wonder Grandma Winnie had held such a special place for them in her heart. Seeing the world was exciting, but who wouldn't want to always know they could come home to these woods? Lily was lost in these thoughts as she slowly drifted to sleep.
She awoke groggily but still managed to immediately note two things. One: it was dusk, so she must have slept for hours, and two: someone was staring at her. This realization had her sitting up quickly and then grimacing at the stiffness in her joints. Apparently a grave was not the most comfortable place to sleep, she thought wryly.
Lily looked up at the figure that stood on the edge of the clearing. Just from the silhouette she could tell it was Jesse. Her heart began to race. This was it. He stepped further into the clearing and into the failing light.
"Are you lost?" he asked. He didn't look pleased to find her there. While she might have played the helpless female and told him yes, she was lost, his tone had her snapping,
"No, as a matter of fact, I'm not." She immediately regretted it, scolding herself for becoming upset at his tone. He was startled to find her here, after all. But she had always been guilty of speaking first, thinking later. It was something Grandma Winnie said she had suffer from, too.
"Well, if you're not lost, what are you doing here?" He asked a trifle more patiently. He had clearly been hoping to set her on her way and be rid of her, but now seemed resigned to the fact that that wasn't going to happen.
"Well, I was sleeping." Lily said, stalling. He smiled slightly.
"So I noticed. Bit of an unconventional place to sleep."
Lily decided that the truth, or at least the partial truth, would be her best bet.
"Not when you love the person who's grave you're sleeping on." She replied quietly. His eyes widened.
"You knew Winnie Foster. I mean, Jackson." He corrected himself quickly.
"Yes," she said, standing up and reaching out a hand to him. "I'm Lily Jackson, Winnie's great granddaughter."
She could tell she had stunned him, for it to him awhile to acknowledge her outstretched hand and shake it.
"Great granddaughter." He repeated, shaking his heard. "Should have known. Look just like her." He muttered to himself, not mentioning the fact that when he had first entered the clearing he had thought she really was Winnie. His heart had leaped before he realized his mistake.
"Did you know her?" Lily asked, playing dumb.
"Briefly." He replied. Then he seemed to think of something. "You should meet my mother. She truly loved Winnie, and she'd like to meet you."
"Alright." Lily said, picking up her knapsack. "Lead the way."
As they left the clearing, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"By the way, you never introduced yourself."