Disclaimer: I don't own JoA.
A.N: This is incredibly random. But hey, this is titled 'Random Stuff.' I'm allowed to be random.
oOo
When Grace was three, before her home life fell apart, her mom and dad took her to Florida.
On the third or fifth day of the break, they went to the beach for the day. Displeased by the baking sun and the scent of salt in the air, Grace sat under an umbrella and sulked while her father swam and her mom sunbathed. She never was a terribly cheerful kid.
Out of the corner of her eye, Grace noticed a colored flag from a sandcastle. The light reflected off the shiny plastic and into her eyes. She frowned, squinting.
The creator of the sandcastle sat close by. Her long brown hair was tied into two pigtails, sand embedding itself into the strands as breeze blew from the sea. She looked about Grace's age.
An older boy with similar features strolled over to the girl and sat down next to her. He asked her something, but Grace couldn't hear the words. The girl replied with a giggle, the boy lunging forward to tickle her tummy.
Times like this made Grace wonder what it would be like to have a brother or sister.
Two adults lay on deckchairs by the children's feet. Aside from this noise and laughter, there was another child. It took Grace a few minutes to notice he was even there; she had been so avid to watch the brown haired girl with the sparkle in her eyes.
He sat against a wall, ghostly white against the array of tanned tourists. An umbrella similar to Grace's was propped up behind him.
Something drew her to this other kid, and rather bravely for a three year old, she toddled over and sat down next to him.
He was reading a book. Eventually he noticed Grace sitting next to him and turned towards her. He had blonde hair and blue eyes.
Grace refused to be the first to speak, her eyes locked on his as he watched her.
'Hi,' said the boy, nervously.
Grace relaxed. 'Hello. What are you reading?'
' It's a science book about the stars.'
'Wow. That's good.'
'I know,' the boy gave a small smile and returned to his book. Grace sat in silence and watched him read for a while.
As she was walking away, she heard the brown haired girl talking to the boy.
'Luke, are you gonna play ball?'
'Joan, I'm reading my book.'
'Fine then.'
Grace kept on walking. She saw her Dad walking towards her carrying ice creams, and ran towards him, the children already forgotten.
Little did she know that one day they would mean everything to her… become just as precious as the stars.
oOo