Chapter 9

Don't Cause a Scene

I remember the dreams

The dreams of my past

I'm never able to hide them

In the front of my diary

At the back of my mind

Buried deep within my floorboards

He would come in the night

Through color-coded skies

But he comes no more

Because I am grown

And can no longer hear him

"I'm getting nervous."

"What for?" Finn asked, handing Molly her brush from the nightstand.

"I'm afraid something is going to happen. Like, I'm going to do something really stupid and embarrass myself or that Luke will do something and embarrass the both of us, which is actually probably pretty likely to happen," said Molly, giving herself a final look-over in the mirror.

"Well…if you do get embarrassed act like it doesn't embarrass you and just laugh it off. I think that works most of the time."

"I'm not sure if I'm capable of that. And anyways, how do you know what to do? You're three months old, have you even been embarrassed before?" Molly asked. She was very skeptical about his range of experiences and didn't know if she should take him seriously for these types of issues.

"Yeah, sure I have. I was embarrassed when I didn't bring you to the Harvest Goddess that first day when I was supposed to!"

"Okay, well, if I remember correctly, you definitely didn't smile and laugh it off, you freaked out and started having a panic attack," Molly said, grinning as she remembered the event. She knew it wasn't nice to laugh when Finn was worried but he was such a spaz sometimes she couldn't help it.

"That's! - Well…I guess I was more ashamed than embarrassed. But, that was a bad sort of embarrassment, if you do something silly but not hurt anyone in the process then it's okay to just laugh it off in those sorts of situations."

"But my face will still turn red," said Molly.

"So turn around."

"Okay, I am done talking to you now," she said, narrowing her eyes at him and closing the windows.

"I thought it was simple enough," Finn said, shrugging.

"Too simple. Now, are you ready? We're supposed to meet Luke at his house by three."

"Doesn't it start at four?" Finn asked, drawing the curtains close.

"Yeah, but I think Luke has something planned for before…which is highly disconcerting," she said as they made their way up to the Garmon Mine district.

Finn snickered which in turn got him a playful slap on the back from Molly.

"It is not funny."

Finn expressed the opposite opinion and Molly, already stressed enough, decided to stop talking to him for the time being so she could mentally prepare herself for whatever Luke had in store.

It wasn't that she was dreading going with him, Luke was her friend and she would probably have fun being with him, but she had the nagging suspicion that he thought it was a date. They were, after all, going to a festival together where they would sit under cherry trees and have a picnic admiring the beauty of it all. A boy and a girl do not go to this sort of thing without having feelings for each other or are already dating.

Her friends always told her that it was okay for a boy and a girl to be just friends and she truly believed that, but there are always circumstances that can put a strain on the relationship. It would just be awkward. And Molly didn't do well with awkward, mainly because she was a bit awkward herself and didn't know how to turn it around without making a fool of herself.

You'll just have to deal with it, she thought to herself.

After knocking on their door, Bo answered and, telling her to come in, explained that Luke was almost ready.

"Bo, tell me, what am I getting myself into?" she asked him.

"Sorry, but I have no idea. Don't look so scared Molly; he isn't going to throw you over a cliff," Bo said, raising his eyebrows at her worried expression.

"You're right, you're right."

Bo patted her shoulder trying to reassure her. He knew too well how Luke got when he took on any sort of challenge. Although he secretly hoped she would fall for him today, just a little. He knew Luke liked her and of course he wanted to see him happy.

They were both interrupted when a door opened in the next room and in walked Luke. He looked at Molly and smiled, complimenting her on her dress.

"Your dress looks just like a cherry blossom, very appropriate."

"Thanks Luke, you look nice too. I see you dropped the cut-up jacket and white tank," she said, noticing his dark long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. "Still rocking the bandanna though."

Luke said he couldn't possibly go without a bandanna but thanked her all the same. He asked if she was ready to go and after a nod they left the house, Luke leading the way. She inquired as to where they were headed and, not giving any clues, he simply said that she would find out soon enough. Riding the mine cart down to town they passed the church's courtyard which, in an hour or so, would be filled with people and then Luke led her into the heart of town.

Luke directed her down the stairs and to the right, passing the house where the Wizard was rumored to live.

"Uh, we're not visiting the Wizard are we?" Molly asked.

"Huh? Oh no, I think that whole fortune-telling stuff is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo. We're going just below it…to the Watery Cave. It's been locked but I jumped the gate the other day and searched inside for a bit. It's crazy amazing in there Molly."

"Wait, we're going to the Watery Cave even though it's locked? Won't we get in trouble?" Molly asked, stopping abruptly.

Luke turned around and rolled his eyes. "Aw c'mon Molly, everyone is going to be getting ready for the festival, no one will catch us. Plus, it's not like we're going to vandalize it or anything. Have a bit of fun once in awhile."

"I don't think trespassing onto other people's property is fun. Who owns the cave anyways?" she asked, never having heard anything about it before. She sometimes passed it after going to the Inn but seeing it locked never ventured farther than the gate.

"I dunno. I guess the town itself, no one actually owns it, per say," Luke said shrugging. "Now come on Molly, you're gonna make us late."

She hesitated, biting her lip but Luke didn't wait and, grabbing her hand, dragged her to the entrance. The gate wasn't very tall, maybe three feet high but, in a dress, Molly wasn't sure she could get over it without showing a bit more than she wanted to.

"Uhhhhh…" she said, eyeing it over.

"Don't worry, I've got you covered," said Luke. Molly looked up at him wondering what he meant when he grabbed her under the arms and lifted her over the gate.

"Woah!" she said, surprised he could lift her that high. She had underestimated the strength of a carpenter and watched as he hopped over the gate with a grace quite unbefitting.

"Did you think I couldn't lift you over? Come on Molly, you're like, so tiny," he said chuckling.

"Not really, I think I'm pretty average," she said turning around to hide her blush. That was the first time a guy had ever picked her up like that.

"I'm not even going to respond to that," he said, coming up beside her and nodding forward. "Let's go!"

She let him go first and followed behind him slowly. When she entered the cave she gasped, it was dark but she could hear the sound of water trickling down and the walls were sparkling with moisture.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, turning around and taking it all in.

"I thought you'd like it," said Luke, watching her.

"Well…still. I feel a bit bad sneaking in here like this."

"Don't worry about it Molly, no one is gonna come in here, it's just us."

Something about him saying that out loud made her blush scarlet. Thankful for the darkness, Molly cleared her throat and walked farther in. She took a couple steps in and jumped back as her foot plunged into a small puddle.

"Gah!" Molly panicked for a second, thinking the water was deeper than it actually was but felt her toes touch the bottom. It was only a few inches deep.

"Careful, it's a bit slippery. And wet. I guess that's why they call it the Watery Cave," Luke said, grabbing her arm and moving in front. "Here, I'll go ahead."

"Its fine, I just wasn't being careful," Molly said, trying to pull her arm back. She didn't want to keep going, fearful of falling into the water but she didn't want to back out now either.

"Just trust me. You don't want to keep plunging your feet into cold water do you?" Luke said, giving her a small squeeze.

Molly sighed. She bet he planned this whole thing out.

"Very clever Luke," she said, placing her hand in his.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, smiling back at her.

"I don't believe that for a second…"she said under her breath.

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

They maneuvered their way down the narrow path, Molly occasionally slipping and Luke pulling her back to safety. It was so dark that she could barely see anything farther out than a couple of feet and stayed close to Luke's back. Luke, meanwhile, was enjoying every second of it. He did feel a bit guilty about bringing her here where he knew she'd have to stick so close to him but he had the feeling that if he didn't go all out he would never get her to notice him. Luke was aware that he was treading dangerous waters with Molly. If he was too assertive she would get angry and start avoiding him but if he didn't do anything then she would never take him seriously.

Everyone thought that Luke was a bit slow when it came to reading other people but when he was truly invested in trying to understand someone he picked up on things. Molly was wary of men, he didn't know why, but he was determined to let her know that she didn't need to be so guarded with him.

"Okay, we're here; the best part," Luke said, guiding her across the last couple of stones as she hopped onto the small island.

"What's different about this part?" Molly asked, looking around.

"Close your eyes and listen for a second, I'm sure you'll hear it," Luke said. Molly obliged and waited for a second, listening to the sounds around her.

She could still hear that constant trickle of water and she could hear Luke's slow breathing along with her own but there was something else. It was like a deep rushing sound coming from below her.

"What is that?"

Luke pointed to a wall and she saw that it was entirely covered by a sheet of water, cascading down into the floor but so thin that it barely made any noise.

"See that waterfall? It's supposed to go all the way down to the bottom of the cave. You could hear it right?"

"Yeah, that's crazy. But it's so small; it has to constantly be running."

"It is, and when we get a lot of rain this entire first room becomes like this wall, the waterfall covers everything. Too bad we haven't had any rain lately, huh?" Luke said, going over and running his hand under it.

"It would've been amazing. But this is nice too. I can't believe I'm saying this but…thanks for bringing me here Luke," she said, grateful. She wasn't scared anymore, even though she was surrounded by water the pond was shallow and as long as she didn't slip she wouldn't be in contact with it. It was actually kind of calming.

"I thought you'd like it. I know you appreciate stuff like this."

"You do?" Molly asked, a bit surprised. She and Luke were friends but they hadn't talked that much since she'd been here. Just a few conversations here and there.

"Right, well, you mentioned you liked going sight-seeing and I already knew you didn't mind caves cause you go mining so…"

Molly smiled. It was kind of touching that Luke had paid attention to the things that she said. "Thanks, Luke."

Luke absolutely beamed. "Does this mean that I'm winning?"

"Well, you're off to a good start," Molly said. She didn't want to admit it but Luke could actually be charming. They still needed to go to the festival though, so she wasn't going to say anything final.

"That's good enough for me," Luke said, pumping his arm.

"Don't get too excited."

"Why not? You made me happy," he said, shrugging.

"Luke…," Molly said, rubbing her arm.

He smiled back at her, a bid sadly. "I know, sorry."

Molly looked down and turned away. She disliked herself for making someone say sorry because she made them happy but she didn't want to give him anything to analyze. Molly walked forward a few steps, not paying attention to where she was going and stubbed her toe into something big and solid.

"Ow!"

"What's wrong?" Luke said from the other side of the small island. She responded that it was nothing, just stubbed her toe and slowly reached out in front, feeling around for the culprit.

Her hand came in contact with something cold and, feeling around a bit more for the shape, thought it felt very familiar.

She motioned for Finn to come closer and they gave each other meaningful looks. She felt around a bit more and, sure enough – it was the shape of a bell.

"It's the blue bell, Molly!" Finn said, his eyes widening. As soon as he said that the bell started glowing and out popped a harvest sprite.

Molly looked around in panic, wondering if Luke saw the light too but he was still bending down and swirling the water around with his hand. Turning back, she saw the sprite bow and greet her.

"Hello, I'm Ben and I'm in charge of the blue bell. What brings you here?"

Molly waved her hands around, not wanting to start talking because of Luke being so close by and pointed to where he was crouching at.

"Oh, who's that? Someone who can't see me?" Ben said, peering around her shoulder.

"That's Luke, and this is Molly. We kind of found you by accident. But Ben, why haven't you rung your bell? We thought the bell was lost or something," Finn said, talking in Molly's place. Molly gave him an appreciative smile and nodded her head in agreement.

"Hmmm, I was afraid you would ask that…," Ben said, looking downcast.

Both Finn and Molly tilted their heads in confusion.

"You see…I kind of…I forgot the song!" Ben said, shaking his head in shame. "Me! Me who is supposed to be the most responsible and intelligent sprite forgot his own song!" He continued to shake his head and take shallow breaths.

Molly and Finn both started shaking their hands trying to comfort him.

"Ben, don't worry! I'm sure the Harvest Goddess knows the song, right?" Finn said.

"Noooo, I can't bear to tell her that I forgot the song! Please don't tell her," he said, tears in his eyes.

Finn looked over at Molly, unsure. She thought about it for a little while. She understood Ben's feelings; it was torture to have to let down someone whom you respected so much. Maybe they could ask some of the villagers first and if that still didn't work then they'll have to tell the Goddess.

Molly nodded her head once and Finn translated to Ben that they'd only ask for her help as a last resort.

"Thank you so much!" Ben said, bowing again. Molly shook her head and smiled while Finn said "No problem!"

Molly looked over her shoulder at Luke and saw that he was starting to get up. She looked at Finn with wide eyes and waved goodbye to Ben, standing up herself.

"We have to go now, but we'll be back after we do some research. Keep trying to remember, okay?" said Finn.

Ben told them that he would try his hardest and that it was a pleasure meeting them before disappearing back into his bell.

"Well, ready to go?" Luke said, back to his cheerful self.

"Yup. We're going to the festival now, right?" Molly asked, trying to be cheerful herself.

"Yup! It's probably about time now," he said, holding out his hand for her. She frowned but took his hand nonetheless and they maneuvered their way out of the cave and back to the entrance. He lifted her up again, perhaps with a bit more hesitancy than the last time, and they made their way to the church courtyard, easing into a conversation.

Apparently the festival had been going on for a little while already because when they got there people had already staked out their spots under the cherry trees. They were able to get a spot on the edge and were eating the butter cookies that Molly had made earlier when Owen came sauntering over with Julius, a boy a bit older than her who worked at the accessory shop. Molly had only talked to him once but his over-the-top style and long purple hair made her a bit wary. It also didn't help that that first time they met he was unnecessarily rude and dismissive.

Coming over, Julius gave Molly a smile and a wink, which Molly raised her eyebrows at and Owen a loud "Hey there, Mols!" with a complimentary slap on the arm. She rubbed the spot that he slapped, already red, and said hello back.

"Why were you guys late, hmm? Not doing anything naughty I hope," Owen said, snickering and wagging his eyebrows at Molly.

Luke blushed and spluttered and Molly just stared at him with her mouth open.

"Owen, are you drunk?" she asked.

He denied it while Julius said "absolutely" next to him. Owen just shrugged and moved his hand in what she suspected to be a 'forget about it' gesture.

"Well, I don't feel like I need to justify myself to a drunk man but we were just hanging out. As friends," Molly said, enunciating the last part.

Luke just looked at Owen like 'what can you do?' and Owen booed.

"Now come on Molly, you're so cruel, saying the word friend in front of a guy who likes you," Julius said, apparently taking pity on Luke.

Luke blushed again and raised his palms as if in denial. Molly twitched and frowned, she was afraid that they would get these sort of comments if they came together.

Molly crossed her arms and jutted her chin out stubbornly. "I don't see what's so cruel about it, its better than saying something we're not."

Julius looked at her approvingly and Owen just made a face, what sort of face Molly couldn't say, but it was disapproving all the same.

"You're just upset because Kathy isn't paying attention to you at all lately," Luke said, finally coming back into the conversation.

Owen spluttered and denied her recent aloofness, attributing it to some lull in her hormones.

Molly just shook her head.

"Speaking of Kathy, is she here now?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah, she's over there with her dad and Jake and Colleen," Julius said, pointing to the left of them. Molly craned her neck forward and saw Kathy's long blonde ponytail bob around as she laughed at someone's joke. At that point Kathy turned around and made brief eye contact with Molly before spotting Owen and looking away.

Molly inwardly sighed. She never did explain that random outing with Owen at the bar. At this rate Owen wouldn't make any progress. She was just about to suggest that Owen should go and say hi before Luke's previous words about Owen embarrassing himself in front of her every year popped into her head.

"Molly?" Luke asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She started and looked up. All three boys were staring at her expectantly.

She smiled bashfully and apologized for spacing out.

"What were you looking at anyways?" Owen said, turning around. He spotted Kathy and stared hard for a couple of seconds before taking a hold of Molly's arm and dragging her upward.

Molly let out a yell of surprise while Luke stood up as well asking Owen what he was doing.

"We should go over there," he said simply, dragging Molly along despite her protests. Luke came along too, wondering what Owen was doing and Julius simply walked off not wanting to get involved in whatever foolish act he knew Owen was about to put into motion.

"Owen, what's going on?" Molly asked, trying to pull her arm out of his grip but with no luck.

"We're gonna go see Kathy."

"Do you really think that's wise?" she asked, giving up on freeing herself.

"Yeah, we don't want a repeat of last year, right?" Luke said.

Owen ignored them and they arrived at the small spot occupied by Kathy and her family and friends.

"Hey Kathy," Owen said, waving hello.

"Hello…," she said, looking wary and eyeing the point where his hand was grabbing Molly's arm suspiciously.

Molly was trying to make faces that showed her lack of interest but didn't think she was having much success.

"Molly and I were just talking about how she should go out with Luke. What do you think?"

Molly stared up at him indignant. Where did he get off thinking he could go around trying to get her and Luke together, let alone insinuating that she wanted to go out with him too.

Kathy looked confused. "I…don't know? If they want to then sure. I was under the impression that Molly liked someone else though."

"I don't! I don't like anyone," she said, trying to clear things up.

"Aw, Molly, don't be like that," said Owen, bringing her in for a side hug. She could have slapped herself in the forehead after the look that Kathy gave her.

"Doesn't look that way to me…" Kathy said quietly.

"I know, right? I'm sure she likes Luke," Owen said, completely unaware of what was going on. Luke, meanwhile, was silent, unsure of what to say.

"No, you idiot, she thinks I like you," Molly finally said. If she didn't put this as bluntly as possible she was sure Owen wouldn't understand.

"You like me?" Owen asked, a bit shocked but flattered all the same.

"NO," Molly said, directing that more towards Kathy who looked a little relieved.

At this time most of the villagers were looking in their direction, Owen's loud voice attracting the unwanted attention. Molly, aware of this, tried to shrug out of his hold and settle things down. She looked pointedly at Luke but he just shrugged, not sure what to do.

"Uh, well, now that we know Molly doesn't like Owen, let's just go back, okay?" Luke said, laughing nervously.

"I don't understand," Owen said, stumped. "Why would you think I like Molly?"

Kathy blushed and looked away as she mentioned their date at the bar awhile back.

"So you were jealous?" Owen said, comprehension dawning on his face.

"Of course not, I'd have to like you to be jealous," Kathy said, crossing her arms.

Molly shook her head; it looked like both of them were stupid when it came to relationships. She was no expert, that was for sure, but she knew that lying about your feelings was not the way to go.

Owen's face fell as Kathy told him to go away, claiming that he was annoying her.

"Kathy…" Molly and Luke said together, exasperated.

Owen stood up straight and glared at her. "Fine, I'll go away, but not before I do something."

"And what would that be?" Kathy responded, sounding combative.

"THIS," shouted Owen, taking Molly by the shoulders and planting a kiss smack on her lips. Molly, so surprised stood there in disbelief as Owen drew back, looking triumphant. Kathy looked outraged and Luke was standing stock still, just as surprised as Molly.

In fact, everything went silent in that moment, the entirety of the courtyard's occupants staring at the standing trio.

Molly's thoughts were jumbled and the first thing that she could think of was the fact that that was her first kiss and how horribly it had been taken away from her. She didn't think about how she didn't care about guys, about how a kiss was just a kiss and nothing important, but rather about her childhood dreams of a first kiss under a full moon by a guy she actually liked. So, she acted on impulse and slapped Owen on the face.

The impact echoed in the silence and Owen moved his hand to cradle his cheek.

Molly blushed and started to tear up. She was embarrassed and hurt and angry and she knew that everyone around her was staring and knew exactly what she must be feeling. Luke was still in a state of shock and, with one last look at him, she ducked her head and practically ran down the stone steps leading into town.

After a couple of seconds the residents started talking again, averting their eyes from the scene and Kathy stood up, telling Owen he was an idiot. She was upset that he kissed Molly, not only because she really did like him but also because he forced it on her.

Owen looked dejected and Julius came up from behind and guided him to the mine cart, intending to bring him back to the blacksmith's to sober him up. Luke watched them go and ran after Molly, who was already halfway back to her house.

He caught up right before she entered her yard and stopped her with a hand on the shoulder.

"Molly, wait up!" he said, out of breath.

Molly shook her head not looking at him.

"Hey…" Luke turned her around and bent over looking at her face, surprised to see her crying.

"Y-you're crying."

Molly sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. "I-I'm okay."

"No, you're definitely not," Luke said, forcing her to look at him.

She averted her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, I am. Really, I just freaked out for a second."

Luke looked at her seriously and asked if it was her first kiss.

Molly blushed, looking away. It was embarrassing, admitting that she was twenty and still hadn't kissed a guy.

"It's okay, it's not a big deal," Luke said, trying to comfort her.

"What do you know?" Molly said, still upset.

"Because I haven't kissed a girl yet and I'm twenty-one," he said simply.

Molly blinked and looked up surprised but, upon remembering Bo saying that Luke hadn't had a girlfriend before, didn't think it was that weird.

"See? And hey, I know that must've sucked but a first kiss is something between people who like each other, right? So really, you still haven't had your first kiss yet."

Molly knew he made sense but there was still that feeling of being tainted. She nodded her head and backed away a couple steps.

"You're right…I'm just being…silly."

"No, you're being human," Luke said. She looked up, and seeing him smiling back at her like he truly cared, Molly couldn't help but feel a little touched.

"Thanks," she said, smiling tearfully back. Luke laughed and asked her if she still wanted to hang out.

"Sorry, but I think I've had enough excitement for one day," Molly said.

"Oh? So it's exciting hanging out with me?"

Molly gave him a look and Luke held up his hands as if in defense. "I'm just kidding, just kidding."

With that he said bye and started walking back to his house.

"Hey Luke!" Molly shouted.

He turned around, the sun making him squint.

"You passed."

It took a second for Luke to understand what she was talking about but once it dawned on him he beamed.

"I guess you're a little charming when you want to be," Molly conceded.

"I knew I'd do it," Luke said, even though he wasn't that confident before.

Molly shook her head and waved good-bye, watching as Luke went back to his house, a new spring in his step. She didn't lie; at the end of it all Luke made her feel happy and, even though she didn't like it, when she looked back on everything he did seem a little cool. But, she thought scolding herself, it still didn't mean anything.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Finn said, speaking up for the first time in awhile. Molly had almost forgotten he was there and cringed as she realized he saw what had happened too.

"What, are you crazy? That was a disaster," she said, slamming the door behind her and plopping down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. What sort of face should she put on the next time she sees everyone? Especially Owen.

She groaned into her pillow and Finn patted her on the head.

"It's okay, just smile and laugh it off."

Molly sat up and glared at Finn which caused him to playfully smile and fly away, dodging the pillow she chucked at him. Molly sighed. She couldn't just laugh it off, not after a smack like that. Well, however things turned out, she'd survive it because after a day like today, Molly felt she could handle anything. Whether she wanted to or not, well...that was a different story.