Chapter 3

~::~

A/N: Hey there. Ok so just to recap, the first chapter was in the present and these chapters I am currently writing are from Lillian's past. Please review and enjoy.

Midday saw the sun sit high in the sky, its rays concentrated on the farm girl who laboured away in her field. An occasional humid breeze swept across the land, rustling the foliage of the large chestnut trees which provided a shade she often sat in when she rested…not that she did very much.

'Hey Lillian!'

The farmer paused from her tilling, straightening up and glancing towards her gate. She cupped a hand above her brow to shield the light and help her focus on whoever it was interrupting her.

Lillian loved it when people came to visit her, but if anything she hated being interrupted in her work, especially when she was "In the zone".

Nevertheless she dropped her hoe and waved to the friendly delivery boy, Dirk. She often enjoyed his company, although he could never stay for very long. He was always so positive, so full of life and quite childish in a way which always brought a smile to Lillian's face.

He bounced energetically towards her, half running half skipping.

'Beautiful day, huh?' He sang, bounding through her newly tiled land. Being his senior by a few years Lillian, much like a mother would, looked disapprovingly at how he had muddied his shoes…and the footprints now residing amongst her hard work. But she was always polite and acknowledged him, after all he didn't have a clue about farming…he didn't really have a clue about anything.

He rummaged through his satchel briefly, his little feathered burgundy hat slipping forward but being shoved back swiftly.

'Well what is it today? Bills? Mortgage notice? Advertisements?' Lillian listed, all of which she had very little interest in. Heck, occasionally the boy would arrive with nothing for her but a wild excuse as to why he stopped by- but Lillian always welcomed him with a smile. What could she say? He was a day brightener.

He thrust a small white envelope at her, several sloping letters joining together in black ink to form her name on the front.

Dirk glanced around cautiously as if to check there was nobody lurking around before whispering- 'It's from Bluebell.' He said the word rather uneasily. Of course he made deliveries to and from the neighbouring town frequently, but considering he lived in Konohana himself he was obviously biased. Dirk was really the only one from the town who ever went to Bluebell, and his time there was always brief. He simply exchanged deliveries and then left, no idle chit-chat like he did with his fellow villagers.

Lillian was slightly taken aback. A letter? From Bluebell? What ever for?

The pair both stared at the envelope and the elaborate font for several moments, the corners of Lillian's mouth tweaking as she thought about who it could be from.

Must be from the mayor…who else in Bluebell would she know? Dirk thought logically…as logically as Dirk could.

'Well I really must be off…' He broke the silence, swinging his satchel over his shoulder enthusiastically, the letter leaving his mind almost immediately.

Lillian tucked the envelope into a pocket in her overskirt and smiled appreciatively.

'Nice seeing you…as always.' The boy said bashfully, his cheeks breaking out in a pink glow. Lillian had been a great distraction to him ever since she moved to the town. She fascinated him in a way. She was so different to everybody else, she had this work ethic that nobody could really compare to, so focused and dedicated. And she had such a bubbly personality, brimming with kindness and charm and occasionally sarcasm. She was also beautiful…boy he could look into those eyes all day.

'Thank you Dirk…make sure and clean those shoes 'kay?' She chuckled. Dirk simply rolled his eyes and marched off in his sunny manner.

Once he was out of site, Lillian dove into her pocket producing the envelope once more. Her eyes studied each beautiful letter, the script making her name look so much more attractive to her.

Being careful not to rip it she ran her nail under the seal and pulled out a small, folded piece of cream paper.

Wiping the beads of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, she unfolded it carefully.

Dear Lillian,

I hope you are doing well. Given the fact I haven't saved you from any near death experiences in a while I assume your horrible luck has turned.

Anyway, I've been missing our little "run ins", and that laugh of yours. Perhaps we should meet up? I feel I'd like to get to know you better.

Regards,

Cam.

A smile crept over the farm girl's lips as she read his words. He certainly had an ego that's for sure.

A warm sensation built in the pit of her stomach. He'd been thinking about her, and of course she'd been thinking about him. It had been a while since she'd ventured onto the mountain, and she hadn't been able to attend the last cooking festival due to a bout of illness, so it had been the most of a month since she'd last seen him.

In strange way she actually missed him. She thought this to be silly of course, she could count the number of times they'd actually spoken. There was just something about him. He was different…differently normal. He gave of such a calming vibe, quite the opposite of Dirk.

Abandoning her work, she returned to her little thatched bungalow, smiling down at the letter as she went.

She marched muddy footprints the whole way across her living room to her shelf where she fumbled around gathering up a notebook and her best writing pen. It was a pen her father had bought for her eighteenth birthday, and since then it had had very little use. She was a farmer after all, she only ever really wrote to her parents the occasional time or to her cousin Jill who followed the same profession.

She sat down at the table, wiping her muddied hands on her shorts and lacing into her reply.

~::~

'You're doing it all wrong.' With a sigh of despair the florist watched Lillian scramble around on the river bank totally focused on trying to reel in the fish which splashed frantically, hook in lip.

She grasped the handle with one hand, the other fighting with the reel which jarred and jammed in protest. Her heels dug into the mud as she pushed all her weight backwards in her desperate attempt to prove Cam wrong. She could catch a fish. Of course she could!

The fish flapped around on the surface determined to get free. Water droplets flew out over the couple, Cam wiping them from his face in disgust.

The sun shone through a break in the vegetation casting a shimmering golden ray across the water. Cam sat a little further up the bank in a bed of moss watching Lillian with a smirk. He would teach her, but she was far too stubborn. It was obvious to him she was fighting a losing battle.

After much uncomfortable flailing the fish finally broke free, darting off into the current with another chance at life. By the water's edge Lillian sat, cheeks rosy, bangs pasted to her forehead and desperately trying to catch her breath. The rod lay beside her, her line in a terrible tangle and missing the hook.

'Well-'

'Don't!' Lillian snapped raising a hand to silence his immanent smug behaviour. Lillian was a terrible loser, especially to a "know-it-all" like Cam.

So that one had gotten away from her, all she needed was practise certainly not an "I told you so".

'Oh, come now Lilli it's hard! It takes a while to get the hang of, you'll get it eventually.' He encouraged her, hauling himself off the ground and moving to examine his rod which had seen better days. 'You certainly gave it a good shot…'

Lillian tried to cover her shame, hiding her scarlet cheeks with her sticky palms.

'Goddess, I'm so sorry.' She whined in embarrassment.

He said he'd take her fishing, she thought it would be a good idea. How hard could it be? ... Apparently very hard!

Cam chuckled, those emerald eyes glinting as he looked up from under the peak of his flat cap.

'Don't worry about it…maybe we should try hand fishing… or just something entirely different.' He suggested as he tried to unravel the knotted line, his hands getting considerably tangled.

Lillian couldn't help but giggle. She could be such a klutz sometimes, most people criticised her for it…but not him. He was strangely understanding - sometimes a little frosty - but understanding.

'Um yeah…that thing is an awful hassle.' She shoved her bangs out of her eyes and watched the florist work in his perfectly calm mannerism.

'A good work man never blames his tools.' Cam stated as he came to the realisation that this was a job for Eileen, the local carpenter.

Cam liked Lillian. This was a strange sensation for him as he usually kept himself to himself and stayed out of other people's way. Of course his keeper's Howard and Laney were nothing but good to him and in a strange way they were like his odd, dysfunctional family. They loved him and he loved them, however recently Laney had started acting a little differently. He may have called in flirting which indeed made the florist very uncomfortable. Although if matches were to be made around town he feared he would definitely be placed with her, just as his best friend Ash would be placed with Georgia his neighbour.

Lillian wasn't like Laney. Laney was very self-conscious, always doubting herself. She was shy and tranquil, much like Cam in a way but two similar personalities seldom went well together.

Lillian was bright-eyed and full of exuberance. If she could be everywhere pleasing everyone at once she would be. She was also up for a challenge and Cam loved that about her. She had so much to say and Cam would spend most of the time just listening and absorbing. She would tell him about the people of Konohana, and she was opinionated. Yes, she would often get caught up in a rant about the sort of tasks they wanted her to do, or a snotty comment Ina had made that made her want to physically lash out.

They stayed by the river for most of the afternoon. The sun continuing its journey across the sky and the air still, filled with the soft buzz of crickets and the occasional squawk of one of the mountain's native birds.

The water shone with a glassy finish, reflecting the many shades of surrounding green.

'Sometimes I… I feel like Bluebell is the better alternative.' Lillian sighed. Cam was alert to this. He began to peruse the thought of Lillian living nearby. He'd be able to see her every day, out inthe open. No more secret rendezvous', or lame excuses for being gone for periods of time. He could also stop pretending that he had no personal opinion on her when the town's folk gossiped. Of course he wanted to tell them what she was really like- not like the others! But the interrogation would be too much.

He watched the farmer dip a finger into the water sending ripple after ripple across the surface. Her fair hair hung lightly around her shoulders, tousling now and then in the soft breeze.

'But think of what you have in Konohana. Your farm, your friends!' Cam spoke up. The thought of Lillian running an animal farm was…well a little alarming. He feared she might not be able to cope and after one dramatic move it would be hard to move back and be accepted.

Lillian stifled a laugh.

'Friends? They use me Cam! They work me like a mule! Not once have I been invited to a council meeting or asked for my opinion. I don't matter to them! I'm just some silly little girl with a crazy dream. Sometimes I feel it would be Ina's pleasure to evict me and have me out of her hair.' Her face was screwed up and contorted with realisation after every sentence. '… I just want to belong.'

It pained Cam to see her put down so. That's Konohana for you he thought single mindedly, Crushing the only jewel they possess.

'It'll work itself out Lillian, you just have to keep focused, be yourself.' He reassured her, she was such a beautiful person, no need to be hidden behind a frown and a mayor's ego.

Lillian smiled modestly. Maybe he was right. She was so focused on impressing she was letting her personality get swept under the mat. Things would change, and for the better!

~::~