FIRST FALL
BARDEN VALLEY, GA 1994
A little girl sat quietly on the steps of her front porch as her mother and father worked in the yard. After she'd jumped into one too many piles of leaves, her parents told her they would be okay without her "help". They chuckled at the redness in her cheeks as she ducked her head and retreated to the porch.
Her ginger locks were pulled into pigtails and she couldn't have been more than six years old. Her family lived in a cozy little house in a neighborhood where everybody knew everybody. But, of course, that's how things usually are when you live in the south. That's why it was such a big deal when the Mitchell family moved to town.
The young redhead watched curiously as two U-Hauls pulled up in front of the house next door. Her parents also lifted their heads, turning their attention away from the pile of leaves they had been raking.
The driver's door opened on the first truck and a dark-haired man, appearing to be in his thirties, hopped out. He started towards the second truck with an excited smile, opening the driver's door for a brunette woman, helping her down, then moving around to the passenger's side to help their daughter down. The couple started towards the house, the little girl following behind with her shoulders slumped. Her face was mostly hidden by her messy brown hair, but was exposed enough for Chloe to notice the scowl on her face. She stayed behind as her parents stepped up onto the porch, already planning and discussing decorations. Chloe stood from her spot on the steps as she watched the little girl kick at a pebble in the driveway. She was excited to meet her new neighbor. Maybe they could be friends. Best friends, even. She started towards the new neighbors' yard, skipping excitedly.
Her parents exchanged a smile and started towards the brunette family, following their daughter.
Dark blue eyes met crystal blue ones, and the brunette smiled shyly at the redhead as she accepted the hand offered to her in greeting.
"Hi! I'm Chloe. What's your name?" The redhead greeted, her light blue eyes almost twinkling with excitement.
The brunette blinked in response, losing herself in the other girl's crystal orbs. She had never seen eyes so blue. So shiny. In fact, she had never seen ANYTHING so blue and shiny.
"Uhh," the little girl's eyes shot away from Chloe's as she realized she had been staring. "Beca"
"Cool," Chloe smiled, appreciating the name for a moment. Then the questions started. They were coming faster than Beca could answer them. "Where are you from? Do you want to play with me? What do you like to play? I have a secret clubhouse. Wanna see?"
Before she could answer, Chloe was tugging her by the hand through her house and up the stairs to her room.
Typically, Beca would have been annoyed by girls like this… Girls that were obsessed with pink and probably spent all their time playing with barbies and princess crap. She was happy to learn that Chloe wasn't like that at all. Beca took note of the bruises and scrapes on the little girl's knees as they stuck out from beneath her grass-stained sundress. She couldn't help but smile. They'd just met and Beca didn't hate her. That was a good sign. She had a feeling that she and Chloe could be friends.