~Chapter 2~

Lillian ran through the thick heavy snow with her new boots. She was in a hurry to get to her classroom, so she could drink hot chocolate with the rest of her class in the heated warm and cozy room.

But then she saw a tall skinny boy standing in the alley between two neighborhood buildings. His long golden light hair was covered by a beanie. His back was turned to her. But she could make out from the way he stood, how he was carrying himself . . . that he was . . .

"Cam?" she called.

He turned to look at her, a scarf wrapped around his neck. His green eyes glittered and his cheeks were red from the cold. Lillian felt the usual lurch of her stomach at the sight of him.

"Aren't you going to school today?"

Cam nodded. He stepped aside from the building, and she saw that concealed in a cardboard box with big Block letters reading Toby on it was a small gray kitten. It looked like it was frozen from the cold and very weak.

"I need to get this kitten inside, though." Cam said. He gathered the poor cat up and placed it gently inside his coat.

"I'll help," Lillian said breathlessly. Cam looked at her and smiled.

"it's ok. You should get inside as soon as possible," Cam said. "I don't want you to get a cold." He wrapped his scarf around her neck and she blushed.

Cheryl screamed as Jessica tightly pulled her hair into two pigtails with a weak comb.

"OWWww!"

Jessica ignored her flailing arms and with very precise mom like skill, she managed to neatly tie two ribbons around her hair. "There. Now everyone from Konohana will think you're a nice little girl with that pretty dress." Of course Jessica had to make sure she and her family looked good before Konohana in the cooking festival, no matter how many times she claimed she didn't care what those stuck up Konohana people thought of her.

"I don't like being pretty," Cheryl snapped. "That means I can't run around or play in the mud and Mom tries to rip my hair out of my head." Lillian laughed.

"You do want to impress Rahi, don't you?" Lillian asked. Cheryl shook her head obstinately.

"I hate him. He's from Konohana and that's gross."

You don't fool me. Lillian grinned at Cheryl's upturned nose but the softened look in her eyes.

Kids. They were really cute. They loved simply and . . . quite naively. At least, that was the case for Lillian.

In second grade, it was Kai. He was a talkative, tanned boy who always smiled. He was one of those cunning little kids who broke through the cooties barrier and actually wanted to become friends with the opposite sex. He was also one of those boys whose considered him selves a ladies man even at that young age. She worshipped him from afar and blushed and mumbled whenever he tried talking to her.

In fourth grade, it was the grumpy Chase whose vibrant red hair was actually the main factor that attracted her. His personality may have been a bit prickly, but back then, she had been more entranced with his looks to care. In Home Economics, he had given only her a cupcake he baked and that clinched the deal.

And then, in sixth grade, it was the frail boy who had a delicate air about him and loved flowers and kittens . . .

There was a clatter and Lillian turned towards the source. Jessica was attacking Ash's head with a brush and his clothes with a lint brush.

"It's just a cooking festival Mom!" Ash whined. "No one from Konohana is going to care about the animal fur on me. Can't you stop trying to baby me-" He stopped, wide eyed with surprise at seeing Lillian leaning on the counter desperately trying not to laugh at the sight.

Ash turned a bright red and shoved Jessica away from him. She clicked her tongue.

"Don't do that to your poor mom," She said. "Remember when I pulled you out of that-"

"MOM!" Ash yelled, pulling his hat down over his face.

Lillian smiled and decided to save Ash from his embarrassment. She lightly latched her hand on Ash's wrist and he looked up in surprise. He smiled, pleased with her soft actions. "Jessica, is it ok if we go to the Festival now? I want to get there early." Lillian asked politely.

She nodded reluctantly, shaking her lint brush at Ash. He ignored her and they walked out.

"Wait for me!" Cheryl cried.

"Nori!" Lillian called. "You look so nice! Did Reina dye your scarf?"

Nori nodded briefly touching her head scarf. "Yes, she found a new plant dye."

Reina walked over to them. "Where have you been these past few days?" She brusquely asked Lillian, her usual sign of showing that she missed Lillian-although the stern, quiet girl would never admit this or loud.

Lillian smiled, drinking in all the familiar faces of the villagers that had warmly accepted her a few months ago as one of their own.

"I missed all of you here in Konohana." She said. Nori and Ying smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Move back here next season, won't you?" Ina said sternly but with a warm smile-she had a dignity and brilliance that Rutger could never achieve or lead with as mayor.

Kana walked to Lillian. "How have you been, Lil?" He grinned widely. Lillian smiled back at his familiar tan face and broad shoulders.

"Great thanks."

"Don't be a stranger ok? I'll give you a free ride on one of or horses if you start visiting Konohana once in a while!"

"But it's so much work traveling over the mountains!" Lillian said with a laugh.

Kana laughed. "Not much work at all!"

He leaned on her shoulder playfully and she giggled. Another arm immediately dropped around Lillian's shoulder.

"Don't monopolize her too much," Ash said half jokingly. "Or else we won't be able to get her to stay in bluebell."

"Ah that's the general idea," said Kana cheerfully. "Where's Georgia?" He asked craning his head around and walking away.

Ash still didn't remove his arm from her shoulder.
"They sure seem to like you," said Ash.

"Who?" Lillian asked.

"Konohana."

"Well I did decide to live in Konohana first, after all."

"Lame decision." Said Ash with a smirk.

"You're biased though," said Lillian, grinning.

"Ash!" Laney called. Lillian and Ash turned to look at the Bluebell beauty. She was as prim and properly lady like as always."Rutger wants all the Festival participants to gather over here."

"Ok, ok," said Ash. He cocked his head at Lillian. "Going to wish me luck?"

Lillian smiled. "Good luck." He grinned and strode off confidently.

The Bluebell villagers, with Jessica at the head, started glaring down the Konohana competitors. Lillian watched curiously and was so entranced in watching Gombee that she didn't see Howard until he popped up in front of her face.

"Ah!" She said. Howard giggled manically.

"What are you doing here all alone? Come mingle with Cam! Be young!" He said, jerking a thumb towards Cam who caught her eyes and they shared a lazy grin at Howard's flowery bursts of energy.

Howard twirled off, leaving behind a silence. Cam turned towards her and said, "I always thought you got along better with Konohana."

His tone was not critical like many Bluebell villagers, but rather matter of fact. Lillian nodded.

"Konohana people . . . I do get along with well."

"They're easier to talk with. They're a more serious people like me . . . they're a lot more quiet than Bluebell. There's a few oddballs here and there. But no one mentions the strangeness. I feel like . . . they just accept that and go on with their daily lives," Lillian explained. "More like water . . . than fire."

"That's true," said Cam. His green eyes travelled across the serious Konohana villagers and the indomitable Ina. "Truthfully, I don't really see why Bluebell is so against Konohana. I always thought there wasn't anything wrong with them . . ." Lillian nodded.

It was funny they were actually having a normal conversation. They never had any chance to really talk together at all since Lillian had first moved to Bluebell. And of course, they had never actually spoken to each other when they were young . . .

"So why did you choose to live in Bluebell?" Cam asked her curiously.

"I like Konohana," Lillian said truthfully. She gulped and continued. "Probably more than Bluebell." She knew Cam wouldn't judge her for saying this. Then suddenly words starting flowing out of her mouth.

"But at the first Cooking Festival . . . I saw you and that cat. The cat-Toby- had followed you to the Festival and you couldn't get it to go back home. So you let her stay and eat the scraps off Ash's plate. And it ended up sleeping on your feet. And . . . And I remembered." She swallowed. Cam's eyes widened slightly, and she saw a small look of surprise grace his normally taciturn features for the first time.

Cam was looking at her now, really looking right at her.

She went on with a shaking voice. "And . . . I thought it was fate . . . as stupid as that sounds." She avoided Cam's gaze, too scared to see the look on his face and his reaction.

Lillian looked down at her wringing hands and tried to explain herself. "I mean . . . I haven't seen you . . . since we were kids in the city. And . . . i never knew where you went. But when I saw you . . ."

"I remembered." She looked up at him.

They have never mentioned being in the same middle school class. Not once. Not even when they were introduced to each other by Ash. But then again, she never had the chance to really talk to him.

She saw his cool demeanor crack a little for the first time. He looked . . . pleased somehow. Not quite as guarded as he was with everyone except for Laney, Howard, and Ash.

"I didn't think you would remember," said Cam.

"I remember everything about you," Lillian said.

Cam smiled softly. "Yeah . . ." he said. He got the meaning of the message behind these words. Cam wasn't stupid. And Lillian knew that. "Yeah . . . that's the same for me." His green eyes stared right at her and she, too, received the message from these words.

I liked you back then.

And it was almost like she was back in middle school where she could feel his eyes follow her and hurriedly look away when she stared back at him, where they were too young to express their feelings but this newfound emotion was carrying away all their attention-

"Yeah Ash!" screamed Bluebell. Ash pumped his fists in the air. Pierre had just announced his food a "masterpiece." Lillian snapped her head around and she joined the cheers, the yelling. She felt the excitement of Bluebell and pride in Ash.

Ash saw Lillian and he grinned. He shot her a V sign with his fingers and she returned it, with a small grin on her face. Cam watched this interaction silently.

Lillian turned to look at Cam again, but her observant eyes detected something wrong. His face was back to the guarded mask he always held around others, except it seemed as though there was more of an edge to his eyes. His face was unreadable, but she sensed something . . . not right.

Then Cam spoke, and his melodic voice cut her ears.

"But it's not fate. It's just a coincidence we came to the same town. That's all there is to it. And . . . there's no going back to that time."

Lillian felt the calmly spoken, matter of fact words pierce right through her but she didn't let this pain show on her face.

"We've changed from back then. Everything has changed. It's all different now." Cam let her drink in the words and watched her reaction. She didn't say anything.

She heard his footsteps walk away, but she didn't register it. She was still registering his words.

Lillian saw Laney walk up to Cam and smile up at him. her beautiful face glowing with happiness at the sight of him. They walked towards the dessert table, with Laney gesturing at her strawberry shortcake.

He's right. I don't know this Cam, who lives next door to the cutest girl in town, who sells a few roses and went off and made a whole new life without me.

But he doesn't know the Lillian who walks to the square with Ash everyday, the Lillian who grew up without him and became a farmer whose heart really lies in Konohana.

Ash's hold on her shoulder tightened as everyone congratulated him. Lillian smiled without feeling, she laughed without enthusiasm.

Lillian could see Cam and Laney walking in the distance

Things have changed, Cam had said.

Ash and Lillian were walking closer to where Cam and Laney stood, talking. Cam without looking at Lillian or Ash, stared down at the ground.

As if he were aware they were coming and was trying to avoid their gaze.

Did anything really change after all?

It seemed like they were still little kids who were too scared to talk to each other. She didn't want this awkwardness between them to grow.

Ash was saying something asking her something but she blocked him out because at the same time she was asking herself a question too

Do you really want to let this happen again Lillian?

It seemed like they were still doing the same old routine of pretending they didn't see each other when they passed by. Never talking directly face to face.

Never connecting. Never making a bond.

Nothing will change unless you do something first.

Lillian called his name in a clear, loud voice so he couldn't pretend he didn't hear her. "Cam!"

He looked up at her flushed face, her blazing violet eyes. Laney and Ash stared at her as well, surprised.

She smiled at him. "Save some rosé seeds for me tomorrow, ok?"

After a small hesitation, he smiled back. "Of course."

They walked past each other.

A promise to meet again.

Not bad, she thought.

Ash raised a eyebrow at her.

"I didn't know you two were friends," said Ash, casually.

"Not really," she said.

Ash nodded, his face emotionless.

Things really had changed.

She had changed. He had changed. And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.