Chapter Seven: Summer

It was now summer, and the heat was almost unbearable. The sun pulsed high in the sky, blindingly bright, and the grass was so green and lush. Mikhail had left for the city, but he assured me he would be returning in the fall. At least I was comforted by the fact that we would be celebrating the first Grand Festival, thanks to the carpenter, Eileen. I noticed how inconvenient it was traveling from village to village through the mountain path, so I decided to ask her for help. After visiting her many times and providing the materials, supplies, and money for her, Eileen was able to drill through the wreckage and open the tunnel that connected Bluebell and Konohana. Furthermore, it seemed that mayors Rutger and Ina had finally made up and put aside their differences to join the two villages together. I was glad that finally, the rivalry and hatred between Bluebell and Konohana had ended. And that was exactly what the Grand Festival was- a celebration of good will and wishes for everyone.

I smiled to myself, and giggled. I wanted to make it the best festival ever, because I knew how special it was for everyone. Which is why I signed up for the festival committee. Today, we would be having a meeting in Konohana at town hall. I was about to head over there when someone rapped on my door. "Who is it?" I called.

"It's me," a male voice replied, muffled through the door. Who's me? I thought as I turned the brass knob, pulling the door open. I was surprised to see Kana there, with a smile on his face.

"What're you doing here?" I asked him curiously. He smiled at me.

"Well, it turns out that I'm on the festival committee too, and I figured you still needed help getting around until your leg's healed." I smiled back at him. He was always like this, so I couldn't help but think that he purposely joined the festival committee, just so he'd be able to watch over me. It was an unusual thought, but I've always seen him as one of my best friends. He was always there for me. "Well, shall we be on our way?" he said, extending a hand out to me. I gratefully accepted it.

It wasn't a long time until we reached Konohana. It was only now that I realized what a great decision it was for me to take action and clear the tunnel out. It seems to have benefited everyone. Now, trips between both villages were shorter, improving relations between all of the villagers from both sides of the mountain. The shops were receiving more customers and trading became much more efficient. In short, everyone was happy, especially now that everyone was free to talk to each other whenever they wished. New friendships were being made, old rivalries being put to rest...it made me more happy than I would've liked to admit. I took a minute to stop and gather my thoughts before I broke down in tears. I've always known what great people lived here, but no one would ever stop to take a second and realize this before now. Kana raised a brow at me.

"Are you okay, Lillian?" he asked softly. He was worried about me. I sniffed and brushed a tear out of my eye.

"No, no, I'm fine. I was just...thinking." He frowned but kept his thoughts to himself, and we entered Konohana's town hall. I found Ina at her desk writing furiously, trying to get through the piles upon piles of documents that sat by her side. "Ina?" I said meekly, not wanting to interrupt her. She raised her head and her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. However, the moment she noticed me, her expression softened.

"Welcome, Lillian. You're here for the committee meeting, right? They're meeting in the hall." she gestured to my left.

"Thank you," I said, and dragged Kana over. I don't know why but when I touched his hand, he suddenly tensed up and became all jittery. I still kept a firm grip on his hand though. "Come on, let's go!" We burst into the meeting hall, and I was surprised as to how many people were here. Everyone who was the same age as Kana and I were gathered around the stage chatting with each other until Ash came up to the podium. Originally, Mikhail was supposed to be in charge, but seeing as how the planning for the festival ran into summer, he left Ash in charge. I was actually quite surprised. I never imagined Ash as the leading type.

For a while, everyone watched him. It was easy to see how nervous Ash was, but when we exchanged glances, I gave him a reassuring nod to continue. All of a sudden, he seemed to gain all of the confidence he needed. "Good afternoon, everyone," he said. "Today, we're here to discuss the Grand Festival..."

Hi, sorry I haven't updated for such a long time. I feel really guilty, especially after I promised I'd update more often. I just got so frustrated after I lost my ToTT game, I couldn't continue this story anymore. I still haven't found my game, but after seeing everyone's comments to update soon, I've decided to finish this story. To jory014: Yeah, to tell you the truth, I don't like changing POV's much either. It's been about a few months since I last updated this story, so my writing style has changed now. Thank you for giving it a chance regardless. And this chapter is actually pretty old too. I actually wrote this story right after I posted Chapter 6, but only posted it up now so I could write this...LONG...message to all of my fantastic readers. To Chibianime: Thank you for the suggestion, but I, personally, am against alternate endings. However, in return, I'll try to make a great ending that'll satisfy anyone. Just give me some time.

One last message (sorry I'm rambling so much flksldkfjklsjlkf;s!): Thank you guys so much for all the support! :'( I don't deserve all of you guys, but please continue to give me suggestions. Lillian can only end up with only one of the bachelors, so help me to make the best ending possible!