Chapter 15

Sunrise and Sunset

Luke

I left home early in the morning with a hangover that felt about like Owen had hit me in the back of the head with his hammer the night before. The early morning light had made my head pound but I knew it was better than what I'd feel if I stuck around to listen to a lecture from pops. So I walked to the Fugue Forest, dragging my heels the whole way and keeping my head down.

I pushed through the old wooden gate and the soft light that filtered through the dense canopy was much easier on my aching head. The cooler forest air was soothing. It wasn't too often that I came to the forest this early, since it meant skipping breakfast and a guy's gotta eat, but there was something special about the slow awakening of the creatures. Even the trees seem to wake up a bit, their branches reaching just a little higher to the rising sun. It was in that particularly relaxing atmosphere that I gave myself the stress of looking for a Fugue Mushroom to give the Witch; I couldn't let go that Kasey had found it before me the previous day – I never was a good loser. In the hour I spent rooting through the damp earth and peeking under bushes for a glimpse of the mysterious fungus I drove myself into an even worse mood.

I typically don't spend all that much time in my head. I like to keep busy, physically and mentally. Carpentry is a lot of physical exertion and when working on a project or gathering lumber I never have difficulty emptying my mind. Foraging, on the other hand, was a simple task and let my mind wander more than was healthy; even my hangover wasn't staving off the uncomfortable train of thought that was coming on. By the time I found the elusive mushroom and made way deep into the forest to the Witch Princess's house, my mind was storming with feelings of confusion. I was excited for Kathy and Owen. I was glad that Selena talked with me. I was relieved that Kasey was getting along with the village and my friends. Still, I couldn't quite place it, but it felt like I was being left behind.

When I arrived at the Witch's door I was surprised to find that she didn't double me up on tasks because of my failure the previous day but merely accepted the mushroom and invited me inside. I was equally surprised when I left the Witch's house feeling better than I went, having been offered her strange tea and carried a conversation with her for a while. It almost felt like she spent more time trying to make herself seem mean than she did actually being mean. I'd thought she was a babe from the first time I'd run into her but when she sat me down and forced me to talk about my problems it made her more than a pretty face and a bad attitude. She was a good person. People normally write me off as being a goof with no issues, so it was strange to receive that kind of attention just for being in a poor mood.

I felt marginally better after leaving the Witch's cottage.

Sunset found me leaned against the railing of the little harbor in town, enjoying the feeling of the cool sea breeze coming over the water warning of the oncoming autumn. The sound of Selena's bare feet on the stone pathway was quiet but not silent as she walked up behind me. Just before she reached me, I had an awfully devious idea.

"ABOOGABOOGA!" I shouted, whirling on Selena and raising my arms up over my head. Her pretty purple eyes opening so wide I thought they might drop right out of her head and she let out a little shriek, jumping back from me several feet. I couldn't help it, I cracked up.

The swat of her hand against the back of my head as I leaned against the railing, doubled up in laughter, was almost enough to take my bandana right off. "Luke! You jerk!" She gave me a hard look with her arms crossed underneath her chest, pushing her breasts up into quite the view if I do say so myself. I straightened out and wiped a tear from my eye, offering her a wide grin. Her expression softened a little, but not much.

"Oh come on, you were asking for it! Sneaking up barefoot like that; I couldn't resist the urge to surprise you!" She let out a little harrumph and tossed her red hair over her shoulder, the little doo-dads in her hair jangling softly. "C'mo-on, you can't stay made over a silly thing like that!" I jested and landed a soft punch on her shoulder. "You know I didn't mean it." Her lips curved into a slight smile.

"Oh, do I?" She asked with a curve of one eyebrow, keeping her arms crossed and tilting her head slightly to the side. "It sure did look like you meant to scare me."

"Nah, not really. Well maybe a little, but just because you were trying to sneak up on me with those little bare feet of yours." I let out a boisterous laugh and tossed an arm over Selena's, mostly bare, shoulders. Her skin was warm against mine as I pulled her around to stand next to me. I raised my opposite arm and pointed across the harbor to where the sun was setting the ocean and sky ablaze. "Just calm down and enjoy the sunset, Selena." She struggled a little bit against my arm, then leaned forward against the railing with a short sigh.

"It's prettier on the island." She murmured in a wistful tone, her eyes never straying from the horizon as the orange tones melted into red, purple, and finally deep blue with the sun's descent. When the first star came out I took my arm off of her shoulder and leaned back with a yawn.

"Think you'll ever go back?"

"I don't know, it's always been my dream to have a career dancing. Going back to that little island, now that I've finally made it to the mainland… That would just be crazy." She let out a little laugh and shrugged as she turned away from the harbor, giving the bar a long look.

"Just do what makes you happy, that's what I always say." I gave Selena a little wave and started walking away, just barely catching the smile that surfaced at my words. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And I did. Every day after working in the forest and completing the little tasks the Witch was still assigning me I stopped by the bar on my way home to see Selena. We would chat and joke or she would dance for a little while. It was everything I could have hoped for.

Author's Note: This chapter is brief and I'm not really sure if I like it aside from Luke's antics at the end, but I hope you like it. The second chapter of the update will be up later tonight, and I promise it's longer than this one. Please review!