SUN & SHADOW

Prolouge:

A/N- Not my art!

"Honestly Lacie, If you can't keep going after only two hours doing exercises we teach our lowest warriors, how can you expect to hold your own in our courts?"

I look over in time to see an exasperated look on Sandra's face. Her gaze from within her dark eyes, hidden under her cornflower hair, turns piercing. My hands hesitate from their endless collision with the tree I'm practicing on.

I refuse to respond to her, refuse to give her the satisfaction of seeing me acknowledge her comment. She has given me no precedent that she intends to be my friend. Instead, I continue my brawl with the tree.

Every blow burns my knuckles as I slide back into the numbing collision. The scorching fire in my hands is begging me to stop, but I know I must go on. In a way, the repetitive motion is distracting from my more troubling thoughts, but it also serves as a reminder, a reminder that from here on out, nothing will ever be the same.

It was a beautiful afternoon, the muted autumn sun casting shadows over my aquamarine eyes and flushed cheeks. With brightly colored leaves of orange, red, brown, and yellow, falling all around me, occasionally getting stuck in my strawberry blonde hair and navy sweater as I trod down the rough, gray cement to reach the park. I was meant to meet up with my best friend, Ellie on the way there. We had plans to hang out for the day.

I had heard from a friend about this brand-new ice cream truck business that was going to be showing up at Fairfield Park, a recreational playground near my neighborhood. Though, considering the reasoning for this meetup, ice cream hardly made the situation at hand any less stressful.

I continued my stroll, bright teal tennis shoes moving silently across the coarse, gray walkway. I'm starting to think Ellie might end up being late. She's not the most punctual person in the world. I thought a bit on this and brushed the thought away, Ellie loves ice cream. If anything, she's already waiting for me at the park.

As I approached the park, I heard a rustle from the bushes. Pausing to investigate, I leaned down, my handbag bumping against my knees to find...

"BOO!" A wild girl leaped out from her hiding spot in the brush, trying (and failing) not to trip along the way. She tripped on a fallen tree branch on the opposite side of the walkway and ended up in a crouch-like pose in the grass on the opposite side of the walkway with twigs and leaves stuck in her wild auburn hair.

"Did I scare you?" Ellie asked with a lopsided grin. She hadn't even come close to scaring me, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. It was a pretty funny joke. I could use all the laughter I could get.

"Ok, I'll admit, I definitely jumped, but I suggest we get moving...Unless you want to miss the ice cream and go home with no sweets?" I teased.

"No! I'm sorry! I promise I won't do it again! I want my ice cream!" Ellie whined, twisting her sepia features into a mock pout, wrinkling her dark freckles, and squinting with her amber eyes. She used to do this on countless occasions when we were younger. It was one of her many tried and true ways to make me smile. She had no idea how much I needed it today.

"Well, let's get a move on then!" I told her, laughing, I began a brisk walk toward the park with Ellie following close behind.

As we arrived at the park, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench nearest to the opening for the hiking trails, wearing a dark brown trench coat and a large, blood-red feathered hat. It was so large that you couldn't see her face with her head tilted forward.

Ellie made the same observation. "Do you see that lady with the feathered hat?" She had started fiddling with one of the buttons on her rose-pink sweater.