We Are Written in the Stars - Kaylor

1. Your Eyes So Green

Taylor had spent most of her life wondering if it was real. Wondering if all the energy she had poured into researching, documenting, writing, was worth it.

In hindsight, she never was one to believe in destiny, in "true love." Yet to her, that feeling always felt like the most natural thing in the world, as familiar as breathing.

She was five when she first saw her. It was her first trip to New York, and her mom had taken her to Central Park. The small girl was staring with wide-eyed wonder at the sheer amount of flowers that surrounded her. Small hands drifted over soft petals, marvelling at their feel and vibrant colours standing out against the cool earth.

Her mom knelt next to her, pointing to each and telling her their Latin names, big things that Taylor's mouth struggled to form. She preferred their more common names, pretty words that felt sweet as she parroted them back to her mom.

But when she arrived at a certain plant, she halted, tilting her head. The plant in question was quite unassuming, more of a bush than anything, with small, delicate white flowers.

But it was the leaves that caught Taylor's eye. Something about that particular shade of green, the way the sunlight and shadows played on the leaves' surface made Taylor stop.

"That's Pycnanthemum," her mom had said, reading its sign. "Mountain mint."

"Mountain mint," Taylor murmured. Slowly reaching up her hand, she delicately brushed the pale leaves, as if they might break upon touch.

And as she did, a pair of piercing green eyes flashed in her head. A face with blonde hair, freckly cheeks, and eyes the same shimmery pale green as the leaves in her hand.

It was foreign and familiar all at once. Taylor knew that in all her five years, she had never seen that girl. She couldn't even tell how old she was.

And yet, something about that image radiated peace, felt like home in a way her young mind couldn't hope to articulate. Like moving a limb that had remained dormant your whole life, unable to be forgotten once discovered.

The image seemed to last forever and an instant, vanishing before she could fully process it.

Taylor stumbled back a few steps into her mom's legs. Andrea looked down at her daughter, who was staring open-mouthed at the plant in front of her. She watched as Taylor stepped forward again, feeling the leaves eagerly and pouting in disappointment when whatever she was expecting didn't happen.

"Taylor?" she asked when her daughter started stroking the leaf more insistently with both hands. "If you'd like, we can go to the plant nursery after this and find one to take back home with us? You can plant it and watch it grow in our yard."

"It has to be mountain mint, Mom. Please?" Taylor begged, eyes wide.

"Of course sweetie," Andrea smiled, holding out her hand. "Come on. It's getting late and we'd best head off now if you want to find that plant of yours."

Taylor took her mom's hand, as Andrea gently led them out of the park. Taylor turned and stole one final glance at the green, as if the girl from her head might materialise if only she stared hard enough.

"I'll see you soon," she whispered. "See you real soon."

The first dream came that night.

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She walked in a sea of gold, bathed in the light of the sun. Heads of wheat bobbed by her sides, her hands skimming lightly over the tops of the golden stalks as she drifted across the field. The sun was just beginning to meet the horizon, gilding the world in a soft warmth that bathed her face and lit her hair until it was the same colour as the field around her.