Shadows of Hope

Chapter 1

Faith's POV

Three months earlier...

There are certain parts of life that are undeniably pleasurable-the flavors of raspberry and lemon bursting alive along the tongue while eating sorbet, sipping sweet wine while falling in love watching My Fair Lady or Breakfast at Tiffany's, and sleeping in on a Saturday morning. All of these activities would make for a perfect day if not for one tiny, exasperating problem: my roommate and cousin Natasha.

At 6am on the dot,  a rush of cold air displaces the warmth of the covers tossed in a heap down at the end of the four-poster bed. A pair of Nike trainers thump onto my chest as a voice which would rival Mary Poppin's chirpiness invades my barely cognizant mind.

"Rise and shine, O lazy one. It's 5-mile day with Zumba class at 10." Natasha, or Tossie as her friends affectionately call her, ducks out of the bedroom a scant second before a stuffed penguin hits the doorframe.

Darn, missed her again.

Five minutes later with no good excuse to avoid the demon known as exercise, I slump out of bed and dress quickly, lacing up as Tossie brings in one of those mystery protein shakes she enjoys concocting.

"You'll love this one, I swear. It has ginseng, coconut, protein powder, honey, raspberries and spinach." The word 'spinach' is nearly inaudible but the dark green tint to the shake makes it pretty obvious it's not a fruit smoothie. My forehead tightens up in bunched lines as I grimly accept the proffered glass.

A quickly muttered "thanks" is all I can manage before Tossie practically skips toward the kitchen, bedroom door banging shut behind her. Pinching the bridge of the nose in one hand, I bring the tall glass to my lips and gulp down one fourth of the contents before gagging. Setting the drink on the nightstand, I hightail it to the en suite bathroom to down about a gallon of mouth wash. Finally satisfied that I can no longer taste ginseng-spinach flavored raspberries, I snatch up my sunglasses, walking out to the kitchen where Tossie is waiting.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Tossie swings her arms like the blades of a paddle boat, a warm-up of sorts. "Ready cuz?"

Tossing a glare in my blonde cousin's direction, I circumvent the kitchen and head toward the front door, opening it up and walking outside while Tossie grabs two water bottles and hastens to catch up. "It will be better than last week, I promise," she calls out, an attempt to reassure her non-athletic roommate that I truly can run five miles.

Sliding into the passenger side of Tossie's Subaru, I close my eyes and inhale the fresh scent of cranberry-orange, my favorite air freshener.

Cranberry evokes memories of my grandmother's famous cranberry sauce. The sauce which graced every Thanksgiving feast in the Conner household until I turned twelve years old. The orange takes me back to a more recent time, to a candle burning brightly in the bay window of a robin's egg blue house with pale yellow shutters and a wrap-around porch.

Blinking out of my reverie, I plug my head phones into a purple I-Pod, listening to the classic velvet tones of Frank Sinatra while my cousin belts out Maddy and Tae tunes. The fifteen minute drive passes by and too soon, my footfalls echo, breaking the silence of the dense foliage as I make my trek along Green Briar trail.

Tossie convinced me that running would be the answer to everything: a stress reliever, the magic cure to looking great in a bikini, the passion I'm missing...

Still searching for that elusive answer aren't you Faith?

None-the-less, I commenced running about one month ago, finding Hawking Ridge Park a great place to embark on a fitness adventure.  The trails vary from no incline to steep and rocky. A stream runs along the western edge of the park, eventually feeding into a small pond. Blooming early, green leaves create a canopy, allowing for small patches of early morning sun light to illuminate my pathway.