BOOK ONE - promised series
When a new family moves to Everett Valley, Catherine vows to find out what they are searching for in her secluded hometown that doesn't normally welcome new people.
Catherine must choose between the council and her pack le...
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Emmet and I sat outside on the porch, overlooking the widespread field of tall grassland that still belonged to our property. Standing in the centre stood a massive weeping willow, sticking out like a sore thumb.
Still, it was beautiful. Its drooping branches almost touched the ground in many places, but it was so large that the top didn't come anywhere near the ground.
The branches along with the lance-shaped leaves swayed with the wind—blowing my hair into my face along with it.
"That's definitely... not what I expected," Emmet said, driving a hand through his shaggy mane of hair.
The sandy mop on his head had almost grown as long as Reece's—nearly reaching his shoulders.
I turned my gaze back to the weeping willow.
"It wasn't what I expected either. Believe me."
There was a serene calmness that spread between us and watching the tree slow dance in the subtle wind gave me an even greater sense of tranquility. It was so majestic yet sturdy and had withstood the most terrible storms—it had been there since I could remember.
Of all the things, this is what I would miss the most about Everett Valley.
From my peripheral vision, I saw Emmet looking at me briefly, before he too turned back to staring at our land. "Are you sure they're really human?"
I knew Emmet would ask that question—he was the smartest guy I knew, after all. It would have been worrisome had he not questioned it.
"No, I'm not. But honestly? It doesn't matter anymore. If we leave, it'll be the end of it anyway."
A stream of sadness washed through me, but I refused to let it sink deeper. Trying to push it away, I dug out the calm I'd been feeling before and held on to it. I told myself that I wasn't rejecting him.
I talked myself into believing that if we were truly meant to be, then there would be a way. We would see each other somewhere in Espheros, maybe even in the place his family had come from.
I saw Emmet nodding. "Given our history, it's probably for the best. Who knows. Maybe one day, things will be different." His voice was deep and it had a wisdom in it I would never expect an adolescent to possess.
But Emmet was different.
He was smarter than anyone in Everett Valley. And Espheros, too, probably.
☼
After a while of sitting outside, enjoying the wind and its relaxing quiet, Reece and Jarred came home from their run.
Reece always needed a run after dealing with stressful situations. The two men, clothed in saggy pants and wide shirts, stepped onto the porch and took a seat on the chairs standing opposite of Emmet and my bench.
