The Dance of the Cherry Tree

Chapter 1

I am alone; by myself in a sanctuary of a garden. The only thing that stands beside me is a towering cherry tree, with grass all around and beautiful blossoms clinging to the branches.
I sit cross-legged under the tree, breathing slowly and watching the grass sway in the wind. No other creature is around to disturb me. No music is playing, so I am slightly surprised with myself when I stand up and start to lightly bounce on the balls of my feet. The green grass cooled my toes I almost lose my balance. I catch myself and smile as I begin to raise my hands to the sky, to the branches.
As if lured by my fingertips, the blossoms let go of their desperate need to cling onto the tree. Cascading around my bouncing feet, my twirling arms, the flowers fall. I look up and giggle as one falls on my nose.
That was my dance of the cherry tree. Something I had always done. And I am still alone.

I go back to the garden whenever I can to go through that serene cycle again. I am always alone. Never has anyone stumbled upon my mystical dance. The isolation is calming, relaxing, to be by myself with only my thoughts to hear. With only myself to worry about. My long brown hair flows and plays with the wind when I dance around the tree, when I twirl. But no one has ever seen it. No one has seen the beauty in my dance. At least, until that day.
"You look beautiful, you know."
My arms dropped. My smile faded. My entire feet become grounded as I twirled around to scowl at a person standing in front of me.
I internally screamed at myself. Why had I been so stupid?! This is a public park, of course someone could just walk in and see me. But no one had seen me before. Why now? Why am I no longer alone? I thought I had been alone, because I was always alone before. I stood before this person, keeping my scowl set on my face but also studying him. Learning his features.
     He had a mop of black hair, flopping to one side. His green eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at me. But then again, he seemed to look right through me. I had stared at him for too long. He noticed! His smirk played on his lips.
     My façade could last no longer. My scowl dropped and my eyes widened into shock. He watched me dance. He called me beautiful. Something inhuman came from my mouth, a shriek I think, and I hid behind the giant trunk of the cherry tree.
     Someone saw me dancing! No one's seen me dance before. Not even a squirrel! I heard him crunching on the newly fallen cherry blossoms, walking around the cherry tree.
     When he finally made it in front of me, I was curled up against the tree, a look on my face as if I were a deer in the headlights. He still had that smile playing on his lips, and if I hadn't been so introverted my whole life, I would've decked him in the face.
"You're shy, yet beautiful," he spoke, and his voice seemed to become more and more graceful with each word. "You're like the autumnal season. The trees cry the leaves to the ground in grief of summer ending, but they are tears of extravagant colors." He picked up a cherry blossom off of the cool grass and stroked a petal. It had already started to wrinkle and brown slightly. "You are scared for everyone to know of your power, but it is more extraordinary than you know."
"Power?" I squeaked. I didn't have any powers. I just danced. And watched pretty flowers fall to the ground.
"Yes. My name is Jackson," he said, holding out a hand and not offering a further explanation.
I stared at his hand. It looked warm, strong, and calloused. I reached out for it from the ground, unsure.
"Amelia," I said softly, shaking his hand.