Rise

Colors [1]

CHAPTER ONE [Melissa]

Chirp. Chirp. Thrum. Thrum. Shh. Shh.

The chirps and whistles of birds surround me as I sit cross-cross applesauce on the warm, silk fabric of my favorite rocking chair. I lean forward and back insinuating the calming teetering as I peer up into the breathless blue of the full sky.

I breath in the crisp fall weather, the cold air compressing my lungs. As I breath out, the air-particles form a cloud and my tongue tingles with numbness of the chilly August weather.

The contrasting warmth of the sun radiates off my slightly-tanned body as I hear the thrum of the engine of a passing plane, and spot its shark-like shape through the slightly distilled vision of my aviators.

The wind tickles the loose strands of my brown waves against my neck, and I brush them back with the wisp of a finger. A slight breeze fans my face and legs, while goosebumps emerge on my sensitive skin.

I've always been a lover of the outdoors, an advocator for the nature, an environmental friendly, however you want to phrase it. My home is where the crickets sing and the squirrels scamper.

The bloom of the pansy sets my heart aflutter, and the call of a hummingbird awakens my deeply-emerged, natural soul. From bone-chilling winters to scorching-hot summers, the climate or temperature cannot subdue my desire.

My name is Melissa...Lis for short. I'm known for dozing off during winter quarters in forensics, and staring out the window of my mandatory consumer ed class at the weightless, glowing-cotton clouds.

You have probably guessed that the only subject I actually care about is environmental science. Someday I'm going to become a world reknown botanist and travel the world to experience interaction between living organisms and natural phenomenons.

I always carry a pair of binoculars in my leather, brown satchel. (Not real leather, of course). And all of my clothing or accessories are stemmed from recycled materials. Upcycled bohemian clothing and materials from Etsy comprise of my style. Even my thick-brimmed black glasses are constructed of a reusable fiber glass material. The basic black trim with single oval studs on each corner.

I'm around an average height, 5'4. Not the tallest girl on the block, but not the shortest either. When I was younger my mother would tease me about my crush on the smallest boy in our preschool class. She would say "good things come in small packages", which I never understood...until now.

His name was Brayden, but I nicknamed him "Butterfly Boy" because we share a love for the fluttering creatures. Although, our "relationship" was short lived when his dad landed a spot as a CEO in the prestigious Barlevi & Company accounting firm in California.