LOUISIANA SKY (COMPLETE)

1. Luciole

*HELLO, EVERYONE! :) This is my second novel and I'm hoping my writing has improved. I'll be putting a lot more time and detail into this particular book as I try to hone my skills, so please vote & comment!

*SKY AND DALLAS ARE UNDERGOING HEAVY, BUT WONDERFUL REVISIONS! I PROMISE THE BOOK WILL BE 100x BETTER!
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Luciole
noun [ feminine ] /lysiɔl/
(insecte) insecte lumineux
firefly
*pronounced: lyeu-sey-elle

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SKY POV

Hi, I'm Sky Hammond and I hate change. No, I fear it, terrified of it. The only problem with that is I want it, crave it, need it. But I can't seem to bring myself to do anything about it.

***

What people don't know is that just 30 minutes outside of New Orleans, there's a small town called Luciole. The name is French for firefly and the town is overrun by them. Every summer, tourists come from all over the states to travel down to this little podunk town just to marvel at millions of these little, insignificant bugs. The locals were used to them, I didn't see anything special about them.

Okay, I lied. Those damn little bugs used to mean a lot to me once upon a time. My favorite memories were filled with fireflies. When I was just a kid, my mother used to take me to the annual Luciole Firefly Festival.

Oh, God. Some French person out there probably sees this and thinks, Firefly Firefly Festival?

Anyway, the festival was your typical carnival atmosphere with the addition of millions of those critters with the little lightbulb butts buzzing around you. I know, it sounds like a nightmare to some. But as a kid, it was the most magical thing I'd ever seen.

My mom used to always bring a mason jar to the festival. As I became a teenager, I thought it was weird. But 5-year-old me loved nothing more than to see my mother catch those fireflies in her jar just for me. She told that they only turned on their lights when they were around those they love. That's why you didn't see their lights on during the day, because their loved ones were sleeping and only came out at night.

I knew it wasn't true, but I kept that secret to myself. Even when my mother was killed by that drunk driver, I didn't dare tell her gravestone. That was a secret for me keep and a memory for me to remember.

After her passing, my entire world changed. My dad ran out on us before I was even born, so she was all I had. She was my entire world and I'd lost it overnight. I had just turned eighteen and only had a month before graduation. I didn't walk the stage for my diploma, instead I had it mailed and visited the cemetery and showed it off to Mom.

After that, I decided that I didn't like change. I'd come to the conclusion that change was just too hurtful and confusing and unnecessary. So, while others dreamed of ditching this small town, I never left Luciole. I couldn't change a damn thing, I couldn't leave my mom. My fear of change got so bad I couldn't even quit my bartending job. Being around alcohol only reminded me of the unfortunate end my mom met, but I was too much of a coward to do anything about it.

***

I didn't hate Luciole, or at least I didn't think I did. I was born and raised in this town. The locals are friendly, the town itself was beautiful and quaint. I had friends, the best job at the local bar, and the most amazing boyfriend.