(Rough Draft)
CHAPTER 1
"Here you are Mrs. Phillips, one orange essence brightening face cream. This will make you look so fresh and glowy, Mr. Phillips will propose all over again."
Another sale, another happy customer; at this rate I'll be able to launch my healing cosmetic line sooner than I'd thought. I already have a name for it, Botanique. I'll have my own lab and farm to grow my organic ingredients, but for now, I guess the kitchen counter will do.
I love summer break and the time I get to spend with mom, but I honestly I can't wait to get back to Blushington and into a real lab. Blushington is a leading all girl prep school and I'm studying botany and chemistry.
I submitted some of my healing creams to a contest and a rep from the school was a judge. And they were so impressed with my submissions, not only did I win but they offered me the chance to apply.
I was ecstatic; mom was not. It's always just been the two of us, free and spirited. We moved around a lot when I was younger but ended up in this small town. I just knew we'd be here for six months top but mom fell in love with the place. She got a job teaching at the community center and rented a small cottage with a garden.
We love to grow our own herbs and vegetables and even keep some bees. The garden and the kitchen are definitely our happy places. And we've been content here for the last five years.
We've always talked about buying a farm together, selling our produce and my creams. So when I got the application from Blushington mom was, let's just say, less than joyful.
I think she felt like I was giving up on us or abandoning her, like dad. But I wasn't; I mean neither of us had heard from him since I was little and I had to make her see that Blushington was going to allow us to make our dream come true on an even bigger scale.
Once I broke it all down for her she came around to me going. Which I knew would happen because my true gift is helping people see that I'm usually right about making things better; not always but usually.
For instance my friend Joaquin was over one day and fell off his skate board. The cut on his knee was nasty and he's allergic to pain meds. He swore there was nothing he could take to alleviate the pain and he'd have to suffer through it, but after we got it cleaned up I applied some of my healing balm infused with black seed oil to it. Not only did the wound heal better but the oil acted as a pain reducer.
He was shocked and told all of our friends and ever since then I've been healing what ails people naturally. What can I say plants and I are one; I know what people need.
This fall will be my second year and it's not far from our little cottage only forty-five minutes or so. Mom visited a lot my first semester and then called more second semester. I wonder if I'll see her at all this semester. She'll probably come up for the harvest and the plantings.
Blushington is a sight in every season. With so many gardens, woods and green spaces, it changes and comes alive anew all year long.
Mrs. Phillips was my last customer of the day. I put everything away, stretched from being in one position for so long and locked up. With my shop closed I could walk over to the community center. Mom's seminar focused on the importance of soil conservation; I'm sure there would be standing room only.
Okay so there were more than a few empty seats; I guess not everyone understands or is invested in the needs of the planet.
"Mom, it was still definitely a success," I told her on the walk home.
"Thanks, hun, she replied, I'm going to work on getting the word out even more before the next one."
We shared a simple dinner of garden burgers and salad and I headed up for bed.
I spent my night researching new plants, formulas and reading medical journals. Not the average way a sixteen year old girl spends her summer, but it worked for me. I drifted off to sleep thinking of natural remedies.
My shop was only open on Fridays so that I could spend the week creating products, testing and spending some time with friends. Most of my friends had summer jobs and we had to fit each other in where we could.
But this summer had honestly been one for the books. For starters I developed some pretty insane new products I can't wait to test, my friends and I have finally gotten to go to some of those movies under stars events and I did a big chop.
I went from long straight hair to a curly pixie cut and I'm in love with how low maintenance it is everyday. Plus my cheekbones and eyes really show up. My Blushington friends are going to freak out when they see me.
I couldn't believe how quickly summer came and went. Fall was already in the air and I was moving back into the dorms at Blushington was tomorrow.
I packed everything I thought I'd need and looked forward to a new year at school. And since Blushington was no ordinary school, something amazing was bound to happen.
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Zoe is a true mystery and has so many twists and turns I almost couldn't keep up! ;) I'm enjoying writing it so much; I hope you enjoy reading it!
X Brittany
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