Edge of the City(Original Story)

Chapter Six

   Now, everything in my tree was wood. The floor, the kitchen, the table. All the furniture was wood except for my sofa and bed as well as everything in the bathroom. It was dimly lit by a lamp hanging from the ceiling, and I could tell they were prepared for two people, probably me and Taylynn. Just walking around my house hurt my heart which was split into two. I soon decided to lay down on my bed and let the tears come. I needed some time to mourn for the brave Taylynn.

    When it was around four thirty I got up, washed my face and hair, changed into a blue dress that compliments my eyes, and put my hair up into one braid bun with a blue ribbon intertwined with my hair. Taylynn had worn her hair like this the day before she died, and it was comforting, like Taylynn was there with me, guiding my hands to do my hair. It wasn’t amazing like Taylynn’s, but it was still tight and neat. I looked at the clock to see that it was five o’ clock.

     I took half an hour to get ready. 

      Soon Jackson showed up and led me to his house, the outside was almost identical to my house, except there was a painted flower on the door. Jackson Shrugged. “Lily drew that two months ago and I can’t get rid of it.”
     
      I haven’t heard the name lily yet. It sounded pretty, and kind of Ironic because the picture was of a lily of the valley. Which she must have been named after. “Who’s Lily? Is so your sister?”

      “Yep. Lily can only feel happiness and joy, so don’t be surprised if she seems happy about something sad.” Jackson warned. “She’s a very sweet girl though. I should know I lived with her my whole life.” Jackson opened the door and I walked in to find an eight year old girl with brown hair, green eyes, and freckles on every inch of her face.

      “Jackson! Is this our guest? She’s beautiful! Look at her hair! It looks so healthy! Wow how’d you get a ribbon into your braid? Is it a secret? Oops didn’t mean to ask!” The girl, Lily rambled on. I was kind of shocked, trying not to forget any of her questions, but it was hard when they just kept coming.

      “Lily, Stop swarming her with questions she new here.” Jackson demanded.

      I felt bad for Lily, so without thinking I blurted out, “It’s okay Jackson. I can answer a few questions.” 

      Lily was overjoyed by my answer and pulled over to their couch. “Sit now can you do my hair?” Lily begged. I knew she wouldn’t be sad if I answered no, but I soon gave into her pleads and started braiding her hair into a bun. “Where did you learn to braid hair into a bun like that?” Yet again my heart pained for Taylynn to show up. To say that she was fine. I remembered the day Taylynn showed me how to do my hair up in a braided bun. 

      It was in the winter after my mother died and Taylynn was comforting me. Her hands worked slowly and carefully to show me every step, making sure I was doing it right. At the time I wasn’t able to do it. It was two hard to make it tight and that resolved in the braid falling apart. 
Soon I gave up and sighed. “I can’t do it. It’s too hard.” I cried. Taylynn gave me a look as she turned me around. 
“Eva there’s a trick that I feel helps me a lot.” She paused before she continued. “Imagine every strand of hair I grab is something to be thankful for. Like this strand is how much I’m thankful for a good friend, or this one which is Callen. It helps me calm down and at the same time makes me want to take care of that strand and make sure it’s tight in its home. And I add a ribbon to show that everything I’m grateful for has a purpose.” Taylynn took a breath. “Wanna know what strand I never forget to put in?” I nodded. “Yours.” Taylynn undid her braided bun and handed the ribbon to me. “Your turn to try. And remember practice makes perfect.”

     “Evalynn?” I was snapped from thought when Lily called my name. She was looking at me, and She could tell I had stopped braiding. 

       “Sorry I was thinking about something.” I told her. 

       “Lily, maybe you should let Eva breath a bit. She still has a lot to learn about this place.” Jackson budded in. He was in the kitchen making dinner. I couldn’t tell what he was cooking but it smelled amazing. 

        “It’s fine Jackson. I learned it from my friend Taylynn. She taught me almost every hairstyle I know.” I paused for a second before changing subjects. “So tomorrow I wanted to collect some healing plants before it starts to snow. I will be able to make some medicine so if some kids get sick I can cure them.” I told them. 

        “Good idea, Last winter was terrible.” Jackson became quiet as if remembering something.

         “Jackson.” I paused until she looked up. “Whos Athena?” Oli had mentioned a girl I didn’t know in his tree house and it kind of wanted to know who this girl was. 

        “She was our first leader. She died because of influenza, and not having a doctor meant her death was unavoidable. That’s why Oli agreed to keep my job. A doctor is needed more than ever.” Jackson finished and looked away.

       My heart broke for him and everyone in the woods. “Were you here when Athena was around?”
“I was. So was Lily. It was a sad time for all of us. I still remember when Athena told Oli he was the next leader, since he was the second oldest and they had come here together from Ormont.” Jackson continued working. “Nobody will ever forget Athena.”

       We sat in silence until I was done with Lily’s braid and the meal was finished. Then we sat down and ate. I poked at a blue colored thing with my fork only for its insides to come spilling out. The outside was blue, while the juice was red and the insides yellow. It was the most confusing fruit I’ve ever seen.

     “Blueberry.” Jackson said.

     “What?” I was confused. What’s a ‘blueberry’? I mean it must be blue but what’s a berry?

      “The fruit is a blueberry. What you're eating.” Lily butted in. I looked at the so-called ‘blueberry’ and put it in my mouth. The berry was sour yet sweet at the same time. 

      “It’s amazing.” I breathed. I instantly wished I didn’t squish the other ones' guts out but I decided to ignore that one when Jackson came up with a bowl of them. I ate them slower than I ate my spoonfuls of grain. 

      “Ooo! Evalynn you're going to love the chicken and bread Jackson made!” Lily squealed. “He’s an awesome cook!” Lily put a piece of chicken and some bread on my plate. I couldn’t believe they were giving me more food! Lily must have seen my surprise because she laughed. “Eat all of your supper. you're skinnier than me when I came here.” She smiled. “You're going to need all your energy for tomorrow. You should never be hungry again after I’m through with you.”

     “Lily you can’t cook.” Jackson told her. “To be honest I wouldn’t trust her to cook you super Evalynn, she burnt our old tree down.” Jackson turned my way before he started cutting his Chicken. “I’ll show you a few easy meals.” 

     “Okay thanks Jackson.” I had no doubt in my mind that I would be able to cook, since I had some experience cooking the grain for breakfast. I finished everything on my plate and then headed home. Since tomorrow I was going to collect herbs like Yarrow and Sage I needed to try and get sleep. I slipped into a nightgown that was in my closet and hopped into the bed. It was as soft as a feather and I seemed to sink into the mattress. The blankets were made of sheep wool and cotton which would be good for the winter when it was freezing cold.

(A/n)

Thanks for reading!!

Word count:1413

Catlover4ever223 Out!