Flower Girls

Chapter 1 - The New Friend

My eyes opened slowly as my room became brighter with the rising sun. It was the summer holidays, and it felt nice to wake up like this rather than to the sound of my alarm clock. I showered and dressed and found Mum downstairs.

"Good morning sleepyhead," she smiled. "I was just going to make bacon and eggs."

"That sounds amazing. I'll help," I said as I started to get the eggs out.

The smell of breakfast filled the kitchen and permeated the house, drawing Dad away from his newspaper and towards the dining table.

"Got plans for the day?" he asked as he sat down.

"I was planning to do some gardening, then I need to do some studying." I took two plates of food and sat down, handing one to my father. "I'll probably go to the library later."

"You have plenty of time over the summer to study," said Mum as she sat down and poured orange juice for everyone. "You don't want to take a few days to just relax a bit?"

I knew my parents worried that I worked too hard. I dreamed of being a Scientist. I wanted to invent something new or discover something that would change the world for the better. Mum sometimes said I was an idealist, and maybe that was true, but it motivated me. The only way I would be able to achieve my dream was to study for my exams next year.

"Gardening is relaxing," I replied, and we smiled at each other. She knew I loved nature, and being in my garden was like heaven, especially when the sun was shining like it was today.

I finished my breakfast and picked up the shed key and some birdseed, just in case. I skipped through the garden and unlocked the familiar wooden shed that held my tools. Picking up my gardening gloves, a fork and a trowel, I settled amongst my favourite flowers.

As I was tending to the weeding, I heard a familiar twitter. The little robin that often visited while I was gardening, was looking at me with his head cocked to one side.

"Hiya," I cooed, hoping he wouldn't fly away. I dipped my hand into the birdseed and pulled out a small handful, sprinkling it gently near him. He hopped to the seed and started pecking, always keeping one eye on me in case I made any sudden moves.

I carried on weeding while he carried on eating. I knew there was another reason he was here. As I turned over the soil, a couple of fat, juicy worms wriggled to the surface. He stayed at a safe distance and watched me until I was finished. I slowly edged away from him to pack away my tools and left him to forage for as many insects and worms as he wanted in the overturned earth.

Back inside, I helped my parents make lunch, before gathering my writing pad and pens for the library.

"Make sure you get home before dark," warned Mum, as usual. I knew she worried about me being out alone after it got dark, but the village was small, and crime was rare here. Still, I knew it was better to be careful than risk being mugged, so I reassured her I'd do as she asked.

The scent of flowers was all around me as I stepped into the summer sun and walked the fifteen-minute walk to the library. Bees floated lazily from one flower to another along the hedgerow, and I hope they might visit my garden too.

Once inside the library, I sat on my favourite table, right in the middle where I could see everyone and everything, and I unpacked my bag.

I had only been studying for about half an hour when an unfamiliar voice caught my attention.

"Excuse me," the voice said. I looked up to find a blonde girl, about my age, with green eyes, the same colour as mine, standing next to my table. She was holding some books next to her chest. Her expression was friendly, and the way she smiled at me was like she knew me already, even though I'd never seen her before.

"I'm new in the village, and this is my first time in this library. Would you be able to help me find the Science section please?" She pulled her books up to her chest a bit more and started to fiddle with the end of a necklace.

I smiled back. There was something about this girl that I liked immediately. 

"Of course. I'm studying Biochemistry, so I'm very familiar with the Science section. Would you like to leave your books on my table? We can come back here and study together if you like?"

"That sounds .... perfect. Thank you," she said, putting her books down.

As we walked over to the Science books, it occurred to me that if she was new here, she might not know many people. "What's your name?" I asked.

She thought for a moment, as if she was trying to remember her own name. After a few seconds she replied, "Lily. Lily Green. What's yours?"

"Caroline Rose," I said. "And this is the Science section. What kind of books are you looking for?"

"Physics," replied Lily, so I showed her where the Physics books were.

We spent the rest of the afternoon studying together, talking about Science and our other interests. I told her about my little garden.

"I'd love to see it," she said.

"Why don't we arrange a time for you to come over for lunch?" I suggested. "My parents would love to meet you."

"That sounds great," she said, and we swapped our telephone numbers before we said our goodbyes.

As I stepped out of the library, I felt happy. I couldn't explain why I felt like Lily belonged in my life, but that's how I felt. Like somehow we were connected, even thought we'd only just met. I wondered whether Lily had felt it too.

I melted into my own happy thoughts as I walked down the familiar street and towards home. I wondered where Lily lived, what her parents were like, and what was for dinner tonight.

As I turned the corner leading out of town, a tall shape stepped out of the dark shadows. The man had dark eyes and dark hair and grinned a horrible grin. "Exactly who I was looking for," he sneered, as he raised his hand. Something glinted in the light, and I realised he was lifting up a large knife, aiming it straight at me.