A Funeral for Innocence

"Willa..."
"It's okay, I am okay."
"Willa, I'm sorry."

Kudzu vines stretched and sprawled across dilapidated wood slats on the back porch that splintered beneath the weight of themselves. A rich, warm breeze caressed my face almost as gently as the feeling of the pad of her thumb that grazed my cheek. The sun fought to hang between fluffy white clouds, where the god I thought I knew lived. The soft grass beneath my fingers tickled the center of my palm and the leaves on the trees twisted and turned together so intricately I couldn't tell where one branch ended, and the other branch began. Those leaves seemed as though they were pressing against the sky, creating a pattern against the canvas of pastel blues, periwinkle grays, whites, and sunflower yellows.

Willa and Halcyon guide each other through trials of love, friendship, trust, and growth in this coming of age YA novel based in the Appalachias.

**this story does touch on themes of mental illness**