Prologue: Twinbrook Chapter Two

"What are we doing?" Roxanne asked as she followed Altir down the stairs.

"The most basic of self-care: growing your own garden. If you want security, having a garden is essential. There's no need to worry about going to get food if you have it yourself." Altir made several piles of dirt, carefully putting seeds in each one.

"You mustn't be afraid to get your hands dirty, Roxanne. Gardening is dirty work. Now, to help them grow, you must water them frequently as well as give them fertilizers. That will improve the quality of the things you grow."

Giving a little nod to show she understood, Roxanne knelt down next to him and began copying his movements, feeling the dirt between her fingers.

As soon as they were done, Altir stood up, and beckoned Roxanne to follow him. "Where are we going now?" she asked.

"Fishing. Not only is it another source of food, it's also great fertilizer for your garden. It also teaches you patience. Everything I teach you has another application besides self-reliance."

Fishing proved to be more relaxing that Roxanne first thought. She struggled just waiting, but as she waited for her fish, she started to just enjoy being outdoors. Every time she cast her line, she envisioned her worries dangling at the edge of the hook, and when a fish took the bait, she imagined it disappearing into the fish.

(Sorry! Headline effects again!)

Altir only caught the tiny fish Roxanne had ever seen, but he still seemed pleased.

"I thought you were supposed to be a professional at this," Roxanne said as he lost his bait again.

The elf smiled at her. "Skilled yes, professional, no. I believe the phrase is, 'practice makes perfect.'"

Roxanne couldn't help but giggle...just a little bit.

With dinner caught, Roxanne went upstairs to the house to wash up a bit before heading down for dinner.

Altir must have used some of his secret magic, because by the time Roxanne came back down, the fire blazed brilliantly. It had taken her at least a half-hour just to get the flames to the size Altir had it.

Even if she'd end up smelling like smokey fish afterward, she had to admit, it was better to have company for dinner than eating by herself. Already, she felt less dependent on the world around her. As long as she could fish and make a fire, she had plenty of food and shelter. Still, having a house was better than sleeping outside every night.

"Tomorrow," Altir said unexpectedly, "I'd like you to tell me what you ran away from. Surely there's a story in that."

But as morning came and she stretched out her back from her sleeping bag, she really didn't want to tell him. Why should he barge into her business anyway? Why would he care about her and her petty romance? The ache that followed this thought almost sent her out the door and into the next town. What was she so afraid of?

"What I'm about to say isn't easy." Altir had waited outside until Roxanne was dressed and ready to go. If nothing, he was gentlemanly. When he nodded for her to continue, Roxanne took a deep breath. "There was this guy...a boy really, and he and I...we hit it off when we were kids."

"Go on," Altir said when she stopped.

"Gosh, this is so weird to talk about though. I mean, you barely know me. But...so this boy and I, we were pretty attached all through high school and I was so sure, so sure, that once we both graduated, we were going to get married, and have a few kids, and...then we'd live happily ever after."

"But he didn't want to have kids." The amount of sarcasm and disdain coming from her voice shocked even her. "We were in love for all the wrong reasons and once we broke up...I just...I wanted to get away from him, figure out who I was without Do-without him, without anyone really."

Altir nodded, a serene look crossing his face. "Self-discovery often requires solitude...but it does not mean you need to be lonely. You called me not only to relieve your loneliness, but also to assist in your journey. And I think everyone needs a little help, don't you think so?"

Tending the garden became a good hobby for Roxanne. Altir pretty much just stood off to the side now and let Roxanne do everything on her own. But one morning, he came down, a sly grin on his face. "Don't get too comfortable, little sprout," he said. "You're learning a new skill today."

"Y'know, I didn't exactly sign up for this," Roxanne said later as they entered the city gym with other patrons. "Aren't we supposed to get a pass or something?"

"You honestly didn't know that every city lets its residents use the gym for free?" He led her down the stairs into the basement where treadmills lined the wall. "Put on something you can get sweaty in."

"Altir," she said through gritted teeth as she attempted to use the weight machine, "this is ridiculous."

He just laughed at her while he told her to do five more repetitions. Her arms were killing her after two, how was she supposed to do five more?

Once she was done, Roxanne booked it for the treadmill next to Altir. "Now this," she said hopping on, "is more my style of working out. See you at the finish line."

She didn't see Altir reach over and crank up her speed until she almost tripped on the moving mat. As she frantically tried to turn the speed down, she glanced over at him. He was barely sweating, yet he'd been running for longer than she had been. Maybe elves were just better athletically than humans.

Still, sore and tired, Roxanne went home full of endorphins, not unlike the kind Donovan used to give her a long time ago. How long had it been since she'd seen him last? it didn't matter, though. She was happy, really and truly happy, and it was all under her own power, not anyone else's.

Prologue: Twinbrook Chapter One

Not long after arriving in the town of Twinbrook, Roxanne headed to the nearest salon to give herself a make-over. She'd had her hair down for so long, it was time for a change. She didn't want to cut it off, though. She'd spent years getting it this long.

So she settled on having it braided around her head. Having her hair piled on top of her head in a bun felt too much like her mother's style...and she couldn't think about her right now.

She had chosen a house in the middle of the woods, far away from anyone in town. It rose up to the tree tops, a house that was prepared for flooding. Still, Roxanne wasn't sure if anyone lived there. Donovan couldn't find her.

She bought herself a fire pit and sat down at it, watching as the sun stretched across the sky until it sank beyond the horizon. No one came to the house. The gnawing fear that someone would prompted her to roll out her sleeping bag and she slipped into a restless slumber. With her hair down, it felt a little more natural, a little more like home. But the sound of the crickets chirping and the mosquitoes buzzing by her head assured her she was still outside.

In the early hours of dawn, as the embers began to finally die, someone walked into Roxanne's "camp," stepping lightly.

"Who are you, little sprout?" he asked the sleeping woman. She didn't respond, but she groaned and tossed in her sleep.

Roxanne awoke with a start, sitting upright, hands shaking. She knew she was no longer alone. She had that nagging feeling someone had been watching her all night, just there, watching her sleep.

"Good morning!" a chipper voice called. A young man walked over, smiling pleasantly, almost like he knew a secret.

Roxanne tried to force the blood that was running to her cheeks up to her brain so she could say something intelligent, but she was standing in front of a stranger in her underwear. Her eyes wandered up to his ears, and she blushed deeper, knowing full well that that's where her eyes ended up.

"Is this your property? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to trespass, I'm just looking for a place to stay--You probably think I'm crazy--agh, what is wrong with me?!" Roxanne couldn't stop the words. They all jumped out of her mouth like skydivers.

"Not to worry," the man replied. "You are quite safe here in Twinbrook. This house has been empty for years. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry, but I keep staring at your ears."

"That's quite all right. Most people tend to stare when they meet an elf."

The silence that followed lasted far too long. Roxanne couldn't even make a sound of shock. Her entire vocabulary found some part of her brain to live in while she continued to stare.

"Wait," she managed, "like one of those people that live in the woods and live forever kind of elves?"

"Yes. My name is Altir. What is your name?" He took all this shock very well. He seemed amused by it.

"My name is Roxanne. Roxanne--never mind."

"Humans generally have surnames, yes? Why do you hesitate to share yours?"

"Don't worry about it. So, what's it like being an elf?"

"Generally uneventful. Things like finding people sleeping on the ground when they could be in a house tends to excite one."

Roxanne gestured to the ring on his left hand. "Is that a wedding ring?"

Altir lifted his hand, twisting it so the ring would catch the light. "This? Every elf has a ring or necklace or some other piece of jewelry like this. It holds a part of the magic we have."

"So does that keep you living forever?"

"No, it doesn't. But if I was to remove it, I would not be able to perform other types of magic."

Magic. Roxanne grew up believe magic was something that only existed in books and movies. She sat quietly, thinking about what that meant. Was her little town so isolated that magic was the stuff of fantasy? Did other towns have it too?

"Come along, little sprout!" Altir called as he headed for the stairs, pulling Roxanne back to reality. "You must be hungry."

The interior of the house didn't surprise Roxanne, nor was she expecting it to. At the very least, it was a place to call home. There wouldn't be any bugs flying around her head in here. That uncomfortable knot that had settled inside started to untwist itself. She could handle this.

"Well," Altir said after Roxanne took the place in, "what do you think?"

"It's no palace, but it'll do." Roxanne felt herself smile a little. "Now what?"

"Why don't you sit down and I'll make breakfast." Altir gently guided her to a small table.

Roxanne fidgeted in her seat. "I can help, y'know."

"It's not that I doubt your capability. I'm doing this as an act of kindness. Serving others brings me great joy."

"Well, in that case, I'm going to get dressed, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, little sprout."

In the bathroom, Roxanne finally let herself release all the panic. "You're alone...with a man. You can handle this," she whispered to herself. "You are a confident woman. He's not like him. He's not going to hurt you." She gripped the sink, feeling a sob rising up her throat. She swallowed it back down. She would not cry over this decision. She would not cry over him.

Roxanne redid the braid, made sure her top was straight, and headed out of the bathroom. Altir had finished breakfast. Now that she could smell it, Roxanne realized how hungry she actually was. He pulled out her chair and scooted it in closer before taking a seat himself.

"You're running from something," Altir said as Roxanne shoved a forkful of waffles into her mouth.

She struggled not to choke. Of course, he'd said it when she couldn't argue back.

"I don't know what it is, but I do know you're afraid. You've left all you've known for the hope of safety. Am I right, little sprout?"

She set her fork down, swallowing. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"It's a pet name we often give to our children. Or, in your case, someone who doesn't see their full potential."

"You see," he continued, "I was brought to Twinbrook from my world quite suddenly. Elves are only called when they are truly needed. Despite what you may think, you called me here. You wish for companionship, yes?"

Roxanne shook her head, looking down at her unfinished waffles. They lost all their flavor. Not even a gallon of syrup could fix it. "I just feel so...pointless. Like I don't have direction anymore. My whole future rode on one thing...and that one thing is gone now."

"So you called me here to help give you much needed guidance. What is it you want to know?"

"How to take care of myself. I was too dependent on--" she stopped. No, she wasn't sure if she could trust him yet. She kept her mouth shut.

"Too dependent on others? Yes, I can teach you many things."

He took the dishes and washed them. "We start now."

Prologue: Sunset Valley Chapter Four

Adulthood approached closer everyday. If there was one thing Roxanne couldn't stand, it was waiting. She and Donny had spent hours talking about what they would do once they graduated, and she longed to be able to make that choice. She longed to be all grown-up and start her life with the boy of her dreams.

Roxanne sat at the top of her old slide, picturing it as a metaphor for her life. All she had to do was slide down to the bottom, into Donny's arms, and she'd never have to climb up to the top again. It would be perfect.

She beamed that evening as her parents held a small birthday party for her. Just the three of them. Roxanne preferred that over a large party anyway. It was one last chance for her parents to spoil their little girl before she became a woman.

And a beautiful woman she became.

Her graduation day was truly a bittersweet moment for her. As much as she would miss all her friends, the thrill of becoming Donny's controlled every thought. They would be a couple, a married couple.

Her life was hers. She tossed the diploma, ready to tear off the cap to throw with it. No more school, no more boring lectures, no more running off to class before the bell rang because she and Donny had been kissing in halls.

"Baby," Clive said, hugging his now grown little girl, "I am so proud of you."

"Thanks, Daddy." Roxanne closed her eyes to keep her own pride from gushing out.

"And don't forget about me now," Anita said, pulling Roxanne in for a tight squeeze. "I didn't help you all those years for nothing, did I?"

"Mom!" Roxanne laughed despite the tears trickling in at the corner of her eyes. "You'll always be the best."

That night, she ran out of the house, meeting Donny in one of the many parks around town. "Well," she said, bouncing on her toes. "I'm here."

"Your hair," Donny said in amazement, picking up a green strand in his fingers. "I can't believe how long it's gotten."

"Well, if we're going to have a...y'know, wedding, I want to be able to do pretty things with it."

"Hey, babe, it's getting late. Can we talk about this tomorrow? Besides, don't we have a class party to get to?"

Arm in arm, they headed off to their all night party, free from curfew and nosey police officers.

Roxanne was finally allowed to ride on the motorcycle, her graduation present Clive had kept a secret for so many years. Roxanne was a natural on the bike, rolling around town in style.

The next morning, Donny had an odd request. He wanted Roxanne to meet her up in what most of the kids called, "Rich Circle." There was a small park in between all of these houses, probably designed to give the rich snobs a view of each other while keeping property between them so that wars didn't start.

"Donny, what are we doing here?" Roxanne asked as she parked her bike. "I mean, we've never met here."

"Because, babe, it has to do with our future." Donny smiled, one Roxanne hadn't seen before. It felt rehearsed, forced, fake.

"So," he said, adopting a used-car dealer voice, "here's the deal: You and me. Biggest wedding Sunset Valley's ever seen. No expense spared. You want dancing? Done. You want the whole town there? Done. You want the richest man in Sunset Valley, done and done. Then we'll move into one of these fancy houses right here. Someone living in the one you want? Babe, I got enough dough we could own all of 'em and build new houses for all the current owners. Then you and I live in the lap of luxury until we're old and even richer than before."

"Donny, that sounds nice, but I..." Roxanne trailed off. What happened to running away from all this? What happened to being poor but ridiculously happy? The slide suddenly grew forty feet and the end dropped off in a dark abyss. Donny fell out of the picture. "Donny, when do we have kids?"

"What do you mean, we have kids?"

Roxanne flinched back, disgusted at this man who impersonated her Donny. "Donny, I assumed marriage with you meant having children. Meant being a family. Not just you and me."

"Well, we'll have at least one, y'know, to carry on the business-"

"Business? Donovan, children are not business. And what if I want more than one? What if I wanted like, seven?"

"Roxanne, how can you be so selfish? Kids are gross and smell weird." Donovan shuddered, pulling away from her. "You could have a hundred kids, and they'd all be the same: smelly little poop machines that take all your money."

"Selfish?" Roxanne screeched. "I'm being selfish by wanting to bring more people into this world? I'm selfish because I want to-"

"Babe, can we talk later, I gotta go to work. See you later, sweetheart." Donovan took off down the street, hopped into a limo that had been waiting for him, and he zoomed away.

Roxanne ran. She didn't care where she went. She just had to run, run until the nightmare that had swallowed up her dreams couldn't touch her anymore.

She found herself at the waterfall, a popular spot that she and Donovan never visited all while they were dating. She couldn't believe her stupidity. She hadn't noticed Donny changing. Sure, he got more calls than before, but that was because he was in charge of the business.

Business. Had he ever cared about her? Or had it all been a ruse just to get her to be his heir producer?

It was then that Roxanne realized something that knocked her off her feet: she didn't know who she was. She had spent so long defining herself as Donny's girlfriend that the thought of being anything else had been pushed aside. She had shot off the slide and now landed, a bit battered and bruised, but still able to climb the slide.

No, not a slide. Her life was more like the roar of the waterfall. She was a part of the river at the top, taking an unexpected turn, but right before the best part, the part that everyone loved, the part that truly defined who she was.

Maybe, just maybe, a little bit of Donny still lingered beneath the exterior of Donovan. She called him and asked to meet him at a park as soon as he could.

She sat for most of the evening. The stars peeked out overhead, slowly dancing across the sky as the world turned. Still, she waited.

She waited until she couldn't stay awake any longer and she unrolled her sleeping bag. She waited for a Sleeping Beauty kiss to wake her up. Donny would help her find out who she was.

But he never came.

Roxanne waded out into the sea, listening to the waves lap against the shore. She didn't care the bottom of her pants were soaked. The longer she stood there, the more she realized that...

She didn't love Donovan.

She loved the idea of what he could bring. She loved the idea of having a huge family with him, a family exactly like her own, but with her as the mom instead of Anita.

She loved the fact that he was an outcast, like her. The root of all the love came back to the fact he had blue hair and she had green. It had sparked her interest all those years ago, and they had found solidarity together.

But that wasn't enough anymore. Solidarity meant nothing if there wasn't real love behind it. They both had been selfish, but neither of them realized it.

Roxanne called him again. This time, Donovan promised to come. Still, she had two hours to herself. She took the chance to go swimming, feeling the ocean surround her. It felt more like her own life, swelling and falling. The ocean tensed as she did.

When he arrived, Roxanne confronted him at once. "Donovan, we're done."

"Babe, come on!" Donovan pleaded. "I'll make it up to you, I swear."

"Donovan, you can't buy love. You can't buy me. I've spent my whole life, our whole relationship, dreaming about what it'll be like when we finally grow up and get married, but you don't care about me. You care about how I make you look. I'm not your trophy."

"Aww, come on, Roxy! Look at what you're giving up! I mean, have you ever seen a finer specimen of a man than this?"

"No. Donovan, we're done."

"You think you can just break up with me? Just like that? What about all the time and investments I put into you?" Donovan sneered.

"I'm more than just investments. And yes, just like that. You're happily single. Go marry some other girl who's too stupid to realize how much of a jerk you are." She walked away, holding her head high. Even though internally, it hurt to give up so many years and so much time, she felt lighter, stepping down a path she hadn't seen, but always knew was there.

She didn't see Donovan staring after her. A cruel smile appeared on his face. "You'll pay, Roxanne Gregory. Oh, it might not be now, but I will get back at you. You'll always regret leaving me."

Roxanne shifted on her bed. She couldn't get comfortable. Her body wanted to move, to run, to get rid of this excess energy that came from a high of making her own choices. She couldn't stay in Sunset Valley.

The thought both terrified her and excited her. Leaving meant no more Donny, but it also meant her Mom and Dad wouldn't see her as often.

No, she couldn't come back. Donovan wouldn't give her a moment's peace if she ever returned. He wouldn't even let her leave in the first place. If she left, it would have to be suddenly.

It would have to be now.

Roxanne rose up from her bed, staring around her room. She couldn't leave before dinner, not without one last chance of having a normal family before she ran away. "Most Likely to Get Married." She scoffed and shook her head at the ribbon on her wall. Back when they had been dating, everyone was convinced that the wedding would be less than a week after graduation. But now it was a reminder that she had given up on that. A reminder of Donovan.

She would take only the essentials. She wouldn't have anywhere to put anything. She didn't even know if she would have a house.

But the gem from her mother...she had to take it. It was small and didn't weigh very much. It would be the one reminder of home. It represented her parents, the people she loved most.

That night, Roxanne woke up around two in the morning. She made her bed one last time, remembering Dad reading stories to her as she fell asleep. She changed into her clothes and picked up her belongings.

But she couldn't leave without saying goodbye. Even if they never heard it, she had to say goodbye. She tiptoed into her parents room, watching as they snuggled together under the sheets. "Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad. I love you both. Maybe, one day I'll tell you why I left." She placed a picture of herself on the nightstand next to her mom. Written on the back were the words, "I love you always."

With that, she zoomed off on her bike, roaring past all the houses and familiar sights as she zipped toward the boundaries of Sunset Valley.

She rode all night between the rolling hills and the spaces between different towns. As the sun rose, she found herself entering a new town. 

The air felt similar to that of Sunset Valley, but it didn't smell of the ocean. The paved road had no lines painted on it, a sign that this neck of the woods was less traveled.

As uncertain as she felt, there was a tiny flame of confidence inside her. Roxanne knew no one knew her here. No one knew her past. She could truly start over, with no chance of Donovan coming in to pull her back. She rode her bike into a more swampy part of town.

It wasn't homey, by any means. But as Roxanne stared at the thick trees obscuring the bridge from her view, Roxanne knew she could make it home.

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Author's note: WOO-HOO! IT'S FINALLY DONE! Well, the first part of the prologue anyway. Can't wait to start the second part of the prologue. Don't worry, after this part, Roxanne will get started on what you call came to see: BABIES!