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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

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Wildflowers

Previously: Chapter I: Incipient Chapter II: Halcyon Chapter III: Allure Chapter IV: Dalliance Chapter V: Atrophy Chapter VI: Solace

Epilogue: Moiety

Hands clasped together and fingers entwined, Quinn and Serra ran, following the path they had come to know as well as they had known each other. In her other hand were Serra’s white high heels, dangling from her fingertips while she pranced on her toes through the dusty leaves and twigs that led to their own little paradise. Quinn’s tie bounced with each heavy footfall, the clip making a clicking sound every time it connected with one of the buttons on his collared shirt. They laughed when he tripped and barely manage to save his glasses from tumbling off of his face.

The perimeter of the field was the same as it had always been, brimming with reds and purples, still shining vividly in the light of the crescent moon hanging in the midnight sky. Wind wisped through the grass, leaving the brisk chill of autumn in its wake. Nothing could ruin their mood.

Mister Roman had taken them out for the evening to celebrate their fifteenth birthday in the city. For the first time, they had been able to see the never-sleeping lights that illuminated the streets and be a part of something upbeat. Dinner, sightseeing, and a chauffeured limo ride had shown them both a wonderful time. Now, finally alone in the sea of wildflowers, the night was coming to a close.

Not long after Quinn and Serra had reconciled had Kyle left the orphanage. A nice family with a little girl had always wanted to give her an older brother, and so the paperwork had been filed, and he left. They wrote letters back and forth, but had mutually decided to remain only friends. He talked about how he joined the swim team for the high school, and Quinn wrote to him about Serra’s paintings, which had gradually started becoming livelier and less chaotic.

Their relationship as brother and sister had grown stronger than it had ever been before. Quinn was now able to see things from a point of view that didn’t require as much thought, but instead feel, something that he had trouble with in the past. He still hadn’t been sure that he understood completely, but now he didn’t allow it to bother him if he didn’t.

Serra and Meredith had formed a friendship after over ten years of sharing a room. It hadn’t surprised Quinn, and he was actually glad that his sister had been able to branch out more. What had been amusing was when Vanessa had found out, their trio had crumbled. Jasmine tried to comfort her, but that had ended in what turned out to be an entertaining and oddly gratifying fit of drama.

“Hey.”

Quinn smiled at the sound of her voice and faced her. In that moment, she reminded him of what he remembered to be the spitting image of their mother. Serra was every bit of grace, strength, and beauty that he had ever hoped she would be. He bent over, picking a flower from the spot next to his foot and tucked it behind her ear, the brush of the petals on her cheek making her giggle.

“Do you think Mother liked lilies?” The question took him aback and he blinked.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But I think if she had to choose, her favorite would be wildflowers.”

Serra smiled at him brightly and he squeezed her hand. The life ahead of them would bring them many trials, they knew, but Quinn knew as long as they were together, everything would turn out fine. Standing in silence they looked up at the sky, smiling at their angels as they watched over them.

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #epilogue #epilogue: moiety #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

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Wildflowers

Previously: Chapter I: Incipient Chapter II: Halcyon Chapter III: Allure Chapter IV: Dalliance Chapter V: Atrophy

Chapter VI: Solace

The more Quinn reflected on his confrontation with Serra, the more puzzled he became. Rationality said that she was being over dramatic, and he should just let it roll off of his shoulders until she came around. More time passed, however, and as weeks turned into months with only enough words exchanged between them to barely be considered cordial, Quinn began to wonder if there really had been something he was missing.

Just as she had said she would, her posters had slowly become replaced with her own paintings, or so Meredith had told him. She had become something of a liaison between himself and Serra, relaying any new information to him. They had met in secret behind the first line of willow trees just before lights out as needed. Quinn hadn’t wanted his sister to know he had a spy watching her, and Meredith in turn didn’t want her friends to see her fraternizing with him.

“There’s a new painting.” Meredith said one night to him. “But something feels off about it.”

Quinn’s arms were crossed, his brows trenched in thought. It had seemed like there was a new painting every week as he recalled their previous conversations. A beach with purple sand and pink waves crashing upon the shore, an abstract of blues and black with a smear of brown and green striking across the center, and a large canvas colored completely in golden spirals with dark red paint dripping from the top, just to name a few. Desperation began to sink in. There had to have been some kind of connection.

��What’s different about it?”

“It looks like a field of flowers,” she said quietly, “but every time she hangs it up, she takes it down again, like she isn’t satisfied with it. I’ve never seen her do that before.”

Serra’s antics were indeed strange and Quinn racked his brain for answers, but to no avail. He tossed his head back against the thick trunk of the tree with a long, agitated groan, closing his eyes behind his glasses. It felt like the more he tried to understand her and fix what had happened, the more distant she became. After a moment of silence, Meredith cleared her throat, gaining his attention.

“Oh, right.” Quinn fished a hand into the pocket of his jeans, a twenty-dollar bill jutting out from between his fingers and held it out for her to take. She plucked it out of his grasp, clenching it in her fist before thrusting it back into the wide pocket of her oversized black hoodie.

“Always a pleasure doing business with you, Calder.”

“Yeah,” he said, “Thanks again, Meredith. Until next time.” He waited for the red-haired girl to lead before following several steps behind her and heading back inside. The information wasn’t much, but it was more than what he had been able to gather on his own, and that was still something. As he trudged up the stairs he debated following her into the room she shared with Serra just so he could see the paintings himself and maybe talk to her more than just a few passing formalities.

“You’re back.” Quinn glanced up, a smile easing its way onto his face when he saw Kyle padding softly down the stairs, barefoot and ready for bed. “How did it go?”

The look Quinn must have given him said more than he knew how to put into words then, and Kyle took his hand, walking with him back the way he had come and sitting with him on the couch in the living room. A tender hand rubbed his back as he leaned forward and cradled his head, trying to soothe away his inner turmoil. Quinn was at a loss. The feeling that he was losing his sister reminded him of how he felt when they stood side by side at their parents grave ten years ago. Empty.

“I don’t know what else I can do,” Quinn muttered pathetically. “Everything I’ve tried has been nothing short of a complete waste of time. Nothing adds up.” Kyle frowned, his hands still rubbing his back comfortingly.

“I wish I knew what to tell you, Quinn. I just know that I hate seeing you like this.” Though the words were simple, they did help, and Quinn only nodded. They sat in the darkness for a while, Kyle moving him to wrap and arm around his shoulders and kissing the top of his head.

Growing up, Quinn had pretended to understand how Serra operated. At the very least, he thought he had figured out the basics. She was sensitive, but fierce. Passion was a trait that she wasn’t lacking in, giving the things she enjoyed doing everything she had, and she loved with all of herself, not shying away from how she really felt. Someone would be lucky to have her as their wife one day.

But even knowing that much about his sister had proven now to not be enough. Something was missing in the mess of thoughts, a piece to the puzzle that had been buried underneath the rest. Closing his eyes, he wished something would give, anything, as long as it gave him the answer he was looking for.

He heard the rustle of footsteps on the stairs and his eyes opened, craning his neck around Kyle, who also rotated his head to catch a glimpse of who was sneaking out that night. The front door of Thomlin Orphanage opened just enough for a slim figure with long, curly blond hair carrying a canvas bag on her shoulder to slide through, mutedly closing it behind her.

The boys stared after her for a moment, unmoving. When Kyle finally chanced peeking at him he met determined green eyes and he smiled.

“Good luck,” he whispered as he stood and stretched his arms over his head before dropping them at his sides with a wink.

“Thanks,” Quinn replied, fixing his glasses and following her. He knew where they would go, and he knew the path better than he knew most anything else. Through the broad trunks that never seemed to age, climbing over fallen logs and avoiding the moss that always hung and weaved from the branches he trailed, taking his time to reach their destination.

Seeing the first sign of the wildflowers made him feel peaceful in spite of all that was going through his mind. Just as he had predicted, Serra was there, sitting in the middle of blue and purple cornflowers and fluffy, white dandelions. Her bag sat upright beside her and she reached in, brandishing a tube of yellow paint. Carefully, Quinn tread through the grass, not wanting to startle her.

She looked cute as she worked, pajama pants falling baggy on her petite body and a tiny blue tank top clinging to her maturing chest. The length of her hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail that fell down the curve of her back. His sister was growing up, and he hadn’t quite noticed that, always too focused on keeping her safe rather than allowing her to become her own woman.

In essence, he supposed that they needed this separation, as it had allowed her to gain a bit of independence from him. The thought made him a little sad, thinking that one day she might not need him anymore, but also happy that she would be the strong, kind woman that he could remember their mother being.

Quinn came up behind her, watching her smudge the yellow into a gray sky with a small brush and took in the rest of the painting. Although the colors were askew, he recognized the painting to be the very field they were in. The flowers were there, although they were abstract and colored in neon tones. She had also painted herself, older and wearing the same sundress she had when they first discovered the field, but she was alone.

Comprehension hit Quinn so hard that he felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. The missing piece was just that, a piece that was missing from all of her paintings. There had been no sun in her painting of the beach, no sense to the disorderly black and blues, and an endless spiral of nothing in her golden piece.

And here in her field of pigmented flowers, there was no him. He was missing from her life. She was missing him.

The world looked different to Serra because it had been tainted, torn, and distorted from the time they lost their parents. No one had wanted them, and the boy she wanted didn’t want her either. In her mind, why should he have been any exception? Quinn fell to his knees behind her and hugged her tightly. She didn’t jump, but she stilled her brush to hold his arms to her.

“I’m so sorry, Serra.” Leaving his mouth, the words felt lame, like there should have been something more for him to say, but Serra just shook her head.

“It’s alright,” she murmured softly, “I knew you would come back. You promised.”

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #chapter 6 #chapter 6: solace #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

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Wildflowers

Previously: Chapter I: Incipient Chapter II: Halcyon Chapter III: Allure Chapter IV: Dalliance

Chapter V: Atrophy

Weeks had passed since Quinn’s first kiss with Kyle and he found himself spending more and more time with him. During that time, he had learned a lot about him. He had been part of the swim team at his city’s recreation hall and specialized in the backstroke. His favorite color was purple, and he had sworn Quinn to secrecy about it, and he was knowledgeable in World History. All of these were silly details, but Quinn enjoyed knowing someone further than their name as he did with the other kids at the orphanage.

Something had irked him, however. Shortly after his encounter in the wildflowers, he noticed that Serra was around less and less. The more he thought about it, he only ever recalled seeing her in passing, and she barely spoke a word to him when he tried to grab her attention. Logically, he figured she was jealous because of the amount of time he was now spending with Kyle, and he initially had brushed it off as just that.

As more time passed, Quinn had grown more concerned. It wasn’t like Serra to avoid him, and he felt hurt that even if it were jealousy, she would feel the need to distance herself. When he had brought his worries to Kyle, the boy had said that it might have been his own fault, admitting using the excuse of getting to know her so he could talk to her brother more easily. Quinn should have been upset with him for using his sister like that. But something told him that didn’t seem like a good enough reason for her to be upset. It had to be something else.

He had tried intercepting her at lights out, but she never came to bed. When he would wait for her in the wildflowers, she never came there either. Desperate to know what was going on with his sister, he swallowed his pride and asked Vanessa and her friends. Of course, that had proved to be mostly a waste of time, but something Meredith had said stuck out to him.

“She took down all of her posters and put her throw pillows under the bed.” Hearing that, Quinn frowned and his brows furrowed, sighing. He thanked her politely and disregarded the sneers that Vanessa and Jasmine made as he turned his back, making his way hastily up the stairs to her room. Quinn had wanted to see it for himself, but only made it halfway up the stairs before a different sound caught his ears.

“Just talk to him. He’s worried about you.” He recognized the voice as Kyle’s, but he couldn’t tell whom the other person was he was talking to because they didn’t respond. Hurried footsteps followed suit and Serra nearly rammed into him as she barreled down the steps. She stopped for a second; her eyes a shade of green that Quinn was immediately certain he didn’t like on her before she shoved past him, continuing on her path without a word.

“Serra, wait!” Kyle stood at the top of the stairs, a defeated look on his handsome face. He groaned and ran his hands through his hair, leaning heavily against the wall.

“What the hell just happened?” his head shot up as Quinn questioned him.

“All I did was ask her to talk to you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have intervened.” Quinn shook his head and spun around, moving back down the stairs.

“I’ll take care of it.”

No sooner had he come up to the edge of the clearing that he was he greeted by his sister shoving him back forcefully. Quinn stumbled, but quickly gained his bearings. So, this was how it was going to be.

“What the hell is your problem, Serra?”

Serra came at him again, but this time he caught her hands, trying not to hurt her as he pinned them to her sides. He hadn’t considered it before, but puberty was definitely in effect. The twins had been the same height for a long time; there had never been a noticeable difference. Standing nearly flush with her now, he looked down at her, and her up at him with fiery, furious eyes.

“Let go of me!” she yelled, and he almost had, but fear of her running off again told him to keep her still.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on. Why did you take down all of your posters?” The question seemed silly to ask so heatedly when he thought about it, but he knew Serra, or at least he thought he did. There had to be a reason. Her face twisted in bewilderment.

“You came all the way out here to ask me that?” Quinn growled under his breath, growing aggravated.

“Just answer the question, Serra!”

“Because I’m going to replace them with paintings.”

Was that all? Her answer was so simple that it caught him off guard and she twisted out of his hold, taking several steps back, but not running away. Awash with relief, he ran his hands over his face.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

Serra flipped a curl that dangled in her face to the side, huffing.

“I saw you here with Kyle.”

So, it really had been jealousy, he thought. Anger bubbled in the pit of his stomach and he bit his tongue from spewing venomous words at her. After all he had done for her to keep her happy, why couldn’t she just let him have one thing that made him happy?

“How petty of you, little sister. I expected better.” As he turned to walk away, furious and upset, she screamed at him, stopping him dead in his tracks.

“Is that what you think? That I’m petty and jealous that you kissed him?” Quinn faced her, mouth open to retort and he stopped. Serra was in his face, seething as she shoved him again. “I don’t care that you kissed him, or that you kissed a boy at all for that matter!” His head was spinning, actually backing away from her as she kept advancing on him.

“I don’t care if you’re gay, Quinn! I care that you brought him here! You took the one thing that was ours and selfishly made it your own! Where the hell am I supposed to go now?” Her voice cracked on the last word. The poison that had been on his tongue was gone swiftly, and guilt replaced the fury that had been boiling inside him.

Quinn didn’t understand why the wildflower field had meant so much to her, when to him it was just another place in their small little part of the world, but he knew there was nothing he could say to her that would take whatever it was that Serra was feeling away from her.

When she left him at the edge of the clearing his heart sank. The last thing he had ever wanted to do was make his sister cry. Looking over the field, the sky seemed a little grayer, and the flowers weren’t as vibrant as he remembered. For the first time, he felt like he was the real idiot.

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #chapter 5 #chapter 5: atrophy #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

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Wildflowers

Previously: Chapter I: Incipient Chapter II: Halcyon Chapter III: Allure

Chapter IV: Dalliance

Since his conversation with Serra in the field that day Quinn had started noticing Kyle even more. Specifically, he noticed how he had spent much of his free time chatting with Serra. To say he was jealous wasn’t entirely true, however it wasn’t false either. He had wanted his sister to be happy, and he was glad that she was able to talk to someone else comfortably after being at the orphanage for so long. Reversely though, he had wanted that attention for himself.

Quinn found himself silently watching them over his book, which he had long forgotten about. He felt sick every time they laughed together or touched in even the slightest way, and he hated it. Irony would be so cruel to have both of them crush over the same guy, he mused to himself. Fixing his glasses, he sighed and closed the book in his lap. It was pointless to try and continue reading when his mind was elsewhere.

The next time he looked up Kyle was standing over him, his face smiling and clearly amused. Confused, Quinn looked around him for Serra. She wasn’t there anymore. He wondered for a moment where she had gone, but that was easily forgotten about when he heard the smooth laugh above him. Darting his eyes up, Kyle was still standing there, offering him a hand.

“She’ll be right back,” he said as if answering the question Quinn hadn’t spoken aloud. “You really do watch over her, huh?”

At that Quinn hadn’t been sure if he should be offended or not. Of course, he watched over her. Serra was the only family he had left, his little sister by three minutes and two seconds, something he would never let her forget. As the older brother, it was his job to protect her.

“I’m sorry. That came out wrong,” Kyle retracted his hand, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. “I mean, I think it’s awesome you care about her so much.” Quinn still said nothing, but any trace of him being offended had vanished.

“Why don’t we go somewhere private and talk for a bit? I’m sure she’ll be alright for a little while on her own, right?” True, Quinn thought, but he was still apprehensive. He and Serra came in a pair, never one without the other. It was a foreign idea to him to leave her alone. A moment of deliberation passed before Quinn finally agreed, setting his book on the small end table in the living room before standing.

There weren’t a lot of places that were private. Sure, there were only ever sixteen kids here at a time, but that didn’t include any cooks or groundskeepers that could be wandering around. The only place that had come to mind was the wildflower field, and it seemed to be the best choice at the time.

Over the years, the path to the clearing had become well trodden. Anyone who wandered far enough into the willow trees would have been able to find it. They spent most of the trip in silence, and any talking that had been exchanged had been answered in a simple yes or no fashion until they reached the edge of the field. Quinn had never been quite sure what it was about it that made him feel at ease, but he visibly relaxed as the fragrance of the Drummond Phlox filled his nose, and he lead Kyle through the clearing into the large field. He heard the sharp intake of breath beside him as the scenery came into view and he smiled a little, a small sense of pride overcoming him.

“How in the world did you find this place?” Kyle seemed awestruck, his mouth agape and eyes wide. He found himself staring at the boy’s big, enthusiastic eyes. Quickly, he mentally kicked himself for comparing them to the color of open sky and shook his head of the thought before he answered, adverting his eyes back to the expanse of green.

“I guess it’s been about five years now,” he started. “Serra ran off because she was being teased, and I followed her here. So really, she’s the one who found it. I just get to reap the benefits by knowing how to get here.” Kyle chuckled.

“It’s impressive.” He took a few steps into the field, not exactly caring where his feet landed and crushing several flowers as he made his way further in. “You don’t see places like this in the city.”

“You’re from the city?” Quinn stepped beside him, though he had taken care to avoid the flowers as he usually did.

“Yeah. My Dad was from there. After he died, Mom and I never left.” He fell quiet for a second, as if lost in a memory. “I wonder if we had moved if things would have been different.”

Quinn could relate to that. Many nights had been spent awake lost on that same train of thought. He knew Serra had done the same.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” No sooner did the words leave his mouth did he regret saying them. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Kyle stopped him.

“She overdosed.” Kyle had said the words easily, but Quinn could feel his mouth going dry. “She got mixed up with a lot of men after my dad passed away. All of them were into a lot of heavy drugs. It was rough for her, and me, too. As long as she’s happy wherever she is now, that’s all the matters to me.”

A thick silence hung in the air as they stood there. Quinn had never been great at consoling anyone that wasn’t his sister, much less carry on a deep conversation like the one they were having. He shifted, uncomfortable and awkward and sat within the flowers, looking up at the sky overhead.

“Our parents were murdered.” His voice was heavy as he spoke. “It was right after our birthdays. I was out shopping with a family friend. Serra hadn’t been able to go because she was sick. When I got home that night, someone was there, standing over them in our living room. I barely had time to get Serra up and hidden somewhere safe. We were only four.”

Quinn paused when he noticed his hands had been shaking. He stared at them, wondering why he was so open about his past with someone he hardly even knew and telling him a story that no one else had heard before.

“Did they ever find who did it?” Without looking up, Quinn balled his hands into fists.

“No.”

There was silence again, even more unbearable than it had been before. Angry tears rolled down his cheeks and his face burned a bright shade of red. He thought about running off and leaving Kyle there, but what would that have accomplished? The air shifted between them and he felt Kyle sit beside him.

Suddenly there was a hand on his cheek and Quinn would have sworn he felt his heart slam against his ribcage before it stopped beating completely. The pad of a soft thumb wiped away all of the pent-up rage and anger he had been feeling. Kyle’s hand was cool in comparison to how hot he felt, almost a relief.

Then it happened before he could protest, even if he had wanted to. Pliable lips covered his own in a chaste kiss, leaving him wide-eyed in shock. His first instinct had been to shove Kyle away, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay, that the kiss was something he needed. Slowly, he moved his lips to fit with the other boy’s, returning the kiss with a little more certainty. Time seemed to stop, and his problems felt further away than they had been only moments ago.

When the kiss broke Quinn found that his breath started to come back steadily, which was a shock to him because he should have been jumpy, or embarrassed, anything but calm. Fleetingly, he thought of Serra, and a darker part of him was giddy that he had been the one to kiss Kyle instead of her. The boy gave him a small smile, his hand still on his face and gently brushed away the hair from his eyes. For just that moment, Quinn didn’t think about the past, or making Serra happy, and it felt good.

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #chapter 4 #chapter 4: dalliance #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

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Wildflowers

Previously: Chapter I: Incipient Chapter II: Halcyon

Chapter III: Allure

Four years had passed since the first time Quinn and Serra stumbled upon the field of wildflowers and had returned to their secret spot frequently. They often went there as a means to seek refuge from the other kids, finding the scenery to be serene and a balm to their nerves. In a way, the wildflower field had become a place of their own.

On most days spent in the field, Serra would bring her sketchbook and pencils and sit for hours in the warm breeze during the spring and her brother would lay in silence, eyes closed and enjoying the simplicity of just being free from his thoughts. Every so often he would peek at her work and laugh to himself at how focused she was. Her black-rimmed glasses would be sliding down her nose and her lips would be parted slightly in concentration. He sometimes teased her about catching flies with her jaw hanging open like that, which earned him a sharp look and a hard poke with the eraser end of the pencil to his stomach, but she always smiled.

This day, however, was different. Instead of her regular sketchbook, Serra had only brought a single paperback book along, something she had picked up the other day while they had all been out shopping. Quinn squinted to read the cover, the glare hitting his glasses and making it difficult to see the print.

“Interior design?” he asked and blew the seeds off a dandelion he had been inspecting. When he only got a quiet hum in response, he continued, “It suits you.”

“Is that a compliment or a general statement?” She hadn’t looked up, but he could tell he had her attention because her eyes had stopped in one spot. Chuckling softly, he sat up, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them.

“Both, I guess.” He peered over her shoulder, trying to understand the meaning behind the concept of ‘feng shui’ that was charted on the page, but to no avail. With a shrug, he flopped back into the grass and tugged on the hem of her shirt. Serra yelped as she fell onto her back beside him, her book tumbling from her hands and she glared at him.

“You’re a pain,” she accused, but made no motion to sit upright again. Quinn’s only reply was a cheeky grin and Serra rolled her eyes before closing them, deciding to take a break from her reading. They had lain soundless for a while, save for the soft rise and fall of their chests and listened to the wind sing as it danced through the grass. Before long their fingers had found their way around each other and they entwined. Like always, Quinn squeezed her hand, subtly reminding her that he would always be there for her.

“Let’s build a house here.” Serra’s voice had been so soft that he hadn’t been sure he had heard it at all until he tilted his head to face her, meeting her eyes. For a moment he gauged her expression, unsure of where she was going or what she was thinking, but she was serious.

“I’ll tell you what,” he started slowly, his prepubescent voice cracking, “If we aren’t married to someone by the time we’re in our thirties, we can come back here, build a house, and live here together.” He smiled. “Deal?”

“Alright, it’s a deal,” she laughed, “But you’re assuming that I will like someone enough to ever get married.”

He questioned, “What? Don’t you like anyone?” A pause hung in the air before she answered.

“Maybe.”

Immediately, Quinn was curious, and a little shocked. He supposed he really shouldn’t have been. They were getting older, and their bodies were changing. Without their parents to really explain what was happening to them and what to expect, they only really had what they had read in books and heard in school to rely on. Sure, there had always been the presence of Mister Roman, who visited them frequently, but neither of them felt all that comfortable asking those kinds of questions.

“Who? Tell me,” he chided.

“Well,” she said at length, “The new boy is kind of cute.”

Quinn knew whom she had meant. Kids came and went often in the orphanage. Only a few of them had remained for as long as they had. To his dismay, and probably hers too, Vanessa Spencer and her lackeys had been amongst them.

Kyle Duncan had arrived only a few days ago. From his looks, Quinn could gather he was around their age, maybe only a year older. He had light brown hair that was usually spiked up with gel, and blue eyes that held an abundance of charm and charisma.

Yes, Quinn had definitely noticed him. It had been difficult not to, especially because he had been assigned to the same room in the bed adjacent to his. More than once he had caught himself letting his eyes linger on his bare chest for a split second too long. It wasn’t normal, he thought, to stare at another boy the way he did at Kyle.

“What about you?” Quinn hadn’t realized he had spaced out until Serra spoke. Now back to reality, he swallowed thickly. “Do you like someone?”

“…No,” he lied, “There’s no one.”

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #chapter 3 #chapter 3: allure #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

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Wildflowers

Previously: Chapter I: Incipient

Chapter II: Halcyon

Tucked away in a small suburb of a city somewhere in New Jersey sat the Thomlin Orphanage. Tall willow trees surrounded the large two-story home and beige chips of paint hung from siding. The first floor was where the children would eat and spend their day playing games. Video games and television shows would always fill the large common room with some kind of noise. Serra had spent large portions of her days coloring in one of her many books there.

The second floor held the children’s bedrooms. Each room was home to four twin sized beds, four little nightstands, two tall dressers, and a small closet they were expected to share. Bed sheets were washed on the weekends and hung out on the line to dry, a simple but appreciated detail that the twins were grateful for. The walls were a crisp white to match, but each child had been allowed to decorate their own space however they wanted. Quinn could have cared less, choosing to keep the majority of his belongings crammed in his nightstand instead of sharing the larger dresser. Serra often complained that the dark wood furniture made the room look smaller than it actually was, but no one paid her any mind except her brother. It wasn’t perfect, but the twins had called it home for five years now.

Her décor was cute, Quinn admitted. Any chance they had to spend money on a shopping trip she came back with something new to make her little section of the room pop with color. She would buy posters of kittens and unicorns and tack them up around her bed with sticky yellow putty, and throw pillows in pinks and oranges.

“They are warm colors, so even if it is raining they’ll still be bright,” she told him one day. Quinn couldn’t argue with her logic.

On today’s shopping trip she had bought a picture frame covered in sand colored seashells. Initially, Quinn had assumed she would put a picture of their parents inside. Instead she held up a picture she had finished in her coloring book earlier that morning of a dark brown puppy playing in light blue grass against a pink sky. A wide smile spread on her young face and Quinn couldn’t help but return the gesture. The way Serra saw the world was unique, and he oftentimes wished he was as free spirited as she was.

“It’s pretty,” he complimented. “Where will you put it?” Serra pulled the frame back against her little body, hugging it close.

“On my nightstand, by the window. The light from the sun will bring out the colors,” she explained. Quinn nodded, still smiling at her. He had learned early on that it was better not to question his sister mostly because they usually started arguing and she would cry. It made things easier to humor her oddities instead of trying to make sense of them, but not everyone saw it that way.

An eruption of giggles from the dining room table caught their ears and they both turned, simultaneously giving a group of girls on the other side of the table a puzzled look. Vanessa Spencer was the leader of the trio in question. Long, dark brown hair laid pin straight down her back with confident hazel eyes peering out from her messy bangs. Serra had been thankful that she didn’t have to share a room with her.

The girl to her right was heavier with naturally tan skin and black, curly hair. Jasmine Sappho was the very definition of a follower. Everything Vanessa did she did too, and everything she said was praised as though she worshiped the very ground Vanessa walked on. Luckily, Serra didn’t have to share the room with her, either.

Lastly was Meredith Castellani, the strong, silent type. Her shoulder length red hair clashed with her caramel colored skin, but went nicely with her light brown eyes, Serra had thought. Unlike Vanessa and Jasmine, however, she did have to share a room with Meredith, though Serra had figured it was definitely the lesser of evils. She was quiet, always speaking in hushed tones. Both Serra and Quinn felt that she was out of place amongst her obnoxious friends. Quinn spoke up finally, his eyes narrowed behind his new glasses.

“What’s so funny?” The girls only giggled louder and Vanessa stood from her seat, walking over to where they sat and stood over him.

“Your sister is stupid,” her voice was sharp to Serra’s ears and she shrunk back. Quinn stood his ground, standing from his own seat to match her height. “Smart people know the sky is blue and grass is green. She’s an idiot,” Vanessa continued.

“Yeah! An idiot!” Jasmine repeated from the table through her fits of laughter. “And Meredith said she still cries for her mommy at night!”

Serra’s face turned red in embarrassment and she hid behind her seashell frame, clutching it tightly in her small hands as she slid from her seat. Her voice hiccupped as she muttered something under her breath, the words not quite reaching the other girl. Pushing passed her she ignored the amused chides as she threw open the front door and ran.

“What was that, Stupid? Did you say something?” Vanessa yelled after her, a proud smirk on her face and she turned, strutting back to her chair at the table.

“Idiot.” Vanessa stopped, looking over her shoulder to see Quinn standing only an inch behind her, his face knotted in anger.

“She called you a ‘rat-faced snob’,” he spat before following after his sister, slamming the door behind him. In hindsight, he would have loved to see that dumb look on her face before he left to seek out Serra.

As he raced down the concrete steps he spotted her picture frame along the edge of the willow trees, but Serra was nowhere in sight. He halted for a moment to pick it up and sighed in relief after he looked it over. No damage had come to the frame or the colored page within. Quinn tucked it under his arm, running through the trees and searching for any other clues as to where she might have run off.

Although they had been here for five years, Quinn couldn’t recall ever coming this far into trees. Normally they were scolded for going further than the edge of the forest, but no amount of reprimand could have stopped him from chasing after his sister. Finding her was his priority.

Weaving in and out of the bark towers he began to notice less and less sunlight. Had he been running after her for that long? That didn’t seem right, he thought. Pressing on, it wasn’t until he looked up that he realized all that he could see above him were green leaves of the trees surrounding him, adorned with greyish moss hanging from the branches. Panic began to settle in his stomach, turning frantically to find a way out of the wooden labyrinth.

It was then that something caught the corner of his gaze. A splash of red amidst the earthy tones stood out, and in a flash, it was gone. Quinn gave chase quickly, dead leaves crunching under his black sneakers as he ran faster, willing himself to keep going. His chest heaved and his glasses kept slipping down his nose, making it difficult to watch where he was going.

Rounding what had to be the largest tree trunk he had ever seen he came to a standstill. He could barely believe what had lay before him in the middle of the dark woods, but there is had been. A wide-open clearing with a sky bluer than he could have imagined in his dreams, and a large expanse of emerald green grass was littered with wildflowers of all sorts of vibrant colors that took his breath away. The wind was gentle, just enough to skew his vision as blond hair wisped across his glasses. More amazing still was the little girl with long blond curls and wet eyes that stood in the middle of the clearing, her red sundress blowing softly.

“Serra.”

At the sound of her name she faced him, her hands behind her back and cheeks red from crying. Quinn smiled though, thinking to himself that she looked like part of a painting standing there with the flowers and cloudless sky as a backdrop. After a long moment, he found the courage to step to her, carefully avoiding the patches of reds, purples, and yellows.

“You dropped something,” he said, giving her back the picture frame with both hands. “Don’t let what they said get to you. They’re just jealous that they can’t see things the way you do.” Quinn hadn’t been sure if he was referring more to himself then or not. Regardless, it made his sister smile, and she took the frame from him, holding it close to her chest.

“Thank you.” Serra wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and took his hand. “Quinn?” she asked, her tone light.

“Yeah?” he responded, squeezing her hand lightly, a relieved smile tugging the corners of his mouth.

“Can we come back here?” Serra’s voice was filled with awe, her eyes shining with something that he couldn’t quite place, but it made him happy to know that it was there. Who was he to deny her of that sparkle that made her uniquely Serra Calder? He nodded.

“We can come here whenever you want.”

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #chapter 2 #chapter 2: halcyon #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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wildflowers-novella · 7 years

Text

Wildflowers

Chapter I: Incipient

On the day of Sam and Denise Calder’s funeral their children had stood at their grave, watching wordlessly through wet eyes while several men in black suits bore shovels. They packed the dirt tightly and sealed the coffins beneath, mud that had formed from the light rainfall splattered on their formal attire. However, the children made no faces in disgust. They had barely so much as blinked. Identical green eyes stared in silence; small fingers clasped around the others hand.

They heard the hushed murmurs around them. Comments like, “Those poor children,” and “What a tragedy,” floated through their little ears, and although they had heard them perfectly well, neither of them had quite understood what they meant. There had been a lot to process in only a few days and only so much a pair of four-year-olds could mentally process.

As the priest led the attendees in prayer, Quinn and Serra Calder had only begun to comprehend that their mother and father were dead. The concept hadn’t been too complicated, Quinn had thought. His mother and father had lived as long as they were supposed to, and now they were angels. What had been strange to him though was that if they had become winged creatures that could fly, why did they have to bury the bodies under the earth?

Serra wasn’t as logical. Although it had been explained to her numerous times, she simply didn’t understand why her parents had to leave. Only five nights ago her parents had tucked her into bed for the night and read to her and her brother. They had been smiling, and laughed when Quinn demanded to know how Rapunzel’s hair had grown so long. Why were they gone now? Were they angry with them? Didn’t they love them anymore?

Thunder cracked loudly in the overcast sky and Serra jumped, a quiet whimper vibrating in her chest, her eyes growing wider, but still unmoving from the upturned soil. Only when Quinn squeezed her hand did she find that she was able to turn her head away. His eyes were sad when they met hers, but there was something also reassuring in his gaze, an unspoken promise that he was going to take care of her. For the time, that was enough to settle her trembling little frame.

As people paid their final respects and set flowers along the grave they stopped to console the twins, offering kind statements such as “Your parents loved you both,” and “It’s going to be alright.” They felt empty, just like every word since their parents’ departure. The children still muttered their thanks just as they had been taught to, but nothing more. After the last of the guests had left Serra knelt beside the flowers and set a single white lily beside the rest of the floral bouquets. She wondered briefly if her mother liked lilies, and pouted when she realized she would never get to ask her.

Quinn stood beside her, leaning down to place his lily beside his sister’s before standing upright again. He tipped his head back to look up at the gray sky. “Were there really such things as angels?” he thought to himself. For a moment, he wondered if it was another fabricated story, just like Rapunzel, something made up to ease a child’s mind before they slept. It wasn’t long after his thoughts had been lost in the clouds that a black clad object came into his view. He blinked as his eyes then landed on the face of a kind, older man dressed in a neatly pressed suit with a black tie that hung from his thick neck. The large nose on his wrinkled face was just slightly off center.

Quinn and Serra knew him as Arthur Roman, a close friend and colleague of their parents. His fedora slid as he leaned over them, shielding them from the rain, barely catching it before placing it back atop his greying brown hair.

“The car is waiting. Are you ready?”

Arthur’s voice was deep and naturally powerful. Again, Serra had jumped, but Quinn had not been sure if it had been from the storm this time. He tugged on her hand, silently telling her to come along. Nodding her head, she stood, walking beside Quinn and Mr. Roman in silence and turning to glance over her shoulder after every few steps.

#wildflowers #wildflowers novella #chapter 1 #Ch 1: Incipient #indie author #new author #novella #free novella #kt convey

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