Chapter List

Wolf’s Music Store was nearly as familiar to Jessica as her own front yard. She spent many a day haunting Mr. Wolf’s collection of manuscripts, dusty old music theory books from centuries ago, and of course the amazing collection of instruments he had accumulated from some 50 years as proprietor of the town’s only music shop.

He had managed to keep the family business going even after the passing of his beloved wife nearly ten years ago, but every summer there were rumors of him closing the music store and retiring. The many band members could have gone elsewhere for their supplies and repairs, but institutions like Wolf’s Music are not easily given up, especially when two of the regional powerhouses of musical performance dwelt nearby: the Tree Shores and Rockfield marching bands, specifically.

When the first rumors of Wolf’s closing began to circulate, a mighty wave of charity took hold of the students of both music programs and long-standing rivalries gave way to one of the most tremendous outpourings of good will in the town’s memory. Hundreds upon hundreds of students from both schools descended on the small shop and went to work. Walls were painted. The floor was replaced. New racks and display cases were installed, and the other Fairweather businesses all chipped in and commissioned the construction of a magnificent floor to ceiling bookcase at the far end of the store’s gallery for Mr. Wolf’s piano rolls, manuscripts and books.

In the interval of scarcely a month, an old man’s shop became the showpiece of the entire street, and with nearly a thousand student musicians between the two fine arts programs, including symphonic bands, orchestra and marching bands, there was no shortage of business. Some of the students who graduated stayed on as assistant managers and employees of the shop, since Mr. Wolf wasn’t able to do as much of the lifting and climbing as he used to.

Jessica ran first to the parlor door, but several music stands were blocking the door, so she ran to the front door, but the blind was pulled and the ‘CLOSED’ sign was up.

“Workshop!” Jessica exclaimed as she dashed around to the side alleyway. She heard the familiar sound of a metal hammer and saw the workshop door was open. She ran up and landed in the doorway on both feet at the same time.

“Hi, Mr. Wolf!”

The man looked up and over his half-framed glasses. He was holding a french horn bell in one hand and a small rounded hammer in the other. Wisps of gray hair surrounded his bald head, and his round face was that of a pleasant sage whose eyes still held the glimmer of wonder.

“Aha!” Mr. Wolf said. “Wait now, let me see. . .” He carefully put the bell and hammer down on the soft felt pad on his workbench and took off his glasses.

“Jackie. No, Jessie!” He let his fist fall into his open hand as Jessica beamed. “Now what did I do with that horn?” He slowly walked over to the wooden shelves next to the workbench and examined them. “Alto saxophone…” Of course, Jessica had spotted her case the moment she got to the doorway, but she would never rush Mr. Wolf. He was half the reason any of the kids instruments functioned at all on any given day. ‘Reverence’ would have only begun to describe how the band members felt about Mr. Wolf and his shop.

“Here we go,” he said, pulling the rounded black case down from the third shelf. “All set. Rebalanced the high ‘D,’ low ‘B’ and ‘B-flat’ keys, repadded and installed new springs and recorked the neck.”

“Ooh, goody,” Jessica said, placing the case on the bench and opening it. She expertly extracted the saxophone from the case, pulled the keyguard and installed the neck. She stood it upright and placed her fingers on the keys, looking around the side of the instrument as she worked all of them to test the action.

“The high ‘D’ is much better. It’s not clicking now, and it’s more even, huh?”

“Well, let’s see here…” Mr. Wolf pointed at the parts of the saxophone as he spoke. “Half of the cork on the rocker base was missing, and the other half had water damage,” Mr. Wolf said, putting his glasses back on and peering at the high-voice side keys. “Glued a new cork on it and tightened up the frame. Better than new.”

“It’s super neat!” Jessica listened to the “thup-thup-thup-thup-thup” sound of the keys closing as she closed them in cascades, then let them open over and over again. The sound was much crisper than before. “I love it when I get to overhaul my horn. It always sounds better then. Thanks Mr. Wolf! You’re the best!” Jessica took the saxophone apart and replaced the keyguard, then gently set it back in its case.

“Those pads might be a little leaky for a week or so, but they’ll break themselves in.” Mr. Wolf said, sitting down on the stool and picking up his french horn project again.

“It’s our first day! Gotta go to band practice! Bye Mr. Wolf! See you soon!” Jessica said as she hurried back up the alley, saxophone in tow. Mr. Wolf waved and adjusted his glasses as he turned his attention back to his work. Jessica heard the metal tapping again as she turned the corner back on to Fairweather Street.

Chapter List

eina placed the shining gold lantern upright next to Shadebane. The light from the Lantern illuminated the side of the gully nicely. By now Cici was sitting up and rubbing her face with her hand, only succeeding in adding another layer of dirt.

“I am called Reina. What is your name?”

“I’m Cici. How come you wear so many rings?” Cici asked quietly, pointing at Reina’s hand while still rubbing her nose. Then she sniffled again.

“Because I like to collect beautiful things,” Reina replied, impressed by Cici’s inquisitiveness. “Do you like this ring, Cecilia?” she asked. Cici nodded, eyes wide. Reina indicated a heavy gold ring on her right hand set with a nearly transparent delicately faceted blue stone and decorated with a dozen smaller white gems.

“This ring is called the Soaring Chime. It was given to me long ago by a Scribe named Giho skilled in the arts of gemcutting. He lives on an island in a place called the Princesses Crowns far away in the Eastern Sea. There are men there who dig deep into the mountains to find raw stones such as this one. Giho spends years cutting and shaping them into Chimes. Chime stones can make sounds with magical properties.”

“What’s magical properties?” Cici asked, enthralled.

“It means this stone can ring, and the sound from it can heal your injury,” Reina replied. “Will you help me make the Soaring Chime ring?”

“Can I?” Cici asked.

“Look carefully at the stone,” Reina said, offering her hand so Cici could see. “Do you see the upper edge? Where the tiny symbol is carved into the gold?”

Cici looked carefully and saw that the edge of the setting just above the oval-shaped sky-blue stone had a tiny symbol carved into the polished gold. If Reina hadn’t mentioned it, Cici would never have noticed.

“All you must do is tap that symbol with your finger as if you are trying to make a bell ring,” Reina said. “Then, listen for the sound.”

Cici peered at the stone and the tiny symbol, then reached up with her hand and held her finger over the ring for a moment. Then she flicked her hand, tapping the edge of the ring with her finger as if testing something she had been told was very hot.

A soft and faint glow appeared in the center of the stone and Cici began to hear the sounds of chimes and bells all around her. First one, then a second. They began to play cascades of three tones, then five. Then ten. It sounded like someone drawing a stick along a series of bells, each one larger than the one before it, making a luxurious sound like the playing of all the strings of a harp from smallest to largest.

Cici looked at her foot and was startled by the greenish swirl of energy around her ankle. She saw a pale blue glow along the outer edge of her hand where she had been cut, and a silver shower of sparkling energy around the bruise on her knee. Her ankle felt much better. The music was so beautiful that Cici didn’t want it to end. All of her wounds and bruises were healed, and the music faded peacefully along with the glow of the ring’s power.

“It’s magic just like my Lantern! Are you a magician?” Cici asked.

Reina looked away. The sudden movement frightened Cici, who looked apprehensively into the darkness of the damp forest and saw nothing. Just as suddenly, Reina turned back and spoke in an urgent, whispery tone.

“When I have gone, you and your sisters will have these treasures to protect you. The Amethyst Lens of Time will release the others. Speak the phrase ‘Spectrum Deflect’ to call upon the power of the Chronicler’s Lantern in times of danger.”

Cici’s heart pounded.

“This is a map to the Lockvern. You will find an iron gate in a deserted vale along the road south. The key to the gate is inside. In the Lockvern, you will be tested. Examine all things. Do not be foolishly brave. Trust your knowledge. When you gather again, you will know what you must to defeat evil.”

Reina desperately pulled at her staff, shaking as she attempted to stand. She whimpered as she reacted to what must have been a wracking spasm of pain as she placed one foot flat underneath her. She exhausted herself rising to a point where she could shakily stand on both feet. Cici watched her with a concerned expression.

Her eyes looked so strong. What’s the matter with her?

“Excellency!” a voice called. “Excellency!”

Reina did not look. Cici stood. A moment later a young man appeared at the top edge of the gully carrying his own lantern.

“Do not follow, Enken!” Reina shouted. “Ride for Branven and wait for word!”

“But Vicereine– I..”

“Do as I say!”

The sharpness and authority in Reina’s voice made both Enken and Cici jump in shock. The Vicereine turned away from them both. Her robes billowed as a cool breeze drifted past, carrying tiny ice crystals. Cici shivered. Reina pushed a rolled piece of leathery fine parchment backwards into Cici’s hand as if trying to hide it. It was bound with a gleaming silver circular band emblazoned with the symbol of a fanged skull.

“I suppose you have a melancholy anecdote for us?” Reina asked, appearing to speak into the darkness to no one.

“A caterpillar was crawling through a wood, entertaining thoughts of becoming a butterfly, until a spider blocked her way.” The low velvety sound of a man’s voice floated from the darkness as he stepped out of the shadows.

Cici froze, looking out from behind Reina’s robes. The rattling and galloping sounds of a speeding horse-drawn carriage clattered through the darkness above.

The LadyStar Webnovels Update every Wednesday and Saturday

Chapter List

eina very slowly picked her way down the gentle slope of the gully step by step. She was rewarded with stabbing pain in her knees and hip as she placed each footstep. Her arms trembled as she jabbed the ground with her staff. Without the extra support, her path would have been impossible.

The leaves, twigs and small stones made a relatively rugged and unpredictable surface. Reina’s feet slipped on almost every step, and her legs trembled each time she managed to avoid losing her balance. Her breath came in short gasps. The gloom of the Mudwood forest made her task far more difficult, but she could not risk attracting any unfortunate wildlife with a bright light.

Finally she stopped near where Cici had fallen and very slowly began to crouch down. Using her staff for support, she allowed her hands to slide down the smooth twisted wood bit by bit. She winced and groaned in pain several times before coming to rest on her knees. The Vicereine sat hunched over for a moment as if exhausted, clutching her staff to the side of her head and trying to catch her breath. Her cowl hung down, covering her face. So far, Reina knew she had only succeeded in stranding herself at the bottom of the gully. Ascent would be impossible, even with Cici’s help, and none of Reina’s alternate forms could carry the weight of another human being.

Cici tried again to stop crying, but her ankle was very swollen by now, and her shoe was beginning to hurt her foot.

After a few moments, Reina finally placed the staff flat on the ground next to her. Cici felt a hand under her own and turned her head. She gasped as she saw a grayish slender hand with jewel-encrusted rings on all four fingers reach down and take her by the wrist. Cici sniffled and looked up. The woman seemed to be busy concentrating on something.

“Do not pull against the tree trunk.” Reina said.

Cici sniffled again. She didn’t know what to think. She was sure the robed woman was really mean, but now she sounded different. Reina looked at Cici’s dirt-streaked and astonished face. The woman’s gold-colored eyes and pleasant expression made Cici feel better, even though her skin was a strange grayish color. Maybe she wasn’t an old witch like Cici had feared. She looked like she wasn’t much older than Alanna!

“I am not your enemy,” Reina said. “Sit up.”

Cici realized she wasn’t really stuck. She was just snagged on the tree and had been pulling in the wrong direction. She stopped and gradually crawled sideways far enough that she could push herself up. The moment she tried to move her foot, however, a stab of pain rushed through her ankle. Cici yelped and pulled her foot up to her hands and immediately started crying again.

“Will you help me cast a healing spell?” Reina asked. Cici looked down through the blur of tears at her right foot. Her ankle was swollen and the skin around it was darker. She sniffled and looked up at Reina, then nodded.

“Sit up slowly this time,” Reina said. “Place your foot flat against the Earth. Gently.” Cici gingerly pushed herself up with one hand as Reina reached over and retrieved the Chronicler’s Lantern lying sideways on the ground.

The LadyStar Webnovels Update every Wednesday and Saturday

Chapter List

ecilia Daichi had no idea where she was going or why. All she knew was that her friends were in trouble, and she didn’t know how to help them or even if she could help them. She ran and ran into the Gacenar night, her arms wrapped around her Lantern, passing through a sprawling stand of thin trees and scattered brush seemingly extending for miles in every direction. It was a crisp and chilly night, and Cici knew she couldn’t run for long.

She slowed down as she looked back several times to be sure nobody was chasing her. Then she began to walk. The glow of the Chronicler’s Lantern provided plenty of light and the sounds of katydids and crickets surrounded her. Overhead, the stars looked like fine grains of glowing sand scattered across still water. The moon had not yet risen, yet it was bright enough that the light of the Lantern was almost unnecessary.

“We have much to discuss,” a woman’s voice said. Cici froze. Standing there in the forest in front of Cici was the same robed woman from the dock. Cici was frightened, but tried her best to be brave.

“I know how to make lightning and you can’t hurt me!” Cici shouted. “I… I can make fire appear and stuff too!”

“What a worthy opponent,” Reina said.

“You better not follow me!” Cici said as she darted off in another direction. She ran and ran, hoping the robed woman would not be able to keep up. Her breathing was frantic and she was afraid she was being chased. She looked back as she ran further into the dark forest.

She did not see the gully.

Reina walked as quickly as she was able, using her staff to mark her steps. It was a painful affair, but she couldn’t take on other forms to perform this task. She was following a trail through the forest that only she could see. To the Vicereine, the astral echo of the Lantern looked like a long ghostly scarf floating in the air and winding through the trees. As she reached the spot where the trail seemed to disappear into the ground, she could hear the sound of Cici crying.

Cici lay face down in the damp leafy dirt. Her left shoulder was wedged under a fallen tree trunk, and her Lantern had landed out of her reach further up the steep side of the shallow muddy valley. Her ankle was already swelling. Cici was trying to stop crying, but every time she moved, her ankle hurt her more. She was stuck and afraid.

Reina stood at the edge of the gully and contemplated the torturous descent. Halfway down, a large fallen tree was supported on one side by the bank of the gully and on the other side by a tangle of other trees that had apparently been crushed by the first one. Unfortunately it would provide her no support in climbing down the grade.

The Chronicler’s Lantern lay on its side near Cici’s beret. It’s light reached far enough so Cici’s head and one arm could be seen. Reina concluded she had fallen down the side of the gully and slid under the tree. She could tell Cici was injured, but was too far away to see how serious it was.

Lacking time, the Vicereine of Kulnas made the decision to attempt a rescue on her own, something she was sure her Chamberlain and at least two dozen Kulnas nobles would have dispatched an armed company of infantry to prevent. Even navigating a few wooden steps was extraordinarily dangerous for Reina, as she did not have the strength or the reflexes to recover from even a slight loss of balance. If she slipped, the resulting injuries could be very serious.

Continue to Chapter Fourteen

Chapter List

hen why not kill me, Excellency?” Noret sneered.

“I’m not impressed by vulgar offers of blood money, Noret. For all their pretended subterfuge, the Topaz Sparrow is about as subtle as a cavalry charge, and I’ve seen finer gemwork left behind by drunken card players on the wharf,” Reina took hold of her staff with her other hand and leaned confidently. “I have no trouble whatsoever finding people so desperate to be found.”

“If everything is so easy for you, Excellency, why wait so long for your vengeance?” Noret spat.

The cowled woman did not respond.

“The truth you find so hard to face is that you need me,” Noret said haughtily. Then he directed his words at Cici again. “The choice remains, orphan. Relinquish the Lantern and your friends live.”

Cici looked back and forth between Reina and Noret, unsure who to trust.

“Have you had that scar long?” Reina asked. Cici noticed one of the spectacularly expensive-looking rings on Reina’s right hand suddenly darken to a pitch black color. Instinctively, Noret moved his hand towards his left side.

“It’s been healed since I was but a lad.” As he spoke the last word, he sucked in a sharp breath and clutched his side. He stumbled forward and the club slipped from his grasp.

“How very fortunate,” Reina said sarcastically as the ring’s silvery color returned.

Noret dropped to his knees, eyes wide, clutching his side with whitened fingers.

“She’s a sorceress!” Clenick shouted.

“By all that lives!” Phileo wailed. “Flee for your lives!”

The other men dropped everything and scattered. The fat man crashed through a small pile of supplies and fell before scrambling to his feet and chugging his way down an alley between two warehouses. An act of heroic stumbling luck narrowly prevented Clenick from pitching off the dock into the water. He disappeared into the mist.

Reina ignored them. She patiently watched as Noret gasped for air, then planted her staff next to his shoulder and reached down slowly. She gathered the collar of his greasy shirt in her slender gray-skinned hand and slowly lifted him up. As she pulled his weight up to her eye level he sucked in one more breath. He held his eyes closed for a moment, then blinked through the beads of sweat. He tried to focus as Reina’s face leaned within inches of his own.

“It’s a pity to see such healthy vermin sicken,” Reina hissed through clenched teeth, then yanked his collar, pulling him closer. The bird opened its beak with a challenging frown as the interloper’s nose infringed on its space.

Noret became dizzy and closed his eyes to avoid the nauseating illusion of the ship’s ropes slowly circling the dock. He tried to focus on the golden irises of the Vicereine’s eyes, but the burning sensation around the fresh open wound in his side was becoming unbearable. Reina’s voice made Noret shiver.

“You must be the last human survivor of Rotensha Nox.”

“Nobody survived that battle!” Noret cried, then he winced and groaned again at a fresh wave of agony.

Reina paused for a moment, then dropped him in a heap on the dock. As he gasped for breath she turned away.

“I have sought the destinies of a thousand crowns and where does it lead me?” Reina asked rhetorically. “To a liar washed up like so much pirated cloth on a Gacenar dock. I suppose you mean to sweep into the bazaar like some drunken fop and trade your ransom for trinkets and beads?”

“I was tricked!” the man snapped. Then he sucked in a sharp breath and leaned back, clutching his side and grimacing. “My reward was nothing but poisoned land. I would have done anything to escape.”

Reina’s shoulders trembled with a barely suppressed rage.

“Escape if that is your wish,” she sighed finally. “Take whatever you believe is yours and flee. Flee to the Rift. Flee to the Shales. Flee to the swamps and dig yourself a sanctuary in the bog. Perhaps you are clever enough to mislead a Legion Cryptic for a time.”

Noret’s face paled as Reina turned.

“But none of your craven schemes will save you on the day I discover you have twice betrayed me.” The blank shadow of her cowl absorbed the gaze of Noret’s horrified face as she loomed over him and spoke with a cold and deliberate hostility.

“There are fates in Aventar worse than death.”

The Vicereine’s words cut through Noret’s heart like needles of ice. He felt as if his feet were ten times their normal weight but somehow he managed to crawl out from under Reina’s accusing gaze and scramble towards the night. Moments later, the last sounds of his escape faded into the gloom.

It was then Reina noticed that Cici had fled with the Chronicler’s Lantern.

Continue to Chapter Thirteen

Chapter List

essica Hoshi was just about to disembark from the ship when she saw them. Three men emerged from the fog. She shrank back, looking from side to side for her friends. Alanna and Shannon watched the men approaching. Cici looked around for the other girls, still holding the Lantern.

The men wore rather unfriendly expressions. Alanna was relieved to notice they seemed unarmed, at least for the moment. Cici noticed her Lantern was now cycling between a purplish glow and its normal color.

They reached the edge of the dock. One of the men was short and heavy. The other two were taller and thinner.

Alanna tried to put on a serious expression, even though she was so nervous she could scarcely breathe. She clutched the jewelry box with both hands, trying to think of a way to hide it.

One of the men muttered something under his breath and produced a small dull black stone. All of the girls backed up a few steps and Cici pushed her way to the front. At the age of nine, Cici’s bravery was much surer than her words, so she just frowned at them.

The lenses of her Lantern were no longer cycling colors. Now they were all glowing a deep purple color.

Another man emerged from the fog. He looked considerably more confident than the first three. He carried a heavy club in one hand.

“Noret!” Clenick exclaimed.

“We’ll take possession of the Chronicler’s Lantern now,” Noret said with a crooked grin.

“Jessie…” Cici started. Nobody answered. Cici looked around quickly and noticed Jessica and all of the other girls had vanished!

“If I were you, I’d concern myself with survival over what scraps you might pilfer from a band of runaways.” It was a woman’s voice, and the shocked, surprised look on one of the men’s faces gave Cici a chill. He looked positively terrified.

“Impossible,” Noret whispered.

“Patience is my most formidable weapon, betrayer.” The woman began to advance very slowly towards the men, picking each few steps by planting the end of her ancient-looking staff on the dock. The black bird on her shoulder glared with dark eyes at Noret. “And what I pursue, I catch.”

“Who is this… this vagabond?” the fat man gestured towards the robed woman with an incredulous expression.

“Gentlemen, may I present her Excellency, the Vicereine of Kulnas,” Noret made a rude sweep of his hand that exacerbated the sarcastic tone of his voice. Reina simply stood and waited, not reacting at all to Noret’s disrespectful address.

“You can’t harm me, Excellency.” Noret said. “There are certain people who would be most displeased if I am deprived of what is mine.”

“Save your boasts. I’ve had plenty of time to prepare for your return, and if you’re referring to your mysterious ‘contact’ in Escator, you’ll be interested to know the Topaz Sparrow has a price on your head. In fact, they offered to double it if I saw to the matter personally.”

The other men glanced at each other with increasingly nervous expressions.

Continue to Chapter Twelve

Chapter List

Marigold Lane was always beautifully decorated this time of year, and Jessica loved every second of it. The annual Flower Festival was the major event of late summer, and the people on the west shore of the lake were fortunate because they were so close to the exhibits in Collins Park.

Fairweather Street connected Marigold Lane, the plaza and the fountain at the center of the park, and it was home to the festival parade and most of the businesses on West Shore. Every few feet starting at the art gallery on the corner and all the way around the plaza walk and down Fairweather Street to the park, white wooden arches stood over the street decorated with roses, lilies, orchids, ivy, wildflowers, daisies and sunflowers. In the morning sunlight, they looked just as beautiful to Jessica as the day they were put up. Especially the sunflowers because they were her favorite.

Even though she was in a hurry, Jessica couldn’t help lingering under the leafy flowers along the shady sidewalk. Most of the shops hadn’t opened yet, and other than the sounds of dozens of birds it was peaceful and quiet. A few of the shop employees were out in front of their stores sweeping and arranging furniture, signs or exhibits and getting ready for the day.

She stopped for a moment to look at the colorful display in the window at Ducky’s Spice Shop.

There’s a thousand little bottles on that display, Jessica thought. The spices were arranged on an enormous lazy Susan with eight shelves that slowly spun around and around. The scent of cinnamon cake caught Jessica’s attention and she ran next door to Waffo. Sure enough, the first tray of today’s baking was done. She stared in the big front window at the blueberry muffins, chocolate brownies, double waffles and stack after stack of cookies: snaps, tassies, shortbread, fig bars, sandies and of course, Waffo’s famous triple-chips. Jessica was sure she had eaten at least a hundred batches of triples since her mother brought them home for the first time. She made a note to stop by after band.

She looked both ways and trotted quickly across the street and hurried past the tackle shop, then stopped and ran back.

“Ooh!” Jessica almost shouted, planting her arms and nose against the glass. There in the window was the new oversize steel fishing net!

“I gotta tell Dad!” Jessica had spied the new line of nets in a sporting goods catalog almost six months earlier and she and her dad both agreed they could really use one to replace the smaller net Tadashi had been using for years. She looked up but the store wouldn’t be open until an hour after band practice started, and reaching into her pockets only made her realize she left her phone at home. Jessica spun around twice trying to think of what to do, then stopped.

Okay she thought. I’ll tell Dad about the super cool new nets tonight but I gotta remember to remember.

Then she dashed towards the music store.

Continue to Chapter Six

Chapter List

Jessica looked quickly towards the huge tree. Standing next to it was a girl about her age!

“Tawny-chan!”

To anyone who didn’t know them, they would have looked like sisters. Tawny Naralee had blond hair and blue eyes just like Jessica. The only noticeable difference between the “twins,” as Tawny’s mother referred to them, was Tawny’s glasses.

Jessica dashed up the hill and Tawny ran to meet her. The two girls hugged joyously and laughed as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages, even though they had spent most of the summer together. The day after junior high graduation, they agreed to take the same water and boating safety course together on Van Horn Island with nearly 100 other kids. Jessica knew it would be a cinch. She and Tawny had both spent almost every waking moment on or in the water since grade school. Naturally, both girls graduated from the course with certificates and memberships in the Tree Shores Junior Lifeguards.

The rest of summer vacation they spent fishing, swimming, shopping and having long talks all about what they were going to accomplish in high school. Tawny couldn’t wait to get her first elective so she could take a theater class. Jessica had joined the marching band the moment she was able.

“Get all the classes you wanted?” Jessica asked. “You said your mom would have the schedule today.” Tawny nodded with a cheerful smile.

“I got everything except they made me take history.” Tawny made a face. “I hate memorizing dates and names and people who wear wigs.” She stopped and took a small bag out of her jeans pocket. Jessica smiled.

“Didja make one? You promised.” Tawny said. Jessica reached in to her jacket pocket and pulled out a small flat gold box.

“You first,” Jessica said. Tawny opened the little bag and took out a colorful bracelet made of tightly wound fabric. “Ooh,” Jessica exhaled. “It’s so pretty! I knew you would use the rainbow thread. You talked about it all the way home from Checker’s that one day. Looky! Mine is all different shades of yellow and gold with just a little bit of green.” Jessica took her bracelet out of the box and Tawny gasped.

“It looks like it’s made of silk!” Tawny exclaimed. Jessica nodded.

“My mom helped me pick out the best fabric at Checkers,” Jessica replied. “It’s my new school colors and I wanted yours to be prettiest.” Jessica and Tawny exchanged the friendship bracelets and each girl carefully put her bracelet on her wrist. Tawny sniffled.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Jessie,” Tawny said as she looked up. She blinked through her tears a few times, then put her hand up to her face.

“You said you weren’t going to cry,” Jessica blinked away her first tears.

“You’re my best friend in the whole world and I don’t know anyone at Rockfield.”

“It’s so stupid we have to go to different schools,” Jessica said as she took Tawny’s hands to encourage her. “But you’ll make lots of friends and we can see each other every day after, except when I have band.”

“I want to come see you play,” Tawny said, sniffling again.

“And I wanna see you act in a play,” Jessica said, smiling. Both girls giggled like they always did.

“Friends forever, Jessie.”

Jessica nodded and her eyes sparkled. “Friends forever.”

The girls hugged again. It was the first day of high school for both of them. Tawny had her first theater club meeting and Jessica had summer marching band rehearsals. Classes were due to start in two weeks.

Both girls stopped after walking in opposite directions only a few yards. Tawny waved and Jessica waved back. She watched Tawny turn and run back towards their neighborhood. Rockfield High School was on the east side of the lake past the stadium, so Tawny’s mom would have to drive her there.

Jessica looked down at the colorful bracelet on her wrist. She was happy she would have it with her to remind her of how much she loved to spend time with her best friend. She would never ever forget this summer.

She continued up the winding sidewalk towards Fairweather Street. She had to get to Wolf’s Music. Her saxophone was all fixed and she couldn’t wait to try out the new neckstrap her mother had embroidered for her!

Then it was on to Tree Shores High School, her new adventure.

Continue to Chapter Five

Chapter List

The street the Hoshi’s lived on had two sides. There was the neighborhood side, where the houses and the lazily winding sidewalk were, and the lake side, which was almost wide enough to be a miniature park. The lake side was a gentle grassy slope leading down to the shore. For most of the summer it was covered with purple, white and yellow wildflowers. Jessica was always sad to see the last wildflowers disappear because that meant summer was over.

But it was still Jessica’s favorite time of year. The leaves were just starting to change, and the magnificent sugar maples and poplars on the lake side of the street almost looked like huge brown, red, green and yellow bouquets.

Jessica walked quickly, winding between the huge trunks first on one side, then on the other. She watched the lake carefully to see if any of the boaters were people she knew. She knew just about everyone on the south side of the lake, so spotting a familiar boat wasn’t difficult. The lake was clear, reflecting the early morning sunlight and the deep hue of the cloudless sky. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the glare, but couldn’t see anything on the lake except a group of about a dozen ducks floating calmly about 100 yards offshore.

Dad must have rowed past the break by now, Jessica thought. She wished she had gotten to the shore in time to wave to him, but she would see him that evening when he got back with his big catch.

To anyone near the lake, Jessica would have looked like someone who was just wandering along with no particular place to go, but to Jessica, pretending to fly between the trees like a giant autumn slalom with her arms outstretched was her way of hurrying. She didn’t want to be late. They had been planning this meeting together for days.

It wasn’t much longer before she saw it. The king of the sugar maples. It was the largest lake tree outside of Sugar Maple Park, and it had always been Jessica’s favorite. She persuaded her father one summer evening to build her a treehouse in it so she could stay outside with her friends after dark. But she heard a sound on the lake and got scared, so the treehouse was taken down the next day, and Jessica immediately took to climbing instead.

Not long after the treehouse adventure, a nine-year-old Jessica discovered her favorite tree had very low branch that she realized she could reach. This discovery soon brought her mother across the street to chase her down, since by then Jessica was fifteen feet off the ground in her best outfit.

She looked across the lake again, hoping she would see her father’s fishing boat. She half-ran, half-skipped down the hill, scanning the surface of the water and trying to see as far as she could.

“Jessie!”

Continue to Chapter Four

Chapter List

“Good morning, sweetheart. You’re going to get lost if you try to walk to school with your jacket over your head,” Kinako Hoshi said, carrying several large leaves she had picked up from the flower beds along their front walk.

“Hi Mom! Good morning!” Jessica giggled, pulling the jacket off her head.

“Now are you sure you have everything? Remember what they said at orientation last weekend. You can’t forget any of your things because you’ll be at summer rehearsals all day.”

“I remembered everything! Let’s see, there’s my saxophone, but it’s at Wolf’s so I have to go get it, and my extra shoes, and my jacket and the papers and stuff, and… hey! Did you already go to Checker’s?”

“I had to help your father with his nets this morning, so I made a quick trip right when they opened. Better hurry. You’ve got to be on time for your first day of band!”

“Okayyyy Mom! Byyyyyee!!!” Jessica ran past her mother and down the walk to the sidewalk. She looked both ways, then quickly ran across to the grassy shore of the lake.

“Bye Jessie! Have a fun day!” Mrs. Hoshi waved after Jessica, then turned and walked a few more steps before crouching to clear more leaves away. The sugar maples in the Hoshi’s front yard were a constant source of large red and gold leaves which covered their front walkway in the fall and winter. Kinako Hoshi loved the wonderful color of the leaves, as long as they weren’t covering her prized garden flowers.

Continue to Chapter Three