Bethany sat up and pulled over an old pink blanket, letting her legs show. They were hairy from not being able to shave since she was kidnapped. That was about two years ago and not a day passed by had Bethany not missed her family. She was only 12 when it happened and didn’t know what to do to save her sisters, but now she had a plan.
Bethany was going to the market later with one of the brothers of her master to buy some groceries and she was going to buy some extra supplies for her with the extra money left over. She was going to buy a donkey, some food, and a first aid kit. Then Bethany was going to saddle up the donkey and ride to find her lost sisters and save them, one day.
Bethany then got up out of the old bed with just a mattress with a few holes and an old pale pink blanket. Bethany walked over to an old rocking chair with a neatly folded pile of clothes on it. She picked up the old pair of jeans with holes in them and slipped them on. She then pulled off her nightgown letting her gorgeous red hair slip out of the neck hole of the nightgown and fall on her shoulders. Bethany slipped on a bra and then an old pale pink t-shirt. She then picked up an old white apron with stains all over it and slipped it on over her head. Bethany then tied the apron around her waist and turned towards a small mirror hung up on the wall.
The mirror was cracked and had chips here and there. The small mirror had large chunks missing from it leaving only a few pieces left. Bethany looked into the small pieces of the mirror and saw herself staring back at her. Her red hair was frizzy and down to her back. Her eyes had small black circles under them. She had a smear of dry mud on her forehead and left cheek still on her face from yesterday, when Bethany had gone to the well to fetch some water and fell down a hill.
Bethany stared at herself for a few minutes before reaching down to grab the bottom of her apron. She pulled the bottom of her apron to her face and rubbed the dry mud off her forehead. Then she took the apron to her cheek and rubbed away the mud that was stuck there. After she was finished rubbing the mud off her face, she dropped the bottom of her apron and reached into the pocket.
Inside, the apron’s pocket was Bethany’s golden heart-shaped locket. Bethany clicked open the locket and peeked inside to see her small, miniature family staring back at her. All her sisters, her father, her mother, and her were all together sitting on the couch. Wendy was sitting in their dad’s lap. Wendy was wearing a white lace dress with her silver-white hair in two braids that hung down on her shoulders. Bethany’s father wore a black suit with a white collared shirt underneath and no tie. He wore large round glasses that made his hazel eyes look big compared to his face. On the left side of her father sat Rayn, with a matching style dress with Wendy. Her dress was a light faint blue and her black straight hair was held back by a matching faint light blue ribbon in her hair that made her beautiful sparkling blue eyes stand out among the blue items. Next to Rayn was Savannah, wearing a light faint green dress in the same style as Wendy and Rayn’s. Savannah’s brown hair was braided on one side and hung down slightly past her shoulders. She also had small yellow flowers braided into her braid that made her green eyes stand out even more. On the opposite side of her father sat Bethany’s mother, she had her bleach blonde hair held back in a tight bun with a pearl chain around her neck. She wore matching pearl earrings and a laced pink dress that matched her daughters.
Pink was her mother’s favorite color. She wore it all the time and it suited her quite well. It made her dark brown eyes stand out on her face and it defined the freckles on her cheeks as well.
Next to Bethany’s mother was Bethany herself. She wore her red curly hair in a ponytail, to keep from drawing attention to herself. She wore a matching laced dress that was faint light red that brought out her hazel eyes. Bethany stared at the locket for another moment wishing she was back in her family’s arms holding them tight against her chest.
Bethany suddenly heard steps outside her door. She quickly clicked the locket shut and shoved it into her apron’s pocket.
There was a knock on the door and then a pause.
“Bethany are you in there? Are you decent? May I come in?” said a young man's voice.
“Who is it?” Bethany responded.
“It’s Ethan”, the young man’s voice said.
Ethan. . .Ethan. . .the old man’s oldest son. He was a year older than Bethany, but she didn’t let that stop her from liking him. He had beautiful black hair and gorgeous brown eyes. Bethany could stare at him all day if she could. She knew it was forbidden to like him since it was the first rule she heard when she arrived at this house. She couldn’t help herself though. Bethany liked him anyway.
“Come in”, Bethany said, brushing off her hands on her apron and quickly slicking back her curls that had already come out of her ponytail.
Ethan came in wearing a white button-up shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned and brown slacks.
“Good morning”, Ethan said.
“Good morning, did you sleep well?” Bethany replied and quickly realized how dumb that sounded she bit her bottom lip to keep her from saying anything else weird.
“Yes. You?” Ethan said looking Bethany in the eye and giving her a smirk.
“Yes”, Bethany said, feeling her face burn up, even though it was cold in the house this morning.
“Father says we have to go to the market together to pick up a few things.”
“Of course”, Bethany said, nodding.
“We have to get milk, cheese, bread, and a few other things.”
“Ok. We can get some ingredients so I can make some vegetable soup.”
“That sounds delicious. Well. . .let’s get a move on”, Ethan said, gesturing towards the door.
“Ok.”
“We are going to walk, since my father took the wagon for work.”
“Ok. I’m ok with walking.”
Bethany then walked out of the room with Ethan close behind her. Bethany could feel her heartbeat speeding up. She felt like her limbs were becoming numb. “Is this love?,” Bethany thought to herself. Bethany had known Ethan for a long time and they had practically become best friends. He was the first person she had opened up to since she had been kidnapped and she had told him everything.
Ethan ran ahead of Bethany and opened the front door.
“After you,” Ethan said, gesturing outside.
“Thank you”, Bethany said walking out the wooden door and down the cobblestone steps. Off to the side of her was an old oak tree with moss hanging down to the floor of the grass.
Bethany walked over to the moss-covered tree and lifted part of the moss. Behind the moss stood a great big oak trunk in the middle of it all. Bethany walked over to the trunk letting her hand fall, along with the moss. As soon as she reached the trunk, Bethany put her back to it and slumped down to sit on the grass. She sat her head back facing up towards the top of the tree and closed her eyes.
Ethan found Bethany inside the mossy tree and walked over to her. He sat down next to her and looked her up and down. Her red frizzy hair blowing in the small wind, looking beautiful and elegant. Bethany’s freckles on her cheeks and nose looked as if God had blessed her with many kisses. His eyes then caught hold of her lips. Small and thin, but the color of peaches in the spring. He sat there for a moment staring at her lips. How much he longed to kiss her. Even back when they were kids.
Ethan shuffled his body over hers and brought his lips to meet hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, but felt like his whole body melted right in front of her. He broke the kiss and looked into Bethany’s beautiful Hazel eyes and smiled.
“I’ve been meaning to do that for a while”, Ethan said with a smirk. His black hair slightly blew in his eyes, but he could still see Bethany’s face. She looked both stunned and happy.
“Out of all the girls. . .” Bethany began looking down at her dirty nails. She began to pick the dirt out of them.
“I picked you,” Ethan said, lifting back up Bethany’s head. She put down her hands and looked into his beautiful brown eyes.
“What about your father? Aren’t you supposed to get married to the mayor’s daughter?” Bethany asked, starting to look sad.
“What about my father? He can’t define my happiness and for whom I’m in love with. I will not marry the mayor’s daughter. Dylan will since he’s in love with her and she’s in love with him,” Ethan said.
Dylan was Bethany’s age and had brown hair instead of black. He was skinnier than Ethan and less muscular. He had been in love with the mayor’s daughter since he was eight years old. When she had walked out of the elementary school wearing her beautiful golden locks down stopping at just before her waist. She wore an old pink dress with lace. She had pearl earrings and a pearl necklace upon her neck. That was the day Dylan had learned her name, Caroline Myers.
“Who are you in love with?” Bethany’s cheeks began to burn and her heart began to flutter. She hoped it was her because she had been in love with him since they were eight years old and he saved her from a tree that she could not climb down herself.
“The girl I’m staring at,” Ethan said, his face turning light pink. Bethany’s heart seemed to skip a beat while they looked into each other’s eyes.
They stayed like that for a moment before there was a voice behind the moss.
“Has Ethan left, yet? He needs to be home in time for Mayor Myers and his daughters’ arrival”, said a manly voice.
“It’s your father. We should get going after he goes inside,” Bethany whispered.
“I believe he has left father. I will alert you when his arrival comes”, said a young boy’s voice. It was Dylan.
“Thanks for the update. I will be inside getting ready. Tell Bethany that she has a lot of cleaning to do today, when she returns”, said Ethan’s father.
“Yes sir. I will,” Dylan said.
There was a slam of a door then a sigh.
“If only you could be mine”, Dylan said, sadly, before walking away to get ready as well.
“Poor Dylan,” Bethany said, getting back up on her feet along with Ethan.
“Yeah. I know exactly how it feels,” Ethan said brushing loose grass pieces on his pants.
“Believe me, I do too,” Bethany said looking Ethan right in the eyes.
“What do you mean by that? Is there someone you long for as well,” Ethan said looking a little shook, but then quickly shook it off.
“Yes, there is. He is standing right in front of me,” Bethany said, feeling her cheeks burn again.
“I love you, Beth,” Ethan whispered into her ear as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to his chest. As if she wasn’t close enough, he pulled her closer. Her nose touching his.
“I love you too, Ethan. I have since we were little,” Bethany said looking into Ethan’s eyes as her face began to feel hotter.
Ethan leaned in and kissed Bethany once more. It was a long and passionate kiss, leaving them both breathless.
“Well, we better get going,” Ethan said, breaking the kiss.
“Yeah,” Bethany said, still dazed from the kiss.
Ethan and Bethany then left the mossy oak tree to go to the market to fetch supplies before they both had to be home in time for the Mayor and his daughter.
Comments (0)
See all