A Red Leaf

Chapter 2

A squirrel scurried up a tree and no doubt scavenged a couple of acorns along the way. The grass was as green as ever and the weeds were standing tall. Flowers had just begun to bloom but a couple of buds were still a little shy. I walked through the light foliage and looked up to see the holes of sunlight that made it passed the full leaves. I was grateful that there weren't many mosquitos or gnats around and my little venture into the woods would remain more serene than annoying.

I took a turn past a couple of thick trees to find a clearing of rolling hills and tall grass. Trees framed the field all around and no shade was there to hide the sun from the proud and open flowers. A little ways to my right, the grass thinned showing dirt and tree roots. The path wined down to a lake where the sun reflected off its waters brightly. The trees came close to the edge and there was a ledge that hung over the water where I saw a girl sitting, lazily swinging her legs over the water. I slowly strolled her way.

She wore a simple dress that came down to her knees. Her hair was down but partly clipped back allowing small strands to escape and float in the wind. Her brown locks glimmered gold in the sun and framed her face perfectly so that I thought the only thing missing was a flower crown. Her eyes gazed out to something in front and I found myself turning to see what had her attention. At first, I didn't see anything but the vast sparkling water but I quickly noticed the splashing.

Two ducks were flapping and splashing in the water and I thought they must be playing or mating or something. But upon closer inspection, it appeared that the two birds were actually fighting. I had never seen ducks fight so I wasn't sure what was happening but the girl seemed to be entirely focused on the mayhem.

"They've been doing that for a while," I heard a sweet voice. I quickly turned toward the girl but her eyes hadn't strayed from the lake. I looked back out at the water where it looked like the ducks were swimming around each other.

Without thinking, I spit out, "Why?" She shrugged.

"Territorial reasons maybe. Or mating," She spoke. "I don't really know." There was something about the way the words left her mouth that made me want her to keep talking. Somehow I managed to look back at the ducks.

"Maybe they like it," I said before I could think. And believe me, I have no idea why I said that.

"Like what?" She said almost as if she wasn't holding a conversation. Like she didn't actually want to know the answer. And so I answered as if I could say anything mindlessly and it wouldn't matter. Her eyes stayed stuck on the water.

"Fighting," I said. For the first time, she looked at me. It shocked me to see chocolate eyes and I quickly realized that she wasn't some mythical fairy entertaining the dumb human and my dumb words.

"And why would you think that?" She spoke directly to me. Not that she hadn't before but the words pointed towards me were like darts hitting the bullseye.

"I. . ." I tried to find an answer but none came to my mind. At that moment, I weirdly noticed the way the fresh air filled my lungs and the quietness around me. "I don't know." I said. I didn't know what to expect but she smiled at me.

"I'm Kyra. What's your name?" She said. I forced myself to not forget my name.

"Lea," I croaked. "Are you from around here?" I'm sure I would have recognized you.

"Yes," Kyra had a strange expression on her face. "And you? Are you from around these parts?" I nodded and wondered how old she was. She didn't look old but I knew she had to be older than me.

"Yeah. I've lived here for three years," I counted in my head from back when dad and I first moved here. She turned back to the lake and her expression changed ever so slightly. I couldn't figure out what expression it was though.

"I've lived here my whole life," She spoke. There was an undertone to her words. I couldn't quite figure it out either but I didn't like it. I cleared my throat.

"And how long is that exactly?" I asked. She turned to me and I tried to remember if I had ever seen someone so pretty.

"Fifteen years." She said. "I'm fifteen years old if that's what you're asking." I smiled and glanced at the lake which now lived under a beautiful orange sky.

"Cool. I'm twelve," I chirped and I was glad to see that solemn expression disappear. "So you're in high school?"

She blinked. Her eyes flashed to the sunset and I noticed the orange and red hues painting her face. Then she patted the space next to her and I quickly jumped to sit next to her.

"Yep, Winder Crow High School. And you're in middle school?" She hugged her legs to her chest. "What middle school do you go to?"

"Fredericks Middle," I responded and watched the way the wind kept the flyaways out of her face.

"Oh, I went there too," She said. "Does Mr. Lowe still teach there?"

I shook my head, "He got married last year and I think they moved to another state." Kyra chuckled slightly and leaned back on her hands. I wondered if the dirt hurt her palms.

"I guess he finally did get outta there," She sighed. I wondered what she meant but she didn't elaborate. Soft chirping was heard around us and I imagined hundreds of crickets coming out to make the noise. A light breeze brushed my skin and the ducks were no longer in the water.

"I'm scared to go to high school," I blurted. I immediately chastised myself for admitting that. "I- I just don't think I'm ready." She hummed.

"High school can be pretty intimidating but don't worry. Stick with the good people; do what you gotta do," She looked at me. "Take it one step at a time and you'll be alright." I stared at her face for a second, taking in her words and willing myself to hold onto them.

"Your face is red," I said quietly. The colors of the sunset were even stronger now. She smirked.

"Yours is too," She said and then turned to look at the sunset. "God, this makes me miss autumn." A gust of wind blew past us and we heard the scurry of leaves.

"Autumn's my favorite season," I whispered and a small smile emerged on her lips. Her eyes then shot to the ground between us and she picked up a leaf. But unlike the other leaves, it was red. She held it up.

"Heres to the best season: autumn," She said jokingly and I couldn't help but smile. "Let's hope we get a good one next year." There was a bittersweet note in what she said but before I could think, she let go of the stem and the red leaf flew away with the wind.

After we parted ways, I walked home, swinging my arms and humming. The sky was darkening and I could see the white dots of a few stars.

"Kyra," I tried it on my lips. "What a pretty name."

Five years later

"Lea, can you hand me that yellow?" Red pointed at a bucket from where he stood on the ladder. I read the labels before picking up a can and handing it to him. "Thanks." He proceeded to shake it and spray a curved line on the wall. Mel came up next to me and picked up a can from the bucket.

"You sure you don't want to try?" She asked as she shook the can up, the familiar click-clack sound ringing out. I pressed my lips together.

"Yeah, I think I'll save my artistic talents for another day. Don't mind me," I waved her off. She shrugged and then went up to the wall, pointing her can in a space far enough away from Red so as to not interfere with his work.

Red Greasy, or RG, as some people call him, was a high school dropout graffiti artist. And a good one at that. He didn't just go around vandalizing things or just writing words, I mean he did, but with taste. He was an artist at heart and wanted to put his works out for everyone to see and enjoy. He loved to spraypaint caricatures of made-up people, surrealistic pieces that made you look for a solid thirty seconds, and weird lines-and-shape doodles that looked insanely intricate but he would do them in five minutes. He was also famous for his signature animal murals, mainly of lions, tigers, monkeys, and sometimes llamas.

From what I knew, he dropped out of school as soon as he could and went to live with his uncle, putting all his efforts into working and spraypainting. He was only nineteen, a year older than us (or just Mel since I haven't turned eighteen yet), but he looked older. He wore a large sweatshirt and cargo pants and had shaggy hair like your typical teenage skateboarder but he had this mature essence about him that made me think he was at least in his twenties. He had a little scruff, looked really skinny, and always seemed to have bags under his eyes but he was surprisingly extremely healthy and muscle toned. The first time I saw him in a tanktop, I thought he was someone else.

"Can you tell what it is yet?" Red asked, his voice slightly muffled by his mask. I took a step back and observed the red and yellow blob. There was definitely a distinct shape to it but I couldn't quite make it out.

"A llama," Mel stated.

"I wasn't asking you missey," Red waved her away. I squinted at the wall in front of me.

"Ohhh, I see it now," I pointed near the top. "That's its head." Red looked at his creation and laughed. I scratched my neck.

"No, no, that's its head," He pointed downwards. "It has a long loopy neck. Can't you tell?" My brows furrowed and I looked harder. Mel laughed beside him.

"I think her brain's going to explode," She exclaimed and I glared at her.

"Okay well, what's that supposed to be," I pointed to her lavender-colored shape. "An elephant?" She looked at her wall and then back at me with wide eyes.

"Oh shoot, actually yeah," She said.

Red scratched his neck. "What, how'd you get that? I thought it was a shark." Mel threw her can at him and he let out a yelp as he ducked.

"I'm a genius," I bowed. "Thank you, thank you."

"Okay let's finish this before it gets too dark," Mel said.

"Yeah stop distracting me, go back to your shark-elephant thing," Red teased and Mel flipped him off. I didn't miss the small smile they both had on their faces.

About half an hour later, all three of us were walking along the railroad tracks on our way home. Red had on his black hoodie which had paint on it; I doubt he owned one that didn't have a smudge on it. He also had his bucket-shaped backpack which held all of his cans and materials he used. Beside him, Mel walked along the metal part of the tracks, her arms up to keep balance allowing Red to purposefully tip her over and her shoving him. I walked on the other side of Mel and tried to hide my smile like I had the entire afternoon. Mel was always the happy reserved type but I knew that the smile she had on her face tonight was a different kind. One she only wore when Red was around and he seemed to be in a similar boat.

"So when will we see you again?" I asked Red. Mel had just pushed Red over when he also got on the metal beam right in front of her.

"Well I'll be out of town for at least a couple days, maybe even a week," He thought aloud, "It all depends on how long Georgie plans on staying up there." Georgie was Red's uncle who took him in when Red decided to quit school. He's a real cool guy who goes around to different towns and travels to a number of places to perform gigs with his band. He's a trumpet player and a singer but I've only heard him once and his flute playing has got to be one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard. "I'll let you know when I get back. There's this mural that I've been meaning to show you." I knew that he was talking to the both of us, but it was hard not to notice the sparkle in his eyes as he told Mel.

"Really? Where?" Mel asked. He grinned and turned to walk backward.

"Remember that really big tunnel we found?" He extended his arms out wide and Mel and I nodded. "It's there."

"No way," I crowed.

"Yes way," He grinned.

"I can't wait," Mel remarked and took a large step down. Red placed his hands on her arms to steady her and I looked away. There were definitely some moments that evening when I felt like I shouldn't have been there.