Coming home

PROLOGUE: First meeting

August 16th 1928 (age 11)
I felt the summer breeze glide past me as I ran through the wheat field; their stems brushing against my short legs and the cotton of my summer dress. I saw faint glimmers of gold from behind me as the light of the setting sun caught my hair.
It was one of my last days of freedom, I was starting senior school soon and from what I heard from all of the big kids was that after it started, you had no time at all. It was taken up by work and exams. It really didn't sound all that pleasant to me, little did I know, it would turn out to be the best seven years of my life.
I was terrified about going to school though. I had only just moved into the area so I didn't know anyone here. I would be totally alone, at least for the first few days.
Suddenly, I was brought out of my thoughts by having my foot catch on something, which in turn led me to face plant into the ground.
"Watch where your going!" I heard a voice call from behind me. I looked around to find a boy, about my age, lying just a few paces behind me clutching his side. Hurridly, I stood up and ran over to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. God I'm sutch a clumsy person, I can't believe I just tripped over you!" I rushed out, searching him to see if he was bleeding anywhere. In return for my worry, he just looked up at me and laughed.
"You should have seen your face!" He cried, " It was a complete picture! You looked horrified!"
Obviously seeing my distress, after having rolled around laughing for a good few minutes, he looked up at me and sighed.
"Don't worry, I've had worse than a small girl's foot kicking me in the ribs." Sensing my disbelief, he sighed again, jumped up and started shaking his arms and legs around.
"Look, see, I'm just fine. You didn't manage to break anything with your tiny feet."
I couldn't belive it! I actually worried about him, and he is just mocking me for it. Seeing him grinning at me, I gave him a glare in return, but this only made his grin widen.
" You look really adorable when your angry" he chuckled, which caused to make me glare more at him.
"I can see that I have done something to annoy you, so lets do this all over again. Okay? I can just lay here minding my own business, you can run over and trip over me and then, just to make you happy, I can show the expected amount of pain. Or here's a better idea. We can just forget about it. You see, I like that idea better,but it truly is your choice."
He stood there and looked at me, waiting for my decision. I just crossed my arms and glared back. Realising that he wasn't about to get an answer anytime soon, he stepped forward and held out his hand.
"Look, okay, I'm deeply sorry that I made fun of you. Let's call a truce. I'm William, but everyone calls me Will. Now your turn."
For a while I just stared at his outsretched hand, but eventually I hesitently reached for it.
"Good. This is progress. Now you just need to shake it..."
Slowly I do so and despite myself, a grin started to appear on my face. Looking up I saw him grinning back at me, his green eyes dancing with mischeif. Quickly, before I could pull my hand away, he placed a swift kiss to the back of it. He gave a mock bow and I felt me cheeks heat up as I started to blush.
"Pleasure to be at your service miss...?" he said mockingly. I tried to be angry at him, but he looked like such an idiot that I had to laugh. Somehow between my giggles, I managed to answer his question.
"Alyssia. My name is Alyssia, but everyone except my parents call me Alice."
"Beautiful, a pretty name for a pretty girl."
I spent the rest of the evening with Will, both of us talking until the sun had fully set. I learnt that he had one brother and two sisters whose names I have already forgotton. On top of this, I found out that he was the same year as me so we would be starting school at the same time. A fact which I celebrated as it meant that I wouldn't be totally alone.
I went to sleep that night not at all scared for the upcoming torment of school as I knew that I would at least have Will there by my side. I knew from that first meeting that our lives would forever be intertwined. I knew that he would become someone very important to me.