war of hearts

chapter one

R E F U R B I S H

(verb) renew, redevelop

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As Autumn Harper walked off the train that had just brought her from Dawsbury to Longdale, she was welcomed by the clear presence of the wind in the evening sky and lots of green leaves whirling around on the stone ground. Her hair was flying around like crazy, but she didn't mind. Usually, she would, but this was what she had been waiting for.

Well, not exactly the wind making her hair look like a mess. But that moment. It was a new start, a new beginning, a new part of her life.

She was pulling at her big suitcase while carefully taking in her surroundings. She had been here before, but only as a child. She didn't remember a lot of this town, only the immense amount of coffee shops on the streets.

If there were any family visits, it mostly happened in Dawsbury anyway, probably because of the far better weather over there.

She made her way through the station, looking at all the people around her. They were all in their daily routine and she couldn't help but wonder what they were here for. It had always fascinated her how busy people are. Most of the times, she was as focused as they were, but sometimes, just like now, she took the time to breathe and watch as others made decisions around her.

A woman in a stunning black costume just decided to grab a coffee at Starbucks, even though she was clearly doubting it. She could've grabbed her coffee in the small shop beside it, as Autumn would've but she didn't. She looked kind of stressed out though, and to Autumn that didn't look unfamiliar at all, so she could understand the fast decision the woman had made.

As Autumn came outside she took out her phone to see if Tyeson had texted her. She met zero text messages and a battery of 2 percent, making her groan.

Normally, her phone would never die before it met a charger, but as a lot of things had changed in her life, this obviously changed as well. She came to a stop and straightened her back. She looked around in search of his familiar face. He promised to pick her up at the station when she arrived, so she expected to see him any second.

When their eyes met, she couldn't help the urge to think of how good looking he was. Being completely honest with herself that wasn't even the right word to describe him. He's attractive in every possible way. Black hair that isn't too long or too short and shines when standing in the sun. Ocean blue eyes that are so alluring you can keep staring into them. A jawline that most high school guys dream of having. Broad shoulders and a bit of muscular arms. A slightly tan skin. A few freckles on his perfectly formed face. In other words, he looked like the young Francisco Lachowski. She couldn't even believe he was family. At least now she knew where the good genes went.

She smiled at him and put her phone away.

She pulled her suitcase forward again, but the second Tyeson was close enough, he took over.

"You seem tired."

"Hello to you too, Tyeson."

He stuck out his tongue like a five-year-old. "I'm just saying."

She smiled at him for a second time, only to be welcomed by yet another remark.

"Took you long enough to get here."

Tyeson Crawford hadn't changed one bit. He was still the same arrogant and impatient cousin she had known since she was born. She didn't mind, really. She knew him like that. They were just very different from each other, in every way you could possibly imagine.