Always | ✓

1. The First Meeting

Please Note: this book is undergoing a major edit. It's a slow process and I'm trying to get it done as soon as I can but it will take time.
Chapters that are numbered, are the ones that have already been edited.

***

10 Years Ago....

"Okay, Rena, I'm going go get something for us to eat, I'll be back in second," my mum said, as she walked back into the house, leaving me play on my own, in our front garden.

Our neighbourhood is incredibly friendly. We're friends with all our neighbours on the street, so Mum's not afraid to leave me out here, everyone watches over me. Even Mr Waltsham, he's a grumpy old man, but when it comes to me, he'll always turn that frown upside down.

I carry on playing with my Bead Set. My Mum bought me the set for my birthday, a thousand beads in one set! Best part is when I watch my Mum iron them, it's so cool!

Beep Beep Beep

"What is that noise?" I ask out loud.

I look in the direction the noise came from, and see a big van moving backwards towards the house next door.

The house next door used to belong to the Ivy's. They were also an old couple, Mamma Ivy, as she liked to be called, was the sweetest lady. She never ever missed an occasion to give me a present. She always remembered my birthday, Christmas, Easter, Papa Ivy would even give me a Valentine present.

One day Mama Ivy got ill, Mum said Mama Ivy was missing her sister in Heaven, so she was going to stay with her. After she left to go see her sister, Papa Ivy, moved away, he felt so sad alone. I felt sad for him. He gave me a teddy bear before he left, it was my last present from him.

A black car follows the van, and stops behind it. I can hear sound of the car door, but I can't see above the wooden fence, to see people.

I wonder who the new neighbours are, if they're gonna be like the Ivy's. I hope they have a kid, I want a girl to live next to me, then we'll be best friends, and she can play with me.

I can't go look at the neighbours on my own, my Mum will be so mad if she doesn't see me playing here. It's better if I keep playing with my beads.

Then I heard a crash.

"Ow!"

I looked up and saw a boy at the start of my garden, holding his knee, with his bike on the floor beside him.

Oh no, he must be hurt.

I rushed out my little princess chair, spilling my new design and the beads, and ran to the boy.

"Are you okay?" I shouted, as I rushed over to him.

He looked up at me, with his face looking a little red, and his brown eyes look a little red too.

He's crying.

"It hurts," he said and then looked down to his knee.

He lifted his shorts up a bit and there is a little cut with...BLOOD!

"You're bleeding!" I yelled.

Maybe I shouldn't yell, I will scare him.

"It's okay. Just breathe," I told him in my inside voice.

I took my Princess Belle hankie out of my pocket and put it on his knee.

He let out a hiss sound, like a snake makes and closed his eyes.

"Sorry, this will hurt a little bit, but don't worry it will get better." I kissed his knee, like Mum does when I get hurt.

He looks up at me, and I keep talking.

"I'm Serena, by the way. Or you can call me
Rena like everyone else does," I smiled.

"I live in this house here. I haven't seen you on this street before, so I am sure that you are one of the people that moved into the house next door to us. Don't worry, we're neighbours now, and I can be your first friend here."

"I wanted a girl to live next door, but we can still be friends." I smile proudly because he's still looking at me and smiling, forgetting his knee.

"Liam!" A lady shouted.

Liam must be the his name. It's nice.

"Rena!" My Mum also shouted, and then came running towards me.

"Rena, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" My mum questioned me.

A lady came running to the boy, Liam.

"Liam, baby, you okay? You hurt? What happened? You're okay, right?" The lady asked him a bunch of questions and then hugged him.

"Don't worry, he has a little cut, and there was a little blood. I put my hankie on it, but you should put a plaster on too, and kiss it so it gets better quicker, like my Mum does," I said proudly.

I got a toy doctor set for Christmas, so I know all about doctor stuff.

The lady smiled at me.

"Sorry, I got her a doctor set, and now she thinks she an actual doctor," my Mum said.

I gave Mum an angry look when she said this, but then the lady just laughed.

"Liam did the same thing when we bought him a builder set. He thought he could fix everything, " she laughed even more

"I'm Emma Hunter by the way, this is my son Liam. My husband Peter is somewhere, hopefully helping the movers," she smiled at us.

She then helped Liam stand up.

"I'm Zara Hastings and this is my daughter Serena," Mum says helping me up and putting her hands on my shoulders. "My husband, Mark is at work right now, or I would ask him to help you."

"Oh how nice of you. Once we get the house sorted, you must come over, it'll be nice to meet our neighbours properly."

"Of course, we'd love to," Mum then said.

"Perfect."

Mum and the lady, Emma, keep talking to each other like they've been friends for ages.

I then look at Liam, he smiles at me.

His smile makes me happy, don't know why.

"Does it still hurt?" I ask Liam.

"No. Thank you for helping me. Your kiss worked like magic," he said.

He has the best smile, that makes me feel like Christmas is tomorrow.

"You're welcome," I grinned at him.

After Mum and Emma finished talking, Emma took Liam to their house and Mum held my hand we went back to ours.

...I don't remember anything else that happened that day, just Liam and his smile.

***

This chapter was just to introduce Serena, and the first moment she met Liam, as this stays with her.
You know that moment, where you think everything is going to change? That was this, for Rena.

Please note that this book is published but I still think of it as a work in progress. It was my first one ever, and there is a lot I want to go back and change. So please bare with me, the plot and my characters.

You may find it frustrating and anger inducing, but please refrain from any commenting anything insulting, because it will be deleted otherwise.
Thank you.

Hope you liked the chapter and continue to read beyond this chapter :)