Star Gazing: Chapter One
It was the summer of 1995 when Ellie and her family had moved to the quiet town of Hartland. She had just turned eight years old when she had gotten the news that her father had gotten a better job in a different state. The normality of this situation would involve the kit breaking down as her entire world of friends and fun fell apart. Ellie was not a normal youngling.
She fell in love with the feeling of independence at a very early age. It was either that, or living a short life of mournful solitude and depression. Her parents were both workaholics (who were party animals during adolescence and now slight alcoholics because of it, but that's no very important), and she was an only child. The only thing she ever really knew was how to play alone. Of course, that didn't tie in well with the kids at her elementary school. From the first day there, she was known as, "that weird girl."
The first thing she did when the family got settled in their new house was take out her bike for a ride. The sun shone bright on her reddish fur as she peddled wherever her heart's content. Without a care in the world, she rode as fast and as far as she could. Around ten minutes into the bike ride, she found herself upon a large, grassy hill. Enjoying a newly found breeze, Ellie was not paying close attention to where she was going. Her bike came across a rather large rock, and she crashed into the ground. Luckily for her, there was another girl close by.
"You're bleeding." The girl said in a strange matter-of-fact tone.
She kneeled before Ellie whilst reaching into her pocket. Once she found what she had been looking for, a triumphant grin spread across her face. She whipped out the adhesive bandage and applied it firmly on the kit's forehead. A twinge of pain shot throughout her head when the girl smashed her thumbs against her wound. When the pain subsided, Ellie sat up and saw her savior for the first time.
She appeared to be the same age as the little fox, if not a bit older. She was wearing grass-stained corduroy overalls and bright pink sneakers. Her fur was as white as snow with a grey splotch on her right cheek. Her ears were long with the left one flopping out in front of her. Her eyes were a piercing sort of emerald, like that of grass in the springtime. The girl's features were both calm and playful.
"I'm Sarah!" the bunny nearly shouted. Ellie was taken aback.
"Uh... I'm Ellie." The kit held out her hand and Sarah eagerly shook it.
"Thanks for the bandage."
"No problem, my mom makes me take a few with me when I go outside. I fall down a lot." The bunny nodded affirmatively.
They sat there in silence for a little bit. Ellie checked out her bike while Sarah played with the grass. There was no sound except the wind rustling the leaves of a nearby willow tree and a sudden loud grumble. The kit blushed as she realized her sudden onset of hunger.
"Do you want to share a lunch?" Sarah pointed at the willow, where a blanket and a brown bag lunch lay in the shade.
"Yeah, I'd like that." Ellie smiled.
They got up and walked to the blanket where they shared a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich and a bag of baby carrots. They talked of their families, how Sarah's hippie mother had originally wanted to name her something like Moonbeam but decided against it (much to her father's joy), and how Ellie's parents got her name out of a book. They talked of their favorite games, and how to win Four Square in the best possible way. They talked about their favorite subjects in class, recess and lunch, and how to get through the ones like science and math. They talked about everything they could possibly think of as they ate. When the food was gone, they took turns flying Sarah's kite. In this way, they spent hours together. By the time they called it quits, the sun was beginning to set. As they went their separate ways, they promised to meet at the same spot the next day.
When Sarah returned home, she hugged her mother and father, and got ready for dinner. At the table, she told them of her new best friend. When bedtime arrived, she drifted off with thoughts of the day of fun. That night, she dreamt of flying kites with her new friend.
As Ellie came into her new house, her mother asked her how her day was, never removing her gaze from the book in her paws. Ellie murmured a positive response and headed to her room for the night. When inside her room, she grabbed her diary from her secret hiding place, and a chewed up pencil from a cup on her desk. She scrawled upon the thin pages the adventures of her first day in town.
That was how they spent that summer, and most summers. During rainy days, they would play make-believe in Sarah's bedroom. They weren't allowed to play at Ellie's house; for fear that they would be too wild and unruly. There would be times when Sarah would get hurt and Ellie would come to her rescue. There would be amazing adventures like crossing rivers and climbing trees. There would be life lessons like 'don't try to jump across rivers' and 'don't jump off the trees when you're done climbing them.' Years passed and their friendship only grew. It would be the summer before freshman year of high school until their friendship and changed.