1. Anevae

As I stepped onto the dirt driveway, the bright early morning sunlight reflected off the windows of the two-story cabin before me. Surrounding the house was a mixture of aspen and pine trees varying in size and shape. The heart-shaped leaves of the aspens were a vibrant green, while the needles of the pines were a deeper shade. The rising sun left the sky above a stunning light shade of orange. Closing my eyes, I inhaled the fresh mountain air and fragrant pines as the sounds of nature encompassed me; crickets chirped, birds sang their harmonious songs, and a soft trickle resounded from a creek in the distance. I was excited to be able to call this stunning place my new home.

Approximately five years earlier, I graduated from Yale, an Ivy League university, at the top of my class. I majored in biological engineering, where I focused mainly on agriculture. After graduation, I was recruited by a prestigious company, Ultra-Precision Agriculture Incorporated. It was a great job where I gained a lot of experience. I excelled in the company, and because of the recognition I'd received, I moved up in the industry quickly. That was the reason for my move.

A Colorado-based company called Vision For The Future approached me with an enticing offer to conduct research from the comfort of my own home. Of course, I had accepted, but that meant I had to find a house suitable for my needs. The cabin before me was perfect; with a greenhouse attached, I had a safe place where I could perform indoor experiments, and of course, the land attached meant I had plenty of space for outdoor experiments as well.

I remained where I stood for a moment, enjoying the peaceful sounds and wondrous scents. The rumbling of a vehicle traveling up the mile-long driveway to my home interrupted my peace. The moving truck my parents rented was here.

My eyes flew open, and I locked my maroon SUV, mainly out of habit since I'd grown up in a big city. Heading toward the front door of my new home, I reached into my coat pocket to retrieve my house keys. I wanted to open the door and prepare for the chaos that would ensue when my family arrived.

After fumbling with the lock momentarily, I nudged the massive door open and took a small step inside. The cabin was built using mahogany wood, and the interior was rich in color. A loud honk startled me, and I headed back outside to join my family.

Walking out the front door, I watched Eirian gracefully climb out of the moving truck with her long, naturally silver hair flowing out behind her. Her striking silver eyes—inherited from our mom—met mine as a smile crested her lips. She wasn't just my sister but also my best friend in the entire world. We had been inseparable from the moment she arrived in the world. We told each other everything, and when I told her I was moving halfway across the country, she insisted on joining me on my new adventure.

Glancing to the other side of the truck, my dad, whom we lovingly called Poppa, hopped down from the driver's seat. His round, electric blue eyes immediately locked onto me, no doubt making sure I was alright. His crimson-colored hair, which I inherited, was short on the sides but long enough on the top that he could slick it back—the way he'd worn it since I was little. His appearance was always immaculate; there was never a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his clothes.

My mom—we called her Momma—closely followed as she inspected the unfamiliar surroundings. Her silver hair was freshly trimmed into the typical short pixie cut she preferred. Like Poppa, she wore blue jeans, a loose gray T-shirt, and navy sneakers, which was unusual for her. Momma always wore dresses or skirts, but it wasn't practical with the move. Seeing her like that was strange but interesting.

My parents stood together near the truck, concern etched on their faces as they continued to peer around. They were worried when I initially told them I was moving halfway across the country to a remote area of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Their worry intensified when they learned that Eiri was coming with me. While I had purchased the cabin in the mountains, my sister took a different route and found an apartment in a nearby town, Havenridge. After hours of yelling, screaming, and crying, our parents relented, knowing they couldn't talk us out of our plans. Their primary stipulation was that they would help us with the move so they could make sure the area was safe for us. Unfortunately, our new homes were over a day's drive from our hometown, but our parents didn't seem to mind. Either way, I sincerely appreciated their help with the move and concern for our safety.

"How was the drive up?" I asked as I approached my family. "I hope it wasn't too hard to find your way here. I know GPS doesn't work well in these mountains. I lost signal a couple of times on the way up, but thankfully, I've been here a few times now."

While we made most of the trek to the area together, we had gone our separate ways the day before. My family went to Eiri's apartment in Havenridge to get her situated while I went to Fawnhaven, the big city on the opposite side of my cabin, to meet with my sponsors and retrieve supplies for my experiments. Since I knew I'd be in the city for the majority of the day, I stayed there for the night instead of driving back to Eiri's.

My sister ran up and wrapped me in a big bear hug. After a moment, she took a step back to look around. "You sure picked a beautiful place; it's incredible up here.

"We only saw one other house on our way up. It's wild to think that you only have one neighbor. Who knows if there's even anyone living in the cabin? This is a drastic difference from the big city we're so used to." Pausing, she looked at me with humor dancing in her eyes. "I also want to point out that the closest store is at least thirty minutes from you. I'm only visiting once a week, tops! No ifs, ands, or buts!"

I rolled my eyes. "Eiri, you do realize I have a vehicle to get myself around, right? I won't need you to bring me things…often," I added with a giggle that quickly evolved into a full-blown laughing fit between us.

My parents chuckled and shook their heads as they strolled up behind Eiri, each taking turns hugging me. They looked exhausted but still insisted on helping with the remainder of the move. The moving truck was also their transport home, so they couldn't leave without it.

"Anevae, this is a gorgeous plot of land indeed. When autumn comes, many of the leaves on the aspen trees will be a beautiful red like in Caellaias. I can't wait to see that…" Momma trailed off as Poppa cleared his throat. She refocused and glanced back at me. "Your Poppa and I are very proud of you, Lily… I know we just got here, but in hopes of finishing before nightfall, shall we get started?" she asked, glancing between the three of us.

With all of us in agreement, I showed my family around the house before we began unpacking the truck. When we packed it at home, Eiri and I separated all our belongings to avoid mixing things up. My boxes had been thoroughly labeled with the area each one should go in to make unloading the truck and unpacking easier. Even though my new place was at least twice the size of my previous apartment, I had taken the initiative to downsize as much as possible to help simplify the move. My new cabin came with all the needed appliances, so I didn't have to worry about those when I moved in either.

After what felt like hours of work, we stopped for lunch. We headed into the kitchen as Momma retrieved the cooler with all our favorites. There were several sandwiches, various cheeses and chips to snack on, multiple bottles of water, and a few cans of soda.

She passed out our lunches and handed each of us a water bottle, insisting that we drink it before we drank any soda to stay hydrated. We dutifully gulped down our water and then quickly ate. After we finished, we set back to work, hoping to finish before it got too dark.

Once we were done bringing in my bedroom set—the last piece of my belongings—we gathered in the living area. Although I was sore from the day of work, my family had to be even more sore. They'd worked hard moving Eiri's belongings the day before, and I knew she didn't downsize in the least. I felt terrible that I couldn't help them with her stuff, but I had to meet with my sponsors.

My family settled in on the couch while I plopped down on the floor in front of them, exhausted; the last few days had been busy for all of us. Even with that, I wanted to spend every possible moment with my parents before they went back home. I knew I'd miss them greatly.

"May I treat you all to dinner as a thank you for your help? Eiri and I couldn't have done this without you. There's a little diner in Havenridge, about a half mile from Eiri's new apartment, that I want to try. It"s called Minnie's. If their milkshakes are as good as everyone says, it would be special to visit it with you all first," I said, giving them a pleading look.

My parents exchanged a lengthy glance. This was a common occurrence when faced with a decision that involved them both. It was as if they could communicate telepathically. They married a couple of years before I was born and had been friends for several years before that. They knew everything about each other.

After a few minutes, Poppa answered with his deep, gruff voice, "That sounds wonderful, Lily. Since we won't see you two for a while, one last family meal is needed indeed. Leaving in the morning is going to be difficult." A grin spread across his lips, displaying his pronounced canines and slightly crooked teeth.

"Great! Let me gather my things so we can get going. Eiri, do you want to ride with me so you won't be cramped in the moving truck again?" I asked with a smirk.

"That would be great! I've spent way too much time in that truck over the last few days!" Eiri said, and I chuckled.

She waited on the couch as I headed into the kitchen to retrieve my keys.