Prologue

Silent tears made silver tracks down Ebony’s smooth face as she stared vacantly out the train window, her hands knotted in tight fists on her lap around a handkerchief that she had used in a vain attempt to stop the tears. The world whizzed by her at an alarming pace, unaware and uncaring of the heartbreak the recently turned fifteen-year-old was suffering.

She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling once again to control her emotions. She twisted the handkerchief tightly, feeling as if it was a physical image of the way her heart felt at that particular moment. She was heading home and yet she knew that even if she pretended that nothing had changed during the six months she had lived with her grandparents on the ranch it would never be the home she had left behind so long ago.

“Oh Jay.” She murmured so faintly that if one had been eavesdropping they would have had to strained to hear. “Why?” It was the same question she had been asking for the past several weeks, ever since the worst day of her life – her birthday.

Since their argument in the glade Ebony had not seen Jay once. Elaine told her that he had come back the ranch house after Ebony had left with her parents, sisters, and the others who had come to celebrate her birthday to go to into town for dinner to celebrate her birthday, but he had not stayed long. Just long enough to gather a few belongings and tell Elaine that he would be sending for Ved as soon as he had settled himself in a new city.

The realization that Jay would not be returning did not sink in until he had been gone for several weeks and a letter from him had arrived in the post. He had sent a train ticket for Ved and a very short letter to her grandparents saying that he had found an excellent job with a company that was a subdivision of the one his parents had worked for – the Pandorax Company or something like that. Ved left on the train the next day, though he was none to pleased about it.

Ebony did not have much time to mourn over the loss of Ved (though she really didn’t miss him too horribly) because just a few short days later she received a letter of her own, only it was not from Jay. It was from her parents. That letter also contained a train ticket – a train ticket that would take her back to the city.

Ebony had not wanted to go, but her parents insisted and now, just a month and a half after her birthday, Ebony found herself on her own train speeding her further and further away from Jay with every second that passed. As the distance stretched between them she knew that the likely hood of ever seeing the handsome young man she had so easily given hear heart away to was dwindling away into nothingness.

“I will get over you, Jay Peterson.” Ebony whispered softly to herself, wiping away all traces of tears with the back of her hand. She was nearly home, just another hour or so now, and she didn’t want to look a complete mess when her family greeted her on the platform. That was if they bothered to show up.

Suddenly her mind was assaulted with memories of Jay and how he had been waiting for her at the train station six months ago, thinking that he was picking up a little girl. He had confessed to her later that the moment he had laid eyes on her he had fallen instantly in love with her, though now Ebony struggled to believe that.

“No!” She shook her head. “I will not think about him. Not now.” But Ebony found she had no willpower to force the thoughts of Jay from her mind. Instead she allowed herself to replay every moment they spent together, from their first argument to their last, their first kiss in her bedroom to the magical evening before her birthday.

The familiar ache returned to Ebony’s heart as she reached inside her jacket pocket for the one thing she could still cling to – the letter she had found slipped under her door the morning Ved left on the train to go to his brother.

It was not a letter from Jay as she had hoped, but rather Ved, and a very long one at that, well for a guy anyway. Ebony had sobbed the first time she read it, but now she had a much tighter reign on her emotions and she knew that would not be the case this time. Glancing about to make sure no one was watching she folded open the letter and began to read once again, biting her lower lip to keep her emotions in check as she did so.

Ebony,

I’ve started writing a letter like this about half a dozen times and I’ve never worked up the courage to give it to you. But now I know I have to give this to you. I leave in the morning and I feel that you have a right to know why Jay left. It’s my fault, and for that I’m sorry.

I guess when you and Jay got together I got jealous. I’m not really sure why. I guess its just a guy thing, but I didn’t want to see you two together, much less happily together. So I did my best to cause problems between you two. But nothing seemed to be working, so I asked Josh for help. That was the second biggest mistake I ever made. The biggest was listening to him

For some reason Josh had been receiving all your letters from Kevin. I guess the obsessed freak had your wrong address and they were arriving at his ranch instead of Jared and Elaine’s. Anyway, the night I told him about you and Jay he showed me the letters and we read some. It was then that we decided that Kevin was the best way to break you and Jay up.

Without going into too many details, I started to try and make Jay doubt you a bit. I know my brother and I know how he’s been hurt in the past so I knew it wouldn’t be too difficult. So then when I left that letter to you from Kevin in an obvious place for him to find I knew it was only a matter of time.

But for some reason Jay actually believed you when you told him there was nothing going on between you and Kevin, so Josh and I planned the whole birthday thing. I know it was pretty awful of me but by then it was too late. I’m really sorry Ebony. Please forgive me?

I’ll try and talk to Jay some, explain what happened. Tell him the truth about Kevin, alright? I got your home address from Elaine and I’ll write you as soon as I arrive in the city.

Again, I’m really sorry and I would completely understand if you never wanted to speak to me again, but I felt that you had a right to know.

Ved

A faint smile flitted across Ebony’s face as she quickly folded up the letter and replaced it in her coat pocket. For some reasons he couldn’t bring herself to be that angry with Ved. She felt sorry for him, sorry that he felt that he had to go to such great lengths to make sure she and Jay did not end up together.

“Well, it worked, Ved.” She murmured sadly, shaking her head as the train lurched to an abrupt stop at the next station. She could only cling to the small fragment of hope that Ved had left her with, that he would talk to Jay and tell him the truth about Kevin. And then maybe just maybe Jay would contact her, though she didn’t see how it would be possible for them to be together again. Those magical six months were gone now and she was returning home, returning to a new life and who knew what that held for her.

Ebony let her mind wander absently as several new passengers boarded the train. Most of them were young men looking to be about her age. Many of them were wearing letterman’s jackets or a jersey of some sort and it didn’t take a genius to realize they were a traveling sports team.

“Hey.” One of the athletes stopped at Ebony’s seat. He smiled down at her, his crystal clear blue eyes dancing as he spoke. “Is this seat taken?”

“No.” Ebony shook her head, feeling a smile tug at her lips as she scooted over a bit to give him some more room. “Where are you headed?”

“Wellington.” He smiled, shoving his duffle bag in the overhead compartment. “You?”

”The same.” Ebony stuck out her hand in greeting. “My name’s Ebony.”

“Bray.” He shook her hand, his lips tweaking up a bit. “Bray Fielding.”