The morning sun rolled softly across Willows Creek, casting a golden spell on everything it touched. Dew still clung gently to blades of grass, and the distant hum of bees danced with the light rustle of leaves. This was the kind of morning that made Scarlett Hayes feel like time moves slower in her part of the world—quiet, calm, beautiful.
Willows Creek was a small countryside town tucked away from the noise of modern life, a gem with a population of less than five hundred souls. The people here lived simple but fulfilling lives, mostly tending to farms, gardens, animals, and children. There was a single countryside school that served both elementary and high school students. And of course, there was Willows Community College, where Scarlett had studied fashion design—following in the creative footsteps of her late mother.
Scarlett stood just outside her modest home, taking in the morning light. Her skin shimmered under the sun, a warm, caramel hue kissed with soft gold. Her hair, a rich auburn cascade, spilled freely around her shoulders, gleaming like fire when the light caught it. Her eyes—hazel, but sometimes looking green in the sun—held a quiet confidence, playful and bold all at once. There was something about her presence, the way she moved with a kind of graceful strength, that made people stop and look.
She had been designing clothes since she was fifteen. It started with watching her mother at the sewing machine, helping her choose fabrics at the town's little craft shop, and slowly learning the feel of needles between her fingers. Her mother had taken her on little fashion-related trips—even in a small town like Willows, they'd find something, anything, to inspire creativity. Scarlett's room was now full of sketchbooks, her ideas coming to life on paper before fabric. She didn't top every class, but she had done well—more than well—and her work had started to gain attention from a few boutiques outside town.
Today was just another ordinary day, or so she thought.
She slipped on a light linen dress with a low back, exposing the soft curve of her spine to the sunlight. A smile touched her lips as a breeze curled around her, playful and familiar. She carried her sketchbook with her like always and passed through the field behind her house where animals grazed lazily. She'd planned to stop by the bookstore later—well, the small section of the community shop that held donated books—and maybe sketch a few ideas inspired by the nature around her.
But first, there was work to do. Scarlett made her way to her family's cornfield. Rows upon rows of green stalks stretched ahead, tall and proud under the morning sun. She rolled her sleeves and tucked her hair into a quick knot. Her hands moved rhythmically—tilling soil, harvesting corn, humming softly to herself. It was peaceful. This was her life, and despite its quiet, she loved it.
And then it happened.
"Scarlett!"
She froze mid-motion.
She thought she imagined it.
"Scarlett!" came the voice again—louder, more certain.
Her heart jumped, and her hand loosened around the corn she'd just plucked. She turned slowly, as though time had thickened around her. Her breath caught, her eyes widened.
There she stood.
"Sadie?" Scarlett whispered, stunned.
It was her childhood best friend, the girl who had been her shadow through their early years, the one who had left Willows Creek during ninth grade and disappeared to Vanguard City without so much as a real goodbye.
Sadie looked different but familiar all at once—taller, sleeker, dressed in city clothes that clashed with the earthiness of Willows Creek, but her smile... that smile hadn't changed a bit.
Scarlett blinked rapidly, her lips parting in disbelief. "Oh my God... Sadie?!"
Sadie laughed and broke into a run, arms open wide, kicking up dirt as she dashed toward her.
Scarlett dropped the corn she held and rushed to meet her, and they collided in the middle of the field in a squeal of joy and disbelief.
"Is this real?" Scarlett gasped, pulling back slightly to look at her face.
"As real as your cornfield!" Sadie grinned, breathless and glowing.
They laughed. Oh, how they laughed—like no time had passed.
The golden glow of Willows Creek wrapped around them, and for a moment, everything felt like home again. What Scarlett didn't know was that this surprise visit would be the spark that would soon lead her away from these fields, from these sketchbooks and quiet routines—into a world far beyond the cornfields of home.
But not today.
Today, she had her best friend back.
And that was everything.