The next morning found Jaxyn sitting in the garden at 6:00 a.m., basking in the warm sunlight and listening to the birds sing above her in the weeping willow. She had originally planned to sleep in without worrying about the next day, as is usually done on vacation, but despite not having an alarm clock she still woke with the sun. There was not much point in staying in bed so she had quickly changed and then gone outside for fresh air. You could get that in the country, fresh air.

It's so quiet, Jaxyn mused. The world is so peaceful here.

Sighing with content she got up from the stone bench and knelt in front of the pond, watching as all the little fish scurried away from her shadow. It made her laugh, thinking about all the people that were content to stay in her mother's shadow.

How different animals and humans are. But then again, we're not much better are we?

The sound of whistling startled Jaxyn out of her daze and she looked up from the water, turning her head every which way to see where the melody was coming from. There was no one in site.

Just great!

Getting up quickly Jaxyn brushed off her knees and turned to leave, bumping straight into the whistling stranger that she soon realized had ceased his musical serenade.

Are you kidding me right now? Jaxyn groaned inwardly, trying not to blush from embarrassment.

"Excuse me," the stranger said, quickly stepping to the side and nodding politely.

Jaxyn looked from the muddy work boots to the bucket in his hands and came to the conclusion that he was not a psychopath killer and was probably just out tending to the garden. Realizing how stupid she probably looked Jaxyn quickly smiled and glanced up at him, waving a dismissive hand.

"Oh no, it was my fault!" she said. "I didn't realize anyone would be out at this time."

The boy smiled rather crookedly and Jaxyn could see in his dark eyes that he was just as uncomfortable as she was. Strangely enough it was actually somewhat of a comfort.

"I came to check on the fish," he said, gesturing towards the pond. "But I can come back later."

He made a move to leave but Jaxyn quickly replied, saying, "Oh no, you go right ahead! I was just leaving." And after smiling hastily she ran back down the garden path before anything else happened, going in through the kitchen door and slamming it shut breathlessly.

Del looked up from the stove and smiled at her with a cheery, "Good morning!"

"Morning," Jaxyn breathed heavily, going over to the sink and grabbing a glass of water.

"What on earth happened? Did you run a marathon or somethin'?"

Jaxyn shook her head and continued to drain the water down, trying not to remember the little surprised squeal that came out of her mouth after bumping into the stranger. She made a scared rabbit look like a war hero.

"Ugh, why am I like this," she muttered, putting the glass in the sink and shaking her head.

"Like what?"

"Nothing...What's for breakfast?"

"Nothin'. Your mother's gon' take you out to town in half an hour. You'd best get ready," Del told her.

Looking down at her dirt stained shorts Jaxyn decided a change would probably be expected and ran back upstairs, pulling on a white t-shirt and yellow jumper. Since they would probably be walking a lot she slipped on a pair of white converse. Mrs. Dubois always went window shopping with Jaxyn a couple days into vacation, but this was the first time it happened the very morning!

I guess she wants to see Amle.

Amle was the town just down the road about a ten minute drive and although Jaxyn had heard it mentioned she was not quite sure what she imagined it to look like. It was only about forty-five minutes from the ocean so it could be a coastal town, but there were lots of farms and woods surrounding it, so Amle could also look more like your local market place.

I suppose I'll find out.

And she did. Twenty minutes later Jaxyn and her mother drove down the long driveway and into the surrounding trees, turning right once they hit the fork instead of right.

Jaxyn placed her chin in her hand and stared out the window as the trees began to thin out and a wide rolling pasture came into view. It was just like any other pasture but smack dab in the middle of it was an old European style farmhouse with a beautiful little garden surrounding it.

What on earth is that doing here?

"Isn't it beautiful?" Miss Dubois asked her daughter. "The perfect place for an artist!"

Is that the house you want to buy? Jaxyn thought, wondering who lived there.

After quickly passing by the farmhouse they were enveloped in trees once more and five minutes later they slowed to 25mph as they drove into the little town of Amle.

The main street was lined with lots of small town shops that had big front windows and looking down cross streets Jaxyn could see rows of little colorful houses, the sidewalks having old lamp posts with flower baskets hanging from them.

"Hmm, kind of shabby," Miss Dubois muttered, parking her sparkling mustang in front of a clothing store.

It was shabby, that much was true, but unlike her mother Jaxyn found it endearing, as though people actually live there and had been for a very long time. The last town they vacationed in was more like a ghost town.

Looking around Jaxyn decided that it was a mixture of both coastal and country, like the Irish fisherman and the German farmers had gotten there at the same time and decided on a compromise instead of land war.

As she got out of the car Jaxyn looked down the street and spotted a big sign with curling letters that said, 'Letterman's Bookshop'. It too had big windows and inside she could see the towering bookshelves and practically heard them calling her name.

"Let's buy you some new summer clothes, dear. That jumper is getting worn out," Miss Dubois said.

Jaxyn looked from the bookstore to the clothing shop and sighed inwardly, complying with her mother's wishes.

The boutique was a nice little place with a surprisingly large selection of summer wardrobe and even Miss Dubois nodded approvingly as she scanned through the large racks.

I wonder how they stay in business, Jaxyn thought as she fingered a high quality jacket. How many people here can actually afford these.

Jaxyn did not bother looking for clothes herself, Miss Dubois always picked the ones she wanted anyway, and every time they passed by the window Jaxyn found herself staring at the bookstore down the street, the potted flowers stretching out their colorful petals to catch the sun's rays.

Suddenly the bell on the shop door rang and someone came in carrying several large boxes, followed by a girl who laughed as the boy in front of her tripped over the entrance and just barely managed to not drop the boxes.

"You're supposed to be guiding me!" the boy said irritably.

Jaxyn quickly dove behind the rack in a moment of realizing and peaked through the dresses that hung there. It was Alex and Vin.

What on earth are they doing here? Jaxyn wondered. In one look anyone could tell they were far from being able to afford anything in that store.

"Haha, I didn't think you'd trip over nothing!" Alex replied, still chuckling.

"Ahhh, I see my things came!" the shop owner said, coming out from the counter and opening the back door for Vin and Alex.

When they disappeared into the other room Jaxyn let out a deep breath she had not realized she was holding and stood up straight, fixing her jumper that had gone wonky.

"What about this?" Miss Dubois asked, holding up a pair of white shorts and a blue blouse.

Jaxyn shrugged and her mother took it as a yes, handing the items to Jaxyn who slung them over her shoulder.

The two of them spent over an hour inside the boutique and came out with several bagfuls of clothing items, most of which Jaxyn did not care for one way or the other. Clothing shopping was something Miss Dubois indulged in every six months or so, donating both hers and Jaxyn's 'old' clothes to GoodWill or Salvation Army.

"Well wasn't that a successful day!" Miss Dubois said, quite pleased with herself. "Now Jaxyn I have some things I need to do before we leave town. Do you want to come with me or would you like to be dropped off somewhere?"

Jaxyn's heart leaped with joy at the opportunity but her face remained expressionless and she just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really care...I guess I'll just stay here. Maybe check out some shops."

"Alright. Do you have money?" Miss Dubois asked, raising her dark eyebrows in question.

Jaxyn nodded and patted the little crossbody bag she was wearing. That seemed to satisfy her mother enough and the second the mustang was out of site Jaxyn ran down the street and glanced in through the bookshop windows.

Nothing but books! She thought with excitement.

Taking a deep breath and standing up straight Jaxyn quietly stepped into the shop, holding back a squeal of pleasure as she looked at the walls lined with ceiling high bookshelves, and the rows and rows of even more bookshelves filling the whole room. Off to the right there was an old wooden cashier's desk with a lamp and bell set on top, but no one was at the desk.

Jaxyn glanced nervously out the window to see if her mother had somehow decided to come back and was relieved to see that no, she had not.

Smiling to herself Jaxyn walked down one of the long aisles and ran her fingers along the spines of the books. Most of them were fairly new, with the regular glossy covers, but the bookshelves were very old and made of heavy wood.

Walking to the end of the aisle where a horizontal bookshelf stood against the wall Jaxyn looked to the right and saw a doorway with a rounded top leading into yet another room. Simply bursting with curiosity she jogged over and looked inside.

More books!

Jaxyn walked down the couple steps and was surprised to see that the rows and rows of bookshelves here were filled with very old books, the covers either hardback or falling apart. There were so many that some had to be piled on top of others and even some stools that were scattered about had books on them.

Now in total dreamland Jaxyn walked down the side aisle in a daze, staring down the rows of books with wonder. Reaching the end she spotted a little corner, nestled between two smaller bookshelves, with an old easy chair and a coffee table and lamp. The perfect spot for reading.

"Can I help you?" a girl spoke up from behind.

Jaxyn started in surprise but quickly recovered. Turning to look at the stranger she only just managed to keep her jaw from dropping as the smiling eyes stared at her with a dazzling turquoise color.

She looks just like them! Jaxyn told herself in shock. They're everywhere!

"Is something wrong?" the girl asked, noticing the hesitation in Jaxyn's expressionless face.

"Oh!...Oh no, definitely not," Jaxyn laughed shakily. "I'm just browsing, thank you."

"Well if you need anything I'll be at the counter."

Jaxyn nodded her understanding and continued to smile until the girl had left, letting out another breath she had not realized she was holding.

"Good grief!" she muttered. "How many are there?"

After shaking her head a couple times Jaxyn went back to browsing the books. She had never seen so many old stories in one place before. Her collection for the most part were current novels that were given to her for the Holidays or for her birthday, nothing older than the 90's.

As she skimmed over the shelves a particular cover sprung out at her, the spine being decorated with what looked like hand painted flowers and when she turned her head sideways Jaxyn read the gilt words 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

"The Secret Garden..." Jaxyn murmured.

It sounded so whimsical that she could not resist pulling it off the shelf and running her hands over the painted cover. Now that she looked at it in the light Jaxyn was positive someone had done the picture themselves, a beautiful wreath of flowers surrounding the gold lettering. The background was just regular green fabric like most hardbacks and were and still are bound, but the design was too pretty to just set back on the shelf.

Turning it over Jaxyn found a little white sticker with the price written on it.

"Three dollars?" Jaxyn nearly choked in disbelief. How can this be only three dollars?

Deciding right then and there that she would never part with that book again Jaxyn tucked it under her arm and started to walk out of the room when she heard an oddly familiar voice.

"I'm looking for the second hand section," the man said.

"Everything here is second hand. Do you mean where the old books are? Just walk over there and through the opening. Is there anything particular you're looking for?"

"Yes but I don't know what it's called so I think I'll just browse. Thank you though."

Jaxyn quickly dove behind the easy chair in the corner and hugged the book to her stomach, peaking around the chair to see Mr. Connor walk down the couple steps and stop, thrusting both hands in his pockets with a loud grunt.

What on earth is he doing here? Jaxyn wondered.

"Miss Dubois you really aren't easy are you?" Mr. Connor muttered, disappearing down one of the aisles.

Miss Dubois? What did mom send him here for? Does she know I'm here?...No that doesn't make any sense.

"Ugh, why are there so many books?" Mr. Connor continued. "Who would read all these anyway?"

I would, Jaxyn thought earnestly.

She listened for a very long time as he searched through every shelf, front and back, up and down, and just when she thought she might have to camp there he reappeared by the doorway, running one hand through his now-disheveled hair with a sigh.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

As soon as he walked up the steps and disappeared Jaxyn stood up, stretching her back and arms until they felt as though they'd pop off.

"Did you find anything?"

"No unfortunately. You have quite the selection."

"Yes. We often get donations. I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for."

"Well I didn't really expect to find it. Thank you anyway."

Jaxyn waiting for the sound of the door closing before she went up to the counter to purchase the book. She watched carefully as Mr. Connor walked across the street to the cafe there and started with surprise when she saw Miss Dubois's black mustang in the parking lot.

"Three dollars, please," the girl said, startling Jaxyn out of her thoughts once more.

Quickly fumbling around in her purse for her wallet Jaxyn pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to the cashier, still wondering what Mr. Connor had been up to and exactly why was he heading to the same cafe that her mother was at?

"Thank you," the girl said, taking the money and grabbing to dollars from the old cash register. "Have you ever read this?"

"Hmm?...Oh, no," Jaxyn replied bluntly.

"Oh you'll love it. It's one of my favorites. You won't find another copy like that one either. It was hand painted almost sixty years ago by the previous owner."

"Really? I thought it might be...Thank you."

"Have a good day!" the girl waved as Jaxyn left the shop.

The book had been wrapped up and put in a paper bag but Jaxyn still thought it a little too conspicuous so she jogged back to the boutique, diving behind parked cars to make sure her mother did not spot her.

I suppose it's time for another bag, she thought dryly, stepping into the colorful boutique. I really need to learn to bring bigger bags with me.