I had just closed the front door, messenger and camera bags bumping against my hip, when I saw Mom's head poke out of the kitchen. She grinned, shaking her head at my flustered state as I caught my breath. "Morning, Lia. Early morning photography shoot?" While there was a teasing glint in her eyes, I knew her words were anything but.

She knew how seriously I took photography. I was the president of the Photography Club at school and worked part-time after school and on weekends at a photography studio. I was up before the sun most days because a new idea had taken shape in my head that just had to be captured on film.

Dad was leaning against the kitchen counter, cup of coffee in one hand and newspaper in the other. If I'd paused longer than a second to catch my breath, shooting Mom a quick nod, I think I would have noticed the silence and tension thickening the air. As it was, I threw a quick smile over my shoulder at Dad as I ran upstairs.

The sun had just barely begun to peek out from behind the trees as I'd raced inside, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief now. I still had time for a quick shower and a bite to eat before I had to be at school.

Showering and getting dressed in record time, I pulled my long, strawberry blonde hair into a tight chignon before slipping into a crimson long-sleeved T-shirt and black tights. Grey ballet flats completed my outfit; I gave myself a hasty once-over in my mirror before rushing downstairs. I grabbed an apple and a breakfast bar, yelling goodbye to my parents as I ran out the door.

Somehow, I got to school before the bell and slipped into my first class—Biology II—mere heartbeats before our teacher, Mr. Anderson, did. I took my seat beside Skye, my dearest friend and lab partner, shooting her a relieved yet anxious smile.

She grinned at me in return, whispering out of the corner of her mouth while keeping her eyes directed forward. "Hey. Early morning photography shoot?" It was word-for-word what Mom had asked me; I stuck my tongue out at her and nodded.

The rest of the day flew by—before I knew it, I was at my locker after the last class of the day. Skye followed me to her own locker, which was right next to mine. "You working tonight?" She asked, her voice momentarily muffled as she rooted through her locker.

I shoved books into my bag and closed my locker before responding. "Yeah. Matt is off on an assignment in Southeast Asia, so Eliza and I are holding down the fort for him." Matt Heschler and Eliza Blackwell were the owner and co-owner, respectively, of Dream Forever, a photography studio near my house. "I'm going to text Will after I leave here and see if he can catch an early dinner before my shift. What about you? Doing anything fun?" 

Skye groaned, shooting me a mock-tortured look. "Babysitting. Mom and Dad are both working late, so the responsibility of picking up and entertaining Dallas and Caroline falls to me this time." Her younger siblings were 11 and 13, respectively, so she and her parents had to juggle picking them up from school and babysitting at night.

I stuck out my lip in a sympathetic mock-pout. "Boo. Well, if you get bored, feel free to call me." Luckily, I had a few hours to kill before my shift tonight, so I intended to make the most of them. I planned to tackle all my homework, then text Will for an early dinner before my shift. "See you later."

As I was leaving, I grabbed my phone and texted Will. Hey. U free for dinner tonight? Got to finish hw 🙄, but have time to grab a bite before my shift. Hope to see u later.

I had just gotten home and was heading up to my room when Will's response came. Hey! Sounds great. I'm finishing practice, then I have hw, too. 😠  Meet at Le Pétale De Champagne at 5:30?

I felt a goofy grin spread across my face as quick as the blush that rose to my cheeks. Will and I had been going out for almost a year now, and I still got the clichéd butterflies in my stomach whenever we saw each other. Between my after-school job and Will's after- and before-school swim practices, it was rare that we had a free moment to say hello, never mind plan and enjoy an actual date.

Weekends were better for me, but like Skye, Will juggled babysitting his younger sister while their mom worked as a nurse at the local hospital. Sometimes I would come over to his place, and we would babysit Olivia together. Still, the opportunity to have a meal and a chance to be alone together was—unfortunately—few and far between.

I texted Will back, relieved he couldn't see my apple-red face. Perfect. C u then. 😊

Before locking my phone and setting it aside, I set an alarm for 4:30—plenty of time to complete my homework, change, freshen up, then meet Will. I pulled out my first textbook, Biology II, and opened it. When my alarm went off, I had just finished my English assignment and was scribbling in my history notebook.

Finals, not to mention both Thanksgiving and Christmas break, were approaching, so the teachers were loading us down with homework every day. I joked with Skye that I should take up weightlifting to accommodate my heavy book bag. She'd played along, even going so far as to agree to start going to the gym with me.

All joking aside, being in the Photography Club was its own kind of weightlifting. Depending on the type and model of camera you used and/or owned, it was a challenge to juggle both a book and a camera bag. I double-checked my outfit—a thick gray cardigan, skinny jeans, and ballet flats—and my makeup—a single coat of mascara, blush, and a quick swipe of lip gloss—before leaving my room.

I pulled on a plum-colored jacket as I left the house. The drive to Le Pétale never took long—twenty minutes max in bumper-to-bumper traffic, ten minutes in no traffic. When I pulled into the parking lot, I snagged a spot right next to Will's Red Bullet. He grinned at me as he got out and opened my door. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey." My voice sounded shy and small as the clichéd butterflies materialized in my stomach. Will's ocean-blue eyes locked on mine as he lowered his lips to mine.

"Hey," he said when he finally broke the kiss. "I'm so glad I caught you before your shift. We've been running ourselves ragged with work, school, finals, not to mention family; it's about time we caught a break, right?"

I smiled, nodding. "Definitely. I mean, teachers do know the definition of a break is to take time off from something, not run ourselves ragged, right? We do enough of that at school on a daily basis, thank you very much."

Will laughed as he held the door open for me. After we'd sat down and ordered our drinks, he laced my fingers with his. "You look beautiful, by the way," he whispered, his breath tickling the shell of my ear and making me shudder.

I fought to control the rising blush in my cheeks. "Thanks. You look great, too." His own outfit—a seafoam-green hoodie over a red shirt, distressed blue jeans, and matching blue Converses—was very cozy-chic. "So, how's practice going? How are Olivia and your mom?"

Will's dad had died a few years ago after a sudden heart attack. Will had immediately stepped up, transporting Olivia to and from school and babysitting when their mom had to work late. I almost always stopped by their house every day, either after school or work, even if it was just for a quick hello.

He shook his head. "Practice was intense this afternoon. Liv had her first ballet practice right after, so I had to bolt to get there on time. But it was worth it. You should have seen her, Lia. I've never seen her so happy."

I blushed at his nickname for me. "You'll have to let me know when her first recital is. I'll be in the front row with you and your mom." I loved watching Olivia dance. Even before she'd officially begun ballet classes, she'd practiced nonstop, going so far as to use her allowance to buy her own pair of pointe shoes.

Will squeezed my hand, taking a sip of water before speaking. "She'll be thrilled to hear that. What about you? You said Matt was off on an assignment in Southeast Asia, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Luckily, it hasn't been too hectic. I've really stepped up, so I know Eliza appreciates that. I'm working on finalizing and getting some shots approved for a local magazine spread. Matt contacted the editor and asked if they needed any photographs for their latest issue."

Easy, comfortable conversation flowed between us as we ate, and soon, Will was walking me back to my car. "I had a great time tonight," I said, squeezing his hand.

He kissed me on the cheek. "Me too. See you later." I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to linger—I did too—but I also couldn't and wouldn't leave Eliza in the lurch. Though we did pretty well for such a small business, neither Eliza nor I took our jobs for granted. If Matt was gone, Eliza and I stepped up. If Eliza was gone, Matt and I stepped up.

By some miracle, I managed to get through the door a heartbeat before my shift started. Eliza shot me a grateful smile. "Hey, Malia. Thanks so much for coming in tonight. I know you probably had a million other things you'd rather be doing, but Matt and I really appreciate it."

Shaking my head, I waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Will and I caught an early dinner at Le Pétale, so all in all it was the perfect end to a long, exhausting day."

Quickly falling into my routine, I got so caught up in my work that Eliza had to remind me when it was time to close. I drove home on autopilot, remembering at the last minute to go into the attic to get a camera for the Photography Club. I vaguely remembered Dad telling me he'd received one years ago, but had quickly forgotten about it.

As I climbed into the attic, boxes upon boxes greeted me. Some were side-by-side, while others were precariously stacked in a corner. I had just grabbed the camera and was making my way out of the attic when the edge of a large black and white book wedged in one of the various boxes caught my eye. The title—Unknown Paradise—was written in a large, swirling font, and a painting of a large castle was on the cover.

Along with the camera, I brought it down with me, making a mental note to look at it tomorrow. If only I'd known what was coming.