Dear Diary,

After an hour's drive, I've finally gotten home. It's always a relief to come back from school each summer. Don't get me wrong, I love boarding school, but it's nice to be home, and to have complete freedom to waste my time as I please.

Sadly, my attempts at ditching my twin brother at school failed miserably. And what's worse is that Matt somehow conned Dad into bringing Tyler home with us early :(

Looks like I have some long weeks ahead of me. Hopefully, I can survive until my backup arrives in a few days. I better unpack before dinner. As always I'll keep you posted.

~Maddie

I had collapsed on my bed instead of unpacking though. It was so good to be back in my bed, in my room. I just stared up at my "Maiden Voyage" blue ceiling through the hangings on my bed. Being back here reminded me so much of my mother. Around every corner, there were memories of her. Just like this room. I remember how she loved this bed. Of course, I, being the tomboy I am, originally refused it saying that it was 'way too feminine' with its carved wooden posts and silky drapery. But I have since come to...appreciate the privacy it provides. Course I would never admit that out loud. But that doesn't matter anymore because I lost my mom when I was nine years old; which is actually why I started a diary in the first place.

I abruptly got up and decided to get an early start on my garden. I still had a good two hours before dinner, and I knew I couldn't stay in my room much longer if I wanted to avoid a complete mental breakdown.

I felt better when I was outside in the fresh air. My garden was a sizable expanse extending off the left side of the house. Due to its abandonment over the last ten months, it was more like a mess of weeds than a garden though.

As my luck would have it Tyler just happened to be sitting and staring absentmindedly at the shrubs. Watching the grass grow, I guess. I just ignored him and proceeded to the storage shed to get a shovel like I hadn't even seen him, which was entirely possible given his location and the dim lighting provided by the sun.

But as I started working, it felt increasingly awkward. I could feel him watching me. The hairs on the back of my neck were telling me with unwavering certainty. I decided I needed to say something. I wasn't ready to go back to the memories in the house, and it was my garden after all. If anyone should feel at peace here it should be me, right? The sound of my shoveling stopped and was replaced by my voice.

"You want to help, or are you just going to stare?"

"I think I'll stare thanks," was his reply.

I couldn't believe it; he was laughing. Man, what a jerk. I went back to my shoveling but moved further away. The light was lower now, and even if he had perfect vision he wouldn't be able to see me all so well.

After another half hour of pulling up weeds, I needed a break. I leaned up against a nearby tree and just watched the clouds in the sky. It was so peaceful in the warm evening and the light of the setting sun. I think I might just take a bit of a nap.

I was dozing off when the sound of footsteps woke me up. I peered around my tree to see Tyler standing just a few feet away.

Wes Tyler reluctantly turned away from her resisting the urge to sit beside her and watch the sunset. To explain his approach he retrieved the discarded shovel and continued where she'd had left off on the crop of weeds. She had invited him after all, but the real reason was that he needed to do something to get his mind off of...things, and in the past hard labor had always worked well.

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