Prologue

Skylar

"Mama, when can I go and play with Ebony?" I ask again, hopping around impatiently. "I ate and brushed my teeth and got dressed. I even helped Daddy dress the babies!"

Mama sighs softly and shakes her head. "Soon, little Sky, soon." She pats the top of my head. "Zoey says she's getting ready for the day now. It's not proper to barge in when a lady is getting dressed."

I groan and sigh. Why do girls always take so long to get ready? Just throw on some clothes and go, go, go! That's what I do!

'Patience, Skylar.' That voice tells me. 'If she did that, then she wouldn't be as pretty as she normally is. We both like seeing her pretty, right?'

My face starts to burn, and Mama looks down at me. "Oh, my little Sky and his cute little crush." She ruffles my hair, and I let out a small protest. "You're so adorable when you're embarrassed."

I huff and shake my head. "You're a meanie, Mama." With that, I spin away and run outside. Mama calls for me, but I just keep running. If she won't take me over there, then I'll go by myself!

It's so unfair! Why can't any of the grown-ups understand? They're so weird and stupid! They tell me to wait for them and then take forever, and then make fun of me all at once!

As I stop in front of Ebony's house, I let out a small huff. Why does everyone call it a crush anyway? That's so childish! It's all just foolish adult nonsense! She's the same to me as Mama is to Daddy, and that's all there is to it!

'That's right, Skylar.' That voice whispers in my head. 'Ebony belongs to us. Never forget that, and always protect her. She's very precious to us. She's ours and no one else's.'

Well, duh! I already know that! Ebony is my bestest friend ever, and I'll never let anyone else have her! The voice sighs in my head but says nothing more, and I can't help but frown. Why does it sound disappointed?

Shaking the thoughts away, I walk over and knock on the door. I can't wait to play with Ebony today! Will we play tag? Hide and seek? I feel like hopping around in excitement! I'm so hyper! I hope it doesn't scare her again!

I perk up when the door opens and I see Ebony's mama at the door. Zoey looks so much like my best friend, though people say she's very scary. I don't see it, though! She's always smiling around me and Ebony!

"Hello there. It's a bit early, as Ebony is still getting dried off and dressed, but you can come on in and wait." Zoey smiles down at me and lets me inside. "Don't go up and see her yet, though! It's improper for a boy to barge in on a girl getting ready for the day."

My face burns once more. "I—I wasn't going to do that!" I stammer and scurry over to their couch. Yet another weird adult! Do they all just enjoy embarrassing me? Hearing Zoey chuckle answers my question, and I huff under my breath.

I sit in silence for a while, though I'm squirmy from all the energy I have. I blame the yummy syrup and jelly from my pancakes! Why is she taking so long? Mama always takes a long time too. Is it a girl thing?

I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and turn around on the couch to look back. I grin happily and wave. "Hi, Ebony!" She jumps slightly and looks at me with wide black eyes. "I've been waiting forever! Did you eat already? I wanna play!"

Ebony's face turns pink, making her even cuter than normal. She tucks some black hair behind her ears and nods. "I-I already ate... sorry for taking so long... I couldn't decide what to wear." She whispers while playing with her hands.

Zoey must have done her hair, as it's styled in two loose front braids. It's always so pretty in the moonlight, as it has a purple hue. She also has a purple shirt on along with a pair of black overalls and some purple sneakers. She looks so ready for a day of endless fun!

I start to say something to compliment her appearance when Zoey chuckles yet again. "Don't scare my pup too much now." She pats the top of Ebony's head and smiles at me. "You two take care now. Don't go into the woods by yourselves, though. Stay around here."

I nod and puff up my cheeks. "Of course! I will never let any meanies get their icky hands on my Ebony!" I say firmly and walk over. I take Ebony's hand and grin. "Let's go!"

Ebony stumbles after me but never complains. A small smile forms on her face, and she giggles as she too is very excited. She may be very shy, but she's also just as much of a hyper kid as me!

'We must protect her with everything we have,' that voice whispers in my mind. Nothing bad should ever come her way. 'She deserves everything, and we must give it to her.'

I already know that! As I shout this in my mind, Ebony tugs at me. "Y-you okay?" I look back at her and tilt my head. "Y-you just looked far away... that's all."

I shake my head and flash her a cheerful grin. "No need to worry! I'm perfectly fine." I then let go of her hand and tap her shoulder. "Tag! You're it!" With that, I take off, making Ebony cry out her complaint before chasing after me.

Nothing like a nice game of tag with my bestest friend to start the day! No weird adult thoughts today! A life of fun is ahead of us, and I know I will enjoy spending it with Ebony!