The Early Spring Novels & Stories

Leaving them there, she stepped out alone. Outside, the land was finally waking up. It was early spring, the very beginning of a long-awaited thaw following the worst, most brutal winter in recorded history. Thick, stubborn snowbanks were slowly turning to slush on the edges of the empty road where they had fought the night before, and the smell of wet earth hung heavy in the damp air. Yet, Dillon was miles away, well beyond the reach of a single spatial jump.

Chapter 28: Spring Pause The first true spring in the northern valleys arrived like a quiet fucking miracle. I am Ava, Luna of Shadowfang, and I felt it in my bones the morning the snow finally started giving up. Patches of tough green shoots shoved through the permafrost like they had something to prove. Hot springs steamed softer, no longer locked in a death match with winter. Rivers cracked open with a sound like the land itself was laughing—ice floes slamming downstream in thunderous crashes. Elk herds returned in thick waves, calves wobbling on legs still too new for the world. The air smelled of pine resin, wet earth, and that faint sweet mineral tang of stone finally thawing.

The heavy winter snows finally melted away from the high mountain slopes, giving way to the soft, warm breeze of early spring. Clear, fresh water bubbled merrily down the mountain streams, and tiny green shoots pushed their way up through the dark, rich soil. Down in the valley, the wild peach trees burst into soft pink blossoms, filling the clean air with a sweet, delicate scent.

I said. "So he could see you arrive," Alexandre said. I looked at the Paris suburbs giving way to the city. "Gerald or Theo," I said. "Both," Alexandre said. "They've synchronised on this." I looked at the window. At the Paris March afternoon — the spring that had been a suggestion in February and a commitment in March now actually arriving. The trees with their first actual green. The light different. The city doing the thing it did in spring where everything was slightly more itself.

The night before my wedding, I accidentally connected to Jonas Whitford's Bluetooth earbuds. I was about to disconnect when I heard him talking to his future self, the version of him from 10 years later. "Don't marry Elodie Chandler! "She found out the marriage license was fake. "She killed your first baby with Luna Fairweather, and then she ruined Luna's face with acid!" A chill ran through me. It felt as if a bomb had gone off in my head. The Luna he spoke of was Luna Fairweather, my best friend. Just moments earlier, she had slapped Jonas across the face because he forgot to pull out my chair. Everyone knew the two of them could not stand each other. I stared at Jonas in a daze. He

I completed my internship when someone caught me kissing my boyfriend and the director, James Porter, in the parking garage. A photo appeared in the company group chat soon after. To protect my chance at becoming a permanent employee, he denied everything in front of the entire office. "The woman in the photo isn't her. She's my childhood friend." His childhood friend stepped forward and took responsibility for the office‑romance rumor. She had one condition. James Porter had to complete 100 couple challenges with her. Once they finished all of them, she would clear our names and explain the truth. James held me in his arms and comforted me. "Baby, it's only 100 things. Once we're don

But honestly, seeing her was such a great blast from the past. I took a big breath of fresh air and let my shoes carry me over the pavement towards the park. The park was beautiful in early spring. Cold, yes. And not too much green. And it was still relatively light outside in the early evening. The scent of snow of melting winter and the expectation of spring was looming. And I wasn't cold. My nostrils flared at the teasing fragrance of flowers just beneath the surface of the gardens, set to pop out and bloom over the next month. It was peaceful here and I felt at ease. My feet carried me as my thoughts wandered.

February slipped into March almost without warning. Amberleigh decided that time really did fly when you were having fucking fun. Spring was in the air, hints of it already appearing like the pollen in the wind, as new life was just around the corner. The weather grew warmer, and nights in the safe room grew oh so hotter for the trio.

I just didn’t want to spend my time jealous of their good fortune. I switched the direction of my pacing, pausing at the window to look outside. The earliest hints of spring were touching the forest. The naked branches had turned red with their buds, and here and there, an early bloomer peaked hints of green. In another couple of weeks, everything would look like spring.

Have you ever wanted to have the ability to stop time? As the inevitability comes closer to becoming the bitter reality, have you ever wanted to be able to stop time? Yes? That's exactly how I feel. It's late March already. Spring is settling in, life seems to have awakened from the winter sleep. It's warmer, calmer, prettier. Nature's beauty is revived. Why don't I feel any calmer then?