The next day we all wake up and sit around the table as if nothing ever happened last night. My pa sits at the end of the table drinking his hot black coffee with only one spoon full of sugar. Already in his flannel shirt and overalls ready to get out the door and to the shop to work. My ma helps feed the little ones and Ember sits across from me, trying to avoid making eye contact. I want to say something but I know better; I should just mind my own business. After breakfast I help my ma clean up the dishes and then go outside to see what Finn and Briar are doing. Of course they are playing in the small creek. Finn is almost six now and always causing some kind of chaos with Briar. Of course she will do anything that he tells her to do, but why wouldn't she follow his lead. I am sure Ember is with pa. He will be leaving in a little while to go into the small town to where our shop is located.

My parents have owned this little shop in the tourist town for as long as I can remember. They sell all the blown glass that my papa makes. Ember does some really good pieces as well. I rarely get to go into town; pa says he has his reasons why my two younger siblings and I should stay home away from others. If I really had to guess it had something to do with all the tourist people, not to mention all the young men that might sweep me off my feet. Yeah, right like anyone would even want anything to do with me.

I'm standing in the creek barefooted with Finn and Briar when I hear the barn door open. My pa and Ember walk out with a few boxes in their hands. Ember is a spitting image of our pa however with darker skin. We all got ma's great skin tone. I watch as they load up the pickup truck. I quickly make my way out of the stream and run over to them. "Can I help?" I already know the answer but I ask anyway.

"No sweetheart we got this." This is what he always tells me. When will he see that I can in fact handle things? I am not some little kid. I push out my bottom lip and pout. I know he can't stand it when I do that but frankly I am just disappointed that he won't let me do anything. "Aura please, go get your siblings and take them to do their studies."

Its summertime and he wants us to still study. Since my mother is Cherokee, they insist that we learn and study the language. Not only that, but also study about our heritage. They feel that it is very important for our growth. The funny thing though is we rarely ever even visit the reservation. I think it has something to do with my father because he is not Cherokee and therefore my siblings and I are only half Cherokee. I remember once when I was little, we had gone to visit Eduda and Elisi, or in English as my father says stands for grandfather and grandmother. Elisi was so happy to see ma and us kids but now Eduda was another story. He had a few words with ma that day. Anyway, long story short, we usually just stay on our land that was handed down on my pa's side. So, you see I just don't understand why he insists of us learning the language.

I shrug my shoulders with disappointment and walk away to go find them. I would love to stand here and argue my way into helping but it is pointless. Besides by the way he keeps looking at me, he is still upset with me for being out in the barn last night. I saw something that I wasn't supposed to see. I was never meant to see the men in black. A part of me wonders what would have happened if they had saw me. Would they have hurt my pa or would they have done something to me. I try to shake off all the bad thoughts. I walk around the house to find the two of them playing under the big oak tree covered head to toe in dirt.

"You got to be kidding me. You two haven't even been out here ten minutes and you are already dirty. Ma is not going to be happy about that you know."

The two of them continue to laugh and run around as I try to chase them back into the house. I was hoping to have them cleaned up before ma sees them but that for sure doesn't happen. I hear the broom smack against the doorframe to the back door as it echoes through the valley. The three of us stop dead in our tracks and look down at the ground.

"What is going on out here? You three are not little hoodlums so stop acting like it!"

I glare at the two of them as they look down and attempt to laugh under their breath. "You two stop it now. Get on inside and get cleaned up." I motion for them to go inside. However, ma stops us in our tracks.

"Oh no you don't, you are not messing up my kitchen floor. Now it's a nice hot summer day, Aura take them down to the creek and ya'll get all cleaned off."

"Pa wants me to study with them," I reply.

"And you will once you get them all cleaned up." She steps off the steps into the grass and shoos us away with the broom. My ma has darker skin than all of us and even though her hair is so black in shines when the sun hits it just right. I have rarely seen my ma with her hair all the way down, usually she always has it in braids. Every now and then she will braid my hair and little Briar is just now getting hair to her shoulders. I watch her stand her ground on the steps and there is no way she is letting one of us in.

I yell at the two of them, "Come on ya'll guess you get to play in the creek for a little bit." Luckily, they both take off down to the creek. Maybe this was the whole plan after all just to get out of studying. "Ya'll do know once we get back, we got to study right, pa said so."

"Awe, Aura you know we don't like it. Its summer for crying out loud," Finn whines.

Little Briar imitates him while making a silly face, "Yeah for crying out loud." I try not to laugh as she places both of her hands on her hips and does this little shake.

"Believe me I don't like it either. I would rather be in town or exploring, doing anything other than watching the two of you." I take a hand full of water and splash them. "After all its summer for crying out loud." I laugh with them and we all join in splashing each other. I let them play for a little longer than they should before dragging them back to the house. Thankfully pa is still out in the barn, so I don't get scolded by him for taking so long.

We take two hours to read and write in Cherokee. I try to drag it out as much as possible, letting the day tick away. I take my sweet time only so that maybe we could get out of all the chores. However, after we eat lunch ma gives us plenty of chores to keep us busy the rest of the day.

I'm in the middle of picking weeds out of the garden when pa comes over. "I have a box of supplies that I need to get to your brother. Do you think you can go straight there and drop them off to him and come right back?"

My eyes light up with excitement. I won't lie I was overly excited to be able to go into town even if it was just a trip there and back. "Of course, I can. Thanks for letting me help out," I start to beam but then form a straight smile when he gives me that look.

"Now don't get overly excited young lady. I want you to go straight there and back. I know how much time it will take. Don't bother looking around and getting into trouble and don't nag your brother to stay. I mean it Aura you come straight back."

"Pa what about parking and traffic and you know it might take a little longer."

"I know it might; I will factor that in. Now come on you need to be getting gone now. I have the box already in the back of the truck." He walks me over to the truck and hands me the keys.

As I grab them from him, he stares into my eyes. I know what he is thinking without even having to say another word. I reach up and kiss his cheek. "Thanks, pa for letting me help. I promise I will go straight there give the box to Ember and will come straight back home."

I got into the old truck as he shuts the door for me and winked. As I started the ignition, I looked back over at him and waved. The ride to the little town was amazing, even though it was very hot and muggy outside. The old truck did not have air, so the windows were down and the dry air blew all around me. I played with the radio hoping to get a good signal but in these parts of the mountains the signals are pathetic. I did manage to find an old country station, so it was either that or nothing at all.

The little town is a good thirty minutes away. As I pull up to the one red light they have, I look around and notice all the out of state cars. Its summertime and boy do people like to go on vacation. I can't ever remember a time we went anywhere. My mother always said home is where the heart is, there's no reason to go anywhere but home. And my pa, well he doesn't ever have the time to go anywhere do to the fact that he always has to work to support our family. I look around at a family coming out of the one little shop and they are all smiling and laughing. The little girl is holding a beaded purse while her brother about the same age has on an Indian feathered headdress. They all walk over to the little bear fountain and take a family photo in front of it. I shake my head and notice the light has finally turned green.

The streets are covered with cars, so I have to go to the back side of the one row of shops to park. As I get out, I notice some boys around my age maybe a little older leaning up against one of the trucks. I try not to stare too much, hoping that they might not even see me. I jump out of the truck and since I am not that tall, I have to climb into the back and grab the box. I have one leg already on the back bumper and was just about to get my other leg over the tailgate when I hear someone behind me.

"Hi there little lady, do you need some help?" I knew right off that he was not from these parts and he had the fakest country accent that I have ever heard. I almost fell because I was trying not to laugh. Suddenly I felt hands on my backside as my body starts to wobble. "Whoa there darling, you gonna hurt yourself."

Once both of my feet where firmly on the ground, I looked up at him. "Thank you but I got this." However when our eyes meet, I nearly freeze in my tracks. He had this glow to his skin where he might have been in the sun for just the right amount of time. His hair was a dark brown and looked so soft and the wind blew it across his eyes. Those eyes of his, is what stopped me in my tracks, they were the bluest of blues that I have ever seen. I inhale and quickly glance away.

His friends started to laugh and were making a few slur comments that I had to overlook. I heard about boys from out of town coming here and sweet talking the girls. It has never happened to me before but I have heard the girls at school talk. Boys that like to make promises only to leave a week or two later taking part of her heart with them. Oh, that was not going to happen to me. Besides I had one mission; and that was to drop the box off and go straight back home. I hugged the box closer to me, not wanting anything to happen to it. However, as I started to walk off, I tripped and the box came crashing down spilling the contents. I looked over the fact that I scraped my knees right along with my left elbow on the hard pavement. Instead, I was trying to gather up the few glass figurines and bottles, praying that none of them shattered. My hand went towards one, and his hand softly covered mine in the attempt to help me yet again. I swear I felt a chill go up my arm and throughout my whole body just by that one simple soft touch. Never had I had a boy other than my brother or pa to touch my hand. He must have sensed something because he quickly let go.

I kept my head low and my eyes to the gravel pavement hoping he would just go away but I was wrong. When I looked up, he was still there and holding another glass piece for me to grab from him. "These are beautiful; did you make them?"

"Not these. My pa made them. They are to sell at the shop across the way."

"Would you like me to carry the box for you then?" he offered with this little grin on his face.

I quickly shook my head no, "That will not be necessary. I can manage on my own but thank you." I stood up rather fast and started to walk off not knowing what else to say. I felt my face heat up and I wasn't sure if it was from the actual heat or was I actually blushing with embarrassment.