Chapter 1
Tara was alone. She was always alone. Even in the crowded coffee shop, where people hustled and bustled, bumping into each other and banging elbows.
No one bothered to learn Tara’s name in Sunnydale, even her classmates at university. She couldn’t decide if this was worse than it was at home, where her father controlled everything, from the clothes she wore to the books she read.
They would be shocked to see Tara now, the hair she had been forbidden to cut was much shorter than they would have approved of, she was clothed in bright silks, crystals were draped around her neck and fingers.
She stared blankly at the white page of her notebook in front of her. The side of her hand was unusually clean, it was more commonly stained with ink from scribbling away.
“Is everything ok Tasha?” Asked Oz, who even hearing her order her usual Earl Grey tea couldn’t get her name right.
“Um, yeah…” Tara trailed off when she noticed Oz had stopped listening, head turned to see who had just walked in the door. Tara looked too and that was when she saw her.
A girl with bright orange hair stood in the doorway. Her grin lit up the entire room and the twinkle in her eyes was so full of life. Tara knew instantly that this girl would be important to her. She didn’t quite know how but she was certain it would become clear eventually.
Oz walked over to her and the girl kissed him. This action shocked Tara straight back to earth.
“How was school Willow?” Asked Oz, his arm draped lazily over the girl’s shoulder.
Willow.
Her name was Willow. Of course it was, Tara thought to herself, what other name could she possibly have had. Just the name reminded her of the smell of her mother’s candles burning and old books, freshly washed wool sweaters and the air in spring.
Willow and Oz continued to talk while he made her a hot chocolate, steaming with a faint scent of cinnamon. When Oz bent down to get the soy milk from the fridge Willow smiled shyly at Tara, who realised she had been staring at Willow since she walked in.
Tara’s cheeks flushed a gentle crimson and she quickly looked down at her blank page again. She reached for her pen but knocked it off her table. Not wanting to look up, she bent down to the ground to get it. Willow was also bent down on the ground, Tara’s pen was held in her extended hand.
They both stood back up, Tara banging her head slightly on the table, embarrassing herself. Willow laughed, but it wasn’t a cruel laugh, it was loving.
“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Willow asked Tara.