Love Never Has an Easy Target

Taken and revised from my ongoing story, "The Diamond Pendant."

Robert pulled into the Ramels' driveway. It was all ready dark at seven o' clock, but even the bittersweet Los Angeles air could not hide the fact that something was wrong. Mandy quickly climbed out of the 1994 Honda Sedan grabbing her imitation snake skin purse and a plastic bag full of goodies to warm a girl's broken heart. David shut the door behind her shortly after she stepped out onto the blacktop. “Your boyfriend's not here,” Dave joked.

“Shut up,” Mandy spat back. It was weird not seeing Matt and Scott shooting hoops and pushing each other over next to the garage door to the cute, extended one story house. Stranger yet was not seeing the house lit up with the elegant, modern lamps that felt so professional but so at home.

“Do what you have to do,” Rob told Mandy, gently reassuring her with a friendly touch on her arm.

Mandy led the three to the memorable front door where Pain and Happiness revealed themselves to her. She rang the familiar doorbell and hoped that Carri was not too drowned in her sadness to ignore her best friends. Only a few seconds passed until Mandy saw Carri open the door. One look gave her the clue that something was disturbing her sister that she never had, but wish she did. Carri threw her arms around Mandy and sobbed. “I really need someone to help me with my History homework,” Carri said.

Mandy looked at her friend with a knowing smile that hinted that the guys would never know what pain truly lingered in her heart. Mandy let a single tear slide down her cheek.

“Come in. You guys know you're welcome here anytime. You're my family,” Carri said to the group, leading them into the living room.

“We saw that you were looking kinda sad today, so we thought we should come over and see what's up,” Rob explained.

“Really?” Carri let admiration fill her cheeks.

“It was all my idea,” Mandy whispered in Carri's ear with their arms wrapped in each other's for a brief moment.

“How does peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches with Mountain Dew to wash them down sound? Then we could watch either 'Pirates of the Caribbean' or one of those old Bond movies you like,” Mandy suggested.

Carri smiled. “Thanks, Mandy. You are awesome.” Carri hugged her friend once more before sitting on the chair perpendicular to the couch where the boys lounged.

“No problem.” Mandy placed her plastic bag of supplies on the kitchen counter. Mandy was glad that Carri's parents liked places that felt very “open”. None of the rooms had doors except for the bedrooms and the bathrooms. “So, where'd you get that necklace?” Mandy asked and opened up the two plastic jars and retrieved a butter knife.

“My grandma. Yesterday was my family birthday 'party',” Carri answered.

“Your grandma Aunica?” Mandy finished her first sandwich and set it aside.

“Yeah.”

“Yo, where's my food?” Dave asked obnoxiously, walking towards the counter.

“Here,” Mandy said, finishing the second sandwich. “Give the other one to Rob.”

Dave took the sandwiches and walked back to the couch, satisfied.

“Hey, man. Turn this song up, it's good.” Rob said.

“You should do it yourself,” Dave argued, but increased the volume a little on the iPod on the coffee table that rested idly in the middle of the room.

Carri pulled a DVD out of the cabinet that held up the television. “How about this?”

“'Die Another Day'.” Dave looked at the cover and shrugged. “At least the title's accurate. Let's watch it.”

“Sounds good.” Rob placed his opinion.

Mandy walked into the living room with the other sandwiches, handing one to Carri and sat next to Rob on the couch. “OK. Worst Bond movie ever, but....”

“Just go with it,” Rob said, sounding a bit annoyed.

The group watched the movie and enjoyed their time together. Towards the end of the movie, Carri and Rob somehow found themselves sharing the chair. Rob woke Carri as the movie concluded and told her what had happened. She laughed. “I'm going to try to go to bed, then.”

“We'll take care of everything,” Rob said. “Good night.”

Carri waved. Mandy had all ready began ejecting the DVD and taking care of the television settings, feeling better, but could tell that something still wasn't right.

~

“Next thing I knew, I heard Carri's voice and woke up,” Mandy explained and shrugged. “Somehow I ended up here.”

Sétto had listened intently to Mandy's story and nodded, not quite sure what to make of it. How Sétto had managed to take his mind off of this beautiful young girl's eyes long enough to here her story was a miracle to him. “There was a legend that my people, the Danalians, told generation through generation. The goddess who breathed life into the Immortals created a pendant, a diamond pendant, that would protect our world and our people. Do you think that it could be the same one?” Sétto asked, in an attempt to converse with her as much as possible.

“I don't know. Could be.”

Nervousness hit Mandy and she bit her lip and stood up from the soft, green grass and looked out further into the field. “I should probably get back to... this.” She gestured with her bow.

“Yeah. I'm probably needed. To help Dave and Rob,” Sétto said, quickly.

Mandy nodded, holding a front tooth over her bottom lip and turned away, though it pained her. I must've sounded so stupid to him, she raged internally. Anger over her stupidity caused her to make foolish mistakes with her shooting, which let the hate for herself grow. Trying to love someone you can't be with is the worst thing anyone can do. Why am I even trying?

~

The next day:

The hours before the meeting were tense, the minutes before were even worse. The four teens sat at the same place where a great feast had taken place just a couple days ago after they had found themselves in Eramid. Gondel, the ruler of Della, sat at the head of the table with his sons, Danel, the prince, and Adotto, who was adopted. Mandy often caught Carri looking at Danel, who's strange beauty and delicate face captivated much of Carri's attention. Sétto, Xer, and Manáh, were also there, to Mandy's interest. Sétto smiled at her as they shared a mental “hello” with their eyes. Mandy caught Xer taking in frequent glances at Carri and smirked, though feeling slightly disappointed. As usual, Mandy thought, Carri gets all of the attention. Guards stood at the doors, letting no one else in. Mandy felt like a prisoner in the Hall, and the stillness presented an uneasy feeling among everyone. Finally, Danel stood. “It is time for us to make a decision. This young lady,” he gestured to Carri, “possesses the greatest gift that the gods could ever give us, the Diamond Pendant. Because of the pendant, however, Karáh has taken over much of Eramid looking for the Diamond to rule the world, and very likely even the gods. The gods have finally heard our pleas of mercy and have sent us what appears to be the last Daughter who has not yet taken herself into the heavens. Karáh can now only be defeated if we use this pendant to fight his evil and take back what lands belong to us.”

Danel sat back down again and looked at his father. Mandy had heard all of this before, but hearing it again made it seem so much more threatening. After a pause without hearing from the seemingly ageless king, Adotto spoke. “Carri has the power to do more than that, but she will need the assistance of someone who knows Karáh, and can predict every move he makes, like myself and my brother. We are here to discuss more than what we all ready know, as I'm sure you've assumed. We must go with Carri and protect her.”

No one said anything. Accepting and acknowledged looks were in the eyes of everyone. “You are all trained, but I do not know how qualified you young men and woman are to go with Carri,” Adotto said.

“We can assist Carri in this journey,” Dave protested. “Obviously, we won't be the only ones going. We don't know what to do, how to get there; we grew up in a city where walking is an option, and no one rides a horse. We can do whatever you guys can do.”

Only Dave, Mandy thought.

“The boy might be out of turn, but he speaks the truth,” Sétto said. “Fighting to the last survivor is all that we can do.”

Carri sank lower in her seat, her face as long as the table they sat at. Mandy could tell that she hated every word that came out of their mouths. “Say something,” Mandy mouthed to Carri, urging her to stand up for herself. If the girl's supposed to be the savior of a whole world, she better start learning how to stand up for herself, Mandy thought.

“I will go,” Carri said, standing, “and I'll fight if I need to.”

The others were silent as they looked at her, shocked by her mild burst of anger. The emptiness of the lack of sound stunned Mandy. Not exactly what you should've said.... “Just because I'm a girl I can't fight? Is that what you think?” Carri asked.

“What troubles us,” Gondel stood, looking at Carri firmly who took the hint to sit down, “is that the magic that is within the Diamond is strong. You need to learn more of it before you can use it safely. Further your training here, where you are safe, and in a few months you may have the power to destroy Karáh, but until then, it is unsafe.”

“In a few months, Karáh's conquests could wipe out all of us,” Sétto said. “We may all be dead, Carri captured, and the Diamond in his possession.”

“Maybe a war is what we need,” Mandy said. “Cutting off Karáh's servants could be the key to his destruction. He would have no followers, and even if he forced others to fight for him, you can look at any army that was forced to fight for a king and realize that the chances of them succeeding were less likely from the start.” Mandy realized she was standing and sounding rash, and slowly spoke. “That is... if you buy the God, Queen, and Country theory.”

“Yes, you're right,” Sétto agreed. “That is, if I understand your idea as well as I believe.”

Mandy smiled and sat down again, glad that Sétto stood beside her.

“I thought you were a pacifist, Mandy,” Carri said.

Mandy glanced at her, she and Carri both knowing that she still carried the weight of the deaths of some of her family who died in warfare.

“We can't stay here, I think that we agree on that,” Dave said. “Facing Karáh's warriors head on would be a hard battle, but it could be done.”

“But you cannot forget the alternative to the war would be captivity or death,” Sétto responded.

“Fighting is all we can do,” Rob said. “Even if it's not physically. We have Carri, and she carries the ultimate weapon. We have a good chance of victory. We should go and achieve our one common goal, retrieving the lands that the people lost.”

Gondel smiled at Rob. “That is the best decision. With that in mind,” Gondel rose once more, “the meeting is concluded.”

Everyone was unsure in their stances, but one thing they knew was definite, no one could prevent the danger that laid ahead of them.

~

Mandy inhaled deeply into her lungs. Her back straight, her arms poised and prepared to fire. Her sweaty palms worked hard to keep her bow steady. Everything else around her was a blur. The only thing she saw was the makeshift target in front of her. She waited for a moment, triple-checking every position that every part of her body was in. She finally forced her fingers to release the arrow. Everything around her seemed to be in slow motion until....
"Oooh...." Mandy let out every ounce of oxygen in her lungs, allowing her respiratory system to continue its normal functions.
The arrow had landed on the line directly between the smallest ring and the center.
The wind picked up the scent of the soft grass beneath her feet. A sport that would normally calm her stressed her more than what felt like anything else ever had before.
Sétto treaded the grass gently, glad that he had a chance to talk to Mandy alone. "That was good," he reassured Mandy, making sure that his voice sounded smooth and sweet to a young lady's ears.
Mandy turned around, seeing him. He was the oldest son of one of the most respected scholars of Danal, maybe even of all Eramid.
"Thanks," she said a bit too shortly. Mandy walked briskly towards the target.
Sétto followed her, begging mentally for her attention. "I have seen others shoot before, but there is no man that could ever come near to your ability. Or woman."
Mandy pushed away his compliment and pulled out the arrow with significant force.
"I hope that you are happy that I will be leading you and Robert in your travels."
Mandy continued to ignore him and headed back to the "Womawoa-Della", otherwise known as the wooded castle of Della.
"I, I want you to know that-"
"Look," Mandy turned to Sétto as sharply and quickly as she said the one syllable word that made him sense her strength and defiance. "I don't know why I'm here, I just met you a few days ago. I don't want some old creep to take me anywhere, even if that is the only way home. So, why don't you go tell your precious immortal king that?"
Mandy had not taken three stomps before Sétto's strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. His once soft eyes and timid presence had changed to a demanding and outspoken demeanor.
"Listen, my job is to protect you. I don't need for you to be my friend, but what I expect from you is respect. And I may have only known you for three days, but I know that I respect you very much. And I love you."
She stared into his furious, light blue eyes shocked. She could not even think of words to respond to. His grip released her arm quickly, but her arm remained in the same position. She could barely breathe, let alone move.
"I have said too much. Excuse me," Sétto rushed his words, though every syllable seemed longer than the one before to Mandy.
He tried appearing to Mandy that he had a storm in this heart, but failed. The only thing that Mandy saw was a desperate, but sweet twenty-eight year old man who took her breath away more than anyone ever had or could do.
~~
Three days later:
Mandy had finished packing her belongings, preparing to leave in a couple hours with Rob and Sétto, when a bird had interrupted the peace around her. She walked from her bed to the frameless open window, her bare feet delighting in the cool of the smooth stone beneath. Her hand extended out towards the curious sparrow. With a tilt of its tiny head, and a farewell chirp, the bird flew away from Womawoa-Della. She breathed in the fresh air; its once renewing scent now dull and boring. She sighed acceptingly.
The gods had done well when they constructed Della. They were the children of Zeus who had begged their father to create a world of their own to govern. Their wish was granted, and thus Eramid was brought to life. The Immortals that inhabited Eramid were the making of Erana, the granddaughter of Zeus, who wanted people who were of her likeness to tell the mortals of their legend and teach them about the world and how to take care of each other and the world so that there would be no conflict like the world that her grandfather had ruled.
While the Immortals and mortals had dwelled in Eramid, the gods no longer walked the earth. They took themselves up into the heavens and were never seen again by the existing peoples of the world.
Erana's cousin Mijea knew that there would be an Immortal who would betray the world in an attempt to gain global control. Erana as a result forged a Diamond that when in the hands of a righteous Immortal could be used to save the world when the time arose. If it was in the power of a dark heart, the results of Diamond could be catastrophic. The gods each put a power in the Diamond that would be in the owner's ability to discover and use. Zeus had even placed the gift of foresight into the Diamond.
Erana gave the Diamond to her daughter Aunica to keep it safe until she found the human from Earth who would be chosen to bring what would be a nearly destroyed world to restoration once again. Aunica left her mother and entered the Earth realm and fell in love with a young man who eventually asked her for her hand in marriage and gave birth to Jane Rais. (Aunica's price for marrying the human was mortality, which Aunica accepted, knowing that the price was well worth the saving of Eramid.) Jane Rais in turn was married and had a girl as well; Carri Ramel.
Aunica and her mother agreed that Carri was the one who would be the savior.
Sétto knocked on the open door, shaking Mandy back to harsh reality. "How are you feeling?" His gentle voice filled the blankness in the room as Mandy put on her best pretend smile.
"I'm fine. My best friend is practically being sent to her death and I'm not even allowed to have a chance to die with her." Mandy begged her soul to swallow tears.
"You should not fear for Carri. The Diamond gives her the strength of the Hidden Immortals who have now left to spend the rest of their eternal lives with their ancestors. Most importantly, it will keep her alive."
Mandy walked towards Sétto, still resilient to show her anger and depression. She stared into his eyes the way she had the moment she discovered his love for her. She had hoped to find an answer in them, but saw only herself in this man who had been preparing his whole life for the chance to destroy the enemy, as his fathers had done. She looked past him, internally admitting emotional defeat. Tears found her once again. "You're right." She touched his eyes with hers once more, a single tear gliding down her cheek. "But I'm afraid."
Sétto gently touched her back and gestured to the bench that rested at the end of her bed. As they sat together, his strong hands held her face, searching her eyes as she had. "Why are you so worried?"
"For ten years, Carri and I have been inseparable. Everything good was given to her and she shared her happiness with me, but she couldn't share the items. She couldn't share her great family, her popularity, her guys. My brother and father are both dead. I don't have a lot of friends. And the only person I ever loved denied me and dated Carri."
"But now you are here, in Eramid," Sétto's hands had moved to her upper arms, a movement that Mandy had not noticed due to her emotion. "You no longer need to think about the troubles of your old world. You are a major part to an adventure that has all ready begun. Be proud."
"I'm still only second best." Mandy's voice could not raise higher than a whisper.
"You are far from that."
Mandy hated feeling this weak, this defenseless. She walked again to the open window, resting her arms on the sill, leaning, hoping to feel the magic of the spring air. "I'm a mistake, Sétto. I'm not meant to be here."
Sétto joined her, looking out into the wooded, unknown peril ahead of them. "The gods of this world make no mistakes, Mandy. We may make mistakes, but never are we the mistake."
"How are we, Rob and David and Carri and me, supposed to destroy an ancient evil and save the world?"
Sétto smiled. "You are stronger than you make yourself believe. But we should leave now, Rob will be expecting us." His hand brushed her arm and led Mandy to what felt like the point of no return.
~
Are we even getting anywhere? Mandy wondered, the trees looking like the same trees from yesterday, the forests and fields they walked seemed unchanging.
Sétto still led them on, sure of his direction. The day Mandy, Sétto and Rob left, there were two separate groups traveling as well. All three were heading to the same location, and all three had come from the same location. However, the other traveling parties were distant. Mandy was tired, and the fifth day of their travel seemed as if there would be no end to this mad bore of walking, eating and setting a camp. An adventure that is going to place Carri in the history books of Eramid. Why am I always the sidekick?
"I bet our parents never thought that we'd be going to war in a foreign world, huh, Mandy?" Rob said, interrupting Mandy's anger.
Mandy nodded, noticing that Sétto was placing his belongings on the earthy floor and she did the same.
"I'll gather wood, if you set up the tents," Rob proposed to Sétto.
Sétto nodded and began piercing the dirt with the solid steel stakes. Rob walked into the thicker part of the woods.
Mandy decided to take a walk by herself; starting to get bored of never getting a chance to be by herself. Walking always took the burdens of everyday away, and hopefully it would have the same affect in Eramid as it did in LA. She was satisfied with the distance that she had put in between herself and the woods. She crossed her legs and sat on the clear grass, admiring the glorious, setting ruby in the sky. Mandy may not have felt that she was unburdened, but she did notice some peace that the scenery gave her. Even the birds and grasshoppers had a serenity that Mandy had never noticed back home. A disturbance in the zen-like balance took place was followed by Sétto's voice. "You shouldn't be alone."
Mandy jumped hearing his voice. Even though she knew Sétto's, it still gave her chills and butterflies in her stomach. His hand grazed her hair and back gently as he stretched out his legs beside her. He smiled, seeing the calmness in her eyes and followed his to the object of her amazement. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I don't know how many sunsets I've seen," Mandy told him. "But in Eramid, they strike me as different. It's like seeing... a red jewel in a sea of diamonds."
Sétto chuckled. "When my mother was alive Xer and I would watch sunsets with her. I was only ten when she died. Xer was five."
"I'm sorry."
Sétto shook his head. "I was too young to let it hurt me then. And I am too old to worry about it now. Death hardens you, and slowly kills you inside until there is nothing left."
Mandy sympathized with Sétto. He was a good man, and to see him so upset disturbed Mandy. He saw this in her downcast face. "Don't listen to me, Mandy. You are young and have a whole life of experiences to live." He rose and offered his hand. "Starting with a good night's sleep."
Mandy took his hand and smiled at him, remembering her own father and brother, who were just like Sétto; a hero in every sense of the word.
~
Mandy lied awake on the uncomfortable grass floor and recalled the night when Xer and Rob befriended each other. Carri had somehow forgiven him even when Xer's arrow rested in Rob's arm. Rob and Dave had been eavesdropping on their conversation because Rob had believed that Xer was in love with her and Rob did not want someone that she just met to win her heart before Rob made an attempt. Xer expected the worst, shot who he thought was the enemy, and ended up injuring poor Rob.
Mandy almost laughed to herself. Are all guys the same, even in Eramid?
Mandy remembered yelling at Carri that evening as well, thinking that Carri had noticed her "uncomfort" that Rob and Xer had made amends. It was hard for Mandy to believe in such easy forgiveness, and it stressed her out. Rather than arguing with Mandy, Carri had instead told Mandy of her admiration towards Danel, the Prince of the Hidden Immortals in the region of Della.
Neither Carri or Mandy knew that Carri was the Princess of the Hidden Immortals in the region of Lien. Without the knowledge, loving the Prince was absurd.
Mandy had also confessed her hidden love to Carri. It took Carri a hint and a pathetic guess to figure out that it was Sétto, but (of course) Perfect Carri did.
With the thought of admitting Mandy's attraction for Sétto, Mandy was finally able to go into a happy sleep.
~

Mandy saw that she was the only one awake, and she could tell that dawn was still a few hours away. Rob had complained that his shoulder that Xer shot was in some mild pain, which concerned her. Though Xer was dozens of miles away, it still pained Mandy that he hurt one of her dearest friends. Mandy existed her tent and saw Rob was sitting next to the fire, throwing small sticks in, absorbing himself into the amber flames.

“Hey,” Mandy said, sitting next to Rob.

He took his eyes away from the fire long enough to look into hers for a second. “Hi,” he said.

“Maybe I should leave you and your girlfriend, Dancing Flames, alone.”

Rob smiled and chuckled dryly. “No. It's OK.”

Mandy leaned her shoulder on Rob's, believing that if she just got close enough to him, she would be able to further understand and therefore empathize with him.

“You know, Mandy,” Rob started “our best friend might die in a foreign world.”

“Gondel thinks that that won't happen. Since he is an Immortal, he probably has the gift of foresight. Why are you suddenly so worried?”

“If he is so sure, then why did he send a whole bunch of people to make sure Carri gets from one point to another?”

Mandy shrugged. “Do you want her to be alone in this? Does any of this really matter?”

“I want Carri to be safe. That's all.”

Mandy looked at Rob curiously. “What's bothering you?”

Rob stood and started pacing. “Carri supposedly has the strength of a bunch of gods, right? What if that power backfired on her? What if it backfired and hurt us instead of the enemy?”

“Carri wouldn't let us get hurt,” Mandy said, firmly.

“Carri should've stayed behind to further her knowledge. And we should've stayed with her.”

Rob's eyes pierced Mandy's heart. Her fierce eyes, in turn, scared him.

“You still like her, don't you? That's why you're so upset.”

Rob was silent.

“You want to be with her and protect her, and be her superhero. You wanna be her Chris da Silva to her Rose, so you can keep her safe even when you can't do anything about it and help her when she doesn't even want your help,” Mandy continued.

“Well, why do you love Sétto?” Rob asked.

Mandy's eyes widened a bit. “How did you know?”

Rob did not answer. He only replied with the stillness of his eyes.

“He... is like a hero. I care about him. I guess I like to think that he might love me, too.” Mandy felt her eyes well up with tears. “You know that my dad died twelve years ago.”

Rob nodded. “So, you're just as bad as me.” He sat beside Mandy. “I never knew you wanted a father figure.”

“It's not that I do. I just want someone to love.”

Rob leaned into Mandy and whispered, “Go get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

Mandy smiled. “Yeah.”

~

The ceremony in Lien for the Princess was getting too cramped (and a bit too happy) for Mandy. She slipped out into the gardens of Woa-Lien with Sétto.
"It was really more of a celebration than a ceremony," Mandy said, looking in through the enormous glass Gothic-looking windows and saw the couples dancing to the flutes and other instruments played by the band that the royal family had hired for the evening.
"That is the way the Immortals treat their mortal guests, I suppose. Think of the Celebration in the Great Hall. It was solemn and lacked in the music and feasting," Sétto offered.
Mandy slipped her arms in Sétto's as they walked together for a little while longer, saying nothing. She took in the smell of the delicate flowers with pleasure. She enjoyed his company.
"I'm happy that I have been traveling with you."
Sétto smiled down to Mandy, though she was only a few inches shorter than he. "I am, too. I would miss you."
"I think that everyone is happy this evening. There is a lot of love and respect in this place."
The shrubs that guided them on their walk were even and perfect. Never before had Mandy seen such greenery. The Immortals probably prayed to the gods frequently to bless them with such beauty.
"Do you think that you could ever love someone?" Mandy asked suddenly.
"Yes. I do love someone. I would do anything to possess the knowledge that she loved me."
"I know someone who loves you."
"You do?"
"Yes. I'll let you ask three questions and I'll answer them honestly, and you have to find out who she is."
Sétto was unsure of this but went along with it. "Is she in Lien?"
"Yes."
Sétto's light blue eyes stared hopefully into Mandy's. He stopped walking and stepped towards her, his body closer to hers than it had been with any other woman. He tried to hide his smile. "Could that person be you?"
Mandy laughed. "That's one question that-" she said, but was cut off by Sétto's kiss.
Mandy held onto Sétto's lips for a while before letting go. Electricity flowed through her, even as he let go. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should not have-"
"No," Mandy interrupted this time. "It's all right. My feelings for you will never change." She held his hand a squeezed it tightly. "They will only get stronger."
Sétto nodded, starting to head towards the ceremony, "Good night, Mandy."
"Good night."
Mandy was left alone. She beamed and sighed romantically as she sat on the bench as she watched Sétto go.
~

Mandy trailed Carri into her enormous, white silk-themed room at Woa-Lien. She told Carri what had happened between her and Sétto while she was absent from their presence.

“Queen Driela tells me that I should be married to Danel. But after hearing a story like that, she would marry you guys in a minute,” Carri said.

“I'm too young to get married,” Mandy disagreed.

“That was all I could think when Driela said that Danel and I should 'wed at once' when she saw us together.”

Mandy shrugged and sighed. “He kissed me.”

“Calm down over there. Poor Rob is gonna have to stay up all night to make sure you don't get into trouble.”

“Don't be worried. I'm not that stupid.” Mandy yawned and stretched. “I'm going to bed,” she said heading for the door.

“This is gonna be one of the last times we see each other for a long time.”

Mandy looked over her shoulder. “I know.”

“Don't think about it. Go.”

Mandy nodded and headed out the door to her identical room. Before she went to sleep all she could think was, he loves me.

~

Author's Note

How can I make this sound more like an adult wrote it? (I began writing this when I was about 12.)