The Willow's Secret
The sun hung fat and golden over Maple Hollow that afternoon, spilling honeyed light through the trees at the edge of the neighborhood. It was the kind of late-summer day that seemed to stretch on forever, thick with the hum of cicadas and the smell of warm grass. School would start again in two weeks, and Lila intended to wring every last drop of freedom out of what remained.
"Come on, slowpoke," she called over her shoulder, already ten paces ahead on the dirt path that wound down toward the creek. Her sneakers, once white, were now a permanent shade of muddy brown, a badge of honor earned through countless afternoons just like this one.
Finn jogged to catch up, clutching the strap of his backpack. "I'm not slow, you're just reckless. There's a difference."
"Reckless is a strong word for walking fast."
"You're not walking. You're power-marching into unknown territory like you're leading an army."
Lila grinned back at him, her dark hair escaping its braid in wild little wisps around her face. "That's because somewhere out here, Finn Callahan, there's an adventure waiting for us. I can feel it."
"You say that every single day."
"And every single day, we find something cool.…
