Chapter 3: En Masse

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“Daddy!” Shannen greeted Accel and gave him a big hug. “I didn’t know you’d come home so soon!”

“Well, my job’s done for the day,” the man replied. “So, got a load of homework lately?”
“Not really, Daddy!” She told him.

“...what’s with the excited face? You don’t smile that much,” Shannen wondered.

“Oh…There’s somethin’ I wanna show ya, sweetheart. But before anything else I want you to close your eyes—don’t peek!”

The girl offered a curious smile and laughed a bit. “What kind of surprise would that be?”
“Why would I tell ya, silly? It’s a surprise! Now close your eyes and I’ll take you there…” Accel uttered jovially.

As Shannen shut her eyes, Accel then accompanied her to the doorway. The blonde couldn’t possibly walk straight because she kept her eyes closed. From that moment she only heard her own footsteps as well as her father’s, and listened to the sound of the door being opened. And as she got hold of the door which was being closed, everything went silent. The quietness deafened her, but it didn’t matter that much for now because she knew she was doing this for a surprise—a surprise which she thought was worth it. And because of excitement she suddenly lost all her patience and hastily asked Accel if she could open her eyes now.

“Go ahead…”

Shannen, doing so got bewildered at what she saw—a woman, who stood a few meters away from her, expressed a face which seemingly showed a mixture of emotions. The lady with short, ocean blue hair offered Shannen a gentle look and a smile which familiarized the 14-year-old blonde. Shannen on the other hand could not believe her eyes—her mind was telling her everything about the woman, but she failed to voice out her name.

“Shannen, meet your mother, Summers.”

Feeling all the sundry emotions, the girl unconsciously dropped her books and tightly hugged Summers, whom she hasn’t touched for years. They both embraced each other as if there was no tomorrow, and tears flowed from their eyes.

“You’ve grown so well, young girl! You’re so beautiful,” Summers said dearly.
“I’m so glad to see you…Mom,” Shannen cried.

“Aaaw, come on, ladies! The show’s not over yet!” Accel interrupted.
“What do you mean!?” Shannen questioned and dried her face. “You mean Tyler is here, too? My brother? Where is he!?"
“Yes, he is, sweetheart. He’s at the backyard. You might as well call him for dinner,” the blue-haired woman told her.

Without hesitation Shannen proceeded there. She saw someone who leaned back behind a tree, gazing busily at the wide open field from afar. Shannen didn’t know how to catch his attention, but somehow she thought of a plan. She walked lightly towards that person and lifted an arm, trying to touch the boy’s shoulder to greet him. But before she could, the boy suddenly turned back and was surprised with her appearance. Both of them looked at each other from head to foot.

He looks exactly like Daddy—his hair and complexion only made the difference, the girl thought.
Could this be my sister? She got Mom’s spitting image…Tyler thought.

Thinking that their silence would take forever, the blonde gave the initiative to speak.
“Hi,” she greeted with a forced smile. She expected him to reply but nothing happened—the guy did not even open his mouth.

Is he deaf or…just plain mute!?

“I’m Shannen—your sister…”
There was no response. It looked like she was talking with someone with no emotion at all. Nevertheless she thought Tyler was not ready to break a word yet. After a moment of silence, a rumbling sound of the stomach was heard. Both of them were hungry, but she knew that the funny growl came from the boy.

“Your tummy says ‘Let’s eat’. Shall we?”

Finally Tyler lifted a hand and spoke; “After you…”
“Wow! You have a nice voice after all!” Shannen butted in. “…Not that I’m mocking you but…you do sound great when you speak. Don’t be shy to me. I’m your sister and…we can be good friends,”

Friends!? The kid thought, showing a blank stare. It’s the first time I heard that from a human being...

* * *

Next...Chapter 4: Recalling the Past

Chapter 3: En Masse

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The blonde sighed and stopped walking. She saw an empty bench nearby and sat on it. The brunet followed and sat next to her.

“Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Oh, Ethan!” Shannen sighed again. “Until when will Sendsand Town remain as dusty as it is?”

Confused, the hillbilly only laughed at her.

“What do you mean?”
“This place is just too plain—no castles, no fancy cars on the streets, no modern living…just an old cowboy town,” Shannen answered. “I want something else,”

“But this is Sendsand Town! It’s a wholesome town! You see a lot of crazy cowboys, you get to ride horses, and well…we do have cars too!”

“Old-fashioned cars,”
“Oh, yeah! Old fashioned cars,” Ethan murmured, “And you hear great country music, watch country dances, throw dried cow pies, get free milk from the neighbors, taste the best breads in town—what else do you want?”

Shannen only looked down.

“Hey…cheer up! I’m here! And as long as I’m with you, everything’s gonna be okay!”

“Ethan, you don’t understand…I’m just tired of living the same ol’ way. I want to see something else. I want to see a new kind of lifestyle. Something fantastic and extraordinary. Something elite and beautiful. Something…I’ve never seen ever in my life!”

Ethan stared at her.
“Shannen…if you want that kind of life, you must get out of this place. That’s the only way to experience something you want to see…” the young man replied.

“Hmm…you’re right, Ethan. But that seems so impossible. Dad is a sheriff, and this town needs him. So, I’m afraid…I’ll stay here for the rest of my life,”

Ethan was left speechless. He wished to lift her up with some helpful advice but couldn’t find the right words to say. In fact, he really didn’t want Shannen to move away.

“Hey, do you remember the rodeo competition on the third week?” the brunet blurted, hoping to change the girl’s mood.

“You told me how eager you are to see a live rodeo show, right?”
“A rodeo show…” the blonde paused, thinking deeply. “Oh yeah! I remembered! And I do want to see it!”

“Guess what—I registered for the contest.”
Shannen’s eyes widened and gasped. “Oh Ethan, that’s awesome! I’m so excited for you!”
And with extreme emotions, the blonde hugged the hillbilly tight, squeezing him. Of course, Ethan did nothing but to blush and enjoy the mushy moment.

* * *

Soon the two passed by the busy streets and finally reached the forest where the grassy path led to Shannen’s home. While walking on the field, Ethan’s eyes never failed to rivet on the girl’s innocent face. He wished to hold her hand, but his bashfulness obstructed him from doing so.
Shannen is just...one of a kind, he thought.

Since the girl is not gripped in a romantic relationship, Shannen often met dozens of admirers who competed with each other just to grab a chance of becoming her beau. And of course, one of those persistent devotees would be Ethan himself.

“Hey,” the girl spoke. “Thanks for the time,”
“Oh, that’s nothing!” the young man scratched his head and blushed again.

“…and about that rodeo competition…I’d like to join you,”
“Wha? You wanna do that?”
The brunet asked dramatically, as a stagecoach suddenly passed by from out of nowhere, with an emotional music being played on the background.

“So…you wanna join the competition…with…me?” he asked, still persisting for confirmation.

“Yeah, let’s do that! We’re gonna have fun!!!” the blonde added excitedly. Ethan just stared at her.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like the idea?”
“Oh, no—not that I don’t like it!” the guy defended, smiling. “I’m just…surprised!”

They both laughed. Ethan sighed and took a glance at Shannen once more. As he gazed at her he imagined the event—the place, the audience, the contestants—by pair. The competition went smooth, and as he expected, they won first prize. Shannen jumped for joy, hugged him tight and kissed his desperate lips. The people applaud in chorus— as flowers, confetti and balloons showered above them. There was a romantic cowboy music background, and how merry they all were! Ethan sighed and flushed, almost turning like a ripe tomato in front of Shannen. And while the young man felt the blonde’s lips touching his own, he slowly opened his eyes to take a peek of the girl’s face which almost adhered to him.

“Ethan! Watch out for the rake!”

-->

But the absent-minded guy failed to hear Shannen’s warning and continued a foot, stepping over the spiky edge of a rake that lied on the ground. Its long metal handle heaved upwards, slamming the hillbilly’s vulnerable face. Ethan cried in pain and realized that all those mushy moments were only his daydream.


“Are you okay? What were you thinking about? You look hurt!”

“I’m okay!” Ethan answered. Shannen stared at him and as usual the brunet mantled like crazy, laughing at himself because of deep embarrassment.

“It’s nothing, Shannen, I’m okay! Really!” he said.
“But…your forehead,” She told him. Ethan then touched his forehead and felt a huge lump on it, which grew the size of a potato. He gasped like a lady, but later pretended as if nothing painful was on his head.


“Don’t worry about this! It’s nothing, really! And why should a strong mountaineer like me have to worry about this…small lump?” he told her with a deepened voice, but deep inside him the swell upon his forehead felt as if a hundred-ton-mallet smacked onto his face. Damn that rake! What was that thing doing in this place, anyway? He thought.


Shortly he realized that time was running and he had to go home too, to work in the mountains until sundown.


“I’ve got no time to waste, Shannen,” he told the girl and patted her on the shoulder.
“I understand.”

And as Shannen took the books the young man held for her, she thanked him for the stroll and waved goodbye. Too bad Ethan did not receive a real kiss from her, but to him it was just fine—as long as they both remained as friends. Really.

* * *

The blonde picked up the rake from the ground and opened the white wooden gate enclosing their cottage. Daddy must’ve gathered the dead leaves while I was gone, she thought. She exhaled loudly and continued walking, but before she arrived at the doorway she noticed someone sitting on her swing which was tied from the oak tree.

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Chapter 3: En Masse

Previously, on Chapter Two..

Summers Shrewd was welcomed by a group of strange locals whom she later learned, were rivals headed by a man named Haughty ol' Harvey. The saloon turned to riot but was eventually seized by the sheriff ; and thankfully Summers found out it was none other than Accel, the one she was searching for a long time.

The five-foot bronze bell finally rang. Denoting that it was the fifteenth hour of the day, all the students of Red Plains High soon came out from the school building. Some walked alone, others chatted in groups. There were loyal ones who stayed in the library for a research work, while those who were not really fond of books ran with their peers for a gimmick or went straight home.
On the contrary, a number of teens came loitering in the facade to charm their schoolmates; while the rest waited for their companions, just like Ethan—a tall, brown-haired hillbilly with gray eyes who stood next to a huge maple tree that was positioned a few meters away from the campus entrance. Ethan rested his hand on the tree trunk, with his other hand on his pocket, patiently waiting for someone. Not later, the doorway opened and as what Ethan had expected, a group of girls came in sight—the auburn-haired triplets and a blonde who was the smallest of the four, with flowing straight hair and green eyes.


“Hi, Ethan!” The blonde greeted, smiling.
“Hi Shannen!”


The three sisters giggled at the guy. They simply couldn’t help laughing at the young man who looked very obvious with his actions.

“Are you girls going out?” Ethan asked.
“Not me, I need to go home,” Shannen stated.

“We’ll hang out at the café,” said Penny, the short-haired girl.

“Wanna come with us, Ethan?” it was Tin, the eldest and tallest of the sisters who kept her eyes shut.
 
“Thanks—but no thanks. I think I also need to go home. I'll accompany Shannen,”

Upon hearing what the hillbilly said, one of them felt suspicious.

“Are you sure you badly need to go home, too?” the pigtailed Harriet teased. “…or just because Shannen isn’t coming with us, you suddenly changed your mind and—”

Ethan’s face turned red.

“W-why of course! You know I still got work to do ‘til sunset! I don’t want my father to blame me for coming home late,” Ethan butted while covering Harriet’s loud mouth.

“He’s right, sis. Relax—you know how much he likes you!” Penny teased, pushing her younger sister next to Ethan.

“WHAT!?” Harriet exclaimed with a confused stare. “Penny, I was just trying to tell Shannen how—”

Everyone was looking at her—especially Ethan. Was there something else the pigtailed girl must say?

“…hhhow…important it is to walk with someone! Right?” Harriet adlibbed and made a fake giggle.

“Whatever. Come on, girls! I’m eager to go to the plaza!” the short-haired insisted, pulling her sisters to the pathway. “See you tomorrow, you two! Take care of Shannen and don’t play around!” she added, teasing Ethan even more. The hillbilly only smiled and left with the blonde.

* * *

Soon the duo walked across downtown. And while doing so, Ethan noticed Shannen’s blank face while looking at the surroundings. The girl seemed to be thinking of something deeply.

Ethan cleared his throat and asked, “What’s up?”

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