Bradford Dixon stood on the little stone bridge that spanned the koi pond in his parents’ back yard, which his father often referred to as the ward or the bailey. The stone bridge perfectly matched the crenellated parapets, turrets, and ramparts connected by the unbroken allure, or wall walk, that all looked more like they should tower above some ancient Celtic plain. Instead, his castle home took up several acres in an Atlanta suburb. His classmates probably considered his home eccentric, though Brad had only ever known life inside these stone walls. His father had promised to build the keep for his mother long before he and his two brothers were even born.

Brad’s bare feet gripped the stone as he punched forward, pivoted on the ball of his foot, and kicked high in the air with his left foot. With his leg still raised, he angled his body, turned his foot, and kicked two more times, ending the sequence with a loud, “Hi-ya!”

The white cotton material of his dobok, his uniform, nearly clapped with the force of his kicks. His red and black cloth dhee, his belt, moved along with him as if accentuating the ironic grace of his powerful motions. Then, as he did a half-turn, he fumbled and paused, his face flooding with heat when he spotted Valerie Flynn sitting on the ledge of the gazebo, watching him with a silent smile that simultaneously teased and warmed him.

She had skin the color of rich milk chocolate, light brown eyes that reminded him of buttery caramel, and a face he dreamed of at night. That beautiful face. Tonight, she wore denim shorts that made her legs look impossibly long and a white T-shirt with a glittery flying unicorn on it. She’d kicked her sandals off and they lay on the grass next to her. She had painted her toenails the same rich glossy burgundy as her fingernails.

Losing his form, unable to concentrate, Brad stopped working and padded toward her on his bare feet.

“Black belt test tonight?” she asked, her smile growing wider.

“Yeah. We have to leave in a few minutes.” He would normally sit next to her—he really wanted any excuse to get closer to her—but he didn’t want to risk getting his gleaming white Tae Kwon Do uniform dirty. He stood just a few feet away and caught her eyes.

“You’ll get it. I have faith in you.” The sweltering Georgia summer sun beat down on their heads, making her black hair shine as if lit by a halo.

“I said I’d get it before high school. Kind of have to since school starts tomorrow.” He shrugged and tried his best to look confident and self-assured. “Besides, since Ken and Jon got theirs last time we tested, I kinda have to get it this time.” Being the middle son of three identical triplet fourteen-year-old brothers born minutes apart led to some serious competition in his family.

“It’s not your fault you had the flu. You’d have your black belt if you hadn’t gotten sick.” She ran her painted bare toe over a loose rock on the path leading to the gazebo. “Anyway, don’t talk about school starting tomorrow. I don’t even want to think about it.”

Brad knew her apprehension had nothing to do with the imminent first day of ninth grade, and everything to do with the fact that, just as soon as her Uncle Buddy got home from work tonight, she’d leave the Dixon home forever. Valerie and Buddy had lived in the little cottage on the property for the past eleven years, ever since her parents had been taken from this world far too soon. Brad’s mom had insisted on helping her husband’s best friend raise his orphaned niece. Buddy had determined that after this summer, Valerie didn’t need the “babysitting” anymore, and had bought his own house in another part of Atlanta miles from here.

They’d spent the last week moving the two of them. Brad and his brothers had hauled boxes, furniture, and suitcases. With every load, Brad felt his heart break a little more.

When Brad returned from his black belt test tonight, Valerie would not greet him and congratulate him. Tomorrow morning, Valerie would not join the family at the breakfast table. They would not make their way to school together. Brad knew these facts shouldn’t make him angry or sad, or make him feel some unexplained longing, so he tried not to think too much about his emotions.

Valerie stood and pulled a small metal box from her pocket. “Did you bring it?” When Valerie stood, her eyes were level with his chin. He had to incline his gaze to stare down into her caramel brown eyes. He did gaze, wondering what she would do if he leaned closer and kissed her right on those amazing lips. As he gazed into her eyes, he noticed once again the fascinating gold flecks in her eyes that sparkled whenever she giggled. “Brad? Hello? Did you bring it?”

“Yes.” Trying to play it cool, he casually broke his gaze, licked his dry lips, and walked over to the gazebo where he picked up the sealed envelope from the bench.

“Your brothers gave me each of theirs at the house.” She opened the box, and Brad saw three envelopes inside. Valerie had written her name on the top one. He handed her his envelope. “This box contains our hopes and dreams.” She smiled up at him, and her large mischievous eyes shone with excitement. “Where should we hide it?”

He looked up at the rafters of the gazebo. “Give it here.” Putting the box between his lips, flinching a little at the feel of the cold metal against his tongue, he stood on the bench and, using a beam for support, climbed to the top of the back of the bench. His bare toes gripped the wood of the bench like little fists and stabilized him. He could just barely brush the top of the beam with his fingertips, so he aimed, flexed, jumped, and grabbed the beam with both hands. Executing an easy pull-up, he held himself aloft at the top and investigated the area until he saw a spot tucked away at one of the corners of the roof, where the roof and a wall beam came together near one of the gables. After slipping the box onto the little shelf there, he lowered himself back down, dropping the last few feet to the bench.

“There you go.”

Valerie clapped her hands. “It is going to be so much fun to open them!”

“Fifteen years from now.”

“We should have made the pact for fifty years.”

“Fifteen years from now, we’ll be thirty. That’s pretty old. Fifty years would be too long to wait. I don’t think I’d want to wait that long.” Thinking about what he’d written down on his note card, he prayed it would come true. If it did, the next fifty years would go by like a dream. “Did you talk to Buddy last night about you switching schools?”

Valerie shrugged and leaned over to pluck at a piece of grass. When she stood again, the movement of her body and limbs looked just as lithe and supple as any intentional movement a prima ballerina might perform on some grand stage. Every time she moved, she exhibited this natural economy of motion, poise, and grace. She even walked as if she were gliding from place to place, hovering above the earth upon which these heavy mortals trod.

“He wants me in a high school that’s more ‘diverse.’” She said the word like it tasted bad in her mouth and accented it with air quotes.

“I guess.” He looked down at his bare foot next to hers and wished he didn’t have such stark white skin in comparison. Maybe then Buddy wouldn’t have an objection and they could just stay. “Doesn’t seem right, though.”

“Doesn’t seem right because it’s not right.” A sharp whistle sounded from the house. Without hesitation, the two of them started walking in that direction. Brad slowed his long, loping strides to match Valerie’s easy, feminine footfalls. “But it’s the world we live in. So, I’ll do what he wants and miss you guys every day. With the three of you, I always had at least one of you guys in class with me. Now, I’ll be all alone.”

He grit his teeth and his lips tightened. Even at fourteen, Brad recognized that Valerie always lumped him together with his brothers. He’d spent the last two years wishing and praying that she would see him as an individual, an eligible man, a man who cared more for her than any other man could, and not just an even third of some nebulous triplet whole.

Right before they stepped out from the tree line, he impulsively reached out and took her hand. “Valerie…”

What should he say? Was it too late to kiss her? How could he possibly convey his thoughts and feelings when he didn’t know how to satisfactorily categorize them for his own understanding? He cleared his throat as she looked up at him with those clover honey eyes. “I… if you ever need anything, ever, anything at all, call me. I’ll be there.”

Her smile vanished, and she nodded exactly once. Right before she turned and dashed toward the house, he could have sworn he saw her eyes fill with tears.

Slowly, wanting to delay his departure for as long as possible, he walked the same direction she ran, watching her grow smaller and smaller in the distance.