Krystal tried not to listen in, but it was nearly impossible.

“Yeah, I saw them driving in behind one of the moving trucks.”

A new family moving to their small town. It had been years since anyone new had come to Green Valley. But it was wrong to gossip.

“Do they have a kid our age?”

Krystal got up from her seat and dumped the contents of her tray into the garbage bin before leaving the small restaurant.

The crisp fall air had her huddling in her jacket and scarf as she climbed onto her red bicycle to head home. She tried to keep her thoughts away from the new family in town, but it was the first interesting thing that had happened in ages.

She tried to be satisfied with the life she had, it was one of the things she prayed about most often, but it felt like something was missing. She doubted this new family could solve her personal issue, but at least it would be a distraction.

She wondered if they would be attending church. It would be nice to welcome new people into the congregation and have an excuse for another church picnic before it got too cold to spend time outdoors.

She grinned looking up at the clear, blue sky and sped her peddling, racing the falling leaves home.

“Mom!” She called, stepping through the front door. She placed her boots on the shoe rack at the entrance and headed to the kitchen where her mother usually made dinner in the afternoon.

“Krystal?”

She threw her arms around her mom and got a kiss on the forehead.

“Were you just at the diner?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry, I didn’t eat much. I’ll still have space for your amazing food.”

Mrs. Jung petted her daughters head. At sixteen, she was taller than her mother, but Mrs. Jung couldn’t help treating the pretty girl as the small child she still saw her as.

“Is Jessica here?”

“She and her husband will be here in a half hour. They were held up at the store.”

Krystal was kind of relieved her sister wasn’t there yet. Shame accompanied the feeling. “She does such a good job decorating those frames. I’m not surprised people keep showing up for more.”

“Especially with Christmas coming up,” her mom said with a laugh.

Krystal gave her mom another squeeze then bounded upstairs to her room to finish her homework for the day. A week into the semester and there was already so much to do.

She plopped her backpack beside her desk chair and started taking off her fall layers and hanging them neatly in