{Aspen is now 5 years old.}
It was a beautiful day out, Aspen was play around the neighbourhood with Elijah. Elijah was riding his bike while Aspen sat on the seat behind Elijah. Aspen felt happy. She felt like she was on top of the world whenever she played with Elijah.
Aspen began to think about her mother and how she was going to live with her soon at the new place with the nice man. Aspen began to think how she'd finally have a proper family. As Aspen began to think about going to a new place a thought crossed her mind, she was going to have to leave Elijah behind. Aspen didn't want to leave Elijah but for her Momma she'd do anything. She was willing to risk leaving Elijah and all her friends to go and live with the nice man and her Momma so she and Aspen could be a proper family again.
"Will you miss me?" Elijah questioned.
"Hmm....Nope!" Aspen replied giggling as she hugged Elijah tightly from behind. They had been circling around the road for what felt like the millionth time to Aspen but she wasn't complaining. She liked it when she and Elijah hung out.
"I'm going to miss you though." Elijah said saddly as he tried to turn his head to catch a glimpse of Aspen without crashing the bike.
"I'm just kidding silly! Obviously I'm going to miss you."
~Two months later~
"Are you really leaving?" One of Aspens classmates questioned.
"Yep." Aspen replied cheerfully. Her grandmother had come to tell her earlier that day that her and her sisters paperwork to move to a different country had finally been accepted.
They were now at lunch eating and chatting about how lucky Aspen was to be able to go to a new place. After Aspen finished eating her lunch she went to hers and Elijah's secret hide away.
The two children would go to the place juring break time to talk or just to skip nap time. It didn't take long before Aspen reached the familiar wooden pavillon by the lake. Although Aspen considers the lakeside pavillion to be hers and Elijahs secret place a lot of the older kids would go and sit there to hide or skip their class.
The pavillion was a beautiful wooden masterpiece. It had wooden benches circling around the edge inside and small steps outside to enter. The roof was a wooden cone shape and around the bottom oputside of the roof where intricate carvings.
Aspen saw that Elijah was already sitting inside the pavillion.She quickly skipped over to Elijahand plopped herself down beside him.
Aspen looked at Elijah carefully. He seemed to be deep in thought about something. "What are you doing?" Aspen asked. Elijah jumped startled by Aspens presence. Aspen broke into a laughing fit at Elijah's reaction.
" I don't want you to leave." Elijah blurted after Aspen finished her fit of laughter. The young girl stared at the boy with creased brows. "I don't want you to go away." Elijah said again.
Aspen was confused. Why wouldn't he want her to go? She looked at the older boy again and saw the worried look in his eyes. "I have to." She smiled softly and hugged him.
They spent the rest of the break talking and chatting about nonsense with the thought of the move still heavy on Elijahs mind.
~One month later~
It was finally the day. Aspen and Azalea had spent the week saying goodbye to all of their family members and friends , basically everyone in the village they knew . They were going to leave that night. People who knew about the move had come to the cermony their grandparents had organised. They were being blessed by the elders and given ribbon tied to their wrist as a good luck charm for their journey.
It was almost time for Azalea and Aspen to leave and go meet their mother at their uncles house when Elijah pulled on Aspens arm for her to go inside the house.
"Don't forget me where ever you go, okay?" He told her once they were inside the house.
"I wont you don't forget me.." Aspen replied saddly and hugged Elijah.
After saying one last goodbye to everyone they headed out for Aspens uncles house which was eight hours away to meet with their mother.
After many difficulties Natalie finally arrived at the airport, she was told that she had to take another medical examination to be able to fly again due to her pregnancy, this did cause a few set backs for her next flight was in a day. The flight where her two daughters lives would change forever. Natalie didn't know how to feel. Her daughters were finally going to get a better life. The one she wasn't able to have. She felt like she accomplished something even if it wasn't for her but it was for her two daughters and the little one she had on the way.
Although there had been a lot of commontion a day before the flight they three girls were able to get onto their flight to what they would call their new home.
This would be the start of Aspens journey through life in a new country.