Everlasting Roses

You've heard the story of the Tucks. But they weren't the first people to discover the spring; on the contrary, far from it. Zakinerose Witherman was born into a life of privilege. Her father gave her anything she ever wanted. Sadly at the age of 16, she was left to her whiles and wondered the shores of England when pirates took her captive, leaving behind her basket and wrap.

After many years, she escaped and wandered, lost and confused in a foreign land to her. Loss and tragedy followed her, and she was finally at her end. Zakinerose decided to lean against a tree and wait for death to take her. Death didn't come, for she heard a trickle of water, and upon looking down, she discovered a small spring, and her thirst overcame her, and she instantly cupped her hands and began drinking some of the glorious liquid. As soon as the water touched her lips, she knew something had changed.

**********************************************************************

It was the dead of winter, and it had been a particularly harsh one. There had already been eight deaths in Treegap, and Zakina worried every day that the Tucks' secret would get out. Beau Tuck was now four, and Anna Tuck was now 10. The immortal female had overheard some villagers gossip about how Miles and his family didn't seem to change, but they didn't appear on the witch path, which was good. Currently, Kina was standing on the porch of the flower shop, looking out as the snow fell.

The young woman watched as the children of town played. They were throwing snowballs, building snow people, making snow angels, and building forts. It made her happy to watch though she wished that her babies could play. Shaking the thought from her mind, the woman glanced around before tugging her shawl tighter around her body. Zakina knew she couldn't avoid the Tucks forever, no matter how hard she tried. Besides, she wanted to meet them mostly because she was no longer the only immortal, or at least she didn't think there were any others. A gentle smile graced her lips as she watched the Tuck parents and Jesse arrive in town in their wagon to collect supplies.

Turning, Kina walked into the General Store, where she was working, and greeted the family as they walked in. The Tuck family greeted her, and as the parents went to collect their items, Jesse walked to the counter where Kina was standing and waiting. The young man leaned on the counter and gave her a grin. "Hello, Miss Witherman. I do hope you are having a pleasant day. Anything new to share?" A smile crossed her lips as he spoke to her. A slight hum escaped her lips as she allowed her mind to roll around anything new. "Well, Mr. Tuck, There is a delivery of wheat heading this way and is expected to arrive any day. Someone caught the miller's daughter and the school teacher in what they called an 'intimate embrace' though I can not verify one way or another that this happened. Oh, I also hear that the youngest Smith daughter may or may not be falling for a certain Tuck brother." The red-haired woman told the younger male with a smile crossing her lips.

Jesse stared at her as she spoke the news, and by the end, his cheeks turned red, and Kina giggled softly at the reaction. "Do not tease me, Miss Witherman." Kina smiled at him and shook her head. "Does that mean you like her in return, Mr. Tuck?" Jesse raised a brow at her words and sighed. As Kina watched him, she knew he didn't, but she couldn't help but tease him a little bit. He made it so easy for her. "I did not think you did, Mr. Tuck." The female immortal turned and proceeded to collect some items before carrying them to the table across from the counter. As she did that, the youngest Tuck boy walked around before heading to help his parents. Kina went about her business as she waited for the family to be ready.

The red-haired female would glance up every few moments to see if they were ready, but it seemed they were stocking up for a long stint. A hum escaped her throat at the thought, and she wondered what they were planning. She came to find that the Tucks did tend to keep to themselves even without the spring's added effect. The Tuck parents, though rarely seen, were typically in the company of Jesse. Miles had his own family, and they knew he would want his space, so they had given him a patch of their land, and he built a home for his small family.

As Akina stayed in Treegap, she learned the Tucks felt stuck in this eternity with her. They were different than her, though. They didnt embrace this life while she did. That's what made them all different. The one regret she had with this life is where she lived while her three children died before they even had a chance to experience life. However, she wouldn't want them to be frozen where they were. It was far too young, and she believed it would have been worse than death for them.

Kina just wished she could have given them a better life than what they had. The frown deepened on her face, and she could feel the tears burning and wanting to push their way out. Though her thoughts turned to sadness, she continued doing the absentminded task she had set out to do. Kina had since she had started working here, become accomplished at the absentminded work. Akina had to be if she wanted to finish what she had to do. Typically her life wasn't as complicated as it had been for the last few years or so, but she wanted to stay close to the Tucks if they needed her help. The woman knew that they had likely lived here too long, and people started noticing something different about them. Perhaps she could drown out the thoughts so they could live here for as long as they wanted.

"Miss. Witherman." As the voice reached her ears, she turned and looked toward where it came from and saw it was Mae that spoke. "Yes. My apologies." The red-haired female wandered over to the matriarch of the Tuck family and smiled sweetly. "What can I do ya for, Mrs. Tuck?" I enjoyed calling her Mrs. Tuck. Every time I did, I saw a slight twinkle in her eye. Anyone could tell Mae and Angus loved each other, honestly. The love they shared radiated off them every time someone mentioned their relationship.

"Do you by chance know when you'll be getting in some more lace? I'm itchin' to make a new dress for our sweet Anna." I smiled as I could see how much Mae adored her grandchildren. "I believe we will be getting some next week as well as some new fabrics." As I said this, she became slightly giddy at the prospect of not only more lace but new fabric as well. "If you want, I can save a bolt of both for you?"

Her eyes lit up when I mentioned saving her some. "Oh, would you please? That would be ever so kind of ya. A green fabric would nice with some lace. If possible." With a nod of an agreement, she beamed, excited to start a new project. With our conversation finished, the Tucks purchased their supplies. Tuck and Jesse loaded their wagon and were on their way. I smiled as I sent them off because I always felt closer to them every time we'd speak despite them not knowing I shared their secret.

As the day continued, many townspeople came in and left. The air grew colder, and by supper, the shop owner opted to close the store early as no one was out and about, so I could return home safely. Wrapping the shawl tightly around my body, I walked out of the shop and into the evening chill. A shiver ran down my spine as I headed home. Despite not being able to die, I could still feel the cold. I wouldn't die from anything, but I could still feel pain and heat and cold. The streets were empty as I walked along. My eyes trailed along the road as I went. Not a soul was out, so I didn't need to worry about people bothering me.

The chill was extreme, and I could see how it could affect someone so much. The home I was staying at was on the edge of town, so it was a bit of a walk, but it was a beautiful walk. The only thing was the bitter cold made it difficult to enjoy. I was almost home when I heard a horse, and it caused me to turn. It seemed oddly familiar. Approaching slowly, the horse hesitated, but I was careful as I didnt want it to panic. As I reached for its reins, I noticed the horse's lead was broken. I could see it had been It's up and had escaped. "Shh. It's okay. I won't hurt you." I ran my hand gently over its snot and smiled as it seemed to accept my approach.

"Now, where did you come from? I suppose we will find out tomorrow. Let's get you somewhere warm." I urged the horse to follow me toward my home, and it willingly followed. I was surprised, but I didn't question it. Reaching my house, I took the horse to the single-stall stable behind the small home that hadn't been used in a very long time. "I do not have any straw, but I do have blankets and some fruit. Stay here, and I will return in a moment." I received a snort, and then I headed in to collect a few things.

Dressing for the warmth, I carried out a bundle of blankets and a basket of fruit. I fed the fruit to the horse, who took them quickly. I curled up into the horse and covered both of us with blankets. The horse nudged me, and I smiled. "I couldn't bear to leave a guest out in the cold while I was in the nice warm house. Besides, the cold never bothered me anyway." It nudged me, and I giggled as I curled up. It wasn't long before the pair of us had fallen asleep in the cold.