Chapter 1:
Cadmium green

Jill stared at her gray sneakers. She always did that when she was lost in thought.
"We'll be there soon," said her father, who was sitting next to her in the driver's seat of the car in which they were driving along a seemingly endless country lane.
"I know," she replied softly, looking up. Her gaze fell out of the window. The lush maize field and the small groves - all of this somehow came to her familiar. No, this could not be. It was way too long ago.
It was getting late. Jill watched the sun slowly touch the horizon, gradually merging with it, and finally disappearing entirely. What remained was a red streak on the horizon that faded as they neared the small town. It was summer. The sun went down late.
How much time had passed before the car finally turned into the little street, Jill wasn't sure. She hadn't looked at the clock.
"Here we are," said her father when they stopped in front of a small family house. Swarms of mosquitoes danced under the lanterns and the warm summer night was filled with crickets chirping when Jill got out of the car in silence and stood in front of the small garden gate. She had always liked her aunt's house, but it felt smaller than she remembered.
"It's been a long time," said her father as he stepped next to her and gently put a hand on her shoulder.
"It feels strange," Jill said quietly.
"You'll settle in again quickly," he said, looking sideways at his daughter. "Maybe it wasn't right to get you out of here back then ..."
She turned her face to him and slowly shook her head.
"Maybe it was selfish from wanting you with me at all costs, Jill," he continued, looking away.
Jill sucked in a breath. They had never talked about it so openly and she hadn't known that he was blaming himself like this. It wasn't often that he made such a sad face. And Jill didn't like it.
With one step she stepped in front of him and threw her arms around her father. "I will miss you so much," she said softly. Then she felt how he hugged her tightly and put his head on his shoulder. The scent of his perfume rose to her nose. He's always smelled like that for as long as she could remember. "Your mother loved this scent very much," he once told her. Yes, it always smelled like that.

Emma wiped the dining table for the fourth time. She was nervous.
It had been almost two hours since Ted had called and said they were leaving. How long would it be before they were there?
"Isn't it getting clean?" Asked her husband Johannes, who was standing in the doorway with an amused smile.
"What?" She startled. "The table," he grinned at her.
Shrugging, she tossed the rag in the sink and sank into a chair. "Don't worry, darling," said Hannes, who walked over to her and took her hand with a loving smile."Everything will be fine."
At that moment the doorbell rang. Emma jumped up. "It must be the two of them," she exclaimed. "This is Jill!"
Followed by her husband, she hurried to the door and pulled it open.
And there they stood. Jillian and Phillip. Emma let out a breath. Phil was still a handsome man. You could tell that a few years had passed since they had last seen each other, with a charming laugh line here and there, and yet Emma was sure that he could still wrap women in rows around his finger, if only he could wanted.
And Jill, my god- she wasn't a little girl anymore. She had become a young woman. Emma's heart skipped. Jill was her mother's likeness, the tall, slim figure, the light brown long hair and the slim, pretty face. Only the big, dark eyes she had clearly inherited from her father.
Since his wife just looked at the newcomers without a word, Hannes stepped forward. "Welcome!" He said and held out his hand first to Phil, then to his niece. "Come on in," he asked and led her into the living room.
Still very nervous, Emma sank into the armchair. The silence and the formal greeting made her more than uncomfortable. "My God, we haven't seen each other in so long," she broke the silence. "I'm glad you're here. I don't even know what to say." Jill laughed. "Neither do I," Jill said suddenly. I mean, I've lived here for so long and yet the whole situation is so strange. It's been so incredibly long ago ", she said and put a smile on the faces of Emma and Hannes recognized.
The tension slowly disappeared. They started talking and telling each other how they had been in the past few years.
"Five times?", Hannes exclaimed and looked back and forth between Jill and Phillip with wide eyes. "You moved five times?"
Jill just shrugged her shoulders at first. "Well, in any case, I will have less problems settling in here in the new school, after all, I have practice," she said and grinned. Emma eyed her critically.
"I want her to be able to stay here in her final year of school. She should be able to concentrate on her graduation," explained Phil. Hannes and Emma nodded slowly. "She can happily live with us again," said Emma and a mild smile appeared on her face. “It'll be back to the way it used to be.” Her smile turned into a small grin- “At least almost,” laughed her husband.
The ice was finally broken. "Let's have another glass of wine," suggested Hannes.
"I actually wanted to go back tonight. I have a business appointment tomorrow morning," objected Jill's father.
"Nothing there, Phillip," Emma contradicted him immediately. "We haven't seen each other in ages and you think you can just get away with it?"
Phillip looked up."I've already got the guest room ready for you," she said firmly.
He grinned. "You haven't changed at all, Emma."
Emma looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "All right, I'll stay."
She gave her husband a satisfied look, who got up and left the room while he mumbled something about a delicious red wine.

Jill wasn't sure how long they sat talking. Was that the second or the third gals of wine? They could no longer hold back a yawn. What time was it actually?
"Jill. Sorry. You must be tired," said her aunt with a knowing smile. "I've already made your bed fresh."
Jill looked at her father, who handed her the car key. Jill grinned crookedly, took the key and left the house, in which she was to live from now on, to fetch her luggage.

The sidewalk creaked under Jake's shoes. He had his hands buried deep in his pockets. It was quiet. In most of the windows there were no more lights, it was quiet. Only the chirping of the crickets hadn't stopped that late at night.
He stopped short when a high-pitched ringtone rang out from his pocket.
"What do you want Kate?" He said, quite annoyed, as he turned a corner into the street where his parents' house was.
A rumble, a brief startled cry - that was the next thing he heard.
A figure picked itself up from the floor and cursed softly to itself. Jake blinked. He had bumped into someone. A girl, a young woman?
Jake grinned crookedly. She didn't look bad at all. In the light of the street lamp he eyed the stranger. She had long brown hair and a pretty face that was a little grumpy about the cracked suitcase that was lying on the sidewalk. She looked up contrite.
Jake hit it like a bolt of lightning. That face, those eyes ... no, no, that couldn't be. The resemblance was amazing.
"Can't you pay attention?", She said and bent down to pick up her things.
"Sorry, I'll help you," Jake replied.
"Jake? Are you still there?", Came Kate's shrill voice from his cell phone that he was still holding in his hand. He rolled his eyes, hung up, and put the phone back in his pocket.
The brown-haired woman suddenly stared at him in disbelief.
"What is it?"
"Jake," she said so quietly that he could barely understand. "You are Jake."
Jake didn't understand. "Right. Who are you?"

Jill straightened up. She studied his face. He had changed. His features had become more manly and Jake was now half a head taller than she was. His dark hair looked a little messed up and hung on his forehead.
Green eyes looked her up and down as well. Those eyes - they hadn't changed.
Jill's heart began to pound. She had to admit how handsome Jake was and she was standing in front of him in a loose, misshapen t-shirt.Ever since she knew she was going to move back here, she had thought about what it would be like to see him again after eight years. She had never expected that she would face him today. She was absolutely unprepared for that.
A puzzled expression spread across his face.
"Jill," he exclaimed. "It really is you."
Jill scratched the back of her head. "Yes ..." she stammered, a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, and what are you doing here?" Jake asked. Without further ado he bent down and began to pick up the things that had fallen out of the suitcase.
“Oh, don't do it,” said Jill, startled, “I'll do it myself.” She just missed that he was rummaging around in her underwear. She quickly stuffed everything she could grab into her trunk and tucked it under her arm.
Jake couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her. Jill's cheeks turned reddish in color. "Well, I'll be staying with my aunt and uncle again," she explained to distract from her embarrassment.
"Wow ..." Jake said softly and smiled. "Then we'll be neighbors again."
"Right," stammered Jill.
"Why did you never get in touch?"
Her big dark eyes, wide open, she stared at him. Jill's mouth was slightly open, but she couldn't utter a sound, her mouth felt dry and her hands began to shake, so that she had trouble not to drop the suitcase.
She couldn't answer. She didn't want to answer. She wanted to go.
She quickly turned away and stumbled back into the house.

Jake stared at the slamming door. He stopped for a while without averting his gaze.
Furious, he kicked a small stone on the sidewalk. He shoved his hands deep into his trouser pockets and continued on his way home.
Annoyed, Jake raised his cell phone to his ear when it rang again. "What do you want?" He