Emily Newton looked into the golden pages in the diary of her mother. She wondered, wondered at the story that her mother never dared to tell her. The golden fields whispered in the wind, as she dangled upon the rocky cliff's edge turning page after page of this sacred memory. Why had Alice abandoned her so? What memories could never tell, the truth of the life of someone long gone. Someone who had journeyed far beyond this realm into the realm of lilacs and shadows. The Diary was Emily's only remainder from when Alice had vanished from thin air.

Beautiful white lillies smiled at the sun as she came over the mountain to greet the ocean shore. Virginia was glowing with a radiant orange as Emily's tears fell and sank like precious rocks into the bottom of the sea. She lifted a hand and let it glide across the sunrise, fingerpainting the clouds with light. The world seemed to hum, seemed to hum in the trees where the hidden bones of dying soldiers slept...Emily did not want to leave, to curse the ocean's tears for bringing her to this spot. But it began to rain which seemed to express the emotions locked up inside of her.

Oh My Dearest Diary,
   You have brought me to my knees with tears. I am thanking the Lord for this precious blessing, as I have a child on the way. Her name will be Emily Augusta Newton. Many happy tears. xoxo Hugs and Kisses darling. You are Mommy's precious sunrise.

 Emily stood and left back to the bridge, she walked alone down the path towards her house...for the whole time she was walking, she could not help but relay the memory of the day she turned nine years old. Her mother invited the entire neighborhood over to the large Mansion where Emily had spent her happy childhood growing up.  Emily remembered the swingset where her best friend Manny Rivers had fallen upon his knees and proposed to her with a dozen daisies from Emily's garden.

'Oh Manny!' She said and then she laughed out loud, 'What are these daisies for?'
'And you will Marry me Emily!' Manny said in his best grown up imitation.

Emily smiled to herself as she continued down the path towards Ivy House. When she reached the gate and opened it, her father was standing on the otherside in the garden and she could not help but notice the orange roses...but her father had looked upset.

'Emily, where have you been young lady?'

'Out. Out by the bay watching the sunrise...why?'

'I was just worried, that's all well here you are and you're fine so..come inside and we'll make you some breakfast.' Thomas Newton said.

Emily skipped down the path towards her beautiful home at Virginia Beach.

Inside the walls were decorated with stencled flowers, and the rosewood chairs were covered with sheets from when Thomas Newton had been cleaning the carpet from the livingroom. She sat down at the table in the diningroom and noticed how a splendid breakfast had already been laid out. Now she felt guilty for leaving the house at four and coming home now to this wonderful meal.

But she had had more on her mind and had no reason to feel guilty about it that much...there was a mystery to solve for her and she knew better than to press Thomas Newton for questions concerning the unusual dissapearence of her mom.