~What Once Was Lost~

Sunlight filtered through the windows of the small New York apartment. Spring had finally hit and the snow-filled clouds had all rolled out not to return until November. The heavy coats and gloves were all packed up in a box tucked in the back of a closet.

Normally this would make someone happy, but not Aria. Spring had always been her favorite time of year in Rosewood. Back when she was younger it meant colorful flowers and greener greenery. It meant the end of school and the beginning of trips to the pool and sleepovers with her four best friends. But now it intensified the homesickness that was her constant companion. She wanted to go back so badly, but she couldn't. It wasn't safe and she had more than herself to think about.

Most of her days started like this, her sitting on the window seat that looked out over the numerous concrete buildings that made up New York. Her arms would be looped around her knees as she stared longingly in the direction of Rosewood, Pennsylvania.

"Mommy?" a small voice asked, coming from the bedroom door.

Aria pulled herself out of her thoughts and smiled as her daughter walked in her direction, still half asleep. Sadie was holding her bunny in one hand and dragging her pink blanket behind her in the other one while rubbing her eyes.

"Hi. How did you sleep?" Aria got up and met her in the middle, sparing her two year old the pain of running into the corner of the kitchen table which she had done on more than one occasion.

"Good." she said with a yawn.

"Are you ready for breakfast?" the young mother asked, setting her down in her chair.

She nodded and Aria went to the fridge and pulled out two bananas and the leftover pancakes from earlier that week. In a couple of minutes both mother and daughter were eating in silence. Aria finished a while before Sadie did, as usual, and looked around.

The apartment that they had been living in for the past two and a half years wasn't big. It only consisted of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room, but she didn't really need much bigger; it was only the two of them.

And Aria knew that she was extremely lucky. Most teen mothers were living in shelters and barely scraping up enough money to buy one meal. Aria had enough to maintain the apartment and purchase clothes for her growing daughter. She had been able to get her high school diploma which helped her secure a job at a small boutique that was only two blocks from her home. She had a nice woman who tended Sadie for very little money and friends who she trusted with her life. Things could be worse.

But things could also be better. They could be in Rosewood where Sadie could know her grandparents and Aria could still have her lifelong friends that she had grown up with. Aria could be attending Hollis so that she could get a better job and be getting the money to buy Sadie a prom dress or send her to college one day. She could be in a city where she didn't have to worry about their lives every time they stepped out into the streets. They could wake up in apartment 3B where Aria had spent the majority of her high school days and Sadie could know her father.

Aria promptly returned to her present circumstances to avoid letting her mind wander to the father of her child. It hurt whenever her thoughts went in that direction because of how badly she missed him, and because she knew that he was no longer hers. She had given him up. It wasn't exactly her choice, but it had happened none the less.

She tried to forget about him, but it was impossible. He was one of the first things that crossed her mind each morning and one of the last things she saw as she drifted to sleep each night, second only to her daughter. It was excruciatingly frustrating that even after three years of no communication of any sort, he still had this much power over her.

Sadie looked up from her breakfast and Aria couldn't help smiling. At least she had Sadie, this beautiful little girl who meant the literal world to her. As long as they were together, everything would be alright.

"Finish up, honey. It's about time to go to Grandma Jo's." Grandma Jo wasn't really her grandma and her real name was actually Joanne, but that was just what Sadie called her. It used to be Gamma Oh, but since then, her pronunciation skills had improved quite noticeably.

Grandma Jo had been a life saver when Aria first arrived at New York, a scared, one-month pregnant seventeen year old. She offered her a place to stay and arranged for her to finish senior year at a local high school. She helped Aria get through her final months of pregnancy and made sure that she knew how to care for a newborn. Without her advice, Aria wasn't sure how she would have kept Sadie alive.

"Can't you stay here today?" Sadie pouted, sticking her lower lip out and looking at her with her large, blue puppy eyes.

That face was really hard to say no to, but Aria managed. "Not today. I've got to go to work, but when I get back let's watch a movie or something, okay?"

"Okay." Sadie was probably the most easy-going child Aria had ever witnessed. While at work she had seen many mother's coming in, dragging their children behind them as they screamed and kicked. They would beg for ice cream or a balloon animal and eventually the mothers would give in just to make them stop whining. Sadie had never been like that. She was more reserved and naturally quiet, which was probably how her dad had been when he was her age.

"Knock, knock?" someone yelled from the front door, not actually bothering to knock. "I'm looking for a Sadie Montgomery. Is she here?"

Sadie ran to the door and hugged the visitor as he walked in. "I'm right here." she giggled.

"Wait, you're Sadie?" Hunter Dawson asked, picking her up. "No, you can't be Sadie. The Sadie I remember was only a baby and you are obviously a little girl."

"You were here yesterday, Hunter." she said, not buying his little antics.

"Oh, that's right." He flashed a smile and set her down so that she could finish breakfast then took the chair next to Aria.

Hunter Dawson was Grandma Jo's nephew who she adopted when his parents died in a car crash. He was two years older than Aria and had quickly taken the position of being her 'big brother.' They were really close but their relationship was and always had been strictly platonic. Aria suspected that he wanted it to be more than that, but she had never left that possibility open.

"You look sharp. Do you have an interview or something?" Aria asked, looking over his neatly combed brown hair and pleated pants. This was probably only the seventh time that she had seen him wear a tie in the three years that she had lived there. Maybe that's why he had never managed to keep a job for more than two months.

"Do you think I look sophisticated enough to be a financial advisor?" he posed dramatically in his chair looking somewhat like the life sized statues that were found in various locations around the city.

Aria smiled. "Yeah. You'll nail it."

"Good. I was sent here by Jo to steal your child and take her captive to her lair where she will be spoiled with cookies and treated better than the Queen of England." Hunter had two sides to him: the one where he was completely serious and supportive friend and the one where he was more childish than the child. Right now he was obviously in the second mood.

Aria glanced at the clock on her cell phone and sighed. "I'm running a little late. Would you mind cleaning up breakfast? I've got to get her dressed."

He nodded and went right to work and Aria took Sadie's hand and led her to her bedroom, making sure to pick up the bunny and blanket on the way.

Aria quickly grabbed a shirt and skirt out of her small dresser and slid them on as fast as only mother's are capable of doing. Then she led her to the bathroom where she ran a brush through her hair and did a small braid on one side. Then she stood Sadie up on the counter and stepped back to make sure that it looked okay.

Aria couldn't help but notice how beautiful her daughter was. Her chocolate brown hair was long and thick, especially for a two year old, and had natural loose curls. That was a trait that she inherited from her mother. Her blue eyes definitely came from her father. Sadie was going to be small which could only be attributed to Aria. It still amazed her that their love made such an amazing little girl. She only wished that Ezra could be here with her to share in her pride, but he didn't even know that she existed.

"You look beautiful." Aria kissed the top of her head as she lifted her down and set her on the floor.

"Aria, its eight forty-five. You're going to be late." Hunter called from the kitchen.

"You ready?" Aria asked Sadie who nodded her head.

They went back into the kitchen where Aria handed Sadie over to Hunter along with her shoes that she hadn't had time to put on. "I'm going to go now. I love you, sweetheart. I'll be back to get you later. Thanks Hunter."

She grabbed her phone and keys and headed out the door, prepared to start yet another week of New York life. She knew that there were people out there who dreamed of living in New York City, but all Aria wanted was to get out of it. It just wasn't home and it never would be. Rosewood, Pennsylvania would always hold that title, no matter where life took her.

"Hello, can I help you find anything today?" Makayla Brian asked a woman who had just walked through the front door of NYC's Chic Boutique where Aria was currently employed. She'd had the job for over a year and she didn't really have any complaints.

She and Makayla had become fast friends since their work schedules were practically identical. The job paid pretty well and let her take time off when she needed to. Their boss was a laid back woman who owned thirty small shops like this one all across the country with most of them located in California and New York. And because they worked there they got really good discounts on the clothes which was why Aria dressed like someone who had a lot more money than she actually did. One thing that hadn't changed about her since moving to New York was her bold sense of style.

The woman who just walked in was of the upper class. Aria could tell instantly by the way that she walked in with excellent posture and short precise steps. This woman meant business.

"I can find it myself, thank you very much." The woman continued on to the back of the store where the more professional attire was kept.

Aria stepped out from behind the clothes rack that she was straightening and went over to where Makayla stood behind the cash register. "So how are things going with you and Tyler?"

A few months ago Makayla had come to work with her blondish hair in a ponytail and with almost no make-up on which was highly unusual for her; she probably spent more time in the bathroom than she did sleeping. When asked what was wrong, Makayla had spilled the whole story about how Tyler was a rich boy with strict parents who didn't approve of her. That had driven a knife in between them and they were having a hard time holding on.

"Better. He invited me over for dinner and once his parents actually got to know me they started to give me a chance. I think we're going to be okay." From the way Makayla bit her lip as she said the last sentence Aria could tell that she really loved him. It made her a little jealous but she didn't let that show. From what Makayla knew, she was just a single mom who wanted nothing to do with the entire male species.

"That's good. I'm really happy for you, Makayla." Aria said sincerely.

There conversation was interrupted by the woman who had returned from the back carrying a black pencil skirt and black nylons. "Whenever you're ready, I'd like to check out."

"I'm going to go sort through that new order of clothes in the back. If you need anything, just call." Aria excused herself and left Makayla to deal with the snobbish woman.

Aria busied herself in sorting clothes by design and then by size, preparing them in stacks to carry out and place on the racks. She made sure the price tags were still attached and accurate.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out to see that Makayla needed help with a customer and she left her piles to go assist in the front.

Once she was in the main aisle she could see why she needed help. There were about eight women who all happened to enter at the same time. A few of them were reading their lists to Makayla simultaneously and she looked very confused.

Aria jumped in and helped them find what they needed. It took a minute but they got everything sorted out and left the women happy. After they had walked out of the door, Aria and Makayla high fived at successfully satisfying the opinionated women. That could be very difficult sometimes.

Out of the corner of her eye Aria saw the door open but there was only one person there so she went to finish her work in the storage room.

She used a rolling rack to transfer the clothes after she was finished sorting them to their respective places throughout the store. While working there, she had become really skilled at maneuvering through the tightly packed clothing displays and tables.

Aria's mind was not functioning correctly that day though and she got so lost in her thoughts that she accidentally bumped into a customer as she moved backwards to reach another shelf.

"I'm so sorry." She let go and turned around to face the person that she almost ran over. Who she saw shocked her.

"Aria? Oh my gosh, it really is you."

She was so surprised that her feet couldn't move and she was frozen to the spot. It had been over three years since they had seen each other last, since she had seen anyone from her hometown. And somehow she was here, in New York, in the same shop that Aria worked at. It really was a small world.

Standing in front of her was the one and only Melissa Hastings.

That's chapter one! I'm hopefully going to update twice a week so you can be expecting chapter two later this week. In the coming chapters you will learn more about why Aria left and hasn't returned even though it's so obvious that she wants to. Please review and tell me what you think! Random sidenote: I sort of want to adopt Sadie Fitzgerald:)