Note: This is a series of oneshots about the characters in my Star Books. They are little snippets from the lives of other characters in the books. I hope you enjoy.

STAR INTERLUDES.

Spring.

Dyla & Primo

It was the middle of spring when I met him for the first time.

It was the warmest day of the year so far. I had only been living in the Stellamicos settlement since the end of winter the year before, so it was a new experience to see the town lit up by sunshine, new buds growing on all the trees and the grass a vibrant, fresh green.

I was sat under a large plum tree in the middle of a circle of grass. The roots of the tree were huge, bubbling up out of the ground and creating the perfect place for me to sit as I pored over the spells written on parchment, left behind by my father. I was a witch, you see, but a young witch at just sixteen with very little experience when it came to witch magic. I was trying to interpret the complicated symbols and wording, a frown upon my face, when I heard a voice speak from somewhere above me.

"Confused?" The voice was male, quite deep and jovial.

I looked up, startled. I glanced around. I could not see anyone: just a few little boys playing a few feet away from me.

"Up here."

I titled my head backwards, and jumped, scuttling backwards when I saw a boy hanging by his legs from a branch. I clapped a hand over my mouth.

"Sorry," he said, face upside down. "Did I scare you?"

"What are you doing?" I yelped, scrambling to my feet. I clutched the papers of spells to my chest, heart hammering against my ribcage.

He disappeared briefly into the canopy of white blossom; the branches of the tree shook and a second later, the boy jumped down onto the ground next to me. He landed in a crouch and then stood up.

I gulped. He was fairly young, maybe a few years older than me, his face smooth, but he was a lot taller than me, with wide shoulders, a broad chest, and large hands. There was also a glint in his eye and a cheeky quirk to his mouth.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said. I wasn't entirely sure that he was telling the truth.

"You didn't scare me," I blustered.

His grin grew wider. "Of course I didn't," he teased. "Although it's all right, you know, to admit that I did."

I scowled at him, shuffling my papers. "Excuse me," I grumbled, walking past him. Unfortunately, he followed, smile even larger.

"You're a witch," he declared.

"Yes," I said shortly.

"I've only ever met old witches before," he continued. "Those old crones who don't leave their houses. You're much prettier than them, though."

I glanced at him, blushing. His smile was wicked, teasing, and a strange fluttery sensation appeared in my stomach.

He slowly came to a stop, this strange boy, and I found myself halting along with him.

He bowed his head, the smile changing from teasing to sincere. "My name is Primo," he said. "My father's the Rector of the settlement."

I had heard of him, but never met him. The eldest son of the settlement leader and his wife was often gossiped about, for his erratic behaviour, pranks and strange sense of humour.

"What's your name?" Primo asked. His voice was very, very gentle, and I had the impression that he already knew the answer.

"Dyla," I found myself responding.

If it were possible, his smile grew even wider; his teeth showed, brilliantly white. "It's nice to meet you, Dyla."

I couldn't help but smile back. It had been the first time I'd smiled in a long, long time, and the movement of muscles felt strange on my face.

"It's nice to meet you too."

Author's Note: I checked an early chapter of Star Born where I wrote that Dyla and Primo were eleven when they first met. As you might be able to tell from this, that's not strictly true. The backgrounds of the characters has changed considerably since I first started to write Star Born.