Return to Twilight: Book Two (Land of Twilight Trilogy)

By Charmayne Hafen and Brianna Osaseri

In this second book of the Land of Twilight Trilogy, the bike races become friendship contests. Seventh-grade Lorna struggles with the nuances of being a friend, like how to be one, how to choose one, and how to keep one.

She rejects her dad, deceives her mom, and turns her back on the ethereal Land of Twilight. She even t

• Language: English
• Publisher: CMH Writing
• Release date: May 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781951084219

Charmayne Hafen

Using knowledge and skills acquired from her MA in counseling, Charmayne wrote The Land Of Twilight series to help kids navigate the sometimes difficult waters of divorce. Her love of Celtic mythology also influenced the book. Charmayne Hafen has been writing since she was nine years old when she kept a private journal documenting love and loss in her fourth-grade class.

Book preview

1.

Lorna grabbed the purple bike helmet and crammed it down on brunette curls streaked cherry-red. She hoped her chestnut hair, newly highlighted, became flaming wings, champion wings.

She swung her leg over her mountain bike, ready to beat the biggest bragger of the neighborhood. Samuel Black had set their race around the neighborhood block, not once but seven times.

Sam’s daily Crestwood Challenge was the talk of the neighborhood.

Ally and all the kids who lived nearby watched from Sam’s front yard. Their silence and smirks mocked the new girl. She was determined to win. Yes, Sam was about to meet his match.

So, what if none of the other kids on the street could beat the scar-faced racer in his Crestwood Challenge; none, that is, until now. This moment was going to be one of the most important in Lorna’s new life. Her heart started thumping.

Only two days ago Lorna Wilson, her brother, and mother had moved into the red brick house on the corner of Crestwood Avenue. That’s when this whole thing started. Moving to Phoenix, Arizona felt like the worst thing that could happen to Lorna. Leaving her home and friends in California was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life.

As she helped her mother unpack boxes, Lorna wondered how she was going to fit in. She needed to impress the kids that lived in her new neighborhood, but how?

The answer came with a knock at the front door. Hi, I’m Ally, the kid who lives next door to you in the house with the swimming pool. Would you like to come over for a swim?

Yeah… I mean… let me ask my Mom.

Splashing in Ally’s pool, Lorna learned about Samuel Black and the Crestwood Challenge.

What’s the Crestwood Challenge? Lorna ran and jumped into the chilly, blue liquid so the cement wouldn’t burn her feet.

The Crestwood Challenge is something Sam made up, of course. Ally climbed the ladder out of the pool and then jumped in again after her. Wiping water from her face and eyes, she continued. You have to ride as fast as you can around the block seven times, she sputtered. Whoever finishes first is the champion."

I could do that, Lorna said, thinking about the dirt bike trails she used to ride near her old house. Racing on the street would be a piece of cake next to the steep trails she rode before she moved. Does everyone do it?

Ally went on to explain that no one had ever beat Samuel Black. Before she could stop herself, Lorna blurted out, I’m going to beat him.

The next day, Ally told everyone in the neighborhood what Lorna’s swimming pool claim entailed.

The following day, Sam knocked on Lorna’s door. I heard you could beat me. He stood with his arms folded across his chest staring her down through her screen door.

At first, Lorna had no idea who he was. Then she saw the long scar that ran from Sam’s left ear across his left cheek and she knew Samuel Black had come to face his challenger.

How’d you get that scar?

Sam’s hand went to his face and then dropped. I cut my face on a sprinkler head. Some neighbors had a dog that got out when I was riding my bike. The dog chased my bike and knocked me over.

You fell off your bike? Lorna tossed her brunette hair behind her shoulder.

It was first grade. Lorna saw Sam look down in embarrassment and then back at her with a hard eye.

Where’d you get that scared-rooster hairdo?

Her hand went to towards her hair involuntarily. She dropped it. The scar made Samuel seem intimidating, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. I’m not afraid, she answered, folding her arms defiantly.

I say it’s time to prove it.

Fine. I’m ready when you are. Lorna was always her most confident self when riding her bike, so she didn’t have any trouble agreeing to the race. In a way, her purple mountain bike was her best friend. It was an expensive gift from her father, a Cannondale. It was sure to be superior to Sam’s bike. When her dad handed it over, he told her that most kids her age weren’t able to afford a Cannondale.

Good. Sam looked at his watch and pressed a button, causing the watch to beep several times. Meet me in front of your house at seven o’clock. That’s in one hour.

No problem, Lorna said, yawning as if this was the most boring plan she’d ever heard.

Seven o’clock, Sam muttered as he turned and walked away.

Lorna slammed the door shut and plopped herself back down on the living room couch where she’d been sitting, watching the extreme sports competition in San Francisco, California.

Who was that, Lorna? her mother called from the kitchen.

Just some kid wanting to play, Lorna said. She braided her hair in nervous movements and avoided telling her mom that she had just challenged the neighborhood champion to a bike race. She knew her mom would get upset if she thought Lorna was racing around the neighborhood without knowing the streets very well. In fact, she used to get upset when they lived in California and Lorna would ride on the dirt bike tracks behind her house. Her mother was a compulsive worrier. It was better to leave the details out of things at times.

Well, why don’t you go out and play? Get some fresh air, instead of watching that garbage on T.V. Tonight is the only evening you’ll be able to stay out late because school will be starting.

Lorna’s mouth dropped open. There was no way she was going to miss Adam Dunn doing a double flip on his bike.

Mom, I can’t believe you would even say that. You know how much I love Adam Dunn.

Yeah, and I know how important it is for you to get out once-in-a-while. You need to move around. It’s good for your bones.

Mom, the X Games are good for my bones. I learn how to crash without getting hurt.

You know what I mean, Lorna.

I was planning on going outside at seven o’clock anyway. Lorna stared at the T.V. and watched as Adam Dunn seemed to float through the air, flipping not once but twice before pulling off a perfect landing. She shrieked.

That won’t give you much time to play before dinner. I got the meatloaf in the oven a little late tonight, but it will still be ready at 7:30.

Meatloaf? Mom, I hate meatloaf.

Lorna, don’t even start. I don’t want to hear it. We’re eating meatloaf for dinner. If you don’t like it, then don’t eat. I’m not going to cook three different meals for each person in this house.

Matthew doesn’t have to eat it, Lorna complained, picking at a hole in one of the green pillows that sat on the couch.

Matthew is only two years old and he will be in bed by the time it’s done. You know he won’t eat meatloaf. Lorna could feel her mother glaring at her over the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. And stop picking at that hole. I have to sew it.

Image of a 4 leaf cloverleaf. It is a printers ornament

It was exactly 7:00 when Lorna rode her bike from the back yard to the front of her house. There were at least ten to fifteen kids standing on the curb, sweating in the late August sun. Arizona was a lot hotter than Lorna’s old home in northern California. She