This is a story I'm typing with my sister. I'm hoping it'll turn out alright since she's an amazing authoress. I hope you like the first chapter!


Chapter 1

The sky was dark. A little too dark, perhaps, for a trip across the ocean.

Angela sighed, brushing her bangs back from her face. Rain would only dampen her spirits. She was somewhat excited for her trip, but more worried about what lied ahead and what she was leaving behind. At least she had her trusty iPod. She rubbed the leather case affectionately.

"Uh...excuse me?" Angela sighed again, ripping the cords out of her ears. She blushed, realizing just how loud her music really was. She quickly stuffed her iPod into her pocket and looked up hastily.

Pascal smiled. "I just wanted to tell you we're about an hour's worth from the island."

Angela nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"What were you listening to?"

"Um...uhh...," she stuttered, racking her brain for a witty response, "...I'm listening to The Police...?"

Pascal beamed. "Good girl!" He patted her shoulder encouragingly.

Angela flinched, smiling back sheepishly. She wanted to make sure she was off on the right foot with everyone, even if it meant lying about her choice of music.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name."

"Oh, sorry. It's Angela." She turned to the ocean, her eyes transfixed on the rolling black waves crashing against the hull. "I decided to leave my family. Figured it was time to move on. They gave me some money to start, but I'm probably going to have a hard time earning the rest myself. I don't have a job. Heck, I don't even have a house. I just needed to get away. Time for a change of scenery, you know?"

The elderly captain grinned. "I know exactly what you mean. I left home when I was eighteen. My father had always taken me out in the ocean in our little fishing boat, and that was when I fell in love with the sea. It was tough getting started, but I turned out okay. You'll find your calling eventually."

Angela nodded. "Thanks. I hope I find it soon....maybe something in the fashion business or something..."

"Is that what you want to be? A tailor?"

"Uh...maybe... I like stuff like that, but it just doesn't feel right." She bit her lip. "Maybe after I get to the town I'll find something else that interests me even more."

"We should probably be moving inside. The rain is getting pretty bad."

Angela looked up in surprise. She was so wrapped up in the conversation she hadn't noticed that the rain had begun coming down in sheets. She laughed at herself, following the captain back into the ship.

Angela flopped down on one of the ship's many couches. Her eyes were already starting to feel heavy. Pascal, who had sat down on the couch opposite of her, laughed when he saw Angela's weary expression.

"We only have a half hour left of the trip left. Do you think you can make it?" Angela sat upright.

"Of course I can!" she huffed. The truth was, of course, she was exhausted...and nauseous. Pascal eyed her suspiciously.

"Angela, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"You don't look good at all..." he murmured to her. "Do storms make you sick?" There was a long pause. "Angela?" The brown-haired girl collapsed on the couch in a dead faint. "Angela!"

~*~*~*~*~*

Angela dreamed she was in a dark room. Cold pressed against her as she looked around, confused. A flash of light illuminated the room and suddenly a beautiful lady appeared in front of her. She was the most beautiful woman Angela had ever see; her shimmering blue hair and sparkling eyes made her look like some sort of goddess. Angela reached out to the distressed woman longingly, as if she had known the mysterious maiden her whole life.

"...He...lp.....my....dying....tree...spr...wa...ke..." the woman stuttered. "Too...we...can...not..." The beautiful lady began fading.

"Wait, don't go!" Angela pleaded. "I need to know more! Please!"

~*~*~*~*~*

"I think she'll be alright, Colleen. Jin's already examined her and determined that she just passed out."

A woman sighed from somewhere in the room. "I hope you're right, Jake. We'd better go downstairs; Yolanda's having a fit because there are no customers anymore." Footsteps retreated from the room. Angela hesitated before blinking her eyes open.

At first she could only see a bright light, but it gradually morphed into separate colors and objects. She sat up abruptly only to fall back down on the bed again. She felt so weak...and tired.

"C'mon," she commanded herself. Grudgingly, she sat up again and managed to get up on her feet. She looked around the room. It wasn't that bad, actually. It was well furnished with a bed, a dresser, and a window. Angela figured she must be in Sundae Inn. She had read about the many Waffle Island buildings in a brochure sent to her by the mayor. Angela found her way to the stairs and went downstairs.

"Awake already?" A pink-haired woman ran up to her. "I'm glad. Pascal brought you in late yesterday. Poor thing, he said you passed out in the storm."

Angela looked around. "Uh...I guess I must have passed out. I mean, I don't remember very much..."

The woman gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Colleen, I run Sundae Inn with my husband, Jake, and my mother-in-law, Yolanda."

"I'm Angela. It's nice to meet you."

Colleen smiled. "It's nice to see a new face around here these days. Ever since the Mother Tree..."

"Now, now, Colleen," a tall man ran up to her. "Don't confuse her." The man held out his hand. "I'm Jake, and this is my mother, Yolanda."

Angela shook his hand and the hand of a short, pudgy woman. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm the head chef here at the Sundae Inn," Yolanda said. "You need any dish, and you just ask me to make it."

"Thanks."

"We're you just seasick, or did the storm get to you?" Yolanda asked, sitting Angela down at a spare table. Angela smiled and then bit her lip uncomfortably. "Well, I actually don't know…but…while I was asleep, I had the strangest dream..." She told them about the beautiful lady in distress.

Yolanda blushed. "Oh, you're so sweet to flatter an old woman like me."

Angela smiled uncomfortably.

Jake laughed. "Now, Mother, Angela could have just as easily been talking about Colleen."

"Oh, Honey!" Colleen flushed red.

"Er..." Angela stuttered. She was pretty sure that none of the women here was the beautiful woman in her dream. Her stomach growled unexpectedly, breaking the silence.

"Hungry, are you?" Yolanda laughed, and Angela nodded sheepishly.

"Shall we get something to eat?" Jake suggested. All in presence nodded encouragingly. He pushed Yolanda and Colleen towards the kitchen. "C'mon! I'll whip up some eggs and bacon. And don't you move from that spot. It'll only take a minute!"

Angela looked around nervously. For the first time since the trip, she suddenly felt very alone.

"Um…hello? Can I help you?" Angela turned around abruptly and came face-to-face with a golden-blonde girl with a wide smile. She wore a deep blue dress with a white chef's apron tied neatly around her waist. The girl's pale blue eyes sparkled.

"Oh…no," Angela said. She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Jake is making breakfast." The girl squealed happily.

"Yes! Dad's cooking is awesome. Well, his is second best to Yolanda's." The girl grinned and then studied Angela's perplexed look. "Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Maya, and Jake and Colleen are my parents."

"I'm Angela; it's nice to meet you." Maya smiled.

"Angela…what a nice name!" she said. Angela smiled weakly, unknowing if she liked Maya's happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Thanks. Maya's a pretty name, too," she said finally. As if right on cue, Jake came out of the kitchen holding plates of steaming food. Yolanda and Colleen came out after him, holding more plates. They all sat down at a table. Jake casually passed out the food.

"So, I see you met Maya, Angela," he said, sitting down. Angela nodded.

"Yeah." She put a forkful of eggs in her mouth. Maya grinned.

"These are pretty good, Dad," she said between bites, "Chase's is still better, though." Yolanda laughed.

"Are you hearing much from him?" she asked eagerly. "I haven't heard from him in ages!"

"Nope," Maya said. "He never replies to any of my calls." Angela looked between Maya and Yolanda. The chef smiled.

"Oh, Chase is my apprentice, Angela," she said. "You probably won't be meeting him, though. The ocean's in a frenzy. Pascal said it's too rough to travel in, so Chase won't be coming back any time soon."

"Ah," Angela murmured quietly. She just wasn't in a talking mood. Angela set her fork down next to her empty plate. Jake smiled.

"I think we're all done here," he said. "Speaking of which, Hamilton did want you to see him as soon as you woke up…"

"Oh," Angela said, surprised. "The mayor?"

"That's the guy," Jake said. "I'll show you over to the square, where you're supposed to meet him." Angela nodded.

"Alright." She waved her goodbyes to the others back at the table before following Jake outside.

"The mayor's a card, you'll love him," Jake laughed. "He's very excited to meet you. He even has a couple of houses for you to pick from."

Angela blushed. "Wha…what? A house? But I don't have any money."

"Yes, he was aware of that. He also wanted you to know that the house was already paid in full."

Angela's blush deepened. "Oh no, no, no. I can't possibly…I'll get a job eventually and pay him back…"

"The mayor has his reasons for being generous, even though sometimes they can be costly. You can discuss that with him if you'd like. Oh, here he comes now."

"Angela! Angela, Angela!" Hamilton grinned, hurrying up the stairs to where Angela and Jake were waiting. "I'm so glad you're here. We've all been waiting for you!"

"Oh…really? I didn't think that moving here was going to be such a big deal…," Angela replied.

"Well, the fact is, you're the first real addition we've had to the island in over fifteen years! It's very unsettling, I know. For some reason, people keep leaving and not returning. I'm hoping though, with you coming here, it'll encourage others to move in also!"

Angela smiled. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

"We'll, I'm gonna leave you two alone so you can show her around," Jake said, "I've probably got to get back to work anyways. Have fun with your tour Angela, and if you need any help finding anything, or just want to stop for a quick bite to eat, don't hesitate to come back to the Sundae Inn."

Angela laughed. "Okay, see you later!"

"Well," the mayor sighed, "it seems you've already made some friends! Would you want me to show you around the island? Perhaps a tour to get you started?"

"Uh, yeah, that'd be great," Angela nodded, "but first I…wanted to talk to you about where I was going to be staying…"

"Oh, yes! I already have some available houses for you. All of them are situated in the Carmel River District just outside of town. Just pick whichever you'd like and it's yours!"

"Wait…, I dunno… I don't feel comfortable taking a house without paying anything….," Angela said.

"Actually, to tell you the truth Angela, all those houses were left by others who moved away from the island. If nobody takes them, they'll just sit there and wear away until we bulldoze them down. As for paying for it, if you'd like you can pay your full in service hours. I'm sure the citizens of the town would love some help with housework and shop maintenance."

"Okay, that makes me feel better. I'll do the community service."

"Well that's great!" Hamilton laughed. "I've heard from several people that the folks up at Souffle Farm are in need of a little help. I'll take you up there. But first I need to know what house you'll be staying in. They're all the same basic design, just in different locations. I think as of now, the houses available are either a house close to the town, a hilltop house, or a house by the river."

"Uh…., wow… I'm not sure. I've always been fond of the sea. But the house by the town would be easier and closer to everyone else… hm… I think I'll probably go with the river house. Even if it's further from town, I think I'd still appreciate the scenery."

"A wonderful choice! I'll get started fixing it up right away! It's probably going to take all day, though, so you might want to go do that work for Souffle Farm before heading there." Hamilton lead Angela down from the square and back to the Sundae Inn. "I'm sorry I can't lead you there. All you have to do is cut through Maple Lake District and follow the path all the way until you enter the Ganache Mine District. From there the farm is straight ahead!"

Angela paused. "Are you sure I can get there on my own?"

"You'll be fine!" Hamilton laughed, pushing her forward. "Once you're done, head back down to the Carmel River District and I'll be waiting at your new home!" He turned and waved before running off, leaving Angela alone in front of the inn.

She was having second thoughts as to whether or not to go in and ask for the directions again. "Naw, I can do this!" she muttered. She followed the colorful signs until she was out of town, then headed the direction Hamilton had steered her, unaware of the challenges she was about to face.