This chapter has been rewritten.

The Ballad of the Forgotten Girl

Chapter One

I can't tell you the last time since I had heard from him. We were the best friends when we were little. We did everything together and had everything in common. In our childhood, I remember feeling blind to our different genders. It was as if that didn't affect a thing in our eager youth.

He was the boy with raging red hair, the eyes the color of an ocean on the most perfect beach day. He had pale skin with a few light freckles belting across the bridge of his nose and under his wide eyes. His eyes, by the way, had lashes that runway models would be jealous of. At the ripe age of seven, when we met, he was a perfect little boy that had all the teacher's necks snapping and their voices cooing. He was adorable. I remember, to his embarrassment, when the music teacher in second grade urged him to model for the Sears summer catalog.

I was rather boring compared to him. I'd always been thin, but unfortunately, never tall. My blonde hair was always swept into a ponytail, with a few lone bangs framing my face. My eyes were blue, too, but it was the sort of blue the sky turned when it was about to rain. Compared to him, I was a Plain Jane.

But I was blind to that in my childhood.

He was the light in my dark world. My parents had me young. She was nineteen, he was twenty-one. She had to stop school at her dream university. She had to end the coursework that would eventually get her into law school. My father had to shift paths. Instead of aiming for the Master's, his coursework met a dead-end at an Associate's, in a lower level of business than he had wanted. A degree that would only earn him the spot as a construction manager for the next eighteen years of child-rearing.

Our relationship would be strained forever more. I have maybe only a handful of memories with my parents in which one cracks a smile. It didn't happen very often. Much more commonly, my mother would have a migraine, my father would be on his third beer in front of the television, and I'd be in my room feeling isolated. Our house was always quiet. My parents didn't like noise. They never wanted to hear the patter of children's feet on the hardwood floor. From the beginning, I had ruined everything.

But for some odd reason, Gray Williams chose me to be his best friend. He chose me to be his castle defender, his shell collector, his rollercoaster buddy. Gray Williams brought his parents into my life and for that I am grateful to him. Gray Williams had given me a chance to find happiness in the world.

And yet, I hadn't found it because nine years passed since we've last spoken. He was only just showing me how possible joy was, and then he apparently had to go. At least, that's what Gray's grandmother had told me all those years ago. But she was the person who helped me find him today. She's the person who finally opened the road for me to recapture what I had lost.

I knocked on the familiar door about two weeks earlier. While waiting, I held my hands behind my back, just staring at the intricate carvings in the fine wood door. I saw the curtain twitch behind the side window. I heard a small 'oh!' from the other side of the door and the person released the curtain. The door flew open and the person threw their arms around my neck. The smell of cookies and flowers filled my senses. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around the person and pat their back. She leaned back and smiled, crows feet wrinkling in the corner of her twinkling chocolate eyes.

"Hello, Claire!" She cooed, "My, my! Getting bigger everytime. It's been a while since I've last seen you." She brought her hand up and pinched my cheek as if I was six years old, "I was just finishing up some of my cookies. Would you like to come in and have some?" Before I could answer though, she whisked me through the door. She seated me in her gingham kitchen. Sunlight was pouring in through the little window above the sink, giving the kitchen a care-free 30's feel. The woman leaned over the oven, a mitt protecting her hand. She pulled out a sheet of fresh cookies. The smell filled my nostrils and I could feel my mouth filling with drool, "So, Sweetie," She turned to me, clapping her hands together, "Why are you here?"

I swallowed hard as she fluttered across the kitchen. For a woman in her mid-seventies, she could move pretty light. She pulled out two glasses and filled them up with milk. She transferred the cooling cookies to a white plate and set all of it on the table. She then pulled herself into a chair and beamed at me from across the table. I looked down at the gingham tablecloth as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Have some cookies, Sweetheart," The old woman encouraged. She took one for herself and bit into the cookie. They sure did look good. I hesistently reached forward and claimed a cookie of my own. I brought it to my mouth and savored the smell for a moment more. The cookie lingered before me, hovering, ready to go into my belly. I bit into the cookie. I could taste the chocolate, it was chewy. A hint of vanilla extract became present. The cookie easily slid down my throat. I heard the woman chuckle behind her glass of milk.

"I still make 'em like I used to, don't I, Claire?" A maternal twinkle flashed through her eyes. I nodded and finished my cookie, now ready to move onto business. I drank some milk to stall, but after that I knew I couldn't waste another moment.

"Uhm, Miss Willia-" She held her hand up, silencing me.

"Grandma Williams," She told me, "You always used to call me that, dear. Has it really been that long?" It slowly sank in on me. It had been forever. I forgot that I even used to call her Granmda Williams. It seemed so long ago that I was standing in this kitchen. I was twelve the last time I was here. I was now twenty-one.

"Grandma Williams," I began again, "I was wondering... if maybe... I mean you might not... but do you happen to know where... where Gray lives now?" I stuttered, slowly becoming flustered. I began tracing circles into the table cloth, wanting to be anywhere but here, but I knew there was no avoiding it. I peaked a glance at Grandma Williams through my blond bangs. She looked hurt to hear that name again. It was as if I just undid all the strings in her heart.

"My," She took a deep breath, "I haven't seen that face in nearly nine years..." Granmda Williams whispered, setting her wrinkled hand on the table softly. "Claire... is that the last time you were here? Nine years ago?" I nodded. She let out an uneven sigh, "Yes, I know where he is." I felt a little bit of hope peak in my heart.

"Really? Where?" I asked.

"He's in a little town called Mineral Town with... with him." She said the last word with a lot of venom, leaving me a bit stunned and confused. Granmda Williams had no enemies.

"Excuse me," I found my voice, "Who is he?" Grandma Williams snapped back to reality. She seemed to be imaging wringing his neck.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie," She said, giving me a light smile, "I shouldn't be so immature. My... my ex-husband, Saibara." Come to think of it, I never had never seen a Grandpa Williams. I never asked and Gray didn't seem to think to mention him either. "Gray is living in Mineral Town with Saibara."

"I've... never heard of Mineral Town," I commented, taking another cookie for myself. Grandma Williams let out a hearty laugh that just about melted any heart, no matter how ice-cold it was.

"I'm not surprised," Grandma Williams replied, taking another cookie for herself as well. "Nobody as heard of it, Dear. It's a little town on the other side of the channel from The City here. It'd take you two days by boat to get there."

"I'd have to go by boat?" I blurted out. Grandma Williams let out a low chuckle, "Can't I fly there?"

"No," Grandma Williams replied, washing her cookie down with some milk, "The town is that small. How Saibara has managed to survive there that long eludes me to this day," She waved her hand to dismiss the thought, "Now, about Gray. Why do you need his location?"

"It's been so long," I replied, drinking milk. "I... just want to see him again."

"I can understand," Grandma Williams said. She reached across the table, patting the top of my hand, "It's been so long since Saibara took my grandson away. It still haunts me. It wasn't fair to anyone. Especially you, Claire." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't come here to cry. I had to hold it together. "I'll get you the address card."

"Thank you," I whispered as she stood to go grab the card for me

A seagull squawking overhead drew me back from my daze. I felt the sun on my face suddenly as it broke through the cloud cover. I squinted out to the distance to see a boat only a couple miles out from the dock. It had to be the boat I had called for. I looked to the card Grandma Williams had given me. All it said was Mineral Town, The Goddess Isles. Nothing more. Grandma Williams had said that when things were mailed to Mineral Town, they only needed a name and they'd find the right home.

Of course, after she had told me of Gray's location I went to work studying up about the town. After I typed it into the search engine for the first time, I was surprised to see the small town had a website. The website was decked out in varying shades of blue. In the center was an aerial shot of the island. It was a decent sized island, but the picture seemed only and the wing of the airplane was visible, which was only further proof of how old the actual photo was. Mineral Town was situated on top of a steep mountain. There were lots of trees. There was a valley with climbing jagged mountains reaching to the far side of the island. Above the picture were only three tabs. Offers. Life. The Harvest Goddess of Goddess Isles. I clicked offers because I was genuinely curious about what they could possible offer.

Flashing before my eyes in neon greens and blues was the title: BAUTIFUL FARM FOR SALE!

It was a twenty-eight-acre farm. It said beautiful a million times in the description. It came with a chicken coop, a barn, a large field, and even a farmhouse. Everything needed to start "your dream farm" as the article read. I tapped my index finger to my chin as I sat in the quiet library, hunched over a computer. I hadn't considered moving to Mineral Town. And owning a farm? I didn't know the first thing about it.

I left the library and I stewed over it for days. I worked as an administrative assistant for an insurance company, and all day, even while I performed my routine data entry, I thought of Mineral Town. I thought of Gray. And more specifically, I thought of that farm. I returned to the library three days later and sat in the lone recliner in the quiet section and pored over books about cows, pesticides, crops, anything even remotely related to farming. I actually found it interesting. Especially growing crops. It seemed so immersive and I loved anything I could dedicate myself to. Losing myself in something was always my favorite way to cope.

I still stewed about it for another two days before I woke up on a sunny Thursday, called work to tell them I was taking a personal day, and ate my breakfast on my balcony that had a great view of a giant hot concrete parking lot. I thought about how I really did want to leave all of this behind. I wanted to find my joy. And maybe finding Gray and changing my life was the right thing to do. I couldn't be scared I told myself. I just had to do it. I had to give myself a shot.

I went back to the library and called the number at the bottom of the screen in the phone booth outside. The man was snickering the whole time but he claimed he was throwing a "charades party". I looked out the phone booth at the passing cars and blinked for a moment before deciding, maybe that's just what the people do there. I purchased the land, however, and the man on the phone offered to send a boat to The City's port the next weekend. So, the next day, on casual jean Friday, I quit my job, gave them no notice, and left. I went home and immediately began packing. I began deconstructing my life I had built in The City without a second thought. I remained focus on the fact that I was escaping. I was leaping out of my comfort zone and the thought itself was exhilarating. Occasionally, in my rushing thoughts, I'd remember I was doing this for Gray.

But I knew part of it was also for me.

The little boat glided into the side of the dock. A large tan man leapt onto the dock, making it shake. He quickly wrapped a rope around a peg on the dock and then guided it to rest, just barely tapping the concrete port at the end. He took a moment to wipe his face of sweat with a rag and take off his fingerless gloves that he used to avoid rope burn. He then turned and gave me a pearly smile despite being a tall, ripped, buzzed-cut man. I barely reached his elbows.

"Hiya!" His voice was friendly despite his razor-sharp looks, "Are you Claire Hanes?"

"That's me," I replied. He held his hand out to me and we shook despite my hand barely being able to wrap around his palm.

"I'm Zack Banes, Mineral Town's captain," He chuckled at his silly introduction.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Zack put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath, looking towards The City. I'm sure he was offended by the smell, but his face didn't twitch. He looked down at my feet and pointed, "Is that all you're taking with you? The mayor said you bought the farm." I glanced to my three suitcases and two cardboard boxes.

I laughed dryly, "Yes, this is all I'm taking."

Zack didn't question it any further. He began grabbing my luggage as if it was nothing, hurling it safely on to the boat. He hauled everything to the bridge, in the shade, stacked them, and strapped them down for stability. He walked around the boat for a bit longer, shifting gear around, moving an anchor, wounding some rope. The boat wasn't large but seemed to have a modest cabin down below deck.

"Are you ready to go?" Zack asked, coming around from the back.

"Yes, I think so." I looked back to The City. For some reason, I was not expecting to feel suddenly panicked at the thought of leaving. Things were changing. This was it. My apartment was not waiting there for me. My boss told me she'd never hire me again. All of this for a farm and a childhood friend.

"You know, I'm from The City, too," Zack said, "I used to be in the military. I thought it'd be impossible to leave, but as soon as it all disappeared from sight, it got way easier."

I looked over to Zack and smiled. He held his hand out to me and lugged me on board.

Get on the boat? Check. Mineral Town, here I come.