A/N: This is my first story for Harvest Moon! Hooray! Anyway, I couldn't fit that much in the short book summary, so I posted the longer version below, if you want to read the whole summary.
Summary: Strange things are happening on Sunny Island. First, the weather amps up, causing massive tidal waves and earthquakes. Second, villagers begin disappearing suddenly from the island. People begin to panic and, in the moment of turmoil, and they make a sudden choice to abandon the island. Their departure is sudden, and in the midst of all the chaos, they accidentaly leave one girl behind...
Gone
By The Silent Calling
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Chapter 1: The First Disappearance
"Alexis! Are you back from the barn yet?" The light brown haired girl turned around abruptly, her breathing heavy and strained. Her pale skin was caked in dirt from her work in the fields. She looked over at the person calling her and smiled, her blue eyes sparkling.
"I'm coming, Dad!" The girl ran into the open arms of a tall, blond man. He smiled with delight.
"There's my girl. Did you feed all the cows?"
"All of them! Bella, Sue, Jackson, and Xavier are all fed." The man ruffled his daughter's hair. Alexis broke free from the hug, and beamed proudly up at her father.
"I knew I could count on you, Alexis," her father said. "You always get the work done right." The young girl grinned. Now that she had finally turned nine, her father was letting her do more important chores on the farm. It was a great deal of work, but she enjoyed every minute of it.
"Thanks, Dad. I try." Alexis said. Her father handed her a sickle and gave her a wink before heading over to the chicken coop. The smile was wiped from Alexis's face. Weeding. Great, she thought. Of course she still had to to her old chores. Grudgingly, Alexis got to work on the weeding. She threaded through the many rows of cornstalks and tomatoes as she paused occasionally to slice at a weed. It was harder in the dead-hot summer, but she managed to cut down quite a few. Finally, noon came and Alexis dropped the sickle and ran to her house.
"Mom, I'm home!" she yelled, taking her boots off. Her mother smiled at her from the kitchen.
"Hello, Dear," she said. Alexis looked at her happily before sitting down at the small table next to the kitchen. Her mom was tall and blond with an amazing voice. Her father had always said she was a pop star but Alexis didn't believe him. He was known to pull pranks on her and try to get her to believe foolish lies. Like the one where he told her that the island was once abandoned. Ha! Like that ever happened. Her mom came over to the table with a plate of Grilled Fish and a glass of Strawberry Milk.
"I tried to make it taste good this time," she said. Alexis grinned. The last time the two of them had made Grilled Fish, it turned out burned and they couldn't eat it. The nine-year-old wolfed down the meal and stared at the empty plate with hungry eyes.
"That's all," her mother said brusquely. "No more until dinner." Not unless I go to Jean's, Alexis thought deviously. Jean was her best friend, and her dad was an amazing chef. He was also a certified gourmet, so he always had extra food. And Jean was always willing to share it.
"Bye!" Alexis called, dashing out of the room. Her mother gave her a startled glance before sighing and returning to the kitchen. Alexis spotted her dad watering the corn and she walked over to him.
"I'm going to Jean's," she said. Her father nodded approvingly before turning back to his work. Alexis headed towards the exit of the farm and then, giving it one last look, she turned and sprinted into town.
Gannon had surely done a good job with the roads. The stones were solid and beautiful and they were pressed neatly against one another in a row. Alexis's feat pounded on them as she ran towards East Town, where Jean lived. Sure enough, as she crossed over into East Town, she crashed into a petite redheaded girl.
"Alexis!" the girl scowled, getting up and brushing the dirt off her clothes. "What are you doing?"
"Sorry, Jean!" Alexis panted. Jean held out her hand and helped her friend up.
"Why were you running? You're wasting energy!" Jean scolded her, and then she smiled. "Or are you working up an appetite? Dad made heaps of food for the Fireworks Festival since Gannon asked him too. Actually, he made too much..." Alexis laughed.
"Are you trying to make me hungry?" she asked. Jean smiled teasingly and dragged her friend away from East Town.
"C'mon, let's go to the Forest. Emma's going to be there too," Jean said. "Her Grandpa wants her to end up taking over the business some day, so he's making her mine for a pink diamond." Alexis nodded. Emma was Vaughn and Sabrina's daughter. She had short black hair and deep purple eyes. Her grandfather, Regis, was the head of an important mining company and he always scolded his granddaughter for running off and exploring when he's lecturing her.
"Let's not keep her waiting," Alexis said as the two crossed over into the forest. They walked around for a few minutes before deciding to go visit Nathan and Alisa at the Church.
"Look!" Jean pointed to the Goddess Pond. The Harvest Goddess floated gently on the pond's surface. She wore a troubled look on her face and then she sighed. Alexis gave Jean a puzzled look. Her friend shrugged.
"Let's get closer," Alexis whispered. "I wonder why she came out of the water? Doesn't she only appear when an offering is made?"
"That's what I thought," Jean murmured. "Let's go." The two girls silently walked over to the Church. When they got closer, Alexis gasped. Her dad was waiting at the water's edge and staring at the Goddess.
"Alexis, isn't that...?" Jean asked. Alexis nodded and clamped her hand over her friend's mouth.
"Shh!" she whispered.
"...Natalie and Pierre are worried as well," her father said. "Their children were good friends. We don't exactly know what's going on. Vaughn's really worried, as is Sabrina. We just have no idea where—"
"Stop," the Harvest Goddess commanded. "You come to me with these questions, expecting answers. I have none." There was a long pause.
"Alright," Alexis's dad said finally. "I'll be going then." The Harvest Goddess nodded and then disappeared in a shimmer of light. The farmer sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Alexis and Jean dove into the bushes to avoid being seen.
"Is he gone?" Jean asked. Alexis nodded and they stepped outside.
"What's going on?" Alexis asked nervously. "What are your parents worried about?" Jean shook her head sadly.
"I don't know." Alexis took a deep breath and motioned for her friend to follow her to the Church. "Maybe Father Nathan can tell us something," she said.
"I hope so," Jean murmured. The two girls trudged over to the small Church and entered it. A large crystal statue of the Harvest Goddess sat motionless at the end of the aisle. Rows of pews were lined up parallel to each other. Alexis and Jean walked over to the priest, who was talking softly to Alisa, the nun. The priest stopped when he saw them.
"Oh, Alexis and Jean. How are you today?" he asked. The priest gave them a weary smile.
"Fine." Alexis murmured. "Listen, Father Nathan, I have some questions." The priest looked at her curiously, but nodded. Alisa went over to examine the statue of the Goddess.
"Sit down," Father Nathan said. The two girls sat down in one of the pews. The priest sat down and waited for them to talk. Alexis looked worriedly at Jean.
"Er...well, we overheard my father talking to the Harvest Goddess a few minutes ago..." Alexis began.
"Something about my parents and Sabrina and Vaughn being worried about something!" Jean blurted. The redheaded girl blushed a deep red, ashamed of her outburst. Father Nathan sighed.
"So you've heard?" he asked.
"About what?" Alexis asked. "What's going on?" The priest looked down silently. The two girls passed worried glances.
"Your friend Emma," the priest finally said. "She's gone. Disappeared last night out of the blue. We don't know where she went or if she was kidnapped. All we know is that she's not here." Alexis gasped. Jean shook her head in denial.
"W-What?" Alexis asked. "She's gone?" Father Nathan shook his head sadly.
"I'm sorry, but that's the truth. If I knew more, I would tell you."
"That can't be." Jean muttered.
"I'm so sorry," the priest said. Alexis stood up.
"We'd better go," she murmured, grabbing Jean's hand and pulling her down the aisle. Father Nathan looked at Alisa and sighed.
"...Was I right to tell them?" Alexis heard him ask. The nun didn't reply immediately.
"You did what you thought was best. If more people go missing, they'll get mad for not knowing sooner."
"I hope you're right, Alisa," the priest murmured. Alexis grimaced and decided it was time to talk to her father.