Current Day: January 15th, 1990

New York, New York

"I'm sick and tired of your bull shitted lies Yuki!" Her manicured nails slapped me across the face, dragging her sharpened nails across my flesh. My head recoiled back, blood seeping down my face.

"Not get out of my sight." She hissed, shoving me off. I glared at her, pure hatred seeping through my light grey eyes. My legs trembled up, supporting my bruised and beaten body towards my room. My feet drug themselves across the wooden floor, until a beaten door stood in the way. It gently swung open revealing a musty room with bare furniture. I slammed the door close, locking it in the process. We lived in a nice house, with nice neighbors, but my mother wasn't one of those nice things. She use to be, but after my father left her for a hooker he's been seeing, her perspective of the world changed drastically. We live in New York City, one of the most bustling cities in the world and also one of the most dangerous. Not like she cares about my safety. In fact, she wishes I was never born or her child.

She wants me to go away, I'll grant her final wish.

A letter brushed against my hand, yellow with age. A small heart shaped earring hung under it, sliding over the paper as my hands picked it up.

Dear Yuki,

How are you? It's my first day on Waffle Island and one word describes it: beautiful. I met a lot of people on the boat coming into port. Seems like they were away for some time and decided to come home. Mira and her husband are really nice, but strict in the ways of jewelry. Anyway, hope everything at home is doing alright. I know how worried your parents can be if you stay out too late. Write back soon.

You friend,

Julius

I skimmed over the notes he sent me over time. Each one explaining the island and his job on the island. As time went on, his notes became few and ceased to continue. His last one mentioning that the last farmer to try working on the island only lasted a day before they quit. Maybe...maybe this is what I need. A fresh slate. I quickly tore a piece of paper off my stand, scribbling my words together and sealing with a kiss. I grabbed my worn down violet coat, sliding the envelope into the only pocket without a hole. My feet slid easily into the overly sized boots and made themselves comfortable among the warmth. Blooded hands trembling as the window slowly opened enough for me to jump right into the January snow. Frost nipped at my exposed skin, adding a flush of pink to my features. My feet trampled through the wet snow, soaking my legs to the core. Thankfully, the mailbox is right outside of the house hidden by the thick brush that seemed to never die.I stood there for a second more, ignoring the bustling wind throwing snow in my face.

I need to leave tonight.

I glanced back at the house that was my home and trotted in with a stone look on my face.

"Your pretty young to start a farm all on your own miss..."

"Yuki." He smiled a soft smile; his hand extended.

"Captain Pascal at your service Miss Yuki. I run the ferry from Waffle Island to Toucan Island on good weather days, much like today." I nodded, holding my brunette hair in place from the on coming breeze.

"So Miss Yuki, what made you want to start a life on a farm?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, what ever your reason may be, Waffle Island is a great way to start over. In fact, we should be seeing it soon if this weather keeps up." I glanced up to see dark storm clouds rolling in, lightning illuminating the sky. Rain drops began pelting my skin.

"Well, it was. Let's get inside before the storm gets any worse." I nodded following in his footsteps. A violent wave snuck up, knocking my body onto the wood floor. Blood seeped through the newly cut wound, staining the water on deck. As darkness over took me, I could barely make out the frantic yells of Captain Pascal.

I slowly opened my eyes, avoiding the rays of sun shinning down. My eyes scanned the new room, glancing every now and then at the door. My legs began moving, wincing every now and then from the surging pain my head held. A woman was walking the hallway, quickly running to my aid. She had short orange hair and light purple eyes.

"Oh dear! You shouldn't be walking just yet." She tenderly wrapped an arm around me, guiding us down the staircase. An elderly man sat at the bottom next to an elderly woman with pink hair. Both glanced up at our figures descending.

"Oh Colleen! There you are! And it seems the newcomer is also up as well. Welcome to the Sundae Inn. I'm Jake and the woman next to you is my wife Colleen. We run the Inn during the day with our head chef Yolanda and her apprentices." I simply bowed in respect. My head began to throb in protest.

"I'm Yuki, please you meet you." They all brightly smiled, only to be interrupted by an eruption from the kitchen. A huge gray puff of smoke began making its way into the main area, causing Yolanda to quickly run in with a fire extinguisher. Colleen pushed me lightly down on the step, but of course I got right up. We all ran into the kitchen to see two people covered in a thick layer of ash. Both had orange hair, but one had a bed head look and the other had them neatly tied up in braids.

"I'm so sorry Chase! I didn't mean to set the kitchen on fire again!"

'Again? Man this girl needs some serous help.'

Chase picked up a towel, wiping away the thick blackness to reveal his flawless tan skin. His eyes opened revealing a dark purple, cold and isolated.

"Maya! I told you a thousand times NOT to do that! Are you stupid or something?" Maya winced back, slightly putting her hands up in surrender.

"B..but Chase, I followed the recipe exactly like you showed me." He scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Admit it Maya! Your a horrible cook! The only thing you'll ever be good at is being a waitress!"

"Chase!" Colleen scolded. He growled, throwing his towel to the side and marched out of the kitchen. Maya stood there with tears pouring down her eyes causing all but Chase and I to console her. From the corner of my vision, I could see him glaring at her with pure hatred and...envy? His eyes locked on mine, waiting for a response. I spun on my heels, walking towards him which seemed to catch him off guard.

"Hi Chase, I'm Yuki the new rancher." He glared slightly.

"Aren't you going to go comfort the baby like the rest of them?" He replied rudely. I rolled my eyes, striking the same pose as him.

"Aren't you going to stop acting like a drama king and just enjoy your life?" He didn't seem like he was going to give up soon so I gave him a side-friendly hug. He stiffened slightly before pushing me away from him. My feet stumbled over a few broken boards, causing me to fall slightly as exposed hands brushing against the wood harshly. Blood seeped through my now raw flesh, spilling into the wood. Chase just stood there, wide eyed. His eyes traveled the stream of blood in a trance. His eyes almost looked... worried? Chase snapped out of the trance he was in and immediately ran off the scene. I merely watched his retreating figure in awe.

"Oh my! What happened to your hands dear?" Colleen frantically asked, running to my aid. My eyes were still locked with the shadowed staircase as I answered him.

"I'm fine, just tripped is all." She looked like she didn't believe me, but went with it anyway.