[AN]:Hi, this is my story. :) I'm gonna have some parts of the story line in here, but I won't be copying the heart events and other stuff like that. I'm gonna to try to use my own ideas and put my spin on things. If you think I should continue, show a little love. Even if you just put a "+/-" in the story now has a beta and I am updating some chapters as I work on it. I hope you like it!

This story is dedicated to my sister. :3

Edit: February 18, 2014

Beta: Lucy Kay. Thank you so much! She has been a wonderful help and she is also a writer on this site as well if you would like to check out her profile. :3

New Beginnings

"Ugh, why did this place have to be so far away?" Rio sighed as she took off her hat to wipe the sweat off her brow. She looked at the road marker that pointed towards Echo Village.

This was going to be her new life. She had just turned twenty-one and found herself unable to find a decent job working in the city. She didn't go to college because of her family issues, and not many places besides fast food restaurants wanted to hire her. She did, however, have a green thumb that supposedly ran in her family. It was to her surprise, that when her father died, he would leave a patch of land to her in the mountains.

A patch of land that would make a decent farm, and with the right kind of skills, farming could be a very profitable business. Which is exactly what she needed right now.

"At least the scenery is nice…" she smiled slightly when she took in the scent of nature and basked in the warm spring sun. "The flowers, the trees, the animals…the dead body…" Rio paused. "…the dead body!"

Rio looked down at an older man wearing a brown trench coat. He let out a soft groan, and Rio's pulse slowed down when she realized he wasn't dead.

"Okay, what to do? What to do?" She repeated over and over again as she rolled the man over. She saw the small stream next to her and went to get him some water by using the canteen she had. She tripped when she ran back over to the man, spilling the water all over his face. He coughed like he was drowning, but in the end, it seemed to do the trick so the guy let it slide. Probably just to get her to stop apologizing.

After a lengthy explanation, the man introduced himself as Dunhill, the mayor of Echo Village and former friend to her father.

"It was so sad to hear what happened to him," Dunhill hung his head low, and Rio's lips tightened.

"Yeah, my mother still hasn't recovered yet. I didn't want to leave her to begin with, but…"

"But, sometimes you have to break free and build your own life. Your mother is a strong woman. She'll make it through. I'm hoping some of that strength rubbed off on you. You're gonna need it to run a successful farm," he tried to lighten the mood as he showed Rio around the desolate town. "And here is the pride and joy of this whole region!" Dunhill boasted loudly.

"Is it now?" Rio couldn't understand his enthusiasm as she overlooked this so called 'pride and joy.' Rio thought there would be little kids running around with their doggies following after them. She pictured an old woman drinking tea on her front porch while people greeted her. She figured she might even see a horse or two, possibly a buggy. Just anything besides a deserted, old, dusty place with not even a tumble weed to call its own.

"You bet! Me and your father use to play baseball right over there and that tree over yonder use to grow the juiciest fruit. It hasn't in a few years, but it used to be the best place to get out the sun," Dunhill pointed around to various locations as if they were still there. He looked so happy. Rio didn't want to point out that the old baseball field was overgrown and had a few new creatures living in it. Nor did she want to point out that the tree he was fond of was mostly rotten. "It's great isn't it?"

"Sure is!" Rio clamped her lips shut and nodded, forcing a smile.

Dunhill gave her a toothy grin before excitedly telling her more about her father's past life, continuing to walk deeper into town. "Now let's go meet your neighbors."

Rio followed Dunhill as he introduced her to the four other residents who stayed in the village. Technically, it was two now. As soon as she went through the meet and greet process, father and son, Hossan and Niko, were about to pack up and leave the village. It just wasn't anything left for them here. It made it much more understandable why Hossan had gave her a funny look when she explained her situation. They were trying to escape poverty while she was diving head first into it.

Rio watched them go with an extreme feeling of dread. She could feel the heavens above whispering to her to take the hint and run. The problem was she had nowhere to run. She had already quit her jobs and had a truck drop her things off at her new home. She didn't even want to think about the state of her new home if the rest of the village was this decayed.

Dunhill led her down the path to her farm. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest with each footstep. She was by no means a pampered princess. She could take a little rustic living, but she still drew the line at living in a shack or anything equivalent to it.

Coming across the farm, Rio felt guilt overwhelm her. Her initial picture of her land was much worse in her head. It was small and there were hardly any fields. She had read up on farming and usually there was much more land, but she wasn't going to complain. The fields were full of debris. It would take time to remove it all. Still, she could work with all of that.

She looked towards the corner of the farm. There was a wooden cottage just beyond the fields. It was barely big enough for one person. Yet, it was still bigger than her tiny bedroom in the apartment she shared with her mother. It was a step up for her. Not only that, but the house looked recently renovated. She could tell because some parts looked older against the newer fixtures.

I wonder if they did this for me. Rio thought to herself

"I couldn't do much since my old hands aren't what they use to be, but I got it all fixed up. It's not much, but I guarantee you it yours," Dunhill gave her a thumbs up when he noticed the wide-eye stare from Rio.

That proves it. Now, there was a little more guilt on thinking the worse of Echo Village. Dunhill continued to show off the farm and her new home. He gave her the basics of what she needed to know about farming. It was definitely going to be tough, but Rio wasn't going to let that deter her. She had too much riding on this little business venture. She tried to take in every word full-heartedly. However, there was still this small inkling of anxiety in the back of her head.

"I see there's not a lot of people here," Rio hinted, hoping Dunhill would take the bait. She sipped her tea and thought about the other villagers like Hana and Emma who she had met and then, she thought about the two that had packed up earlier. She looked across the table to Dunhill who seemed to be getting fired up over something.

"Rio, listen carefully; this town is not full of people, but the ones who are here are good and honest. It's just not enough to keep business booming around here and that just makes more people move away," He told her. Rio could feel her heart nearly burst out of her chest. She jumped up; slamming her hands on the table.

"There's no business around here at all!?" She exclaimed hurriedly. No, no, that won't work! Rio thought to herself. Dunhill looked a little confused before he completely misread her worrying.

"I see you've gotten worked up over our little town already. Don't worry about it now. The rest of the town folks and I are already trying to come up with a plan," Dunhill explained, but what he didn't know was that Rio was coming up with her own plan to pack her bags over night and leave so she could cut her losses. Dunhill kept speaking. "You being here has already given us hope that there is a chance to attract more people and save our little town. Thank you, Rio!"

Rio was taken aback. She smiled softly at his words, not wanting to break the man's heart by telling him she wasn't interested in a town that was on its last leg. That she didn't have time to waste here. However, she made a resolve to come up here no matter what and make this work. And maybe, just maybe, this could turn out well. After all, she was all out of options. She nodded her head with great determination.

"Don't worry! You can count on me," she told Dunhill, but inside she was still a little worried.

Father, if you can, please put in a good word for me up there…

And, this is where out story begins…