~~~~ RIO ~~~~
"Rio! Hart!"
I groan from my bed and shove the pillow over my head.
"Come down! Papa and I have to talk to you two."
Please don't be what time I think it is.
I glance at my clock, and moan.
Yep. 6:00 AM.
On Saturday.
A few weeks ago Papa decided to tell us about his given-up dream to run this farm in this tiny little village to be with Mama. It was interesting enough.
Being a city girl, I never really came into contact with things in the country like farms.
However, that doesn't mean I haven't grown up with the next best thing.
Truth is Mama had me do every kind of farming/bonding thing she could think of while in the city. I've been given riding lessons, tended gardens, and worked with pets and animals as a volunteer at vets and shelters.
It was as country as it could be in modern civilization.
"One minute Mama!" I shout down as I get out of bed. I go up to my mirror and start brushing the snarls out of my long locks.
I get dressed into my favorite outfit, an old pair of blue overalls, paired with a red scarf, knee-length hiking boots, a white, long-sleeved shirt, and my cowgirl hat with a cow hide design.
I've got a thing for hats.
...Ok, more like a strange obsession. Kidding. It's just the one hat.
If my attire isn't enough, I have stereotypically straight, sun blonde hair, that reaches down to my shoulder blades. Dark, sapphire blue eyes blink back at me.
I'm not a girl who cares for makeup, but I will settle for a little eyeliner. I pull out my dark purple stick. My favorite color of all time is dark purple, the closer to black the better.
I stifle a yawn as I cross the hall and bang on Hart's door.
Hart is my older brother by two years. He turned 22 not too long ago, so he should be almost done with college soon.
He looks nothing like me, with medium colored brown hair and equally shaded eyes. But I guess there's some resemblance in our faces.
He's pretty country as well, he's been my partner for a lot of the things Mama has had me do. He's even got his own overalls and scarf as his favorite clothing items. He has a trademark hat of his own as well.
I press my ear against the door and hear a muffled grunt and then a sigh.
I nod and walk off, knowing he heard me.
I stand at the edge of the stairs, trying to stall the feeling I'm getting in my gut.
My gut is telling me something big is going to happen.
Something I'm not sure is entirely bad... or good.
~~~~ NEIL ~~~~
"You've gotta be kidding me," I mumble as I open my eyes.
That idiot just walked in my house after knocking, not even waiting for me to respond.
Maybe I can have him arrested for breaking and entering.
"Good morning Neil," he says cheerily, his smile showing dimples that shouldn't exist at his age.
"What do you want?" I complain. "I haven't even gotten out of bed yet."
His smile doesn't even waver. I annoys the crap out of me.
"Wonderful news, Neil," he begins. "I just received a letter from an old friend."
"And this concerns me, how?" I probe, not really caring about the answer.
"Well," he says. "I don't want to give away too much, but I need to ask a favor of you."
I sigh. Great. Just what I needed. Running errands for the old guy.
"What could you possibly need me for, Dunhill?" I snap.
I get out my hand mirror to see my dark, crimson eyes look cloudy, and my short, sunset hair is in the messiest bed-head I've ever seen. Wonderful.
"Look around you; there are only six villagers in this town, including you and me," I tell him, throwing on my long scarlet jacket over my raven black shirt. "And none of you take care of animals."
His smile wavers at the edge. Only by a little, though.
"Neil, I know you just went through a tough time," he starts, "and I know you just returned not long ago, but I really think you need to do this as much as I need it done."
I sigh again. I hate when people make me feel guilty.
Don't complain. It's better to be here and do some errands than go back...go back there again. See HIM again...
"Fine," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. I eye him groggily.
"What do I have to do?" I smirk.