A.N. Alright, here goes. I decided to base this story off the layout for Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, but I'm not following the story line. I will have Finn (cuz who can resist him!?!) but he will serve a different purpose. You'll find out what soon. I'm going to have to switch some details around to get this to work without the story line, but I think it can be done!!!! As a side note-the Kevin I will be referring to is the male character in the game. Also, please review! I'm not going to require a certain number of reviews for me to update stories, but it really does make me feel better about my story and prompts me to update sooner. One more thing- please be honest in your reviews! I'm genuinely interested in what you think!
Without any further adou.... ENJOY!
I was really loving this Pascal character. Being the extrovert that I was, I was having a great time on this boat, chatting it up with a regular chatty Cathy. It's not like we were exactly talking about anything important, but my mouth was getting a workout, and that brightened my mood considerably.
"So, Angela, why are you moving to Harmonica town?" Pascal seemed genuinely curious, and I briefly entertained second thoughts about moving here. They were quickly snuffed when I remembered how enthusiastic my brother had sounded over the phone, regarding the town.
"I have a brother living there. Actually, you might know him seeing as it's a small town! His name is..."
"Kevin?" Angela gaped, staring up at Pascal with wide eyes.
"How'd ya know that?" she asked, pulling her jaw back up to join the rest of her face. Pascal just chuckled heartily, grinning at her in a well meaning way.
"I've suspected as much ever since you got on the boat. For one thing, you look just like him. For another," he paused to chuckle once again, "you're brother hasn't stopped bragging about his 'amazing little sis' ever since he found out you were coming." Angela giggled quietly, shaking her head slowly.
"Oh ya. That definitely sounds like Kevin." For the first time in the whole boat ride silence fell. I looked out at the rippling water, loving the way the sunlight reflected off the surface, throwing prisms of light in all directions.
"Actually," I admitted after a while, "I've wanted to move out here for years. When Kevin turned 18 he decided he wanted to move out here at a recommendation from one of his teachers. He would call nightly, and was constantly praising the town and all its people." A smile teased the corners of Pascal's mouth, and I turned back to the water. "I was always pleading my parents to let me go live with Kevin, but they said I had to wait until I was 18."
"So you're 18 now!" exclaimed Pascal. "When exactly was your birthday?" My cheeks tinged pink slightly, as I turned to answer.
"Well, it's..."
"Oh, yes!" Pascal cried, placing a hand on his forehead in an overly dramatic fashion. "It's today isn't it?" I nodded grinning ear to ear at Pascal's enthusiastic manner.
"Kevin?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Of course!" Pascal laughed and I joined in. "You know, it's Kathy's birthday today as well. What a great coincidence!" Suddenly Pascal whipped out a pair of binoculars and gazed out to the sea at the front of the boat. I stood silently, anxiety suddenly gnawing a hole in my stomach. "We're here!" Pascal yelled a bit prematurely. We didn't actually arrive for another five minutes or so, but my nerves still hadn't calmed a bit. In fact...
"Oh my Goddess," I muttered, covering my mouth as I fought the nausea that was consuming me. Pascal was oblivious to my distress and lowered the ramp to the dock while humming a joyful tune.
"Alright, off you go!" Pascal glanced back to find me with frozen legs. I didn't know why I was frightened. After all, it was a small, kind looking town. However, I was inexplicably scared. I lurched forward suddenly as Pascal gave me a hearty push from the ramp. I teetered precariously on the edge of the dock.
"Oh no!" I cried, flailing my arms wildly. I was going in, there was no stopping it. "Way to make an entrance, Angela," I muttered angrily to myself, squeezing my eyes shut. Just as my feet slipped from the dock, strong arms enveloped me and I was scooped off the ground.
"Clumsy as always, sis?" boomed a familiar voice. My eyes shot open and a smile broke my face.
"Kevin!" I cried, wrapping my arms around my brother, but no where near matching the bear hug he was smothering me in. Finally, he set my feet back on the ground, giving me a goofy, lopsided grin. I took a moment to take in my brother. "Wow Kev, you got buff!" I exclaimed, noticing that his arms were three times the size that they used to be. "What happened to my scrawny older brother?" I teased, punching his arm. Kevin smiled broadly.
"I see you haven't changed much," he said. "Still the same, skinny Angela I know and love!" In a mimicking gesture he punched my arm.
"Ow!" I yelped, rubbing the sore spot. "Geez, Kevin! I'm not as strong as you, remember?" He smiled sheepishly.
"Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly, making me jump. "I have to introduce you to everyone. C'mon, let's go!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a building about ten feet away.
"Doesn't everyone already know me?" Kevin looked confused. A smile threatened to pull my lips back, but I fought it. "Everyone already knows all about your 'amazing little sis,' right?" Kevin turned crimson and shot his gaze to the ground.
"I was just excited to see ya," he mumbled. A laugh barked out of me unexpectedly, causing Kevin to turn his gaze upwards, grinning.
"I've gotta say, sis, I missed the 'seal' while I was here alone." Now it was my turn to blush. The 'seal' was a name affectionately given to the way I laughed occasionally. I had to admit, though, I had missed the seal too. I loved my parents, but they weren't exactly laugh inducing. When Kevin had left, he'd taken the 'seal' with him, whether he knew it or not. Kevin began dragging me again and pulled me into the only building on the dock, explaining that it was the "Fishery" over his shoulder. When I walked in I was immediately assaulted with the stench of fish. I fought to keep my nose from wrinkling in disgust, but Kevin, familiar with the owner it seemed, gave no such concessions.
"Wreaks as always, Ozzie," he greeted cheerfully.
"Small-minded as always, Kevin," came a light retort. My eyes scanned the store, and I found who I assumed was Ozzie manning the counter. "Ah," Ozzie said, eyes brightening, "is this the Angela you kept referring to, Kevin?" I glared at my brother and the men both laughed.
"The very one." Kevin was either oblivious to my death glare, or just decided to ignore it.
"So, Angela," asked Ozzie. "How long are you visiting for?" I was confused and my face must have shown it.
"Yah, Angela," said Kevin. "You never did tell me. How long are you staying for?" My mouth hung open in shock as I stared at my brother. Was he really that slow?
"Kevin," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, "I'm not visiting." He still looked confused so I elaborated. "I'm moving here, Kevin. I thought you knew." His eyes lit up like a young child in a toy store.
"Really?" he asked, his voice hopeful. I nodded and he let out an excited noise, leaping in the air. Unfortunately, he misjudged his location and banged his head on the door frame. I cried out as his eyes rolled back and he slumped, reaching out to catch his as well as I could.
"Not again," moaned an unfamiliar voice. I didn't turn to see who the voice belonged to, too intent on catching my brother. I dove to keep his head from colliding with the floor, preventing further damage, and needless to say he was heavy. His deadweight was too much for me, so I settled with catching his shoulders up. We hit the floor with a loud 'thump.'
"Ah!" I cried, lowering his head the rest of the way to the floor and grasping at my wrist. Tears pricked in my eyes. I fought them valiantly, but lost yet another battle with gravity as several slid down my face. I could see someone crouch down beside me, and someone helped me to sit up, still clutching my wrist to my chest.
"Thanks," I whispered, looking up to the mystery person. He was young, maybe a little bit older than me. His hair was a brilliant white, and his eyes were barely open as he smiled kindly. There was something about him that made me feel relaxed just to be near him.
"I'm Toby," he said, answering the question I had just been about to ask. "You must be Kevin's sister, Angela." I whipped around to glare at my unconscious brother, only to hiss when a sharp pain shot through my injured arm.
"Paolo!" yelled Ozzie, surprising me enough to make my heart jolt. A young boy who looked to be about 10 emerged from the back room. He wore a baseball cap and had dark hair-the complete opposite of Toby's snowy mane. Paolo took one look at us and groaned loudly.
"Not again!" he yelled, dutifully following Ozzie over to the three of us.
"One, two, three!" yelled Ozzie. He and Paolo grunted as they lifted Kevin between the two of them and carried him out the door.
"Again?" I asked, mildly amused. Toby smiled, nodding once.
"I'm going to help you to Doctor Jinn, okay?" I nodded, standing up with Toby's help. We turned and were about to leave when the door swung open violently, smashing into my face. I yelped, relieved when I discovered no blood. I would probably bruise, however. A joyful whistle cut short as a girl about my age with short brown hair and wide, inquiring eyes stuck her head around the half open door.
"Oh!" she cried. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I nodded, smiling weakly. "What have I done?" she cried, eyeing my wrist with acute horror. I shook my head violently and opened my mouth to explain when Toby spoke up.
"Don't worry, Renee. You didn't do that, Kevin did. He had a Kevin moment." Renee nodded, understanding in her eyes.
"Then you must be Angela! I haven't seen you before, I'm quite sure of it." I smiled, nodding. "Oh, was Toby going to bring you to Jinn's? How kind of you, Toby! I'll watch the shop for you." Her face transformed before my eyes, turning a distinct pink hue. I glanced quickly at Toby, noticing that his face held the same color. Thinking quickly, I groaned rather convincingly and fell in what appeared to be a dead faint. Renee cried out and caught my head-thankfully. I liked her already.
"Oh dear," she exclaimed, holding me gently. I think we may have to carry her!
"I'll get her head," offered Toby.
"No, it's alright. She's a slight girl, and I doubt she'll be too heavy. Thank you though, Toby." Carefully, they hoisted me up and carried me out the door. I fought to stay unconscious looking while listening to them converse. I paid close attention when I felt them carrying me up an incline to keep my mind off the fact that we were most likely going up stairs.
"Renee," Toby said shyly. She made an affirmative noise, and he continued. "Well, the Firefly Festival is coming up and I was wondering if..." he trailed off and I wanted to kick him. There was a long silence and, me and my stupid mouth, just had to interrupt.
"Would you just ask her already!" I yelled. We stopped walking abruptly, and I opened my eyes sheepishly. "Um... whoops?" I giggled, grinning slightly. Both people were bright red and for a second I was afraid they would drop me, but they merely set me down. Toby stared at me for a while, then nodded.
"You're right, Angela." I jumped for joy as Toby turned to Renee whose face was crimson. "Renee, will you go with me to the Firefly Festival?" She nodded enthusiastically, and Toby kissed her cheek quickly. I grinned and started to clap. Needless to say, I remembered my wrist pretty quickly.
"Argh!" I screamed, doubling over with my injury cradled protectively. Renee and Toby jumped, rushing to help quickly.
"What's going on here?" asked a person I couldn't see. I could hear that he was a man, and his voice held authority.
"Jinn, this is Kevin's sister, Angela. She hurt her wrist trying to help Kevin," Toby said, quickly for him. Jinn nodded sternly, but a small smile flickered at his lips. He had long black hair pulled into a pony tail, and wore a traditional kimono and slippers under his doctor's coat.
"I figured there would be a second casualty. Come on in." He motioned to the clinic and I followed. I glanced at a sign on the way in that said, 'Choral Clinic.' As soon as I got in I saw Kevin sitting on a cot, speaking guiltily to a girl in a bright pink dress that poufed at the skirt. She had her orange hair in braids, and had wide, blue eyes. As soon as Kevin saw me enter he leapt up, sputtering apologies as he raced across the room to where Jinn and I were standing. I didn't know where Toby and Renee were, but I figured they had returned to the fishery along with Ozzie and Paolo.
"It's fine, Kev," I assured him, smiling softly. I threw my arms out of the way just in time to avoid having them crushed as Kevin pulled me into another bear hug. I heard a throat being cleared and pulled away from Kevin. The girl he had been talking to before grinned broadly and reached out to hug me as well.
"Hi!" she said, her energy rivaling my own. "I'm Maya, chef in training, and Kevin's girlfriend. You must be Angela." My eyes widened and I turned slowly to Kevin, a huge grin spreading across my face.
"Girlfriend? Kevin, why didn't you tell me?" He shrugged, smiling just as wide.
"I see your a lot like Kevin," Jinn interrupted. "Get hurt often, Angela?" I turned scarlet, answering his question wordlessly.
"If you wanna stay safe sis, just don't eat Maya's food!" teased Kevin, but I had a feeling he was serious in the way Jinn's eyes turned stormy.
"And next time just let Kevin fall when he does something stupid," Maya bit back.
"Watch yourselves; be polite!" bit a sharp voice from behind the counter. An elderly woman in a blue shawl scolded us. I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head for something to do.
"Jinn's scary grandmother," Kevin hissed in my ear. Maya slapped the back of his head sharply. Jinn snorted once and began to bend my wrist in all directions.
"Ugh," I cried, tears streaming from my eyes. Kevin gripped my other hand and wrapped his other arm around my shoulders.
"It's probably broken," said Jinn, looking sorry. "I'll have to x-ray it." As he led me back, I glared at Kevin.
Kevin, Maya and I left the clinic with my wrist in a cast. It had been fractured, and wood take weeks to heal. Kevin kept eyeing me regretfully.
"You know," I said, "this means you're going to have to support me for a while," I told Kevin. "You owe me now." He nodded happily. We said goodbye to Maya and parted. She promised to introduce me to her parents sometime, but for now Kevin would take me to meet Mayor Hamilton.
"He's a little crazy." I had been warned. I was kind of looking forward to meeting him now. We approached his home as it was past closing time by now for the Town Hall. Kevin pushed in without knocking and I followed warily.
"Kevin, what are you doing?" asked a cold, monotone voice. A boy my age was closing a book and rising from a kitchen table. "Did you never learn to knock?" Though his face was irritated, the boy was beautiful, and I felt my breath catch.
"He is kind of crazy," I whispered in Kevin's ear. He laughed loudly, shaking his head. "That's not the mayor, Angela! That's his son, Gill. Gill blushed slightly, sparing me a little smile.
"It's nice to meet you." I smiled back shyly.
"The mayor isn't such a tight ass," said Kevin. I slapped the back of his head with my cast, which made a loud 'clunk.'
"Ouch!" I cried just as Kevin yelled,
"Dammit!"
"Watch your language!" I cried.
"Is this your amazing sister, Kevin?" boomed a squat little man. I threw my hand over my mouth, laughter threatening to spill out. He was dressed in Thomas the Train Pjs.
So this was the mayor!
Woah! Longest chapter I've ever written. (I tend to write short chappies!) Please tell me what you think so far. Criticism is welcome, but no flames, please! Thanks! I'll hopefully get the next chapter up within a few days, but I'm also a beta for "Over the Moon" by screamerXOXO, so it may take a bit. If you like New Moon because it has Jacob/Bella check out that story! It's really good, I promise!