Hi there. I'm Audrey, born on Fall eleventh in a tiny, remote town located in the middle of nowhere. I was my parents' second and last child, born on a whim seven years after my older brother Shawn. My father died when I was six in an accident during his job, leaving my mother to finish raising blonde-haired, blue-eyed Shawn for another three years and then me after he moved out. I got my green hair and other features from my father, except my brown eyes. I didn't receive a ton of attention from Mom or Shawn when I was little, because he was always out doing something mischievous and Mom was always at work trying to support us. Those factors led to me becoming very independent and slightly secluded. I wasn't a master in the art of socializing. My main goal in life became to get out of the virtually unknown town I grew up in and go make a better, more luxurious living elsewhere.

I was going to turn eighteen in two seasons when I made the life-changing decision to move to Waffle Island.

What a silly name, I thought for the thousandth time as I flipped through the brochure we had received in the mail. But anywhere's better than this puny village. The brochure was aimed towards ranchers, and I was no farmer, but I was sure they wouldn't mind another person moving in.

Upon further investigation, I found just what I was really looking for. A carpenter's establishment. Hopefully the master was accepting apprentices. There was only one way to find out! Even if they weren't enrolling apprentices, I could still learn in unconventional ways. I didn't plan on staying on Waffle Island terribly long, either. It was still too small for my tastes. I needed somewhere bigger, where I could get my name known.

When I told Mom my plan, she was torn between excitement and anxiety. "My little girl," she'd say over and over. "All grown up, going off to be a great carpenter in her father's footsteps. Dan would have been so proud. I'm so proud. But I'll be so lonely here without you... Promise me you'll write at least, Audrey! Promise!"

I loved my mom and I fully intended to write to her, but she did have slightly clingy tendencies since Dad passed away. She sort of freaked out after Shawn moved out. Luckily she had many friends in our tiny town that would support her when I left. Still, I worried for her. She was the closest person to me; my only friend, really.

That couldn't stop me from my goals, though. I had to steel myself. Mom could and would survive without me.

So the season of Spring was spent preparing for my big move away from home. Well, "preparing" was mostly packing and getting rid of old stuff. Mom helped a lot, of course. But I think she misinterpreted my intentions for moving to Waffle Island.

"Oh, look, it's your baby blanket!" Mom held up a small yellow square of fabric. The only indication it was a blanket of any sort was a ribbon attached to one corner and a swirly design embroidered along one edge. "Better keep this."

I didn't pay much attention to her remark, but then she held out the blanket to me. I blinked. "Why would I want my baby blanket? I have no use for it," I refused.

"For my first grandson or -daughter, of course!" Mom chuckled. "I can partly see why you're moving away. There are no suitable men here for you..." She went on, but I wasn't listening anymore.

"M-Mom... That's not why I'm moving! I told you; I need to train as an apprentice carpenter before moving somewhere bigger and more well-known. I don't have time for romance."

I braced myself for her face to fall, but instead a gentle, somehow knowing smile came to her mouth. That was almost worse. "You're just like your father. Exactly the same. It's incredible, really."

I didn't get a word of what she was saying, but I didn't like that look on her face. I pushed the blanket back at her. "Really, Mom, I think you should keep it. You have more memories of it than I do."

She didn't say another word; just took the blanket and turned around. She started sorting through more of my belongings.

I felt somewhat unsettled by her odd behavior, but I did my best to forget about it.

Before either Mom or I even knew it, it was almost time to leave. Five days before I boarded the boat headed for my new home, though, Mom just had to call up my older brother. But I didn't know, of course, until he waltzed through the door the next day.

The door burst open just as I walked past, making me jump out of my skin. Then I cringed as I heard Shawn's voice; "Sis! A little bird told me you're all grown up and moving away! You didn't think you could get away with sneaking off without saying goodbye to me, did you?" All I saw was a pair of electric blue eyes and I shock of blonde hair before my older brother swept me up and crushed me in a hug.

Mom... I growled in my head, trying to breathe.

"Oh, Shawn, you're here." Mom spoke after her name sounded in my mind. Her voice was pleased.

He let go of me to go jug our mother more gently. And sincerely. I didn't quite understand why he had sounded so excited to see me. We were never very close. In fact, I preferred it that way.

Mom smoothed out his messy hair that matched her own in color, then held his face out, starting to fuss over him since he hadn't been here so long. That's probably really why he came; to see her. He put on the act with me to convince her he cared.

Unfortunately, I found out Shawn was staying until I left. So much for my planned quality time with Mom. My obnoxious brother would be in my face every two seconds.

For the last three days in my hometown, I kept to myself because of my brother's presence. Nothing out of the ordinary, really, but I had been hoping to have some one-on-one time with my mother before I left. As I mentioned, that wouldn't be happening with Shawn around.

The morning I left, I tried my hardest not to let my growing disappointment get the better of me. Mom wouldn't stop worrying if I left her without a smile on my face.

I even managed to give Shawn a hug. I didn't hate him. He could just... wear me out. Very quickly.

"Have fun out there, little sis," he told me, sounding as if I was just going away for a week or so. "Make Dad proud."

I blinked. For once in his life, Shawn sounded completely serious. Even a little solemn. With a tiny smile, I nodded. "I will."

The moment would have been a good memory for me if the half-grin I had been expecting from the get-go hadn't appeared on his face. "And while you're at it, get me a brother-in-law over there! We need another guy in the family."

I felt my cheeks grow hot, but tried to keep my cool and scoffed. "You and I both know that's unlikely to happen." I hefted up my single suitcase, meaning to end the conversation.

"I know Mom would appreciate some grandchildren," Shawn pressed, ignoring my hint.

"Well then why don't you get married and have kids?" I retorted, beginning to feel flustered. "We all know how much you like girls!"

He looked taken aback and didn't say anything else. I was too ruffled to be smug. Don't get me wrong, kids are fine, but I honestly just couldn't see me with any. My future was going to be too busy. Plus, why did everyone think I would make a great mom? I didn't have the patience for babies!

Shawn didn't look me in the eyes as he said goodbye. The girls comment probably rattled him. I didn't pause to consider whether I would regret this later.

I hugged my mom good and tight. Out of everything, I would definitely miss her the most.

"Take care of yourself, Mom," I commanded rather than suggested. "I'll be fine. I'll be sure to write a lot."

She smiled sadly. If I wasn't mistaken her brown eyes looked watery. "I would say I'll finally have a quiet house, but that only really worked for Shawn."

I had to crack a smile at that, but on the inside I was fretting about her as much as she was about me. And after Shawn left you practically had a panic attack, I couldn't help but remember. Good thing Shawn was staying with her for a few more days after I left. If there was one thing he was good for, it was soothing Mom.

Telling myself I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't cry, I took a deep breath, gave Mom another hug, then turned around to face the boat that would be taking me to my new life. It wasn't by any means luxurious - it was an old fishing boat by the looks of it - but it would do the job. Setting my jaw, I lifted my bag and brought it up the ramp.

Greeting me at the top of the walkway was a kind-looking old man who wore a long navy blue raincoat and a matching sailor's cap. He held a pipe in his mouth and the skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled.

"Hello, miss! I'm guessing you're my cargo on this trip," he chuckled. "I'm the captain of this ship, Pascal. I hope you'll enjoy the ride. Here, let me take your bag."

I murmured a thank you, then, as he left, went to stand by the railing. Mom was searching for me from the dock. When she saw me her face lightened up and she waved. Shawn was nowhere to be seen.

Good riddance, I thought huffily towards my sibling. I was still feeling stung by his pushiness at me getting married. But I put on a happy face and waved back to Mom.

"We'll be leaving port in five minutes," Pascal noted as he walked past me. "Let me know if you need more time, though. We're in no rush."

I nodded. I was the only passenger as far as I was aware, and this wasn't exactly a cargo ship, so there probably wasn't much of a schedule. Still, I was sure the captain wanted to be home soon and to his family if he had any, so I didn't ask for more time.

Right after Pascal sounded the one minute warning, Mom called up, "I know you'll make us proud, Audrey!"

I chewed the inside of my mouth, then, to save myself from making a fool of myself by bursting into tears, tore down the ramp as fast as I could, nearly squeezed the life out of Mom one last time, then bounded back up to the ship.

Below, Mom was crying a little, but mostly laughing at my stunt as Pascal blew the boat's horn, someone on the dock removed the ramp, and we started moving. I waved until my mother and hometown were just blended-together blotches in the distance, continuing to watch in that direction until it was altogether gone. Then I closed my eyes and turned my head the other direction, towards my new home and life. A clean break.

I don't know how long I stared out at the never-ending ocean, but it felt like a while before Pascal came down from wherever he had been - probably steering the boat - to chat.

"Hello again, miss," he greeted me cheerfully. "Have you liked the sailing experience so far? I take it you've never been out on the open ocean before."

"Oh, uh, no, I've never been sailing before. I... guess I like it. It's peaceful." I tried to be polite, but I didn't have much experience with strangers. The community where I grew up was pretty closely-knit, so even though I didn't really have any friends, I still knew at least everyone's name around town.

He smiled and nodded, much to my relief. "It may take a while to get used to, but I'm sure you'll learn to really enjoy it... Ah, I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name."

"It's Audrey."

He didn't have much to work with with my short answer, so the captain struggled to continue the conversation. "So... When is your birthday, Audrey?"

"Fall eleventh."

"Fall, eh? I was born in Winter myself." There was along pause, as neither of us knew what to say. Then he seemed to think of something. "May I ask why you've chosen to move to Waffle Island? I must say, it's rare for a new resident, let alone a young one like yourself."

I shrugged. "It was time to move out." I didn't really want to be reminded of Mom back at home - er, my old home - undoubtedly worrying about me.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find it to your liking there. Beautiful scenery, lots of good food, nice people." Pascal smiled as he described his homeland.

Then why are so few people moving there? I wondered. It's certainly not very expensive to buy a house there, and if everything is as Pascal describes, I would have thought people would be pouring in. I decided it would be somewhat rude to voice my thoughts, so I kept it to myself. But when I glanced at the old captain again, his smile had faded and he looked somewhat troubled.

In an unspoken agreement the conversation ended and he returned to the wheel. Our talk wasn't going much of anywhere anyways. Normally I only spoke when necessary, hence my curt replies. I wasn't trying to be rude; I just didn't have any social grace. Everyone always said I took after my father a lot in that respect.

I stared out ahead at the seemingly eternal sea for a long while afterwards, right up until the sun started to set. I was going over and over my plans to earn enough money to move on from this island to bigger places, where I could get more well-known and expand my business. The other reason I was coming here was to learn the basics of carpentry. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I wouldn't have to be doing that if my father was still alive.

After the sky had begun to redden in the west and darken everywhere else, Pascal came again and showed me to my sleeping quarters. I slept surprisingly well, and I woke up early in the morning as always. But it seemed I wasn't the only early riser for once. Pascal was up and about as well, preparing for our entrance to Waffle Island's harbor.

I stood out on the deck again, and this time instead of uniform ocean surrounding us on all sides, there was a dark splotch ahead. I felt a thrill of anticipation and nervousness. We would be at my new home within a couple hours.

Then I frowned at myself. I shouldn't get too attached. This was just temporary.

Soon we were only a few minutes away. I was getting impatient. How slow could a boat be?

Finally, we pulled in next to the short stretch of dock. The captain came and stood next to me again. "Well, here it is. Waffle Island! I wish you good luck in whatever goals you have and hope to see you again."

I just nodded, already having my bag in hand, and shot glances at land beside us, trying to hint I wanted off this ship.

I couldn't be sure, but I think he chuckled to himself quietly as he picked up my clues and released the ramp down onto the dock. He gave a bow to allow me off. I bowed back, then scurried down to the dock.

Man, it was good to be back on solid ground! At the end of the dock I found myself in front of what looked to be a bait and tackle shop. It seemed to be closed, which was sort of odd since it was only a Monday. Sure enough, though, with a closer look at the sign, it proclaimed, "Closed on Mondays and Holidays."

When I turned to the left I was met by the sight of a small, round man hurrying towards me. Judging by his nice suit and silly-looking hair, I guessed he was someone of importance before he spoke.

"Ah, hello! I'm sorry I'm late. I hope I haven't kept you waiting." Despite being flustered, his face was lit with a wide smile. "I understand you're the newest resident to our lovely island! Everyone is so delighted to have someone new here." He spread his arms wide in enthusiasm. "May I ask your name? I'm afraid I've forgotten." He gave an apologetic chuckle.

"Audrey." I was unmoved by his cheerfulness.

The plump man was visibly thrown off by my lack of response, but to his credit he got right back on track. "A pleasure to meet you, Audrey! I'm Hamilton, the mayor of this fine town!" He gave a bow and paused.

I bowed back.

The mayor cleared his throat, again trying to make up for my quietness. I almost felt bad, but I didn't know what to say.

"Well, what do you say to a tour of Waffle Town?"

"Oh, I think I'm all right. Maybe if you could just show me to my house and the carpenter's..." I started, finally speaking more than one word.

"Nonsense!" I was instantly interrupted. "I don't want you to be lost when you come to town later!"

I'm sure I'd figure something out... I thought exasperatedly. It didn't seem like an awfully big place. Either way, I don't plan on coming to town that often if the carpenter's isn't here.

Mayor Hamilton ended up giving me the full tour anyways. Luckily it didn't take all that long because, as I'd suspected, Waffle Town wasn't very big. My thoughts most of the time were along the lines of He talks a lot. The mayor had seemed to pick up on my earlier questions, though, so he wasn't completely ignorant. He showed me the path to Caramel Falls, then walked up the winding path to the top of the gentle hill, where a tiny house - my house - sat. It was more of a hut than a house, but it seemed very quiet and peaceful. Mr. Hamilton gave me a slip of paper telling where the carpenter's building was, wished me good luck, then was back off to Waffle Town.

I figured I might as well check out my house while I was there, even though I was really itching to get to the carpenter's. It was only around one o'clock, so I had plenty of time.

I cracked open the door and peeked inside, then entered all the way. Slightly stale air greeted me; this house hand't been occupied for a while. As I stepped forward, a cloud of dust flew up, disturbed by air rushing through the doorway. I coughed and waved the air around my face. Yeesh, I had some cleaning up to do. Turning on the lights revealed a very small room, with a straw bed in the far left corner, a rickety table in the middle with four chairs, and a short kitchen in the right corner. There was also a bookcase on the far wall, and a storage box for various items. I sighed. It could use some work, but then again, it was only temporary. I planned on staying here for around three years.

I set my bag down and rummaged through it until I found what I was looking for; a picture of me, my parents, and Shawn, all four of us grinning stupidly. It was one of the only pictures in existence in which I was smiling big. Mom had insisted I bring it. I had made a big show of being exasperated and saying I didn't want it, but to tell you the truth I was glad to have an excuse to have brought it. If anyone asked, though, my mom had slipped it into my suitcase without me knowing.

I lightly kissed the glass and set the frame down on the nightstand by the bed, I exited my cramped house and hoped the move to Waffle Island was worth it.

Outside I glanced around behind my house, where the path continued up. There was a sign that said "Ganache Mine District" with an arrow pointing up the path, but there was a giant log-like piece of wood blocking the way. Upon closer inspection, it was actually an incredibly oversized root. It snaked towards the mountain to the right. Eyes wide, I thought, What behemoth of a tree could have a root this big?

But my main concern was that it was preventing anyone from passing through. It was quite inconvenient to live so close to my future workplace but have to take the long way anyways. Frowning, I made my way down into the Maple Lake District, figuring there had to be another way up. My hunch was right.

I tried to look confident as I walked through Maple Lake and Ganache Mine, since there were a couple people out who didn't know me, of course. They stared inquisitively. I just looked straight ahead.

The Ganache Mine District was long from one end to the other. I went past a farm, what looked to be the entrance to a mine shaft, and the blacksmith's before coming to the last building, spaced apart from the rest. I didn't need to double-check the piece of paper Hamilton had given me, since in big, bold print across the doorway it said "Dale's Carpentry".

I stuffed the paper into my jean's pocket and started making my way around the fence that surrounded the building. Right as I approached the gap in the barrier, I nearly bumped into someone carrying a big bundle of wood.

"Hello!" the person said, peeking from behind the stack. It was a blonde-haired boy, probably a year or two younger than me. His green eyes widened slightly as he didn't recognize me right away. "Oh, I haven't seen you before... You must be the new resident, then? I'm Bo, one of the carpenter's apprentices." He smiled, then looked apologetic. "...I would bow, but I kind of have my hands full."

Surprisingly, I found myself smiling back. "That's all right. Yes, I am the new resident. I'm Audrey."

"So, are you going around to meet everyone?" Bo asked.

"No, actually," I told him. "I came here to apply for apprenticeship, if that's possible." Uh oh, I hadn't thought of what I would do if they weren't accepting apprentices...

Bo blinked in surprise. "Wha... Really? I-I mean, yeah, okay! Let me show you in!" He took the lead into the building, and I tried to keep from raising my eyebrows. Obviously they hadn't had a new apprentice in some time, it seemed.

Inside it smelled strongly of sawdust, as expected. There were planks of wood stacked against the left wall along with a workbench for sanding and polishing furniture, then finished furniture lining the opposite ones. By the planks was also a saw table, where a figure was cutting away. Ahead at the service desk was a large, gruff-looking man with navy blue hair and a stern expression. Bo set down his bundle of sticks and led me to the man.

"Hey, Bo," the man greeted us. "Who's that you have with you?"

"This is Audrey, the new resident," Bo introduced me. "Audrey, this is Dale, head carpenter."

I bowed and attempted to get on to the point, but before I could speak the table saw suddenly stopped whirring. Another boy's voice piped up; "Yo, Bo, did you get that wood-" He stopped mid-sentence, probably in reaction to seeing me. I turned my head to get a better look at him.

Oh boy, I groaned in my head. With his spiky blue hair, flaming bandana, ripped sleeves, fingerless gloves, and sharp object hanging from a string around his neck, this boy looked like just the kind of person I usually avoided.

He blinked his cat-like yellow eyes as he in turn took in my appearance. I couldn't have left a big impression on him. I wore a simple orange blouse with red trim, plain blue jeans, brown boots, and white gloves. If anything my hair would've drawn the most attention. Mint-green and long, I pulled it into two braids on either side of my head, tied with big red ribbons. A section shorter than the rest of my hair fell down the side of my face, sometimes partially covering my eye.

"Check it out, it's the new resident!" he finally said as if I were deaf, grinning. He thrust his hand out towards me. "Hiya, I'm Luke! So what's your name?"

"Audrey..." I said, doubtfully eyeing his hand. I knew he wanted me to shake it, but I was used to just bowing. I considered refusing, but then decided it would give a bad impression to Dale, and then he might not hire me. By the looks of it Luke was his son. Almost daintily I took his hand and gave it a small shake before withdrawing it and discreetly pulling my glove on farther.

"Nice!" He didn't seem to notice my reluctancy. "A pretty name for a pretty girl."

I blinked in surprise and barely restrained an incredulous "Huh?" Someone is a charmer, I see, I thought, definitely caught off-guard. I felt more offended than flattered, but I think I failed to keep color off my cheeks. I also forgot to manage a thank you, because that was, after all, meant to be nice.

I turned my head to Dale, my side bangs hanging so Luke couldn't see my face. "Anyways, Mr. Dale, I came here to become your apprentice."

This time the head carpenter was caught off-guard as I got straight to the point. "Oh?" he said after blinking a few times at me, as if to make sure I wasn't joking. "Why would you want to become a carpenter?"

"Following in my dad's footsteps," I said to keep it simple.

"I see." Dale stroked his square chin as if deep in thought. I had a feeling he was acting, though. "Well, I can tell from the light in your eyes that you're determined. If I said no you'd probably find a way of getting my mentorship one way or another. So sure, I'll take on another apprentice. Welcome to your new workplace, Audrey!"

I was initially taken aback that he could already tell that much about me just from my eyes - or so he claimed. Dale was right. I probably would have bugged him to let me in or just tagged along with everyone if he had refused. Then I was relieved that he said yes. And then I was puzzled. Was that it? No... papers to sign, or entrance ceremony? Or even a test to see if I was good enough? It seemed unprofessional... But oh well. I was officially on my way to fulfilling my dreams! The least I could do was be grateful. So I smiled and bowed back. "Thank you so much, Mr. Dale. I won't disappoint you."

He smiled back through his bushy mustache. "No need to be so formal. You can just call me by my normal name."

I nodded uncertainly, then turned to see Luke and Bo regarding me with a more curious air to their gazes. Bo was the first to snap out of the daze. "Congratulations, Audrey! I'm looking forward to working with you."

Yet again I found myself smiling back. This kid was always getting on my good side somehow. I could tell we'd be fast friends.

"Yeah, congrats!" Luke chipped in. It was a nice gesture, but then he ruined it by adding, "I guess since we'll be working with a girl, though, that means we won't be able to talk about other hot girls anymore." He sounded disappointed.

My smile quickly dissolved into a disapproving glare and Bo blushed, protesting. "Luke! Don't say that!" Dale gave what I couldn't make out to be a snort or an intrusive grunt to attempt to hint Luke that he wasn't making a good impression.

Of course the blue-haired boy didn't pay any mind to his colleagues' warnings and went right on to the next subject undeterred. "Well, Bo, let's show her around, huh?"

Then it hit home. This idiot was another apprentice as well, so I'd be stuck with him six out of seven days of the week, rain or shine. For the next three years. Great.

"All right, Luke," my more favorite apprentice answered. "Come on outside, Audrey; we'll show you the forest."

I nodded and followed them out, still silently dreading having to work with Luke.

Outdoors, the path to the left led upwards towards the woods. To the right, I could only assume that was the way to the giant root I had seen earlier. It only irked me more now that I knew not only did the blocked path lead to the Ganache Mine District, but almost directly to the carpenter's. I'd have to see about getting it removed, maybe.

"Do you know anything about that large root blocking the path down there?" I asked as we went past. Really, I had directed the question at Bo, but of course Luke answered.

"Oh yeah, that's a root of the Mother Tree," he told me, but didn't explain further.

Mother Tree... I thought, tilting my head. I can see how it could be the mother of all trees, since it's so big.

"It's called the Mother Tree because it brought life to the island," Bo jumped in, having the grace to elaborate. He looked troubled though, like Pascal had on the journey here, and I did catch how he used past tense. "It's also said that it's where the Harvest Goddess gets her powers from."

"Oh," was all I could really say. I'd heard a thing or two about this island's goddess, but judging by how uncomfortable everyone seemed I figured it was a touchy subject. I had no intention of prying. "So this is the forest?"

We had come upon a clearing with trees dotted throughout it. A fence outlined the perimeter. Not much of a forest if you asked me... Behind the fence were less widely-dispersed trees.

"I know what you might be thinking, like, 'this isn't a forest'," Bo said. "But this is just the area of the forest we're allowed to cut lumber in. It's to monitor our destruction. And even here we have to replant trees once in a while."

"That makes sense," I said reasonably. When you thought about it, it was a good idea.

"But now that there's three of us, we'll either have to cut less trees each or replant them more often," he continued, looking thoughtful.

"Aw, man!" Luke complained. "That means I'll have less time to practice my techniques! Not that it needs improvement or anything."

So he was a showoff too. I should've guessed.

"We'll figure something out," Bo said reassuringly. Then he shrugged at me. "That's pretty much all for today. Tomorrow come at eight o'clock and we'll get you an axe and introduce you to the daily routine." He smiled. "See ya!"

I nodded and bowed. "Goodbye."

Just as I turned around Luke also said goodbye, but I only raised a hand in reply as I walked away to Maple Lake.

When I got to my house, I laid awake in the unfamiliar bed for a while, thinking about my new career ahead of me. I'm gonna make you proud, Dad, I thought before drifting off.

Back at the carpenter's, Luke and Bo stayed awake as well. Finally Bo spoke. "So what do you think of the new girl?"

"Audrey?" Luke mused, thought it was obvious Bo had meant her. "Well, she seemed a little... put off. Rude. Full of herself. I don't think she liked me." Bo couldn't see his friend in the dark, but Luke's expression was unreadable anyways.

"Oh, I thought she was all right. Though she did seem to give you a bit of a cold shoulder. Give her time and I'm sure she'll warm up to you-"

"Hey, I wasn't finished. I was gonna say that she's really cute and feisty too. I like her already!" The other boy grinned now.

Bo chuckled. "That's good... Just don't expect her to return that feeling right away."

In the morning I woke up at six AM sharp, as always, so I took my own sweet time getting ready for work. Really, just getting dressed. No special uniform or equipment; the longest part of my routine was braiding my hair, so I was done an hour earlier than work started. I figured I might as well get there early. Better late than never, but never late is better. Either way, it would take me around thirty minutes to get to work thanks to the Mother Tree's root. I sighed despite the sunny weather as I entered Maple Lake District.

When I got to the carpenter's, I hung around for a couple minutes, then hesitantly knocked on the door. I hoped they wouldn't mind me being too early, but I didn't let my uncertainty show on my face.

The door cracked open to reveal Luke's face, looking slightly puzzled. Recognition lit his face after he studied me for a few seconds, remembering me from yesterday. "Oh hey!" he said, confusion turning into a grin. He opened the door wider, inviting me inside. "I should've guessed you'd be early."

What's that supposed to mean? I thought irritably, but didn't say anything besides "I hope you don't have a problem with that."

I'd meant it as a genuine concern, but I think he misinterpreted my muttered sentence as more of a threat. I made no attempt to correct myself, though, as Luke's expression was highly amusing.

I found out that I had accidentally intruded during their breakfast. They acted like it was no big deal, but I was a bit embarrassed with myself. Dale offered me some food but I declined, fuming at myself for being so careless. When I made a move to go stand by the door, though, all three of the boys insisted I sit at the table with them. It was a nice gesture, but it was pretty awkward sitting at a table with a bunch of practically strangers as they ate while I didn't. Oh well.

They tried to strike up meager conversation, but I was being uncooperative and only giving one-worded answers to their inquiries. Soon they backed off, resorting to talking to one another and hinting that I could offer input if I wanted. I stayed silent.

After the awkward breakfast, Bo and Luke seemed undeterred. They went to a tool box in the back of the building somewhere and came back with several axes for me to try out.

"Try to find one that has a good balance to it," Luke suggested enthusiastically.

"Thanks, but I know," I said. "I grew up with axes and stuff." I'd hefted my fair share of axes in the past. Before my father died. When I was a little girl. Of course, I was a tad rusty, but that was why I was enrolling as an apprentice in the first place. And there was no way I'd let Luke think he was better than me.

"Oh, well, if you ever need any tips, just ask the Axe Guru!" He pointed his thumb at himself, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and picked up another axe.

Soon I found one that felt nice in my arms, and decided that would be my new tool. Until I could get an upgrade, of course.

When Luke eyed my new blade closely, he suddenly grinned again. "Hey, you chose my first real axe! Good choice!"

I suddenly looked at the thing with a newfound distaste. But I didn't put it back; I wasn't that against Luke. Better to have his old axe than one that didn't feel right.

When it came to be nine o'clock, we all trekked outside to the forest clearing. Luke was chatty all the way. "Usually, I stay inside and work on the saws until ten," he explained. "But since today is your first day I'll help out here!"

At least I'll have some peace and quiet in the mornings... was my only response to that.

Once we reached our destination, Bo showed me to a thinner tree and offered to help me cut it down, since I was a beginner. With almost anyone else I would've been annoyed and insisted that they were underestimating me, but for some reason I didn't feel offended. We took turns hacking at the pine tree. In the background, Luke hovered nearby, looking disappointed that he had no share in the action. So of course he channeled his energy into talking.

Usually I found chopping wood to be relaxing, a time for me to let my mind wander. And a good workout. But with Mr. Motormouth blabbing away into my ear, the relaxing aspect was near impossible to achieve.

Bo was obviously used to this. He seemed completely unaffected by Luke's hyperactive chattering. I envied him, but I supposed I would get used to it in time.

After we felled the tree and collected lumber, the guys took me back inside to show me how to work the table saws. Then we practiced sanding wood, and then I helped them put together a table. Despite my carpenter past, I'd never put together any furniture before, but I turned out to be pretty good at it.

Before any of us knew it, it was closing time. Just enough time to finish up the table.

"Wow, Audrey, you have some skills!" Luke commented. "I know you said you'd wielded an axe before. How'd you learn?"

"Oh, my dad was a carpenter..." I tried to sound indifferent, but I was desperately hoping he wouldn't inquire further. Dad was a touchy subject for me.

Luckily Bo changed the subject. "All right, tomorrow we'll work out a schedule for you. How does that sound?"

I nodded. "Sounds good. See you tomorrow!" I smiled and bowed, then exited and headed back to my house as dusk began to fall. I felt pretty pleased with my first day of work.

Back inside, Luke turned to Bo. "Didja see that? She smiled at me! I think my flirting earlier worked. Dang, I'm smooth!"

Bo's expression was pained. "Luke, I think she tuned out half of what you said this morning." And giving information on axe techniques isn't even flirting... And she didn't really smile at anyone in particular.

"Bah, you're just jealous!" He laughed loudly until Dale yelled at him to be quiet and help him organize for the next day.

Over the course of the week I settled into work and my new home quite well. My schedule turned out to be chopping wood in the morning until noon, then I got to go in and piece together furniture. I enjoyed coming up with inventive and new designs. Everyone was always impressed and somewhat surprised at my creativity; most people thought I was more of a math-oriented person than an artsy one.

Then on Friday, when Luke came up to the forest at ten, he started rambling on about other villagers. I made the grave mistake of saying, "Who's that?"

He looked at me funny. "You don't know Owen? He works at the blacksmith's, just down the road."

Not able to back out of this one, I shook my head.

Luke then listed off some other people's names. I didn't recognize any of them.

"You're telling me that, even though you walk by nearly every house in Maple Lake and Ganache Mine on your way here, you haven't talked to a single person?" He was incredulous. I shrugged helplessly, and he went on. "Man, even Gill would make an effort to at least introduce himself to his neighbors, and he's the most anti-social guy on the island! Wow... Bo, are you hearing this?" He continued to rant about how appalled he was that I hardly knew anyone. I didn't bother to ask who "Gill" was. Funny name, though.

He could've given me a break, though. I mean, come on, I hadn't even been here for a week, and I had a job I needed to get used to and a house to organize. I'm sure I would've gotten out to introduce myself to everyone... at some point.

I had been tuning out Luke's constant chatter, as I had been for the past few days, but then he said something that snapped me back to attention.

"That's it. Audrey, I'm taking you to the Ocean Festival tomorrow so I can introduce you to everyone!" He beamed and put his hands on his hips, as though the idea solved all the world's problems.

I stared at him. "Excuse me? Do I get any say in this?" I hadn't even planned on going to the festival. I didn't have enough money to buy anything, so I figured why go and look at stuff I couldn't get even if I wanted? Also... crowds weren't my thing.

"Oh, come on, it'll be nice to have a friend with you!" he pointed out. "Or... I bet you didn't plan on going to the festival at all, huh?"

Friend...? I suddenly found myself growing defensive. "Why do you say that? For all you know, I have plans to go with Bo." I grabbed Bo's arm and pulled him towards me. The poor kid looked bewildered.

Luke laughed. "No you don't; he would've told me! You're actually pretty predictable, you know that?"

I glared at him. This guy was worse than my brother.

Bo meekly spoke up. "Um, Audrey, I think it's time for us to go inside..."

Glancing over, I realized I was still clutching his arm. I let go and grumbled "Sorry..." then turned around and stalked towards the path.

"I'll pick you up at your place around eight!" Luke called, sounding cheerful as ever. "You live in the only house in Caramel District, right?"

I didn't answer.

"I'll take that as a yes!"

When Bo and I got back inside the shop, I sighed in frustration. "How did that even happen? How does he do that?"

Bo let out a chuckle. "Well, he does have a lot of charisma. I sort of envy him, myself, for having such a likable personality."

I felt my eyebrows rise. "'Likable', really? I think he's pretty darn annoying, myself.

"Don't say that," he said with a softened, chastising tone. "I think you'll learn to like him sooner or later."

I made a sour face at the thought of Luke and I being buddies.

The next morning I got dressed as normal, then sat down at my small dining table to eat my breakfast and write a letter to my mother. I had written one to her on my first day, to assure her that I had gotten to the island safely, but this would be the first telling her of my experiences here.

After I wrote the letter, I had planned on spending my first day off relaxing. Yes, despite being a bit of a workaholic, I did like to kick back once in a while. Maybe I'd watch some TV, or bring a chair outside and sit in the Summer sun.

As for Luke, I hadn't forgotten about his proclamation of the day before. I was rather counting on him forgetting.

But of course, right as I was signing the paper at a little after eight o'clock, a knock sounded on the door. Actually, more of a pound.

"Hey Audrey! I'm here just like I said I'd be!" At first his voice was muffled by the wall separating us, but then the door flung open to reveal the obnoxiously energetic blue-haired boy. He stood with his hands on his hips and he looked quite proud.

I was more mad than impressed. I felt my eye twitch. "You are such an idiot!" I exploded. Luke's proud face transformed to taken aback. "I could have been changing clothes! You don't just go busting into people's homes without permission!"

He blinked a couple of times. "Well, it was kinda your fault for leaving the door unlocked."

My face sunk into my hands. Dear Goddess, how was I ever going to survive three years here? One week was already almost too much!

"All right, now that that's out of the way, let's get going!" He strode across the room and grabbed my arm, attempting to lift me up. I swatted his hand away and sighed, then stood, figuring I didn't have much of a choice but to go with him at that point.

"Come on, let's get there quick, before it starts without us," he urged once we were outside. I huffed another sigh and sped up my pace.

"Why didn't you want to come in the first place?" Luke suddenly asked when we slowed down at the entrance to Waffle Town.

"Huh? Oh, I don't have any extra money to buy anything, so I didn't want to waste my time coming down here." I shrugged.

"What?" Luke stared at me, mouth agape. "Audrey, there's way more to a festival than just buying stuff!"

I didn't really know what to say to that, so I just kept walking. That cat-like gaze of his was starting to make me antsy.

We arrived on the beach right in time for Mayor Hamilton's opening speech for the festival. There were a lot of people I didn't know, and, as much as I hated to admit it, I found myself sticking quite close to Luke, as he was the only person I knew. That's what I got for being anti-social as a child. Luckily Luke didn't notice me practically clinging to his side.

The mayor's speech only lasted a minute or so. After everyone politely clapped, he seemed to notice me and immediately made a beeline towards Luke and me.

"Audrey! Good to see you. I heard you're now an apprentice at the carpenter's. Congratulations!" He was way too cheerful for his own good. "I see you're already getting along swimmingly with Luke!"

"Thanks..." I muttered, then self-consciously scooted away from my coworker. I couldn't very well say, "Actually, I'm not getting along with Luke. He forced me here against my will and I find him extremely annoying," so I went with an uncomfortable shrug instead.

Beside me, Luke started chatting away with the mayor. I was stuck just looking around at all the people on the beach. Right now there were only about eight or so festival-goers, but it seemed like an awful lot to me. Nervous jitters crawled up my spine at the sight.

After the exchange of loud laughter and grins was done between my companion and the short man, Hamilton turned his attention back to me. "Well, Audrey, I hope you have fun at today's festival!"

I bowed and prepared for Luke to whisk me off somewhere, but the mayor spoke again.

"Oh, wait! You haven't met my son, have you? Gill, come over here!"

From the platform by the fishery and the dock came a boy probably a year older than me, looking as annoyed that he was here as I felt. He had platinum hair with a large cowlick that even I had to admit looked amusing. He was dressed in nice clothes that seemed a little warm for Summer.

As soon as he was within distance we both bowed, then sized each other up. Even if I hadn't known he was looking at me I probably would've felt his icy blue stare. Those eyes were intense.

He brushed some hair behind his ear. "Hello. I'm Gill, Mayor Hamilton's son. You must be the new resident, hm? I was wondering where you had disappeared to." Gill smiled politely, but it wasn't a very genuine one.

I nodded. "I'm Audrey. I've been up at the Ganache Mine District for most of my first week here; I'm the newest carpenter's apprentice."

"Are you?" Interest lit up his eyes. "They haven't had a new apprentice for some time. I'm glad you found a job so quickly."

"Thank you." Suddenly I became aware of Luke watching our exchange intently. "Well, I suppose I had better get going... See you around."

Now he nodded. "All right. Goodbye. And good luck with Luke," he added quietly. I had to smile at that. Gill and his father turned to leave.

"Whoa, man, you two could be twins!" Luke exclaimed in awe. "With the way you guys stare at people, someone could get hurt standing between you!"

I blinked. Did I really stare at people like that?

"Anyways, let's go further down the beach. I need to show you to everyone else."

I was reluctant to follow him, thinking, "Show me" to everyone? What am I, some kind of prize? Apparently I took too long, because about halfway to the nearest person he turned around and grabbed my hand, telling me to come on. I wanted to snatch my hand away, but he had a firm grip.

"Hey Toby! What's up?" Luke called to a silver-haired boy with his back turned to us. He had a straw hat hanging from his neck over his back.

The alleged "Toby" turned around and smiled softly as he saw Luke. Or, I could only assume he saw Luke. His eyes looked as though they were closed. "Hi, Luke. Who's your friend?"

Why did everyone keep grouping Luke and me together as friends?

"This is Audrey. She's the new resident, and my new fellow student!" Luke told him before I had a chance to open my mouth.

"Oh, cool," Toby said breezily. "It's been a while since there's been any apprentices up there, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, Bo was the most recent one, and that was forever ago."

Toby nodded, then acknowledged my existence by turning to look at me. "So Audrey, do you fish at all?"

"Um..." I was caught off-guard by the out-of-the-blue question. "Not really."

"Aw, that's too bad. Fishing is awesome. I work at On the Hook over there, so fishing is pretty much my life," he explained. "Well, aside from napping." He gave a small grin. "Anyways, maybe if you stop by the shop sometime I could teach you how to fish. If you want to, that is."

"I'll come too!" Luke butted in. "Fishing is fun!"

I ignored my companion. "Thanks for the offer, Toby. I might just hold you to it." Fishing did sound relaxing when I thought about it. A good way to spend a day off. Like I was supposed to be doing right then. I tried not to think about that too much.

"All right, one Saturday we'll try to make it down here," Luke promised as if him and I did everything together. My eyes narrowed slightly. "In the meantime, though, I have a ton of people I need to introduce to Audrey; she's like, anti-social so she didn't go and say hi to everyone when she first got here..." He paused to take a breath.

"Gee, thanks," I muttered darkly.

"So we're gonna go!" he finished.

"Okay," Toby said, an amused expression on his face. "See you later."

"Adios!" Luke yanked on my arm and promptly dragged me to a small seafood stand, where none other than the boat captain Pascal stood.

"Audrey!" my old acquaintance greeted me before Luke could start his introduction. "Good to see you. I haven't noticed you around town." His eyes rested on Luke. "But by the looks of it, you've already settled in fine!" He chuckled at my expression.

"Oh, you guys already know each other?" Luke sounded disappointed.

"How do you think I got here, moron?" I snapped. The "moron" part just slipped out unintended; I was becoming more and more irritable with him as this day wore on. Why did he have to butt in on everything I did? What didn't he get about me not being a very social person? We saw each other six out of seven days of the week already; wasn't that enough?

His mouth formed a tiny frown for a moment at my harsh words, but then it just seemed to slide off. He was back to his cheerful self in a heartbeat. How did he do that? Maybe he was used to being called names like that.

"Are you hungry, Audrey? Lemme get some seafood for you."

I stared at him. He was offering to buy me something right after I had insulted him to his face? How dense was this guy?

Luke took my strange look as a yes, apparently, because he dove his hand into his pocket, dug around for a few seconds, then proudly produced a crumpled wad of cash. Without another word he turned to Pascal and bought me a grilled clam. then himself a grilled fish of some kind I didn't recognize. I blinked at the clam he gave me. He couldn't have known, but I really liked clams. I suddenly felt bad for calling him an idiot.

"Th-Thanks..." I managed, sounding a little strangled.

"No problem!" There was that grin again.

Out of my peripheral vision I saw Pascal's face produce a smile. "Thanks for your business. Enjoy the festival, Audrey!" He winked, and I felt myself become uncomfortable at the tone of his voice. I didn't have time to properly address the captain about that wink, though, as Luke whisked me off to the next islander I was to meet.

The day wore on, and soon I had met Sue, Samson, Paolo, Ozzie, Kathy, and a bunch of other people Luke couldn't possibly expect me to remember the names of. If he pop-quizzed me on names, which I had been half-expecting him to do at any moment, I would most definitely fail.

At around one-thirty Luke came to sudden stop. I hadn't been paying attention and nearly ran into him. I started to ask what the holdup was when he turned and talked to me. Behind him was a droopy-eyed, unenthusiastic-looking man. His red-orange beret shadowed his face, making him look even more downcast. And Luke thought that I was unsociable...

"Craig says the stone-skipping contest is soon! Want to?" Luke asked eagerly.

I had a feeling that if I said no he'd still drag me into doing it somehow. I sighed. "Fine..."

Luke performed a fist pump. "All right! I'm totally gonna beat you, you know that, right?"

My eyes refocused on him, my eyebrows raising. Was that a challenge I just heard? My mouth twisted into a half-smile. Luke did not know what he had just gotten himself into. I was highly competitive, and if he thought that I would allow an idiot like him to beat me in a contest, he was an even bigger dope than I first assumed.

I narrowed my eyes and locked gazes with him. "Oh? You so sure about that? Okay then. It's on, Bandana Boy."

At first Luke blinked in surprise at my sudden change in demeanor, but then his mouth slowly formed into a grin. "Looks like maybe I'll finally have a worthy opponent. Bring it!"

The droopy man took on an exasperated expression. "We don't have all day. The game will start without you if you two keep that up."

Luke and I snapped to attention and rushed to the site of the contest, several yards away down the beach.

It was a simple game, really. Just see who skipped their stone the farthest and you have your winner.

But... I'll be honest; stone-skipping was not my forte. The last time I'd ever done something like this was when I was really little, more than ten years ago.

Luckily for me, though, it seemed Luke wasn't exactly an expert at it either. He was too impatient and kept getting frustrated easily. I wondered what he had meant by his "worthy opponent" comment earlier.

I came in third, while Luke was in fourth place. Kathy won, with Gill coming in second. Personally I was surprised to see the serious boy I had met earlier playing such a silly game on his own accord, but I was more concerned with the rankings. Technically, I had still beaten Luke. And I wanted to make sure he knew it.

"Ha! I placed higher than you. How about that?" I couldn't help but gloat.

Luke crossed his arms and made a sour face. "You still didn't win. You have to come in first for it to count."

I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to counter him hotly, but the sound of familiar chuckling nearby stopped me. I turned to see Bo walking towards us, looking very amused. "You two sound like kid siblings, the way you bicker. It seems you've gotten more used to each other."

I felt my face heat up, embarrassed by Bo's comment. I turned my head so Luke couldn't see my red cheeks. "Well, I was just about to say I'm going to head home now. There's nothing left to do, is there? Luke introduced me to pretty much everyone." When I received no reply, I started to walk back towards Waffle Town.

"No, wait!" Luke called frantically.

With a huff of a sigh I swung around to face him. "What is it?"

"At least stay for the fireworks," he pleaded, all signs of our spat only a minute ago gone.

"Hm..." I looked from him to Bo. "Only if Bo stays too."

"Oh, I was planning on staying anyways," he said quickly before Luke could interject. "Why else would I have come down here?"

"Good point," I said, giving in. "All right, I'll stay."

"Awesome!" Luke said, grinning. "I know you'll like it."

We spent the remainder of the afternoon talking and eating while waiting for the fireworks to start. The festival was much more enjoyable without people to meet and with Bo there. He seemed to have a subtle calming effect on our hot-blooded colleague. Maybe it was because they'd been friends for a long time.

I suddenly found myself musing in my head if I would ever have such an influence on Luke, much to my dismay. Whoa there! I argued with myself. I'm only gonna be here for a few years. And Luke is most certainly not my friend. I may have to put up with him every day, but it's because he's my coworker and nothing more.

"Audrey?" a voice broke into my thoughts. "Hey, man, you're really spacing out. We need to get in a good seat before they're all taken!"

I mentally shook myself, now focusing on Luke in front of me. I frowned. "For your information, I'm not a man, if you couldn't already tell."

He just laughed and led me down to where Bo was sitting, near the water's edge. A great place to view the fireworks, since you could see their reflection on the water as well as in the sky.

"Hopefully the tide doesn't come in," I muttered, probably reinforcing my status as a party-pooper in the boys' eyes. But they made no comment as I sat down in between them. Bo started to tell me about past fireworks shows and how they were a tradition here on the island.

Finally the anticipated event started. I will admit; the fireworks were pretty cool. Everyone seemed dazzled by them, and most people had large smiles on their faces when it came time to leave the beach. We never had such displays back in my home town. Really, we only ever had a flower festival and Thanksgiving back there, which were both a bit wimpy compared to this one festival alone. It sounded like they had a lot more festivals here, too. I could only imagine what those were like.

Amazingly, Luke didn't insist on walking me home. For once in his life he looked mildly tired, and bade Bo and I farewell with a giant yawn. The younger boy was kind enough to accompany me to the Caramel River District.

As we made our way up the sloped path, Bo spoke up. "I know Luke can be overwhelming at times, but maybe you should try and give him a chance. He's not as bad as you might think."

I blinked at him, caught off-guard. It was almost as though he had been reading my mind. Was my distaste of Luke that obvious? Suddenly I felt a little ashamed.

Bo said nothing more. He smiled, bowed, and then left as soon as we reached my house.