Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harvest Moon series.
AN: I've been working on this story for a long time with my co-author, Awesome Rapidash. We really like how this is turning out!
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, shining on a young girl, still asleep on her bed. With a soft moan, she turned over on her side, and opened her eyes. With a gasp, she quickly sat up and looked at her surroundings.
"W.. Where am I?" Christy murmured as she scanned the room. She didn't recognize this place at all. She was in a wooden room, with a colorful rug covering the middle of the floor, a dresser, a mirror and the soft bed that she was sitting on.
The poor girl couldn't help being nervous and scared. How did she get here? The last thing she could clearly remember was waking up back home, and she started her day like she normally did. But, now, she was in a different room. The only thing she could think of that would explain it was that she was kidnapped, and that she was most likely locked in this room, so she couldn't escape. But, that couldn't be right, because if she was captured, she highly doubted that her captors would allow her to sleep on a nice, soft bed.
A knock on the door caught Christy's attention. "Are you awake yet?" called a woman's voice on the other side. "It's almost time for breakfast! Come down as soon as you can!"
Christy was slightly relieved to hear the woman's kind voice, instead of the gruff voice of a man as she was expecting. Maybe she wasn't captured after all, but that didn't explain why she was here. With a small sigh, she ran a hand through her hair, only to discover that something wasn't right about that. Her eyes widened in alarm as she pulled some strands in front of her face and saw that her hair was a silver color, instead of the usual brown.
Quickly, the girl threw the covers off of her body, not paying attention to the clothes she was wearing, slipped out of bed and ran to the mirror. She was even more shocked to see her reflection. Not only was her hair silver, but her eyes were now ice blue, instead of being chocolate brown. She was just as alarmed to see the clothes that she was wearing; a white shirt with small black spots, long purple pants, a nice silver necklace around her neck and a bracelet on her right wrist. She started to shake her head, and the reflection in the mirror did the same thing.
"I don't believe this," Christy murmured as she continued to stare at the image in the mirror. "What happened to me?" The only thing she could think of now was that she was dreaming, so she used her right hand to pinch the skin on her left one. With a cry of pain, she shook her hand back and forth, and she was still in this unfamiliar room. She wasn't dreaming after all.
Slowly, she turned back to the bed, discovering that a pair of black shoes was right beside it. She walked closer, sat down on the mattress, and slipped both of them on her feet. She was surprised to see that they fit her, because she had never seen them before. After making sure that the buckles were secure, she moved toward the front door and opened it. She looked around the hallway nervously, finding a flight of stairs that went downward. With another sigh, she moved toward them, and went down the stairs step by step.
"Good morning!" a woman's voice called to the girl when she saw her coming down to the first floor. "Would you like eggs or pancakes for breakfast?"
Christy looked over at the black haired woman, obviously startled with the kind treatment she was getting. "Oh, um... I would like some eggs, please," she said at last, as she looked into the woman's brown eyes.
"Sure thing!" The woman smiled kindly at the silver haired girl. "How would you like me to make them? Did you have a nice rest? You looked so tired when you arrived last evening."
A puzzled expression crossed Christy's face. "Um, I guess I want scrambled eggs, and I guess I had a nice rest." As she spoke, she titled her head to one side. "But, I really don't remember coming here last night."
"I can believe that," the woman replied, nodding her head. "You seemed so lost when you walked into our Inn last night." She gave the girl another friendly smile, and then she turned toward the kitchen to prepare Christy's meal.
The confused look remained on Christy's face as she moved toward the nearest table and sat down in one of the chairs. "What is going on?" she asked softly, speaking to no one in particular. "How did I end up here? And why do I look like this?"
"Who are you talking to?" a young man's voice questioned curiously beside her.
The girl looked in the direction of the blonde haired young man, a look of surprise on her face. He must have snuck up on her when she wasn't looking.
"Oh, I... I was just talking to myself," the girl answered at last, looking into his nice brown eyes.
"That's silly!" the young man said with a smile. "Say, I love your hair! It's not as nice as mine, of course, but I do like it! I'm Rock. What's your name?"
For the first time since she woke up, a small smile spread across the girl's face. "My name is Christy. It's nice to meet you, Rock."
"Christy, huh? Well, welcome to Forget Me Not Valley." Rock glanced over his shoulder, watching as the woman was coming toward her table carrying a plate. "My mom is the best cook in the valley!"
The woman placed the plate of food in front of the girl's blue eyes. "Please enjoy your meal!"
"Thank you," Christy said politely as she looked at the food in front of her. The plate was covered with a generous portion of scrambled eggs, some sausage links, along with some pieces of white toast with jam and butter. It all smelled so wonderful, which made her feel a lot better. She wasn't a prisoner in this inn, she was a guest.
She continued to smile as she ate every bite of her breakfast. "Thanks again!" she said happily as she ate the last bite. "It was really delicious!"
"I'm glad you liked it!" the woman remarked with a smile of her own. "By the way, my name is Ruby," she introduced as she extended her hand.
"It's nice to meet you," Christy replied, grasping Ruby's outstretched hand. "My name is Christy."
"Please feel free to enjoy the rest of the valley while you're here!"
"I'm sure I will," Christy replied. She figured this would be the point and time where she would pay for the room, and for her breakfast. At this thought, she became nervous again. She started feeling around in her pockets, but from what she could tell, they were both empty.
"Are you missing something?" Rock asked, seeing the silver haired girl checking her pockets.
"Yeah," Christy murmured. She sighed unhappily, and gave an apologetic look toward Rock and Ruby. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I have any money on me." To prove it, she turned her pockets inside out.
Ruby crossed her arms. "That might be a problem," she remarked.
"Why?" asked an unfamiliar girl's voice. "It hasn't been a problem for me."
Christy turned her head to the source of the voice and saw a very pretty redhead with blue eyes. "I've stayed here for free for a little while now," the girl went on. "Are you from around here?"
The silver haired girl shook her head. "No, I'm not."
This caused the other girl to smile slightly. "A fellow traveler, I see. My name is Nami."
"Christy can stay, can't she?" Rock suddenly asked, looking toward his mother. "Maybe she could work around the Inn to pay for her bill."
Ruby thought about it for a moment, and then she nodded her head. "I suppose. Is that okay with you, dear?"
Christy looked back toward Ruby. "Yeah, I guess. I suppose it is my fault, since I came here without money." She lowered her head to think, unaware that Ruby and Rock were close enough to hear her. "I can't remember yesterday at all."
"Are you alright, dear?" Ruby asked. "Perhaps Rock should show you to Dr. Hardy's office."
Christy didn't answer and kept her head down. "Why can't I remember? What happened to me?"
A worried look crossed Ruby's face as she looked over at her son. "Rock, please show Christy to Dr. Hardy's office. I think she may not be feeling well."
"Sure, mom!" the young man said with a nod of his head, reaching for Christy's hand. "Dr. Hardy's office is down the street."
Christy looked up in surprise as Rock grabbed her hand and pulled her from her seat. "I'm not sick," she protested as Rock led her out of the Inn. "It's just, I don't remember yesterday and..."
"Don't worry," Rock said in a reassuring voice. "Dr. Hardy can help you. Maybe you just bumped your head last night."
Realizing that she wasn't given a choice, Christy stopped protesting, and allowed herself to be brought outside. It was a nice sunny day, not a single cloud in the sky, and there was a slight breeze. As they walked, Christy felt the back of her head with her free hand, but she didn't feel a bump.
It didn't take long to reach the office, although the silver haired girl had to decline Rock's offer to carry her. The young man knocked on the door, and not long later, the door was opened. "Hey, Doc! This is Christy and she is staying at the Inn. Mom thinks she's not feeling well, and she says she can't remember what happened yesterday."
Christy almost cringed in fear when she saw Dr. Hardy. He looked a little scary, until she noticed that he was wearing Bermuda shorts and flip-flops. "Please come inside," the doctor said as he moved to the side, allowing the girl to enter. "I'll send her back to the Inn once we're done."
Rock smiled and tossed his blonde hair back. "Okay, Doc! See you later!" he waved as he headed down the road.
Dr. Hardy closed the door and glanced over at the girl. "So, Christy was it? Tell me what the problem is."
Christy stood there for a little while. She was a bit unsure what she should tell him, because she knew she couldn't tell him all of her problems. He wouldn't believe her anyway. "Well, the thing is, I don't know why I was at the Inn this morning. I can't remember yesterday at all. It's all... one big blur in my mind."
"Hm, I see." The doctor motioned his hand toward a nearby table. "Please, have a seat. Do you feel any pain, confusion, or sickness in your stomach?"
Christy did as the doctor ordered as she answered his question. "I am a little confused, but other than that, I'm fine."
It took ten whole minutes for Dr. Hardy to examine the patient. "Well, I see no trauma. Perhaps with rest, your lost memories will be restored. I recommend that you return to the Inn and try to take it easy."
"Okay," Christy said with a nod of her head as she slipped off the table.
"If you continue to feel confused, or if your condition worsens, please return for another examination."
The silver haired girl smiled a little. "I will. Thank you."
Night started to fall over the valley. As the doctor instructed, Christy spent her day at the Inn and tried to relax. However, she found that was very difficult. Her mind was swirling with questions that she didn't have an answer to. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to shove them away.
Now, however, Rock was leading Christy to the Blue Bar. The girl only went with him because she was hoping that she would be able to relax better, although, she wasn't very thirsty at the moment.
With a smile, Rock opened the door for Christy, allowing the girl to enter first. The two walked over to a table and sat down across from each other. Not long after they did, a nice looking blonde haired girl with green eyes walked over to them.
"Hi Rock!" she said cheerfully, before looking toward the silver haired girl wryly. "And you are?"
Christy tried not to look nervous as she introduced herself to the other girl. She had this feeling that the girl didn't like her at first glance.
"What would you like to drink?" the barmaid asked.
"I'm not really thirsty," Christy remarked.
"Well, we have a one drink minimum here! You can't just sit around for free after all!"
The blue eyed girl quickly held up her hands. "Okay, okay!" She looked toward a menu that was on the table. "I'll have some Moo Moo Milk, then."
"Fine." The blonde haired girl looked back at Rock and smiled sweetly. "Stone oil for you, sweetie?"
"Yep, thanks Muffy!" Rock said with a grin. As Muffy walked off, he turned his attention to the silver haired girl and saw the expression on her face. "Don't mind Muffy," he said with a reassuring smile. "It's her time of the month, and she sometimes gets angry easily."
Christy calmed down a little when she heard that. She knew the feeling all too well. As the two sat there, Rock tired to have a conversation with her. He wanted to know how long she was planning on staying in the valley, and what her plans were. She couldn't really answer the young man, and found that the questions were still on her mind. Even when their drinks arrived, Christy found that she couldn't really enjoy herself.
"You need to loosen up more," Rock remarked as a soft song began to play. "Would you like to dance?"
"D... dance?!" Christy repeated in surprise.
"Yeah!" Rock got to his feet, walked over to Christy and grabbed her hand. "Come on, it will be a blast!"
A look of uncertainty filled Christy's ice blue eyes as the girl was pulled from her seat once again. "But, I'm not a good dancer..."
Rock laughed as he started to dance with the girl. "Don't worry about it, because I am!"
The dance lasted for a few minutes. Christy was still nervous, because she was afraid she would stomp on Rock's feet, but that didn't happen. Well, at least doing this gave her something different to worry about.
"Do you want to head back to the Inn?" Rock asked after a while. "You look tired."
The girl nodded slowly. "Yeah. Umm.. Rock, this was your treat, right? Because, like I said earlier, I don't have any money."
"Of course it is!" Rock remarked with a huge smile on his face. "It would be rude for a girl to have to pay when she's on a date!"
A look of surprise filled Christy's ice blue eyes as she pulled away from Rock. "A date?!" She shook her head and turned her gaze away from him. "I don't believe this."
"Did I say something wrong?" the young man questioned, feeling confused.
With a sigh, Christy turned her head back at Rock. "You barely even know me. And, I didn't think it was supposed to be a date."
"I'm sorry, Christy," the young man apologized slowly. "It's just that, Well, I'm used to being able to date any girl I meet."
"I'm not that type of a girl, Rock," the silver haired girl remarked as the two exited the bar.
Christy tossed and turned on her bed. The questions returned a little while ago, making it difficult for the young girl to the sleep. With a sigh, she slipped out of bed and headed downstairs.
"What's the matter, dear?" Ruby questioned, seeing the girl sit down at the nearest table. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"
The silver haired girl looked toward Ruby and nodded her head. Like with Dr. Hardy, she knew she couldn't tell the woman all of her problems. She had a feeling that she wouldn't believe her anyway.
"Perhaps a nice mug of warm milk or hot chocolate will help," the woman offered. "Shall I make you one?"
A small smile appeared on Christy's face. "Sure. I'll have the hot chocolate."
Ruby smiled and headed toward the kitchen. "Why don't you go to your room and I'll bring it up to you?"
Christy nodded in agreement as she slowly walked up the stairs heading back to her room. She still didn't know what was going on, but she felt welcome here, at least for the most part. She wasn't too sure about Muffy yet.
She still didn't know what happened that day, but she decided she shouldn't worry about it right now. Maybe the answers would come with time. For now, all she could do was live here in the valley and work at the Inn to pay off her bill until she knew how to get back home.
But little did she know what awaited her in the days to come. It would all begin tomorrow night.