Authors note: Hey guys, this is my first fan fiction so reviews and criticism are definitely welcome. uhm, i worked pretty hard on coming up with this chapter and i think im proud of it so far. Its pretty short, but i had no idea how long these should be, so ive given it my best shot.

Disclaimer: i do not own Harvest moon.

I stood on the dock, ready to leave it all behind. One last thing...

"Ticket please miss" I flashed the man my ticket and quickly hopped on board, stumbling to the room I'm supposed to be staying in. 'Hmm... a name. A new name. How about Chelsea? Yeah I like that, Chelsea... Chelsea Clarke; easy enough to remember' i thought to myself. Oblivious to everything else.

The ship rocked furiously despite the weather being surprisingly calm out. With every crash from the waves I began to feel worse and worse. 'Eurgh I feel so sick. This better end soon or the outcome isn't going to be pretty' I thought to myself. I felt myself shaking crazily from anxiety. I honest can't believe I had convinced myself to travel wherever on a boat… A boat of all things… stupid mistake that was. I'm terrified of boats, and now I'm struggling with the consequences. "Eurgh" I groaned as the boat crashed against more waves. I fell to the floor, hitting my head hard as I did so, and slipped into a dark black world.

*"Hey Claire, over here. Dad said he'd take us out on the boat for a day" Mark shouted excitedly. "Okay coming" I squeaked. I loved boat trips with dad – I know he's not my real dad but he's the only dad I've ever know so I don't mind. We all clambered aboard and waved goodbye to mum as we sped towards our favourite destination- a tiny island full of big, green, lush trees. Mark and I gazed into the ocean trying to see little fish swimming about. But me being me, I became too enthusiastic about it all and fell in… I can't swim. I coughed and spluttered as the ocean pulled me deeper and deeper, ignoring my struggle. I desperately fought for air whilst calling for help, pleading. Then the darkness consumed me. A blur of light and muffled voices surrounded me as I lay on my back, confused. 'Well I guess I didn't die then'I thought, as a wave of sudden exhaustion hit me.*

I rose from the floor covered in sweat; damn I hated flashbacks, especially that one. It was a cruel reminder of everything. Waves of emotion flooded through me as I slowly recovered from the dream. ' Eurgh i need to remember Claire isn't part of me anymore. She's someone else.'

The boat reached my destination quicker than anticipated. Not that I minded at all. Better put on a brave face and look around. Sometimes I don't do well around people, I just… struggle a little, that's all. I shouted a quick thanks to the captain as I shakily hopped onto the dock. "Ahh land, you have no idea how glad I am to see you right now" I sighed happily, unaware of the family stood in front of me.

"Oh, er, excuse me miss" a bald headed guy said "you aren't by any chance the new farmer are you?"

"Uhm, oh, yeah, that's me. I'm uh clai, wait... Chelsea" I beamed.

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Taro, and this here is my daughter Felicia, and my two grand-children, Natalie and Elliot. Don't let their arguing put you off." He chuckled to himself.

I stared fascinated at Felicia's candy floss pink hair; a trait which both children had inherited alongside her chocolate brown eyes. I froze for too long, and was quickly interrupted by Natalie bossily asking if I was following them to my new farm, before turning her back on me completely. Elliot gave a shy but almost sympathetic smile before following in their direction.

I followed Taro until we reached a very quaint little house. "Well, little missy this here is the ranch and, uh, that's it. If you get some free time you should visit Mirabelle's animal shop. You're more than welcome to come by if you need any help. I should probably leave you to get settled now, bye." Taro flashed a smile at me before leaving.

I looked at the land behind the house. Oh boy, I was definitely going to be out working all week to clear this up. I guess it's just part of the job though.

Huh, times gone so quickly. I can't believe it's already 4. I should unpack before I forget. I picked up the light rucksack and carefully emptied my things on the floor. I had taken so little with me. Only my wallet, a couple of shirts - they happen to be the same shirts as what I'm already wearing. I guess I don't like change much. And some denim shorts. My beloved red boots and bandanna luckily made it with me; I never left the house without them. I smiled to myself as I picked up the last item – a treasured photo of me and my, uh brother? Mark. I call him brother but he's not. I was adopted. I placed the photo on a bedside cabinet so I'd always see him when I woke up. After packing away my few things, I looked around the house, smiling to myself. It was what I could call home and I was grateful for that.

I excitedly thought about tomorrow, my first day working on my own farm. It's kind of funny how things can turn your way unexpectedly. Now to introduce myself to the people Taro was talking about. I hope they're easy to talk to. I sighed again for what seemed like the umpteenth time today, before entering the little shop.

As soon as I walked in my nerves vanished, the woman behind the counter beamed at me, she couldn't be more welcoming even if she tried. She looked like she was approaching her mid 40's with a slight worn down face. Before the silence got the better of me I spoke "Hi, I'm Chelsea, the new rancher." The words flowed out of my mouth almost too well for my liking. I added a polite smile afterwards, trying to seem friendly. "Oh Taro spoke to me about you already dear. Well I'm Mirabelle and this is my daughter Julia." I followed Mirabelle's gaze over to the edge of the counter where Julia stood smiling. Her honey blonde hair cascaded well past her shoulders despite being tied up. The natural curls soft and delicate. Her ice blue eyes reminded me of the sky when it was particularly frosty, which brought a slight smile to my face. She relaxed upon seeing me smile. I don't know why but perhaps she and I will become good friends in the future.

Authors note: I hope it was okay to read D: ahh, thankyou for reading! Sorry if it's confusing to start with. In the flashback, I used a different name for Chelsea 'Claire Clarke' to represent her running away and well, yeah.