One Amongst the Stars
Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. I state this for safety reasons. And the hope that I won't be hunted down if I leave it out. Please enjoy!
A/N: I hope that this gives some insight into the mind of the elusive thief, Phantom Skye. I didn't want to make him seem like a complete jerk, but he is a sly and smooth-talking gorgeous man, so why not?
Spring 1 – Skye
The floorboards creaked beneath my feet as I made my way down the halls of the famed "Ruby's Inn", a somewhat popular inn found in Forget-Me-Not valley. There was quite an abundance of valuable items strewn carelessly throughout the vacant rooms, and I took it upon myself to carefully borrow them and perhaps return them at some other time.
Or not.
That thought brought a playful smirk to my lips, and I struggled to keep down a chuckle. I always manage to humor myself when I'm alone with my thoughts.
Being a thief was what I was best at anyways. My own personal job, if you may. Yet, it may not occur to many people that I was not always a lowly thief who earned the week's pay through stealing and selling expensive items. However, that is an entirely different story that does not pertain to my current situation.
The drawstrings of my heartily filled bag pressed down on my shoulder, creating a growing pain that I knew would leave a mark upon my beautiful, flawless skin. Frowning, I stopped my cat walk and readjusted my bag, stuffing more of my leopard print button down shirt under the strings, sort of like a shoulder pad.
Hehehe…oh, how creative I could be sometimes.
My smirk grew larger as I rounded the front desk and made my way to the large sliding doors. How foolish the individuals of this inn must be to ignore the blatant warning, warning, once again, of my silent attack tonight. I understand that 2:00AM might be an inconvenient time for most to wake up, but seriously?
I basically announced that I was stealing your shit, for crying out loud.
Pardon my language, I can't help but voice my thoughts when I find something that truly irks me.
Sliding the doors open, I began my escape. "Perhaps next time you would heed my warning?" I mumbled, spinning around on the heels of my shoes. My eyes widened as I came face to face with a pudgy short woman with short black hair, whom I presumed to be Ruby, and a taller blonde boy, not nearly as handsome as I. I panicked for a moment, but gathered myself together again and calmly handled the situation.
"And where do you think you're heading?" Ruby spoke sternly, her hands on her hips.
Handle the situation, Skye. Handle it.
"Why, you must be Ruby? I must admit, your beauty surpasses that of other women I have seen around here." I said, smiling seductively as I softly ran my hand through her hair.
She stared at me, taken aback by my comment, and a faint blush crept along her cheeks. Rock on the other hand stood dumbfounded, his mouth hanging to the ground. "Duuude, that's just wrong!" he cried out, swiftly covering his eyes as if he had been an innocent 5-year-old child walking in on his parents making love.
"Hehe, I take it you must not be popular with the ladies." I laughed, speaking to Rock.
His head shot up, his face a deep red and anger flaring in his eyes. "Are you kidding me? I've slept with every girl in this village!" he yelled, trying to intimidate me. "You're just an old man who hits on old women!"
Ruby then turned to face Rock, feeling insulted by her son's outburst. "Are you calling me old, boy?!"
"N-no! Wait, Mom, I didn't mean you!" he answered, sweat forming on his head.
"Just see who cooks you dinner from now on!"
I stood before the arguing mother and son, wondering how much time had actually gone by since they last addressed my presence. Clearing my throat obnoxiously loud, I shifted my weight from my relaxed stance and prepared to take off.
"Beautiful, and you," I started, referring to Rock as I paused. "I would love to stay and supervise your bickering but it is awfully late, and I really must be going."
Suddenly they both realized that I was, indeed, robbing them.
"W-wait! Stop, you thief!" Ruby yelled, trying to grab me. I evaded her easily and began running.
"Until I see you next, Beautiful." I said, and then took off through the brush and woods, never looking back. I was absolutely positive that they wouldn't follow me, as I was very quick on my feet and was out of their sight within seconds.
Soon I arrived at my secret hideout: the abandoned farm just up the hill from Ruby's Inn. I'd inspected the area earlier this week when I'd first arrived in Forget-Me-Not valley. The place was old and run-down, having nothing of value to me. But it offered me shelter during the late hours of the night or during passing storms, so I made myself at home. The tool shed was the only building that had no windows, but it was also the only one with a working light, which was ideal for my current situation.
Quietly closing the door behind me, I sat down in the far back corner on my "bed", which I made out of old sacks and bushels that were stacked against the wall. I made sure to steer clear of all the sharp tools, most of which I'd never handled, or will ever handle, for that matter. Farming was something I detested. Hours upon hours of work spent tending to crops, caring for animals, and dealing with the people of this village…ugh. The mere thought sent shivers down my spine.
"Hehe…" I chuckled, inspecting today's profits.
A shiny silver watch, a pair of pearl earrings, a brooch, expensive lotions and perfumes, and a gold chain bracelet...I smirked and tossed everything back into my bag.
You did a fine job today, as always, Phantom Skye.
I wasn't really sure when I'd gotten into the habit of patting myself on the back every time I was successful in my missions, but it didn't bother me. I've got the right to be proud of something that I do, right?
Finally lying down, I relaxed all the muscles in my body and heaved a heavy sigh. My gaze remained fixed on the uneven panels of the ceiling, the grooves in all of the wooden planks, and the nails that held them together. A wave of nervousness blew over me as I realized just how likely this shed was to collapse on me when I was sleeping, but that wasn't enough to scare me away. Hell, I wasn't even scared the one time I had to woo a member of the opposite gender just to gain access to the building he was guarding.
Crossing my arms behind my head, I closed my eyes and drifted into a light sleep.
"Simon! Can't you do anything right?! Sit up straight and listen to me when I'm talking to you!" An older woman yelled, cracking a ruler down across my fingers. Her dark black hair cascaded down over her shoulders and nearly touched the floor, and she wore an expensive, form-fitting yellow kimono that had detailed embroidery along the hems.
I sat at the expensive ivory table, head down, and continued to receive the "mild" punishment for not being able to live up to my parents standards. I wore an embarrassing ensemble of an outfit: a white button up top garnished with a red bowtie, and knee-length denim shorts, followed by long white socks and black loafers. My silver hair was neatly brushed back out of my face, the way my father usually wore his hair under his hat.
The uptight, strict woman standing before me was my mother, Keria. My father, Vaughn, had found her sleeping in the deepest part of a mine when he was younger, and he immediately fell in love. With this thing. And what's worse, she named me Simon. SIMON. I mean, I know that she didn't really care for me, but of all the names she could've chosen, why that one? Why not something cooler, like Blake? Or even Skye? But alas, what did an 11-year-old know, after all?
When she wasn't busy trying to be a mother, she was fantasizing over the stacks of golden lumber that my father would bring home to her every week or so, which she would fawn over for a couple hours and then sell for some cash.
My father was hopelessly in love with this selfish woman, and I just couldn't understand why.
"You'll never be like your father if you keep behaving this way." She snorted out, gazing down at me with half-lidded eyes. My eyes remained on my lap the entire time, tears threatening to spill over. My mind was telling me to stay seated, but my heart told me to run.
Shoving the chair back, I stumbled slightly as I ran to the front door, surprised that she remained exactly in place.
"I hate you! I'm leaving and never coming back! Who said I wanted to be like Father, anyways?!" I yelled childishly, squeezing my fists by my side. "Neither of you care about me!"
Keria took a few steps towards me, and I grasped the doorknob in my hand, my back pressed against the door.
"Simon, you have no idea what it means to be on your own." She spoke quietly, and sadness spread across her face.
"Well maybe it's time I learned." I shot back, glaring at her as I slammed the door behind me on my way out.
I felt myself sliding down the door into a cradled position, and I just shivered. It wasn't cold outside, or even breezy. But the chill I felt in my body made me feel so cold. My hands grasped my hair tightly, and I just sat there, my head in my lap.
My eyes shot open and I stared up at the same old ceiling again. I'm sure I had only been asleep for an hour or two, as moonlight filtered in from the gap between the shed door and the ground. I had been awoken by the sound of yelling, or screaming, perhaps, coming from outside. Curious as to what was going on, I cracked the door open and peeked out.
"Nnnng…!"
A small blonde girl sat curled up outside the log cabin house, the one I assumed had been vacant. The front door was left wide open. I noticed a light coming from a room in the far back of the home, so I could see some of the details of her figure. She was clearly crying, upset about something. She wore an over-sized, un-flattering t-shirt, probably one she received from her older brother or father.
I squinted slightly, to get a clearer view of her attire.
Ah, no pants…
I felt my face heating up a bit, and my body began to throb, but I quickly shook those thoughts.
What exactly was she doing on this farm, anyhow? Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had a feeling that she could be the newcomer taking over this dump of a farm. I'd heard some of the gossip spewing out from the Blue Bar a few nights ago. That loud blonde was talking a mile per minute…something about a moody, depressed girl who had locked herself up in her father's home and refused to work. That information seemed to slip my mind, as the gossip that goes around usually is told just to stir up some sort of action and conflict in this dried up village.
But yet, as she crouched there under the soft moonlight, I swore she was glowing. I felt my cheeks warming again, as I was never really moved by just a woman's appearance. This woman, however, had the aura of an angel around her. Or it could just be my mind playing tricks on me.
"God dammit! Damn you! Who said you could leave me! What gave you the right to just leave?!"
Her yelling scared the crap out of me, and I stumbled backwards into one of the old wooden shelves lined with tools. They all fell to the ground, creating a symphony of loud, unruly noises that only tools would make when hitting each other. I sat there on the ground, covered in tools, white as a ghost.
Shit! Shit! I've blown my cover, I need to go!
Without thinking, I dashed out from the shed and cut through the woods again, heading towards my favorite spot in the entire valley. Goddess Pond.
"Hey! Wait!" I heard her yell from behind me, but I couldn't risk being caught, not even for this woman.
Everything around me became blurred into a messy painting as I danced around trees and bushes. I arrived at Goddess pond in no time, turning that lengthy ten minute walk into a two minute sprint. What good would running do, though? I knew that she was going to follow me. Every woman that I have ever met has always followed me. I was irresistible, a charm that I had undoubtedly and unfortunately received from my parents. But I had learned to work with it, and use my appearance as an advantage to win over gullible women in order to gain what I wanted. I would never allow myself to turn out like my own Father did, succumbing to a single woman and slaving away at her feet.
I smirked to myself, keeping my back to the trail behind me as I heard footsteps approaching swiftly. I mentally prepared what I would say to this woman so I could instantly capture her heart and get her to do as I pleased.
Turning slowly, I parted my lips and turned into Phantom Skye.
"Hehe…did you follow me here after all? Tsk, tsk…" I said smoothly, seductively almost.
I stood there, eyes closed, hands tucked away in my pockets, and waited for her reply.
And I waited…and waited…
Cracking my eyes open slightly, I noticed the girl a couple feet away from me, holding onto the large tree by the path, trying to catch her breath.
My, was she really that tired after a little jog?
But then I realized that her gaze was indeed cast upon me, and my breath caught in my throat. Her eyes were a gorgeous, piercing blue, illuminated under the stars of the night sky. Her face was small, round, and angelic, just as I had guessed. Yet, beneath that beauty, I could see pain written all over her, just as it had been over me years ago. Her mouth dropped open, and it seemed as if she was trying to say something back to me, but I heard nothing.
She startled me as she dropped down to the ground, hugging her knees. Her head was in her lap, and I could see that she was shaking slightly. Had she finally realized that she was scantily clad in front of the Phantom Skye?
Hmm…this woman…she is somewhat interesting…what shall I do next?
I smirked to myself as I began to approach her, thinking of all the different ways I could tease her to get a reaction out of her. Leaning in close to her ear, I could see that she was completely frozen still, afraid of what I was going to do.
I froze myself, a strong sense of guilt washing over me as I re-considered my ill-natured treatment of this unstable girl. Was she afraid of men, perhaps? Letting out a huge sigh, I stared down at her hands that grasped the hem of her t-shirt tightly. Then my eyes traveled up to her shoulders, which still trembled slightly as a result of me breathing on her neck. And her neck, oh how tempting it looked up close.
"A smile suits you better than tears, pretty woman." What? What had I said to her? "Just as the stars compliment this beautiful night, your beauty compliments your person."
And then she looked up at me again with those big, blue eyes, and my heart shook again. Just what was this woman doing to me?
As I opened my mouth to say something else, I realized that she appeared to be in pain. Her hands clutched her shirt right above her chest, and then she began to cry out in pain, falling over.
And I, the Phantom Skye, who had sworn never to repeat my Father's foolish past, reached out to her and caught her in my arms.
To Be Continued…
A/N: So this was the follow up chapter to the first one, which was told from Claire's point of view. This is how I plan to tell the entire story, alternating between Claire and Skye, so I will get into habit of uploading two chapters at once! Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed it! The next two chapters should be out in about a week or two, so stay tuned!
Please review if you have the time, I would really appreciate it! :D