-Chapter 1-
Holding Lucy I looked to my right. The island was finally in view after two days of being on a boat.
"Miss." The captain said looking at me from above, he was spinning the wheel of the boat.
"Call me Angela; you don't need to be so formal." I said smiling and looking at the older man.
"I'm Pascal." He said using his thumb to point to himself. "What's a pretty city girl like you doing out here in Harmonica town?" He asked spinning the wooden boat wheel to the right as we approached the dock.
"I'm here for the farming program." I said, pulling a pamphlet from my pocket.
"Oh-Ho." He said, "Well, Angela, you're a brave girl taking on the farm of this here island." Pascal climbed down a ladder and walked over to the edge, grabbing a rope and tossing it to someone on the dock. "No one has shown interest in it for months. I think Mayor Hamilton was about to demolish the old shack of a farmhouse and expand the town."
"How long has it been vacant?" I asked following Pascal off the boat and onto the dock. I let Lucy down onto the wooden dock and she ran around, glad to be free of the confides of the apartment and the boat.
"Oh, I have no idea, but I'm going to say close to 2 years now."
"Oh my." I said. "Looks like I have my work cut out for me…." I let my words trail off but then I changed the subject. "So, Pascal, where do I need to go to talk with the Mayor?"
"Hmm…." He muttered then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "Here you'll need this map more than me. Now, you're going to need to go to the town hall." Pascal pointed to the right from where we stood on the dock. "Walk past the Brass Bar there and keep walking straight. You should then see a sign that will point you to the town hall." Pascal said.
"Thank you, Pascal." I said starting to walk off with my suitcase in tow. "Come, Lucy." I said patting my leg to get the small black shiba to follow me; Lucy followed, running at full speed down the board walk toward the direction Pascal had pointed me in.
"Hello?" I called walking into the town hall. An older man stood behind the counter. His silver hair curled at the top of his head. He was short and plump as well. Lucy, who was in my arms, wiggled, trying to get free.
"Oh hello." Before the man continued he addressed my dog, "You can let her down; she seems to want to play."
I smiled and placed Lucy on the ground. "I'm here for the farming program..?" I said, though it came out like a question.
"Oh, you must be Angela, you called the other week?"
"Yes, sir."
"Call me Hamilton. Please take a seat while we do the paper work…" He said sitting down in the chair behind the desk.
I sat down in a chair on the other side of his desk, facing the mayor. I glanced down to look for Lucy, but she was nowhere in sight.
"Father!" Someone called from another room, "What is this thing running around like it owns the place." A bleach blonde boy walked out of the room, holding my dog.
"I'm so sorry!" I said jumping up from the chair and grabbing Lucy from his hands.
"Please keep the thing on a leach." He said sighing.
"Gill please, this is Angela, she's here for the farming project."
"Hmm, I'm surprised someone actually was gullible enough to take on that task." He said shaking his head and walking back into the room and shutting the door.
"I'm sorry about him, ever since the last owner of the farm saved the island and then left the island; Gill hasn't liked very many people…"
"I'm confused…" I started, "Was the last farmer… his girlfriend?"
"Yes she was. She awakened the Harvest God and all the Harvest Sprites. She returned the islands weather and soil to its original wonderful state. But then she left the island after she sold all the animals. She didn't tell Gill where she was going either. Since then, he hasn't talked to many people."
"Oh… I'm sorry." I said looking down at Lucy in my arms. "I'll try my best to bring the farm back to its original glory."
Mayor Hamilton smiled, "I bet you will." He paused and pulled out a small stack of papers, "Here, you'll only owe me 5000G for the property and you'll need to sign this contract stating you will not leave without notice and without paying off your debt to the town."
I smiled and quickly wrote my name on the contract.
"Now, unfortunately, your house is in need of repairing. So I will arrange for you to stay at the Ocarina Inn until the house is livable."
"How long do you think I will need to stay there? And will Lucy be able to stay with me?"
"I'm thinking 3 days max, and I am not sure…"
"She has to be able to stay with me…"
"I'll make the arrangements. Now follow me."
"Hellooo~ Yolanda?" Mayor Hamilton called as we walked into the small empty Inn.
"Oh Hamilton!" The old woman said from the open kitchen to the right. She stood with a younger girl who looked my age. "Who might this be?" The woman, who must be Yolanda, asked.
"This is Angela; she's taking on the old Caramel District farm." He said smiling.
"Animals aren't allowed here." The other girl said, laying a towel on the counter and walking over with Yolanda.
"I know that." May Hamilton stated, "But since the house is being repaired by the Carpenters, I was wondering if she could stay here for a few days. Along with the dog."
"Hmmm well-" Yolanda started only to be interrupted by the girl.
"Grandma, no. It will ruin our business!"
"Oh hush Maya. I don't think it will hurt anything." Yolanda looked from the girl, Maya, to Lucy and then to me."You both can stay. But, the dog mustn't be in the Inn, besides at night."
"Thank you." I said bowing slightly with Lucy in my arms.
"You're welcome dear. Hamilton, for around 3 days will be 1500G."
"I—uh. I don't have that much…" I said glancing at the floor.
"I trust you, Angela, so you can pay us back whenever you get on your feet over at the farm."
"Thank you so much, Yolanda." I said bowing again.
"Maya, dear, show this girl her room." Yolanda said moving over to talk more with Mayor Hamilton.
"Follow me."
I followed Maya down the hall through a door. She then led me down another hallway into a vacant room.
"Here you are, Angela!" Maya said smiling and handing me the room key.
"Thank you, Maya." I said, opening the door.
Maya waved and skipped back down the hall toward the entrance.
"Well, Luce, looks like this is going to be home for a bit." I said snuggling Lucy lightly, she barked in joy. I shut the door behind me and laid Lucy on the ground. Phone, Phone. I repeated in my head glancing around the room. No phone. Where can I find a phone to call Kevin? I clicked on Lucy's leash and left my Inn room. I tugged Lucy on her leash down the hall toward the entrance…
"Excuse me, Yolanda?" I asked, shutting the door that had lead to the rooms in the back.
"Yes, dear?"
"I was wondering if I could use a phone to call someone."
"Alright, over by the desk there's a phone." She said pointing to the left. Yolanda was cooking with Maya in the kitchen. The old woman's hands were covered in flour and eggs.
"Thank you." I said walking over to the desk. I picked up the phone and dialed my brother's number. He didn't answer. So I left a message…
"Kevin? Hey. I made it safe and sound. I'm staying at the inn at the moment. Once I move into my own house I will call again. Love you. Bye." I said into the phone, and then I placed it back the way I had found it.
I pulled Lucy gently with me toward the door. I was going to go look around this town…
Walking out of Ocarina Inn you were hit with the salt-water air. Lucy barked at a nearby cat that slept on a stair case. "Oh hush, Luce." I said giggling. I started walking to my left and up the hill, I stopped and pulled out the map Pascal had given me. "So the church is up this way…" I said to my dog. She started running up the hill. "Uh-Hey!" I called running after my dog so the leash wouldn't choke her.
When I reached the top of the hill I saw someone standing to the left, looking out over the ocean below. I let Lucy off her leash and slid the map back into my bag that sits on my hip. "Don't run off now, Lucy." I told her. Lucy barked as if understanding my words and she ran off toward the center of the square where birds sat pecking the stone. I smiled at the shiba and decided to say hello to the boy that was in a daze.
"Umm, hello?" I said looking at his facial profile.
The strawberry blonde boy jumped and glanced at me. "Um hi?"
"I'm Angela. I'm new here. I'm taking on the farm program here…"
He looked at me, "Chase. I'm a cook at the Brass Bar and sometimes the Inn."
"Oh?" I said looking over the ocean, "I'm staying at the Inn." I said smiling at him. Chase's mouth opened like he was going to say something, but a whimper from beside the church caught our attention.
"Lucy!" I yelled running over to my dog pinned underneath a rose bush, the thorns were poking her. Of course, being the curious dog she is, she wanted to check out the bush, since they aren't in the city.
"Stop moving her." Chase said grabbing his teal apron that he had on and wrapping it around his hands to move the thorns out of the way. "Reach in and grab her." He said motioning with his head toward Lucy in the bush.
I nodded, "Here, Luce." I said reaching in carefully to slide her out.
Once Chase and I managed to get Lucy out of the bush we sat on a bench and carefully plucked the thorns from her skin.
"Thank you so much, Chase." I said whipping a tear from my eye.
"Why are you crying?" He asked, handing me a handkerchief.
"If anything were to happen to her, I don't know what I would do…"
"She means a lot to you…doesn't she?" He said, looking at me. Chase stroked Lucy's head to calm her from shaking.
I nodded, "My mom got her for me for my birthday… three seasons before she passed away…" I said looking at Lucy on my lap. She looked at me, with Chase's hand still on her head, and it almost seemed like she smiled at me.
"It's getting late and I need to head back to the bar... want me to walk you back to the inn?"
I looked at him and Chase gave me a small smile, "Yea, thanks." I said standing with Lucy in my arms.
Chase and I walked to the Inn, the short walk was a silent one, but the silence was comfortable…
"I'll see you later." Chase said giving me a small wave as he left me standing outside the Ocarina Inn.
"Chase!" I yelled after him.
He turned around; his face had a confused look on it. "Hmm?"
"Thank you. For everything." I told him smiling.
He grinned, "You're welcome, Angela." He waved and walked down the stairs toward the Inn.
I glanced down at Lucy and she was slowly falling asleep in my arms.
"Let's go get some rest, Luce." I told her, patting her head and walking into the inn.
A/N
Gah! This is such a long chapter. But I am so proud of it. This fanfiction, I plan on making each chapter LONG and very detailed. This is going to be a huge project for me!
PLEASE read & review & even check out my profile for other stories and links to my other sites that I am on!
-Roxas.