Chapter 1

The dull thud of Rio's heeled boots was the only sound that surfaces from the gloomy and damp path as she dragged her suitcase towards the railway station. The walk to the main station at the edge of Zephyr was long and tiring, yet the silence the walk provided appealed more than being driven by her talkative friends. They would have made a big deal out of nothing. I don't want Martha and Layla to cause a scene anyway, Rio thought to herself. She felt guilty that she had distanced herself from her closest friends over the last several weeks. They had continued to reach out to Rio, to offer words of comfort and support, but Rio couldn't open up to them and accept the help they were extending. They were good, caring people who Rio didn't deserve.

Rio's pace began to slow down as a pain shot through her arms and feet, making it uncomfortable to move forward. She leaned against one of the trees beside her to rest for a moment whilst wiping the frustrated tears that began to cloud her vision. So weak and pitiful, she cursed under her breath. Rio wasn't typically weak, a childhood of labour on her parent's farm had made her accustomed to carrying heavy loads. The suitcase full of her possessions would have been a relatively simple feat. But that was before. Before her parents died a month ago. Before she sold the farm to her uncle and stopped bothering to look after herself. Rio pulled her mobile phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and groaned as she glanced at the clock. 9:37. Rio was going to miss her train if she didn't hurry. She heaved her suitcase through the wet grass and back onto the pavement. She walked as fast as her feet would allow her to, towards the station.

Rio stumbled into the train almost an hour later, glancing around desperately through the crowd of commuters to find a seat, only to see that they had all been taken. She walked through the carriages carrying her suitcase closely in her arms as she awkwardly squeezes in and out of the standing passages. Rio was met with the same sight on all of the carriages she walked through, a lack of empty seats and little space. Defeated, she squeezed past a group of business men and lingered quietly at the sides. She pulled a pair of earphones out of her pocket and put them in silently. Not because she wanted to listen to music. She didn't care for music much anymore. She'd lost interest in a lot of things that had once given her comfort because they threatened to bring back memories of her life that she'd never get back. She'd gotten her music taste from her dad, most of the songs that filled her phone were ones he'd introduced her to. She simply put them in so no one would bother her. It allowed her to be disconnected.

"What are you doing for the Harvest Festival?" One of the nearby businessmen on the train asked his colleagues. Rio glanced over at them briefly before going back to staring at the ground.

"My wife is cooking a large meal and then we're taking my son to the town hall for the celebrations." The colleague replied as a small smile crept on his lips, "My sons finally at the age where he can appreciate things like this and understand them more. I'm hoping to make some good memories with him."

Rio stopped listening after that, distracted by the memories that she had left of the Harvest Festival spent with her parents growing up. She wasn't going to have a family anymore to celebrate festivals with. A lump formed in her throat as Rio quickly squeezes her eyes shut, refusing to let herself shed anymore tears. Memories should fill people with happiness, they should be a refuge in times like this. A reminder that even though people aren't around anymore they were still there once to make special moments with you. For Rio they were just a reminder of the past that she could never return to, the people she would never see again. Rio wished for her memories to be like water, to slip away from her mind easily and calmly and no longer cause her pain.

The train became less and less occupied as the hours passed. It was a long journey to Rio's next destination. Eventually she was able to find a seat for herself and savour the silence of the now almost empty train. Rio sank into her seat and closed her eyes, letting her exhaustion take over her and pull her to slee-

"RIO~ RIO~ RIO~ YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FROM ME~ ANSWER IT YOU BRAT!"

Rio's eyes snapped open as she scrambled to silence her phone, instantly regretting her decision to let Martha record a personal message alert tone. Rio's cheeks began to redden as a family at the back of the carriage stared at her disapprovingly for filling the quiet carriage with noise.

"Sorry…" Rio mumbles as she clumsily fumbled around her pocket for her phone and silenced the obnoxious sound coming from it. Mortified and wishing she could fade away from the passengers who were still staring at her, Rio bowed her head to cover her face and stared at the message her friend has send her.

'Mikhail said you left already. Why didn't you say goodbye? This is stupid Rio, you don't know anyone in Echo Town. You have Mikhail, Layla and everyone else here for you. I know you're struggling right now and things are hard for you but let us help, running away won't solve anything. Just tell this Dunhill guy you don't want to live in that house and sell it, it's your property now after all. You could come and stay with me and Hiro until you find your own place. I'm sure this Dunhill guy will understand. Your family and friends are where you belong, here in Zephyr. Please stop running.'

But she could. That's exactly what Rio intended to do. Keep running. Leave everything behind and run away from it all. She was leaving with no intention of coming back. In this cloudy world the only silver lining was the house she had been left in her parents will from the beginning of her parents' marriage in a town she had never heard of before. Rio never wanted to go to Zephyr again. She never wanted to ever see a farm again. She'd pushed people away and felt like she was going everyone a favour by disappearing quietly from their lives. Rio wanted to be alone so she wouldn't lose anyone ever again.

The sun was completely obscured by the dark clouds that covered the entire sky when Rio arrived in Echo. She felt an icy chill rocket across her skin as her body began to shiver. Hot breathes left Rio's mouth in ghost plumes, rising up to meet the overcast sky before disappearing completely from her view. Zipping her jacket up as quickly as she could, Rio trudged through the hurricane of falling leaved determined to get to the mayor's house so she could receive the keys to her new beginning as quickly as possible. As she walked she began to imagine the new place she would finally find solace in. Would it be a tiny cottage? A large house? Rio wanted to feel hopeful.

A large and monstrous rumble from the dark cloud above vibrated through the air as she walked in the direction of what looked like the main village area. It looked empty, Rio couldn't see a single person outside. Rio wasn't surprised, seeing as the weather was less than inviting, yet she still expected the atmosphere to seem more lively. It was the Harvest Festival after all. Rio dug through her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with the mayor's address on it. The paper was wet from the rain that has seeped through her clothing and it was hard to make out the house number through the heavily smudged ink.

The sound of a nearby door opening abruptly a few meters away took Rio's attention away from the crumpled and soggy piece of paper in her hand.

"Forget it." Hissed the golden haired man as he glanced back at the figure standing in the doorway.

Rio stopped walking and watched the scene unfold quietly, curious at what has caused this outburtst from the angry looking mad.

"I'll see you tomorrow at your stall." The figure in the doorway chuckled before closing the door. He was obviously amused by what has happened. Rio debated whether to ask the man for directions before he walked off out of sight, but the scowl planted on his face was less than inviting.

"Excuse me…?" Rio asked quietly in attempt to gain the young man's attention.

"What?" he hissed sharply.

Rio felt heat rise to her cheeks as she backed away slightly. The man glanced at Rio then widened his eyes in surprise. They were an unusual shade of red. How fitting for his disposition, Rio thought quietly.

"…S-Sorry." He put his hands in his pocket and stared at the ground awkwardly. "I thought you were someone else…"

"It's okay." Rio mumbled then glanced down at the piece of paper in her hands before speaking up. "You don't happen to know where Dunhill, the mayor of this place lives, do you?"

The man signed and looed irritated before pointing to the house he had just stormed out of.

"He lives there." He stated bluntly before walking away before Rio could thank him. Rio shook her head and walked over in the direction of the cottage the strange man had just directed her to.

This was it. Rio was mere moments away from receiving the keys to her new life.

Goodbye farm, hello new beginning.