Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THESE CHARACTERS! I just make them do stuff that wasn't done in the game. :D

Claire sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her eye for a brief moment before getting her eyes back on the road. The bumpy dirt of the winding mountain path had jostled her head for two hours. She was bad mood and not even Desmond's head sticking out the window could reverse it. As soon as she could she called about the ad. They said it was available, and without thinking, she took it. She mailed them money from her bank account and set to work on getting everything ready. She resigned from her post at work the next day, giving her two weeks notice. She gave the two weeks notice of moving to the landlord of her apartment to relieve herself of paying rent any longer. She had been packing her things all week, giving to hand-me-down stores what she thought she wouldn't use when she went to the farm, no, her farm, which was surprisingly a lot of things. All she really needed was a journal, a comforter set, her dog, work clothes, an alarm clock, and the rest of the money in her bank account. She had gotten the confirmation in the mail in a week, and promptly had a party to tell all of her friends the news. She gave them all the address of the farm, just in case they wanted to write... She would miss them all.

Claire had been winding up the mountain path for about two hours now, nothing but rocks and the occasional renewing green bush to please the eye. Claire sighed again and looked at her map briefly. There was only one way up the mountain; there were no shortcuts or airplanes to be taken. In fact, Claire had already driven sixteen hours to get this far, but she hadn't thought that driving up the mountain would take so long. Then again, it could have been her forced optimism after finding out that no flight came any closer to where she was headed than from the town she came from. Sixteen hours wrecked havoc on Claire's brain, and her sense of patience. She had tried turning on the radio to her favorite tunes, but she could only get AM stations that she couldn't understand, or that were boring as heck. She had gotten rid of her CD's, knowing that she probably wouldn't have the time for them any more. It was just Desmond, herself, and the pair of keys burning with the passion of the new life waiting for her.

Claire rubbed her eyes and yawned, keeping them trained on the road. When she got to her farm, she was going to sleep. She was only running on three hours herself. She had started her journey at eight o' clock last night so that she would arrive sometime before it got dark. Well, it was just past 2 o' clock now. Claire hoped she would be there soon. She was getting restless. She wanted to start her new life and get the hang of things. She wanted to meet those new people and take care of those new animals. But sixteen hours? Any longer and she would have given up. It was a stretch.

Finally, after Claire was just about to give up and start heading down the mountain, she was suddenly on a road going downhill. Claire slowed down to a crawl and looked around her. She was stunned. Around her was a field of white and yellow flowers. It was breathtaking. Claire stopped the old truck and got out, letting Desmond jump out behind her and frolick. He was happy as a clam as he pranced around the flowers. He quickly sniffed around the area, finding a discreet place to do his doggy business. Claire picked one of the white flowers and inhaled. The smell instantly relaxed her. She already felt better than she had in the city, even after driving sixteen hours to get here. Maybe it was the complete and total difference that made the flower smell so sweet. Desmond came prancing over to Claire with a stick in his mouth and Claire laughed taking the stick from him and throwing it into the truck. Desmond fell for the trick, and Claire climed back in the truck starting again down the hill.

Soon Claire was off of the moutain and into a miniature forest. Well, what she went through was probably a small part of it. She spied a cabin, and another road leading somewhere else, but the directions said to go straight. She resolved that she would explore later. Claire pulled the truck over a creaky wooden bridge and parked it behind what seemed to be a chicken coop. Claire smiled and got out of the car, letting Desmond out once more to run around. Claire giggled. Desmond looked much happier on the farm... this way she could keep him forever. Then, Claire looked around.

... It was an absolute dump. The chicken coop was in bad condition, along with what she could see of the house and what looked like a barn. The field was littered in sticks and stones, and there were weeds as far as the eye could see. Was it a trick? It had to be... this wasn't the farm from the ad! This was a complete mess that would take lots of money, time, and TLC that Claire was positive she didn't have. This... wasn't what she had in mind. Claire locked her truck, the keys in her pocket now weighing a thousand pounds. Her heart dreaded what was about to come next. It was her only home! She had quit her job, moved out of her apartment, said goodbye to all of her friends... for this? Even if she wanted to go back, she couldn't. The truck was almost out of gas and she doubted she could find any nearby. She had no more money... well, enough to buy her about a month's worth of food. Claire walked over to the edge of the field and pulled out one of the many weeds. This wasn't going to end well.

Desmond still pranced around happily, rolling in the untilled field like a pig would in mud. Claire was unamused, but there was still hope! If the key didn't fit in the house, then maybe it wasn't the same farm in the ad. Claire felt a little better, but she wouldn't know for sure until she tried opening the door. On her way to the house, Claire examined the land a little better. If somebody would have cleared the field, it was nice sized and could bring in a lot of money. The barn and the coop were in okay shape to hold animals, but they needed renovating badly, and extended if Claire would want enough animals to make a profit. Claire took a deep breath. The door was right in front of her now. Claire inserted the key and her stomach immediately sunk. It fit. Claire turned the lock and the door opened.

Inside was the most quaint little place she had ever seen. It was like a room in a bed and breakfast. There was a little TV already hooked up. Claire turned it on... there were only four channels. She turned it off and checked the rest of the room. The lights worked, and there was a table and two chairs. There was a bedside table, and a storage unit that had a whole bunch of rusty tools. There was a picture of a happy looking family hanging beside the door. Having nothing else to inspect, Claire looked at it a little more closely than she would have. There was an old man in a blue hat and overalls, with a huge grin on his face. Next to him was a little old lady with blondeish gray hair and a knowing smile. In front of them was their daughter, a young woman who was blonde with blue eyes, just like Claire. But, the young girl's face was a little more delicate. Claire found herself wondering what type of people it took to make this place prosper.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Claire walked over and opened it. There stood the young girl from the picture, now in her fifties. Claire was surprised at first and then smiled lightly.

"May I help you?" Claire questioned. The woman smiled.

"Yes, you may. My name is Sasha, and I used to live on this farm."

-
To Be Continued...