UGH! So sorry for uploading this so late! I've been sick and have had a ton of work to finish in school. Anyways, here it is. Please R&R!

I DO NOT OWN HARVEST MOON NOR ITS CHARACTERS. Beth is my OC.

Chapter 4: Full Speed Ahead

A sweet and salty smell reached past my nose, beckoning me out of sleep. I stretched out as far as I could, pulling the sheets off of me. I did a double take, looking down at the comfy bed I was sitting in.

What? A bed...? But how could I be-

Suddenly, I remembered Vaughn's offer.

Oh, right.

My attention quickly focused back on the scent as I soon recognized what it was. Bacon and eggs. Reaching across the nightstand beside me, I found my hair ribbon, shawl, and shoes, all stacked neatly on top of each other. A mirror faced me in the opposite corner of the bedroom, reflecting an image of me in my nightgown.

I don't remember changing into this...

Loud boots scuffed across the hardwood floor below me as I quickly tied my hair up. Grabbing my dress off the end of the bed, I threw it on with ease and sat on the floor to pull my shoes on. Finally draping my shawl carefully over my shoulders, I tiptoed down the stairs. Vaughn was standing in front of a tea kettle, pouring a handful of herbs inside. A sudden bark rose from the bottom of the stairs, making my heart skip a beat. It was Nolan, who was holding two long strips of bacon in his mouth. Looking up the stairs, Vaughn's eyes met mine as he gestured towards the dining room table.

"Have a seat. I whipped up a little something for you."

I continued down the stairs until I reached the table. A medium sized plate sat before me, with two eggs on a english muffin and three slices of bacon. I could have sworn that I was drooling. Picking up my fork, I tried my best to be dainty and not to shove my whole face in it. Vaughn grabbed a spatula and scooped part of the meal onto his own plate. As the kettle whistled over the fire, he removed it with an oven mitt and poured an equal amount into two mugs, handing one to me.

He swiftly pulled up a chair across from me "Wow, you look tired. You must be exhausted!"

I paused from eating, reaching my hands under my eyes for any obvious signs of heavy dark circles. Vaughn seemed to catch what he had said and nervously rubbed his neck.

"Erm, I mean...you fell asleep on the way here and I thought..."

I smiled slightly, offering somewhat of an "apology accepted". He cleared his throat, bringing a full fork towards his lips "Sorry, I'm not one for making good conversation. I'm more of a 'to myself' kind of guy."

We sat there in silence for quite some time until I had just finished the last drop of tea. Tempted to lick the plate clean, I stood up and carried it to the sink.

"Thank you so much for all of this. It's been rough this past week, moving and all."

A knock echoed through the mahogany door in the small parlor. Because I was closer, I decided to answer it first. I yanked the handle firmly and jumped back at what I saw grinning in the doorway.

"Hi Bethy! How's it going?"

Kai.

"F-fine. How did you-?" I started, wondering how he'd found Vaughn's house in the first place.

Kai smiled and greeted Nolan who had escaped through the gap by my ankles. "I just thought I'd help you house-hunt today. Don't want you to forget again."

Suddenly, Vaughn appeared next to me, wiping his damp hands on a dish cloth. "He's right. Looking for the right house isn't as easy as it seems. Is there anything else I can do for you before you leave?"

I gently shook my head "Oh, no! You've done so much for me already. Thank you."

Vaughn smiled, almost blushing a little from the complement. Quickly, I jolted, as I just remembered something important.

"Wait...where's my flock?" I fell into panic mode, whipping my head back and forth frantically.

"Woah, calm down. They're in the barn, remember? I'll go get them for you." Vaughn squeezed through the doorway and left to retrieve them. As soon as Vaughn turned the corner, Kai scooted closer to me, whispering softly in my ear.

"That's the longest sentence I've ever heard out of Vaughn's mouth. He's the quietest guy in town, if you ask me."

I blinked, not listening to a single word he was saying. Something was staring straight at me from the bushes at the front of Vaughn's house. Something small and yellow. Leaving Kai to ramble on by himself, I paced over to the figure. Once I was almost five feet away from it, it panicked and ducked behind a bush. Now crawling on all fours, I blindly reached my hand out and wrapped them around something stiff. Pulling it out carefully, my eyes grew wide at what I was holding.

"Hey, put me down!"

I shrieked, dropping the small creature on its face. It huffed, standing and dusting itself off. It stood nearly three inches high, minus the tall cone-shaped yellow cap on its head. A small yellow jacket, now covered in dirt, was paired with the cap. Trying its best to act polite, it squinted at me and coughed.

"You nearly squeezed me to death." he stated matter-of-factly.

Still dumbfounded by the being, I stuttered "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were a...um, little living creature."

It stomped its foot and pointed at me furiously "I'm a Harvest Sprite, stupid mortal! Sprite!"

Sprite? What the heck is a sprite?

After I had finally calmed down, I sat on my legs in the dirt in front of him, fascinated by his appearance.

"Wow, I've never seen a sprite before. What's your name?"

The sprite thought carefully about the question, deciding whether to trust me or not.

"Hmph, Gerald."

"Are there more of you?"

I waited for his response until I noticed how he was trying to avoid my gaze, sighing heavily.

"Yes, there are...I mean, there were, until we all got separated."

I tried to find something to say "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Gerald paused and suddenly looked back at me, his eyes bright and hopeful. "Wait, maybe you could help us!" he nodded to himself "Yes. I'm sure you can help us in

some way."

Just as I was about to ask him "help you with what?", someone poked my shoulder, causing my reflexes to spring back at them.

Kai rubbed the small red welt on his arm "Ow! What'd you do that for?"

"Sorry, but you know I'm not the type of person you should sneak up on."

He smiled like an idiot and rubbed his arm again "Yeah, you're right. Hey, what are doing over here anyway? Did you find something?"

I nodded, pointing where the sprite stood "You're not gonna believe this, but I was talking to this little sprite. Just look at how tiny he is!"

Kai leaned around me, staring confusedly at the empty space I was pointing to.

"Uh...sprite?"

"Yeah, they're like miniature people, aren't they?"

Kai placed his hands on his hips "Well, I guess I'd be able to tell if I'd see one."

I blinked briefly, slowly looking back at where the sprite had been. He was no longer there.

"Oh, Kai. You probably scared him off! He was just about to tell me something important!"

"Riiiight." Kai exaggerated, looping his arm into mine "Let's get you out of this heat. Maybe we can look for houses after you rest."

I tore my arm away "I'm not crazy, though. At least not that kind of crazy."

As he led me back to where Vaughn had been waiting for us, mounted on Carmen, I tried to make sense of what I had just seen. Maybe the heat's just getting to you, Beth. Breathe.

Vaughn jumped off my mare and waved his hand behind him "All nine of them, fed and accounted for. Though I don't know where Nolan ran off to."

Reuniting with my herd, I spotted Nolan chasing and pinning a butterfly to the ground, bending over it with his mouth wide open.

"Nolan!" I scolded "Don't eat that poor butterfly!"

Nolan ignored me, releasing the butterfly only to catch it again.

"We're gonna be late." Kai grumbled.

Vaughn reached into Carmen's pouch and blew on the thin whistle between his fingers. How did he know where it was? I thought briefly. Nolan's ears perked up instantly, gave up on the butterfly chase, and began sprinting towards us.

Vaughn smiled "There. Now you're all accounted for." he handed me the whistle, holding his other hand out in farewell "I hope to see you again, Beth."

As I placed my hand out to shake, Vaughn cupped it in his and kissed it gently instead. Whether it was from the heat or not, my face suddenly got warm. I guess I wasn't the only one, because I noticed Kai's face burning up too. It seemed like Kai was always stuck in an awkward moment. This time, Kai helped me mount Carmen before Vaughn could even take a step forward. With my back facing him, I craned myself around and waved. He smiled sweetly, taking off his black hat and waving it back and forth.

"We have a long ways to make up. Let's get a move on!"

Kai nodded as he steadily placed his boot through the foothold on the saddle. With one swift sweep of his long legs, he perched himself right in front of me on Carmen's back. Naturally, I leaned forward and placed my arms around his stomach as he kicked her sides firmly. It was a good thing my herd was small and quick on their feet, because at the pace we were reaching, there was no way they would be able to keep up.

Crappy ending, I know. Please review, they really let me know what you guys think about it. In case you didn't know, the story for now will be told in Beth's point of view.