It was the night before I was to leave for Mineral Town, and I found myself, once again, at the beach. I was still trying to mentally prepare myself to go, less worried about Mineral Town itself than leaving my hometown of Flowerbud. I sure would miss this place…

"Cassie!" exclaimed Joe as he once again plopped himself down in the sand next to me. I was beyond used to his random appearances by now, and I wasn't even phased by it.

"Hello, Joe," I said, glancing at him. "How are you tonight?" He made himself comfortable and frowned.

"Fine, considering my best friend is leaving tomorrow," Joe replied, only a hint of sadness in his voice. "When's the boat leaving again?"

"Ten," I replied, almost too quickly. I blushed and looked away, embarrassed that I was so excited.

"Well," Joe scoffed. "I guess you just can't wait to get out of here, huh?" He pretended to be hurt even though he knew that wasn't what I'd meant at all.

"No, it's just…" I fought to remain stoic, but one look at Joe's face--one eyebrow raised and grinning crookedly-- made me unable to remain unmoving. I laughed a little. "I've already planned out practically every minute of tomorrow up to when I arrive in Mineral Town. It's a little embarrassing." Joe smiled at me.

"It shouldn't be. You're going to start you life on your own, it should be exciting." He paused, turning his face toward the moon for a moment before his eyes locked with mine again. "What are you doing with all the time before ten?" I blinked at him.

"I'm spending it with you, of course." The sentence was a lot more awkward-sounding than it had been in my head, and I fought the blush that rose to my cheeks, unsuccessfully. I looked away, thinking that maybe he'd taken that the wrong way, but I didn't let it show that I was uncomfortable. Joe, after looking at me in stunned silence, finally broke out into another grin.

"That's right. Spend your last few hours with your best friend." I turned and blinked at him.

"What, you mean Dan? I thought you'd want me to spend it with you, but…" I shrugged and we both laughed, knowing that I didn't get along well with Dan at all. Then I mirrored his posture, leaning back on my hands and stretching out my legs. "I'm going to miss times like this."

"Me too." He hesitated, as if waiting for me to continue. "… so when do you want to meet me tomorrow?" I started out over the sea for a moment.

"Is eight alright?"

"Eight?!" he exclaimed. "I'm usually still fast asleep at eight!" He laughed. "But for you? Anything." He seemed to clamp his mouth shut after that, and I thought I saw him blush, but it was hard to tell in the dark. I turned away, feeling a little flutter in my stomach at the admission, and I groaned inwardly. I decided to cover the whole thing up with a joke.

"I know," I said. "I'm just that wonderful." I grinned, a rare occurrence that felt odd on my lips, but I felt I needed it to help Joe feel a little better. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Egotistic, aren't we?" he said, smiling. "Glad I could get you to come out of that little shell your mother has put you in." I nodded, this being a subject that we'd agreed to disagree on. Sure, my mom was a little excessive when it came to teaching me how to be perfectly polite and show complete indifference, not doing anything but the same herself, but there was a reason for it, I just knew it. She'd never tell me, of course… but she was the same way, and she was perfectly fine. It wasn't like she was cruel or anything, but Joe didn't understand. Unfortunately for my mother, allowing me to play with the other kids in town, especially Joe, had taught me the opposite as well. Not to mention my brother…

My thoughts were interrupted as a high-pitched howl cut through the night, causing Joe to jump to his feet and look around wearily. I noted the full moon above us as I stood, standing behind him as he looked for the wolf as others picked up the call. They probably meant us no harm, but it was better safe than sorry.

"I'm going to bring you home now." He paused, listening to the brooding song of the wolves. "You really ought to think about what time it is when you decide to head to the beach," he said, pulling his axe out of his bag, which I knew he kept random supplies in, including his beloved fishing pole. I sighed. He always felt the need to protect me, even though most of the time it was completely unnecessary. It's not like the wolves had ever injured anyone before. At least, not in the time I'd lived there. Which was my whole life. "I won't always be there to protect you from the wolves." He added, meaning the last part as a joke, but I could hear the bitterness in it. It made me feel bad for leaving him, but what could be done? Life must go on, after all.

We padded silently through the forest back to my house, avoiding the wolves that prowled the area. I asked Joe if he'd be able to get home alright, and he just told me that he'd be fine with a lopsided grin, commenting about the fact that someone actually cared about his welfare. I merely wished him goodnight and went inside to find that no one was awake. I locked the door, an unnecessary action around these parts, and then I went to bed.

But I couldn't sleep.

I lie awake staring at the ceiling for the better part of the night, thinking about everything that had happened earlier in the evening and what could possibly happen tomorrow before rising and tip-toeing to my brother's room across the hall. He was, of course, fast asleep, snoring soundly, but a gentle shake woke him up.

"What is it?" he said, blinking up at me sleepily as he propped himself up onto his elbows. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah," I said, frowning as I sat down on the foot of his bed. "I can't stop thinking about tomorrow." Carl nodded, and though it looked like he zoned out afterwards, I knew from experience that he was just thinking in his sleepy state, as I'd seen him like this before. As a matter of fact, the situation had occurred many times since we were younger, when I'd had a nightmare or I just couldn't sleep. Carl would talk to me about almost anything, and waking my parents up proved useless when I was younger as they would just tell me to go to sleep every time.

"What part of tomorrow?" he finally asked, sitting up against the headboard of his small bed. He smiled sleepily. "Or, should I say, which boy of tomorrow?" Normally I might have responded to that playfully, but instead I frowned. Carl figured that he'd hit the nail on the head, and his smile faded.

"Oh, so it's true…" Carl pondered, as if he'd heard some gossip and not believed it until now. Which, seeing as he worked with Katie, was extremely possible. "You're falling for your best friend?" He offered me a smile, sleepy though it was, and I crossed my arms and huffed.

"No," I said. He raised an eyebrow at me and I sighed. "I just feel bad is all." He shook his head, as if I was in denial or something. "I mean… he's so heartbroken."

"So you finally see I was right, though?" he asked. "He does like you." I sighed again.

"Yes, yes, I see that," I replied. "That's only part of the problem anyway."

"I already told you, What's-His-Face will like you just fine," he said, waving his hand dismissively. I raised my eyebrows at him before shaking my head.

"You can't know that."

"Yes I can." He sat up cross-legged and crossed his arms over his chest.

"How?" I challenged, mirroring his posture.

"Who do you know that doesn't like you?"

"Dan, Kurt, Blue-"

"They don't dislike you. They're neutral. Except for Dan, of course…"

"You've said that before, and it's still not a good argument. They don't like me. What if he doesn't either?" I lay down on the bed, sprawling myself across it in a frustrated manner, and Carl sighed, brushing hair out of my face.

"Weren't you always the one who believed that arranged marriages work?" he asked quietly. "You always looked at Mom and Dad and thought about how much they loved each other, and you always believed that you'd truly love someone that same way. You can't give up on that notion now." I closed my eyes, thinking for a moment, and then opened them again, smiling.

"You're right, Carl," I said, sitting up and preparing to go back to my room.

"Of course I am. As always," he replied, grinning. I shook my head at him and headed for the door.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"Hey, what're big brothers for?"

And with that, I finally went to sleep.

---

I spent the whole morning with Joe, meeting him at the carpentry at eight like we'd agreed. He was still asleep when I arrived, and I spoke with Woody until he was ready to go. Kurt refused to say anything beyond hello, which reminded me of my worries, but I pushed them out of my mind. I didn't want to ruin my last few hours in town.

Joe and I rushed out of the carpentry and went to the Café, where we ordered a huge breakfast (compliments of Woody, surprisingly enough) and Eve, Carl, and Katie all stopped to talk to us at one point. I knew that most of the village, if not all of them, would be at the dock to see me off, but they still acted as if this was the last time they'd ever get to see me. Joe finally managed to get them to leave us alone, because, frankly, their questions were bothering me and, despite my efforts to remain completely stoic, Joe could tell. I'm sure Carl could've as well, but he only stopped by once before running off to take care of other orders.

After that, we went fishing. I knew that my mother wouldn't approve, but I'd take a shower before I left anyway. Joe didn't really catch anything huge, and I only caught one fish. I'd never tell him so, but Joe isn't actually that great at fishing even though it was his favorite hobby, and I was even worse. Overall, though, we avoided the subject of my leaving and had a good time, though Joe had this urgency about him that made me acutely aware that I would be leaving soon.

Afterwards I went back to my house and showered while Joe brought the fish we caught back to his place at the carpentry, and when I finished I put on a nice dress with a flowered pattern and grabbed my sunhat, even though I wouldn't wear it around here, and I pulled the upper layer of my hair back, knowing that if I didn't my hair would be in my face all the time I was on the boat. I checked the clock; nine thirty. Joe was waiting outside for me, which was to be expected, I suppose, along with Bob and Gwen.

My family and friends accompanied me to the beach, and we all talked and waited for the boat. The people from the nearby shops came out to wish me good luck and such, telling me to keep in touch. I responded politely and told them that I would send letters to my mother for the entire town, and eventually everyone went back to work. Carl and Eve even came to see me for a little while. When they went back to work it was just me, my family and my close friends on the beach, watching for the ship. My mother and father broke off from our group and stood by themselves, talking to each other in hushed tones, causing me to wonder what they were talking about.

At one point, Bob took Joe off a ways and talked to him, leaving Gwen to preoccupy me, though I wondered what the two were talking about while I talked with Gwen. Finally, after a little bit of what seemed to be debating they came back over, Bob grabbed Gwen's hand and lead her away, after engulfing me in a huge bear hug and wishing me well, of course.

"What was that all about?" I asked. Joe just shrugged with a lopsided grin.

"Nothing to concern yourself about," he replied, though I didn't believe him. And then he frowned, looking out at the sea, and pointed at the horizon. "Looks like your ride's here." I looked to where he was pointing and saw it as well; a ship, just a speck on the horizon. I started to panic for a second before Joe grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, somehow making me feel better, calmer. I smiled up at him before looking back at the ocean.

"It's sure going to be different without you around," Joe said. I glanced at him, then nodded.

"Yeah, well, I only know one person in Mineral Town," I murmured. "At least you'll still know people."

"You're likable. You'll be fine." He squeezed my hand again, grinning at me, and I smiled back. The boat was already ten minutes late, and it took what felt like an eternity for the boat to reach the dock.

"I guess this is it," I said sadly, realizing it was time for me to leave. Joe pulled me into his embrace before I could say anything else, and I realized that he was crying. I bit my lip and kept from doing the same, but he was like my pillar, and seeing him crumble like that broke my heart. "I'll call you tonight."

"I'mma miss you so much," Joe murmured into my hair. I looked up at him, and through it all, he was still smiling. It amazed me that his watery eyes and tearstained face could still manage to go with a smile, but that was what I loved about Joe. I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek as farewell.

He looked absolutely stunned and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, looking very much like a fish, and, offering a smile, I put my sun hat on. Then I picked up my suitcase with my meager belongings in it, and turned the other way. My mother approached and offered me a small smile, then hugged me.

"Good luck, dear," she said before releasing me. "Be polite. You're fiancé is a grown man, after all." I nodded. "Popuri will show you where you're staying when you get there. The people there are friendly, I promise, though a lot of them don't know you're coming. Word will spread once you get there, though, so don't you worry about that." I wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about, so I just nodded again. Then my father took her place, taller than her by half a foot and twice as broad, for he was a farmer, and he hugged me tightly, causing a little difficulty in breathing. He released me and I fixed my hat and smoothed down my dress, smiling up at him. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and smiled, blue eyes oozing pride.

"Just remember that being married is a lot of work, Cassie. Try not to be too clingy at first, and spend a lot of time making other friends too. Good luck," he said, hugging me again. I contemplated this, knowing that this advice would probably be a lot more useful than what my mom had said, and I nodded as soon as he let me go.

"Thanks Dad," I said. "I'll miss you both." They both told me they'd miss me too, and they each gave me one more hug before heading off to talk to the ship's captain. Joe approached me slowly and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" he said, tears freely flowing down his face. I fought to keep my own in check and nodded. "If anything happens… or if you just need someone to talk, just call me. Anytime, I promise." I nodded again and bit my lip. "Cassie… I… well… I'll miss you. More than you could possibly understand." He hugged me, and I heard my mom call for me, disapproval lining her tone, and Joe and I laughed to ourselves. "Bet you won't miss that, though." I laughed harder, suddenly feeling much better about leaving and I smiled brightly at my best friend as I picked up my suitcase again, heading down to the dock where I would finally leave my hometown.

I pushed all sad thoughts out of my mind and tried to look at the future ahead of me which was sure to be bright, as my family had told me it would be. I stepped onto the boat, gently rocking on the waves, and stood leaning against the railing where I could see my parents and my best friend, and the crew got ready to set sail again. I waved at them and then my parents, not being emotional people anyway, left, leaving just Joe, screaming goodbye to me and crying, though he still wore a huge smile. His arms seemed to be flailing more than waving at me as the boat sailed away, and I waved but was unable to bring myself to yell anything back. We waved at each other until he was a tiny speck on the stretch of beach and we couldn't really see each other that well anymore, but I watched him until he slowly walked out of view. After looking in that direction for a moment, I turned the other way, to the front of the boat, where my new life would start, turning my back on the old one.

And then I just stood there, thinking, for what felt like an eternity before I finally started to cry.