I find it a bit sad that I re-wrote this in four days, and it took me over two weeks (including two days off school) to write an unfinished portion of this.

It just shows what I can do with a little motivation, Guys :)

But anyways, I'M SO FUCKING SORRY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

I was almost ready to give up (no not really). I did want to call it off for a few weeks, though.

But I re-wrote everything, and I think This one's better. Like I said, Everything happens for a reason.

Even though this reason made me not do homework. Or classwork, for that matter…

But yeah. Thank yous go to Belimair, epicookies, and loveliecoraima for reviewing that terrible flashback I wrote. I'll need to go back and fix that one day, I really will. You have my eternal love~

Bonus loves to loveliecoraima and epicookies for giving me motivations :3

So, Without further ado, I present:

Chapter Five: Show 'Em All You're Not the Ordinary Type...

A pair of stomping feet and a pleading voice interrupt me and waking dreams. Alarm triggers adrenalin, sending a small jolt-like feeling through my whole body, but then I feel Soul's tiny weight on my chest and remember where I am. It's not Ross; that's not the life I live anymore.

I sink back into the pillows on the bed, alarm evaporating from my body as swiftly as it had appeared. I pull the blankets higher, enveloping myself in the warmth.

"She's in your room, then?" A strong voice says, though it sounds muffled and hazy in my sleep-ridden mind.

"Y-yes, but she's still sleeping… it's still early; s-she needs her rest…" a familiar voice says, but his name has slipped my mind, just out of reach.

"It's been a week, Pierre, dammit. A strong girl like that should be all better by now!"

"…She fainted for no reason, and she was unconscious for three days. And, she looks emaciated."

Why can't they just…shh? They're so… loud…

"Yes, well… She's a Rancher! Ranchers are strong folk, I should know! And anyway, it's eight o'clock. That's plenty early for a Rancher! She's lucky I let her sleep in!" There's lovely silence for a moment, then, "In here?"

I hear a door open, and two sets of footsteps. They get louder, and eventually stop.

I hear light breathing, but maybe it's just Soul.

"Chelsea," a voice says from beside the bed.

I'm never going to sleep, I think, so I whisper, "What?"

"Wake up, girl, time to start your day!" The strong voice, I now realize, is Taro. The familiar voice is, of course, Pierre.

"No thanks," I say, and roll over, facing my back to them. Soul gives a muffled mewl.

"You're lying on your cat," Pierre points out with an almost troubled tone.

I let out a tired let-me-sleep moan and pull a pillow over my head.

Footsteps retreat from behind and reappear on my other side. The blankets pull back somewhat and Soul gives out a grateful mew.

"What are you doing? You hate cats." Taro says, astonished.

"No I don't," Pierre says, but his tone makes me think twice.

"Oh yeah? What about when Martin asked you to cat-sit for him and two hours later you were running to Mirabelle's for help?" Taro says skeptically.

Their fighting is really starting to piss me off.

"Goddess," I say, rolling over and sitting up, pillow falling into my lap. "It's like you're married." I rub my eyes and blearily open them.

Taro's lip twitches, like he's holding back a smile. Pierre's blushing slightly, holding Soul gently.

Taro suddenly turns around and opens the blinds without warning.

"Holy crap!" I say loudly, shielding my eyes. "That was uncalled for, old man!"

He laughs. I've learned that everyone on the island jokes about Taro and his age; he's in his mid-sixties and he acts the youngest of us all. "Winter's over, youngling, and spring has begun!" He gestures outside, where you can plainly see that he's right; all signs of a blizzard have seemingly vanished into the warm spring air. "And lucky for you, we've finished rebuilding your house!"

I let my hands fall from my eyes, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Taro exclaims. "So get dressed and you can see your Ranch!" He turns around and leaves.

Pierre smiles apologetically, sets Soul down in front of the bed, and leaves, closing the door.

I jump out of bed and quickly dress, grabbing the first things I can find (a purple t-shirt and grey shorts), hastily putting on my trusty button-up, flinging Soul over my shoulder, grabbing my suitcase and rucksack, and practically throw myself out of the bedroom, trying to wrap Jack's bandana around my head.

Walking into the kitchen, Pierre takes my suitcase from me and Taro opens the door, and we step out into the weak spring air.

*O*O*O*

Never having been to the farm yet, I don't know what's in store for me. I'm nervous, to say in the least; what if it's a shitty house? Or it's too small? Or the cupboards are ugly?

It's about a five minute walk from Pierre's house and across the bridge. The land is beautiful, twice the size of the farm itself in the Valley. The plot takes up most of the place, and at the back of the place I can see three dilapidated buildings. I'll have to go check those later.

"Your home," Taro says, stopping in front of a large building. He hands me a set of keys, though I don't know why; I'll probably never lock the door in a place like this.

I take off my rucksack and drop it on the ground, staring at the home –my home— in sadness and amazement.

Today, I officially start my new life. It's actually happened.

I reach out to open the door when it seemingly opens of its own accord. Gannon stands in the doorway, looming over me.

"Goddess," I shriek, tripping over my own feet as I try to step back, which results in me falling backwards and landing on my ass.

Checking first to see if Soul's okay, I hear all three men chuckling in different levels of amusement.

"Sorry there, Chelsea," Gannon says, smiling ruefully and offering a hand to help me up. I take it, noticing how his rough hands feel similar to Kasey and Patrick's. I guess that's what that line of work'll do to ya. "Didn't mean to give y'a scare… Bad timin', I guess."

"Yeah," I snort, brushing dirt off my pants. Bad fuckin' timing, that's what my life consists of.

After helping me up, he turns to Taro. "Just got the bed in, Chen got it this mornin'. Kitchen stove came las' night." He looks over towards the back of the land. "I'll be fixin' up the barn and the other buildings the rest of the week," he grumbles. "Shouldn't take more n'a few days."

"Good. So she's okay to stay in the house, then?" Taro asks.

Gannon nods. "Should be, used some material stone fer the support beams; it'll last longer 'n regular lumber since it won't rot. Looks nicer, too."

I thank him immensely, and he leaves, saying it's Eliza's seasonal trip.

After he leaves, I ask Pierre what that is.

"Oh," he says, smiling, and Taro chuckles beside him. "Every year, Eliza demands a new wardrobe- and for good reason; none of her clothes fit from the previous year, or they're all unfit for the appropriate season. So, Gannon takes her to the city and they spend the day shopping. She gets three seasons she can shop for each year. It's really quite adorable when they get off the boat and Gannon's carrying all her bags."

"Until Eliza's out of earshot and he complains about it for the rest of the week," Taro grumbles.

I smile, thinking about it. It's really endearing, their relationship.

"Anyway!" Taro's voice cuts through my thoughts, and he marches to the door of the house. "Your home awaits!"

I pick up my rucksack and open the door.

The house was split up into what seemed to be two rooms: the bathroom and the rest of the house.

The floors were a dark oak, something that looks as lovely as it would if it were still in the earth. The walls were a few shades lighter than the floors, though the contrast between the two accentuated each other nicely.

My eyes traveled to the back of the house. A queen bed lay in the corner, covered by a green and white-checked duvet. A colourful calendar was tacked to the wall beside the bed.

Windows were adorned with soft blue curtains, tied back gently so as to let in natural light.

My eyes travel to the things closer to where I stand.

A small table rested a few feet form the edge of the bed, holding several aged and wrinkled (but otherwise unharmed) leather-bound books. They must have been Grampy's, salvaged from the wreckage of the old house.

Another small table sat in the leftmost corner from where I stood in the doorway, this time homing a telephone that strongly resembles the telephone at the Inn back in the Valley.

Seeing as how everyone here is a five minute walk away, and reception in the Vally is shit, I won't be using it much.

To the right is the kitchen.

My kitchen.

Definitely larger than anyone's in the Valley (except for Ruby's, of course), it's got a cozy, rustic feel, everything being within reach wherever I would stand, but it's still spaced out nicely.

A round kitchen table and two chairs are close to the middle of the room. The table has a plain white tablecloth spread over it. Blue is embroidered around the edge of the square fabric.

The refrigerator and a wardrobe are along the same wall that the bathroom's door is, and I realize that I need to move the wardrobe closer to my bed; where it sits now is just tacky, and will probably just be a hassle to get to later on.

A toolbox and what seems to be an extra storage is pushed against the rightmost wall that leads into the kitchen area.

I walk in slowly and set my rucksack down by the wardrobe. It makes a soft thmp as its contents touch the floor.

"It's… wonderful," I mumble, taking in every detail before me.

"It's not much," Taro says somewhat humbly.

I turn around, eyes still roaming around. "No, it's more than I had ever imagined. Thank you." Taro's chest swells proudly.

In all honesty, I'm just playing it up so they'll leave. Right now, all I want to do is sit down with my cat and have a good, long cry.

I glance at Pierre, who, compared to Taro, doesn't look entirely convinced at my words. I quickly muster up a smile and to my best to make it look plausible.

I walk back over and reach for my suitcase that Pierre's still holding. He has a slight frown marring his face as he uneasily hands me my suitcase.

"There should some food and the like in the refrigerator," Taro says, tapping his foot abruptly against the oak floors.

I nod and smile, standing awkward in my own home.

Not quite soon enough, though, Taro's saying loudly, "Well, we'd best be letting you unpack and get settled; if you need any help, let us know!" And with that, he's out of the house, down the path, across the bridge and back to yelling at Elliot for something he's done wrong again. All in under less than two minutes.

Pierre glances at me again. I smile to him, too, though it seems a hell of a lot more weak now that Taro's gone.

"Would you like and help unpacking?" He asks timidly.

"Nah," I say, turning around and laying my suitcase in front of the wardrobe. "It's pretty much just clothes I've got to unpack."

He nods, and I hear movement as he turns around to head out. He seems to hesitate, however, before he opens the door. "You probably don't have much for a meal… would you care to join me at the diner?" He inhales somewhat sharply, and stutters, "W-well, I imagine Julia and Natalie would join us as well, s-so it wouldn't be jus-just us, of co-course…"

The sad part is that I can imagine the blush he's most likely got.

I nod, keeping my eyes fixed on a knot in the flooring. "Sounds good."

If he heard the slight break in my voice, he didn't mention it. "So… uh... Four o'clock, then?" I nod. "Well, see you then…" I hear the door open. "Oh! But will you know how to get to Nick's from here? Would you rather I meet you here instead?"

I shake my head, concentrating on the soft swsh sound my hair makes each time it shifts. "Nah, I'll find my way."

He must have nodded or something, because he doesn't seem like the type of guy to just leave without saying or doing anything to acknowledge someone's final comment.

I wait a few moments before slowly bending forwards and clutching my mid-section, sobs already racking my body.

*O*O*O*

It was probably at least an hour or an hour or an hour and a half before I finally sat myself up off of the floor from where I was laying. My hair was soaked from where tears had fallen into it, leaving an uncomfortable feeling of specific moisture in patchy-like areas. I wipe my face and take a deep breath, setting Soul on my unopened suitcase.

Standing, I shuffle to the bathroom.

It's simple, its rustic feel matching the rest of the house; with black and white tiled floors and wooden walls that match the main room. A stand-up shower is situated in the corner.

Which sucks, 'cause I like baths.

Guess I'll need to find an easy alternative.

There's a really big mirror, though, which is a total plus. It has beautiful, intricate framework that seems to be made out of brass-

Holy shit.

I gasp as I find myself looking into the mirror. Tear stains are more than evident on my face, tracking from the outside corner of my eyes down to my temples and into my hairline. My eyes are puffy and red, not unlike when I've gotten completely baked; Except right now I don't feel good—I feel like complete shit.

I glance back out at the clock hanging from the wall in the kitchen. I've still got several hours before supper, so I let my hair out of the hastily made-up tie-back I did with my bandana, set the shower to its hottest setting, clamber out of my clothes and stumble into the shower, heat relaxing tensed muscles built up in my spine.

I sigh deeply, stretching forwards to feel constricting muscles release gently down my spine. I stay like that for a bit, enjoying the warmth. As I extend my arms out in front of me, I can't help but notice the welts. They're pretty brutal, even for Ross' standards.

Not that I'm trying to say I'm a pansy or anything (which I'm not), but my skin's really delicate. I smile as I remember a time when Muffy playfully punched my arm. I had a bruise for two and a half weeks.

By experience, I know these ones'll be here 'till early fall.

Which sucks, 'cause I really would have liked to go swimming.

What an asshole.

I fume for a bit.

And then I realize I've got no soap.

Shit.

In a ninja-like fashion, I wrap myself up in my button-up and jump out into the main room, throwing the top of my suitcase (and almost Soul with it), grab the stuff I need, set the kitten in a bundle of shirts and leap back in the shower, smiling slightly as I curse myself; This isn't the first time I've done this, and I huff as I realize that this definitely won't be the last.

*O*O*O*

Out of the shower and fully dressed two hours later, I plop myself back down in front of my suitcase and start unpacking.

I realize how few outfits I have when I notice that over half of the wardrobe and drawers are still empty when I'm done unpacking.

But then again, I never had any money for myself, much less any to spare.

*O*O*O*

The next few weeks pass simply, with nothing majorly important happening.

Although Taro did give me some dirty looks and a 'stern talking to' when he realized I wasn't growing any crops this season.

"Well why not?" He exclaimed, grinding the tip of his 'walking stick' (that's what he called it, but we all knew it was a cane) into the ground.

I shrug. "It just seems a bit pointless, I guess... Spring's almost over."

He shakes his head indignantly. "That doesn't mean you can't still fit in one harvest before the crop festival!"

I look at him questioningly.

"No one told you?" I shake my head. He sighs and explains the seasonal crop festivals.

"You got that?" He laughs, walking over to an open, roofed area attached to the side of his house. He digs around a large box for a moment before pulling out a large bag of seeds. He tosses them to me. I look at the picture on the bag.

"What in the name of the Goddess are thes-"

"Turnips!" he bursts happily, searching for something again.

"Turnips." I say disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"Yes!" He chatters happily, shuffling around, deeper into the hoard of stacked boxes. "Quickest crop to grow! One week, that's all it takes!" He comes back from the maze of boxes holding a watering can, a hoe, and a sickle. "Who doesn't like turnips?"

I refrain myself from saying that you can't even buy turnip seeds in the valley. They're so goddess damn gross.

He hands the watering can and the hoe to me, and begins to walk (quickly, as usual) to the bridge leading to the ranch.

"Hey," I call, laden with tools. "Where're you going?"

Without turning around, he hollers back, "You're planting some damn crops today whether I have to guide you through it or not!"

I shake my head and smile as Natalie peers at me questioningly from where she was organizing boxes.

"You'd best go... If he has to come back for you he'll either drag you to the farm with the sickle or he'll hit you with the cane... Either way, it'll be painful. Though the sickle would probably hurt less..." She ponders for a second, and continues to categorize the boxes.

I laugh and run to catch up to Taro, who's almost already at the plot. I wave to Natalie, who yells back at me for plans for lunch.

*O*O*O*

"Chelsea, hello. Is there anything I could help you find?"

I glance around the shop, a finger resting gently on my lip. "Hi, Chen… Yeah, uhh… Do you… have a…" I mumble. My mind is still drifting as he looks at me quizzically. "A…uh…"

And then I see it, placed beside the counter. "Hey! Can I use that?"

He glances at it and hands it over, giving me an odd stare. "Sure, but… What is it that you need a wicker basket for? It's quite large, really… I think I have a smaller one here somewhere, if you'd rather…"

"No, this one's perfect, actually," I smile. "I'll bring it right back after I'm done, I promise!"

He chuckles. "No, it's fine, keep it."

My eyes widen. "Really? You're sure? Do you want me to pay for it or something, cause I totally wil-"

Chen shakes his head and waves his hand in a passive motion. "I never used it, actually. Charlie and Eliza used it twice, to collect things from the shore. You'd be doing me a favour to take it."

I beam, laughing a bit. "Thanks so much, Chen!"

"You're welcome, Chelsea," He says, and I open the door to the shop and run back to my farm.

*O*O*O*

About ten minutes later, I'm using the wicker basket to haul eighteen turnips to the shipping bin outside of Taro's house—one thing I'm investing in soon will definitely be a shipping bin on my farm.

Hee hee. My farm.

Felicia and Natalie are outside, Natalie laying on the ground, holding a clipboard aloft in front of her with a pen in her mouth, her mother sitting politely on a lawn chair, a clipboard perched on her knee. They're both filling out the week's shipping forms.

"Good morning, dear," Felicia calls, seeing me walking towards them. "Was that you I saw earlier, running out of Chen's shop like a madwoman?" She smiles comically.

Natalie bursts out laughing. "With the basket over your head! You looked like a four year-old playing airplane."

I roll my eyes, but I'm smiling, too. "Uh-huh. I needed for these." I tilt the basket towards them slightly for emphasis.

"What's that, dear?" Felicia asks. Her eyes are already back on the paper.

"Turnips," I say. "Have you finished the order forms yet, or could I slip these in before everything goes out?"

"Nah," Natalie says, sitting up. "You're good…" She looks at the basket, and then something seems to click in her mind; because she jumps up. "Wait, what? How the hel-" She stops herself as Felicia gives her a sharp look. She looks at me again for a split second, then marches to the house in a Taro-like fashion, opening the door and sticking her head in. "Gramps! You'd better come and see this!"

The fuck is going on?

Taro emerges from the house, looking confused. "What's happening?"

"Look!" Natalie says, pointing to my crops. "Turnips."

He gapes for a moment and then picks one up. He looks at it for a few seconds. "They're huge."

He was right; they were probably the size of Sou-

No, they were bigger than Soul.

"They look amazing…" Natalie says in wonder.

"Well, then why are you all in awe? I'm really confused…" I say quietly, setting the basket down; my back was really starting to hurt.

Taro deadpans me a look. "How in Goddess' name did you manage to grow turnips like this in two days?"

It Begins.

Just kidding.

Have you ever noticed how there's so many Velseas…

…But everyone marries Will? Or is that just a faulty observation on my part?

Below in bold is a (sort-of) rant. Read it if you'd like.

And also, I've noticed that a lot of people are reading this fiction and have put it on their alerts, but I only have the same three people reviewing.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when I see people have put me or this fiction on their alert, and I love who's reviewing it, but,

I really need feedback, I don't care what it is. Even if you really don't feel like giving a couple-sentenced review, Just give me a line, something like, "Good chapter, keep it up."

Or some shit like that. Long ones are nicer, though.

Or don't. whatever,

But that was my rant.

**And, To anyone who plays or has played Tale of Two Towns: I have a question for you. Let me know if you play(ed) it in a review or PM. I have questions for upcoming…Things… that I need answered 3

Again, If you read all that ^, I love you for putting up with me.

Next chapter, we shall introduce many new people!

Keep on writin',

xoSoul