Chapter 10: Is this it?

-x-

Felicia waited silently on the dock to head back to Sunny Island. On the megaphone earlier, it reported that the ship back was delayed because of rough weather, but it should be coming around soon.

She walked up to the side of the dock with the rest of the others who were waiting with her. Nearby she heard someone say, "Oh, look at this."

"A Castaway missing…" The man started.

Felicia's eyes widened and she too also looked over the man's shoulder who held the newspaper on his hands. Her eyes scanned the front page and a large picture of Chelsea stood out at the corner of the page.

-x-

Chelsea's POV

My plants were growing wonderfully. I got more tomatoes and the corn was testing my patience. I was happy at the sight of my field, most of it cleared away from the boulders and debris. And all the branches and stumps on my field were converted to lumber. I might be able to have a chicken coop soon.

The life on Sunny Island was nice. Spring passed by like a breeze and summer settled upon us, bringing weather that was hot, sometimes as hot as I would imagine in the desert. Because of that, I had to water my crops extra. Then there were my animals. Though I only had two, Flare and Aidan, I'll have more animals soon. Or at least I hope so.

I was careful with my money, which I saved a lot and sent most of it to my family back home. I hope it did them well. I know that Auntie wouldn't do my money no good and Melanie was always cooped up at home like mother. The only person I could trust that money with was Erika and I always hoped that the money was in her hands instead of Auntie's hands.

People on the island here too are also particular about me and money, especially those who knew I was a girl. I am so grateful to them since they all treat me as if I were they're own since I was alone. Like as if I'm also included in the family. But I still feel bad knowing that I'm the only stranger here. If I weren't the farmer on this island, then my place here wouldn't be needed at all.

If I had never left home, then even with all my jobs and wages, I wouldn't be able to pay off all those debts anyway. I was always out of the house, so it seemed my home was on the road. I even felt more guilty not being able to stay with own younger sister, Melanie, and play with her. Ever since the "incident", she's been terrified. And telling her that I'm not even her real sister would make her break, making me feel so much worse.

So being here like this, away from it all, might be best. I am still able to pay off all those debts even if I were all too far away. And though its sent by a total stranger, I'm sure Erika would know who it is. After all, it was Erika that got me this far anyway.

But either way, no matter where I was, I was still a complete stranger.

Aidan, my pup, started nibbling at the bottom of my jeans, nudging from time to time. Looking down at him, I saw that his eyes asked for me to stop being so sulky… and I agreed.

"I'm supposed to happy right now, right, Aidan?" I said, smiling and picking up the cute little guy. "Thanks, bud." But it surely has been a while since I reflected upon that.

I remember first being here, the first knock on the head which opened my eyes to new opportunities. I was so uplifted and ready. But now that's been a few months, it seems that I have finally settled into life here.

It wasn't bad at all.

I set down little Aidan next to my feet and decided to finish watering all my rows of crops before I go off in another train of thoughts and let them die of dehydration.

Truthfully I don't know why I feel like this as of right now. It's messed up. Why do I feel as if all these thoughts and feelings would be useless after a while? Why do I think all this would probably go to waste? Why does it hint to as if everything I've achieved and done and all those relationships I've made with people here which I have never done before, would just suddenly slip away from my grasp, leaving me alone again?

-x-

Natalie's POV

"Mom, you really should tell her…" I said, scanning the paper over again. "Or else I will."

My mother looked at me distressed. I knew exactly what she was thinking, and I felt the same with this situation.

In my hands stood the proof that could let Chelsea AKA Braden leave the farm for good. It was an article about Chelsea, gone missing from the shipwreck months ago. All of the castaways were found except Chelsea. The only trace they have now is here… Sunny Island.

They, who reported this, must have known that some of us washed up ashore here in the Island. They must've suspected that she also washed up on the shore as well, but here sudden disappearance would only lead to one thing, that is if someone in our family who doesn't know her secret blurts it out, and that one thing is Braden, which is Chelsea.

I pushed away my bangs as I felt my forehead heat up from all this thinking. In front of me sat a bowl full of bread and snatched one, stuffing it down my throat out of frustration. This wasn't one of this little cases that can be solved by a kid detective here.

This was something that both my mother and I knew would affect Chelsea in every way. Especially after learning in this article that she is actually an aristocrat. Or at least, an aristocrat with tons of financial debt that brought them down to one of the lowest levels which they call "commoners."

I've always thought that an almighty rich person would be snobby and… rich.. Like all the other ones. But Chelsea surely wasn't like that. She ran away for her family which was failing in finances. And how it ended up to be like that was because of her own family.

I never felt so sorry for one person in my life. But knowing Chelsea, she wouldn't want anyone to feel sorry for her, so she acts strong.. And that's what makes her weak. In this article, they showcase her as a damsel in distress who couldn't take it anymore. That isn't true at all. She ran away to find a better way for her and her family. To improve her mother's and younger sister's health which is mentioned. To pay off all the damage that her delinquent brother caused. To bring them out of the debt. To set them free from all the ridicule. And for her to find a place in this world.

It said she was hardly at home. It mentioned that she was normally seen around her neighborhood doing some sort of job no matter how gruesome it may be.

And that's the reason why she doesn't want anyone close. Because she doesn't know how. She doesn't want anyone to know or be involved.

My face was heated and my nostrils flared. "All along, she's struggled through so much. And yet…" I looked up to my mother who was also doing her best to be strong about this.

I set the newspaper down. "The only world Chelsea has known is the world of money. She doesn't even care of how much this would affect her in the end, Mom. I hate it when someone thinks they could do it alone. She's all alone. And if she learns about this…"

What was I thinking? I can't tell her this. What kind of friend would I be?

But If I don't, she might have leave all of us behind. Who would take care of the farm? My brother couldn't do it. My grandfather was too old. My mother and I could hold off, but we know we didn't belong. Wasn't it because of Chelsea that brought this whole island together?

I rubbed my face vigorously and composed myself. "It was because of Chelsea that this island has made it this far. All of us know that, she even understands that. If she left the island, nothing would go right at all. Chelsea wouldn't be able to grow out of the world she understands…"

My mother smiled at me, a very weak smile. "You want to show her the true world don't you?"

I nodded, feeling like a helpless little crybaby again. But Chelsea and I are the same. Though it hasn't been long, it feels as if we were meant to be and understand.

"I don't want her to leave. Not until she's free." I said confidently, clenching my hands. "This island can't survive without her. In this article, she looks so out of place. I truly think that she belongs here. I may not know what's best for her but…" I couldn't exactly finish that. I wouldn't know how to finish it, but I knew my mother understood.

"Yes, I agree with you, Natalie. Chelsea has been a great influence to all of us hasn't she?"

"Yeah… that's why we have to tell her. " I added softly, "And hope that she will stay."

-x-

No POV

Chelsea looked over the paper again and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Then yelling particular to the paper, "WHY DO YOU ALL TREAT ME LIKE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, **!$%^%&?" Felicia and Natalie were taken aback, hearing the farmer girl for the first time use such vulgar wording for once. Chelsea noticed this and apologized quickly.

Natalie knew that Chelsea wouldn't like the role of "damsel in distress". Both she and her mom expected this in the beginning. But Chelsea's reaction was much better than they expected.

Chelsea continued to rant on. "And they really didn't have to mention that my mother and sister are sickly and my Brother? UGH, he doesn't even deserve to be mentioned…"

Felicia added, "I heard from others that they were planning to send over some detectives and reporters here soon. It would be best if we prepared…"

There was quite a bit of silence between them due to major thinking between the three.

"That's it.." Chelsea pulled out her special tie for her hair and said, "I'm going to have to cut my hair." She had a hard face on, but she knew this was the only thing to do just to be safe. She also told herself that it would be best not to say anything about her hair before they all have second thoughts.

"WHAT?" Both Natalie and her mother yelled. "You can't cut your hair."

Natalie continued. "I thought it was specially created to make sure that your hair would stay in place no matter what?"

"Yeah but just having a little hair cut would probably help my nerves a little bit. Then if they search my hair they wouldn't find that special tie now, would they?" She lied. It would probably make things worse for her, but she could care less about what happened to herself.

Natalie frowned thinking, 'Who searches people's hair anyway? .. But some time ago she told me she didn't want to cut her hair… why now?'

Felicia drew up a breath as well. "Probably it is best for you to cut your hair though.. Just to be safe."

Chelsea was hesitant, but finally brought up the courage for the final conclusion.

That's when the hair slowly came flying down to the hard wood floor. The three of them did regret watching the brown beautiful locks of hair fall, be swept up to be dumped into the trash can. It was a horrible time as the quietly cried over each strand of hair. (Well, it wasn't that dramatic but…)

-x-

It was after Natalie and Felicia left that Chelsea took a quick dip in the river, washing away the hair that clung to her body, making her itch.

After the cold shower, Chelsea stood in front of her shard of a mirror, looking at her newly cut hair. It looked like the way she had tied it together, but this time it was permanent.

Then words from the past crossed her mind.

"Promise me you would grow your hair out."

Chelsea looked at her hands and covered her face with regret. "I'm sorry… Father."

-x-

A Few Days Later….

The Island was full of murmurs and buzzing as reporters, detectives, some police, and extra other people filled the Inn and Hotel. There were people running this way and that way, down the street, into homes, investigating wherever.

But their jackpot was Braden. His story came out of no where to him as they all asked one question that cam to be quite annoying to the farmer.

"Who are you?" They would ask.

And it would always be the same reply. "I am Braden, the farmer of Sunny Island."

They would always pass by, treating him like a nobody to the case, which would be a good thing, but every meeting was like a chance for a heart attack for poor Chelsea.

Felicia and her family were interrogated the most about this since they were the ones washed up ashore on Sunny Island and so called, "started up this little town", which was basically true. It was Natalie's job to make sure that Elliot and their grandfather wouldn't say something that would lead the reporters and detectives to go straight ahead to Chelsea since her story as Braden wasn't clear.

It went on like this for more and more days and until some satisfactory news came up, there was nothing they could do but just sit there in waiting, as if they were all in a competition to see if any of the poor villagers couldn't keep their secrets anymore and just have to blurt it out.

"Everyday is a horror to me…" Chelsea groaned, spreading her arms over her table. "I'm afraid I might not be able to do this anymore."

Chen and Gannon looked at one another. The shopkeeper replied, "Don't give up, Chelsea. You need to stay strong. They're just waiting for someone to say something to give a lead."

Gannon spoke up. "Felicia and her daughter are doing their best to make sure Taro and Elliot don't say a thing that could totally mess it all up."

Chen nodded, but sighed. "I guess it's somewhat my fault that they are all suspecting you though, Chelsea. Charlie… "

Chelsea shook her head. "Charlie doesn't know, but it's okay… It isn't you fault at all.. After all, because of my decision, we are all in this mess. I'm sorry.."

The two fathers felt bad as they watch the girl sink into more darkness, lying her butt off to everyone she meets. Their hands were tied. None of them could do a thing except wait.

-x-

Now there was this certain reporter that Chelsea especially kept her eye on and that was one from her own neighborhood, an ex to her Auntie (when she was beautiful), Reporter Devon. He was a very keen man, very sneaky and especially had an eye on Braden and his story.

"Where did you come from?" He'd ask. "What brought you here to Sunny Island allowing you to help this island populate right after the disappearance of Chelsea and the shipwreck?" He'd inquire. Of course these questions roamed in his thoughts, thinking it would be rude to just run up to the poor farmer like a stalker.

But as no evidence and interviews on the island helped, the only thing that was the big mystery was Braden and his existence.

And Chelsea knew herself that it wasn't good either. She began finding some other newspapers rant on about "Chelsea, the aristocrat castaway" who's still missing. It irked her every time she spotted one and she would secretly rip it up into pieces, ready to hunt down another one.

How they wrote about her.. Especially Devon's writing… made her sick. It sucked knowing that one of the reporters knew about your whole life and used it for his own use. And also, that wasn't the only reason… He was smart enough to figure out by such little evidence that she was a girl.. It was a sure fact.

-x-

Devon knocked on the door to Felicia's house. "Hello?"

Inside came a very annoyed voice from Natalie. "Are you another reporter? If you are, we have nothing to say. Go ask your posse, I'm sure they can answer some of your questions."

"But I would like to ask you and your family myself." He insisted.

"Natalie, just let him in. We wouldn't want anyone suspicious of us would we?" It was Felicia's soft voice and she opened the door, moving aside graciously. "Please come in."

"Thank you." Devon bowed a little bit and allowed himself in, seeing the nicely decorated home. "I'm sorry to come in unexpected…"

Felicia shook her head. "Would you like to join us for some tea?"

"That would be pleasant." He noticed by the corner of his eye that Natalie was shooting glares of death that seemed to rebound off of him.

Sitting down on an empty chair around the table, he was also seated with Taro and Elliot who were snacking upon some sandwiches. Natalie gracelessly set the cup of tea before him and sat down next to her brother. Felicia also came to the table with a new stash of sandwiches and sat across from Devon.

Taro coughed and squinted his eyes at Devon. "What would you like to ask, Reporter?"

Devon took out a small notebook and a pen. "I would like to ask about that farmer up north from here." He noticed a sudden jolt from the two ladies which made his eyes flicker with interest. "About.. What's his name?"

"Braden." Elliot answered quickly. "What about him?"

"After the shipwreck, I heard from others that he came on the island instantly after that and started up the farm."

"Yes," Felicia answered immediately, somewhat interrupting the reporter. "He volunteered to help out on the farm."

Taro nodded. "And we took him in. He was a good choice. At first I thought he looked to frail and small to be up for the job. I was wrong."

More silence as they knew that Devon was thinking.

"I heard that you as a family were washed up ashore also from that shipwreck…" He paused for a moment. " Did you see Chelsea?"

"Yes." "No."

Taro looked at Felicia with a twisted face. "What are you talking about, Felicia?"

"Father?" She began chuckling and patting her father's back. "Don't mind him. He's old and -"

"What are you saying?" Taro roared, "I clearly saw Chelsea here. She, too, was washed up ashore with the rest of us. I surely remember whacking her with my wooden rod as she was quite the dainty young one."

Felicia shot a quick glance at Natalie who had a panicked face on.

Elliot spoke up now. "Yeah, she was here with us for a while But like only a day or so. Natalie told me -"

"I didn't tell you anything, Elliot!" Natalie defended, hoping this could cover up the mistake.

Elliot continued hastily. "You did. You told me that Chelsea left the next day by a rescue ship. I was wondering for a long time why we didn't go along with her, then out of no where, Braden appears."

Devon sat up straight from his chair, staring at them with greatly fascinated eyes. "Braden?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, my sister told me that he appeared with the rescue team that appeared the next day. He was so sudden to take over the job for the farm. I remember that Chelsea was also interested to take up the farm as well, but grandfather wouldn't allow her to since she was a girl."

The young man inhaled as he spoke much in this conversation. He looked at his mother who had a growing disappointed face, then at his grandfather's to see he was nodding slowly. Then his eyes locked with his own twin pair, Natalie's face growing frustrated.

They all heard Natalie's chair screech as she abruptly stood up. "…" She then walked away swiftly from the room, her mother closely following.

Devon looked at all that was left, the two men left behind by the two ladies. Then he asked Elliot, "Does you sister like Braden, per chance?"

Elliot shrugged. "Probably. They always hang out with each other and get along great. But I didn't think she would get angry when what I said was truth…" He sank down slightly in his chair, still picturing the anger that rose in his sister's face which made him confused.

"What do you know about Braden?"

Taro answered. "He's a very kind lad. Good with kids and does his work well. And just as my grandson said, he came here with a rescue boat that picked up Chelsea the next day. I thought it was queer myself…"

Devon nodded. "I see.." He then rose to his feet, placing his notebook and pen into his bag. Extending a hand he said, "Thank you for this time. I'm sorry things ended up the way it did…"

As they both shook hands with him, Taro assured, "Don't worry about the lass, she a stronghold."

"Yeah." Elliot agreed. "It's always like that…"

Devon tipped his hat and left the house, looking toward the North where Castaway Ranch sat. "Castaway Ranch huh? What an appropriate name…"

-x-

Jack stepped off on to the wooden dock looking around at the clear beach with a house nearby its entrance from town. He sniffed the stench of animals that clung to his clothes to his distaste and continued walking on…

THUD.

Jack took a few steps back from his impact on whoever and looked on the ground before him to find a man laying there. "Oh, crap! Dude, you okay?" He walked up before him and extended a hand to the man who sat up slowly.

Vaughn glimpsed up and pushed away his hand. "I'm fine." Standing up, he dusted away some sand and looked at the culprit, but his lavender eyes studied the man before him intently.

This sort of made Jack feel awkward in a way. "Uhh.. Yeah. Sorry for bumping into you.."

Vaughn stopped and nodded. "… If your looking for someone…" He paused and turned his back on Jack. "I suggest you look up north." Vaughn walked back into the ship to help unload the animals.

Jack blinked and also turned for his direction. 'What a weird person.' He thought as he continued through the beach. His shoes began to get filled with sand as he sunk deeper into it which got him annoyed. He finally gave up and sat down on the sand, taking off his shoes and pouring out all the gathered sand.

"Braden?" A voice called out. Jack began hearing shifting footsteps quickly coming toward his way. "Braden!"

Jack looked over his shoulder to find another man, tan with a curly unruly hair under a purple bandana. The farmer chuckled to himself as he thought, 'What's this? First a cowboy… now a pirate. Awesome.'

Denny bent down to get a closer look then his eyes grew wide. "Whoa, you're not Braden… You look like him though. Sorry 'bout that." He grinned and stood up.

"Wait." Jack put on one of his shoes and said. "Who's Braden?"

Denny answered, with a smile on his face. "He's the farmer in these parts. He's awesome; you should go meet him." The fisherman did one final wave and left the farmer sitting there quietly.

'Hmm.. He looked a lot like somebody…' Jack thought to himself as he slipped on the other shoe. He then stood up, dusting his butt off and headed for town.

-x-

Omo… Hope you enjoyed it. :D

- Do Jo