Alexis burst out of the Library in tears. Her only friend had not believed her. How could things get so wrong so quickly?

As she brushed away her wet tears, Alexis was glad she wore no make-up. That would only get in the way. Now, she decided, she was going to set things right with the Doctor.

"What are you doing here?" Elli hissed. "If this is a pathetic attempt to steal my Doctor away from me, then you've got a few loose screws. He'll never believe or trust you again, especially after that," she pretended to swoon, "wonderful acting on my part." She sneered. "But, I suppose I'll let you try. I love seeing others lose to me."

"Don't worry," Alexis snapped, "that won't happen."

Elli just tossed her head and glared. "Just go. I'd like you out of here as soon an possible."

Alexis was already on her way to Tim's office. She walked softly, so his head didn't rise up from the papers he seemed to be writing. She stopped at the front of his desk and cleared her throat. "Hello."

His head shot up, and his eyebrows curved downward angrily. "What do you want, witch?" he asked coldly.

Alexis felt like she had been slapped. "I-I just wanted to…" What did she want to do? Apologize? No, she had done nothing wrong! "…To say that I'm not a witch." She saw him open his mouth to respond, but she ignored it and continued. "I don't know how could believe Elli! She was not choking; she just has a crush on you! She is—was—jealous of me, because you seemed to like me." Alexis looked up into the Doctor's eyes. "And I would never hurt her, or anyone, no matter how much they annoyed me. I would never kill anyone. If… if you don't believe me, then…" she swallowed. "…Than I guess I really don't want you. I don't want anyone who doesn't trust me completely." She waited, looking down. No answer. After a few moments of silence, Alexis felt the tears coming. I guess he really doesn't believe me, she thought. She glanced up at his eyes and saw they were stony and still. So, turning around, Alexis rushed out of the office, out of the Clinic, and she wanted nothing more than to rush out of Mineral Town, never to return again.

…/…/…/…

As Alexis passed by the Inn, she decided to stop in for a drink. When she walked through the doors, however, a redhead girl smiled and said since she was new, this meal was on the house! Speechless, Alexis sat down to eat a feast of cheesecake, fresh milk, and cookies. "Yum!" she exclaimed, mouth full of food. The girl laughed.

"I'm Ann, remember? The Mayor showed you around, and he stopped here."

"Oh, yeah! You probably remember my name, though, right?"

Ann nodded. "Alexis, isn't it?" Her large blue eyes widened. "You're… you're the one who everyone says is the Witch Goddess!"

Alexis's happy grin faded, and her eyes glared. "You believe that, too?" she wailed. "Everyone does! Why doesn't anyone care to listen to MY side of the story?" She put her head on the table and cried.

"No way! I don't believe that!" Ann cried. Alexis stopped crying and lifted her head up. Ann continued. "I don't really like the Doctor, anyway. He's so… cold and uncaring." She glanced at Alexis, who was wiping away tears. "Tell me what happened."

And so, Alexis found herself telling Ann what had happed yesterday on top of the mountain. At the end, Ann scowled.

"I don't really like Elli, either," she admitted. "She can be a real bitch sometimes. And she's waaaay over-protective of, well, pretty much everything." Alexis laughed at that.

"Yeah, you're right." She was quiet for a moment. "Maybe… maybe I don't need the Doctor. Maybe I'm better off without him." It hurt to say it, but for a fleeting moment, Alexis felt strong.

Ann punched Alexis playfully on the arm. "That's the spirit! You don't need a guy." She shook her head. "I don't know why girls go so crazy over guys. They are lazy, stupid, and just plain nasty and disgusting."

Alexis was about to say she didn't agree with all of that when Ann jumped up. "Oops! Its time for me to go deliver food to some people." She got up, ran through a door in the back, and came out again carrying a few bags. "See you later!" she called before dashing out the door.

Maybe she's right, Alexis thought, getting up. I don't need a guy. Suddenly, she remembered that she was going to buy some seeds from the Supermarket today. She wasn't going to go bankrupt already!

But before she could leave, she heard loud footsteps. Curious, Alexis turned and gasped. The person responsible for the footsteps was a guy. Not just any guy though. This guy had longish brown hair that was back in a ponytail. His eyes were chocolate brown, and seemed soft and caring, unlike the Doctor's cold, steely eyes. He didn't smile or frown, but did blush slightly when he saw Alexis.

"Hi," he said shyly. "I don't think I've met you. I'm Cliff." He extended his right hand to her. Alexis shook it, still in a daze.

"I'm Alexis. The new owner of Aura Farm." She told him truthfully. He looked impressed.

"I heard someone new was taking over the farm, but I thought it would be someone much… older than you."

I shook my head. "Nope. Instead of a suitable person who actually knows something about farming, they got me, a city girl."

He laughed. The sound was like Heaven to Alexis. His laugh was even sweeter than the Doctor's. "I know something about farms. Do you want me to come over tomorrow to help a little?"

Eager for help, Alexis agreed. Then something occurred to her. "Where do you work? Maybe you could come over after work hours."

Cliff blushed furiously. "I… uh… don't exactly… have a job. I'm a traveler," he added quickly, looking down. Alexis wasn't expecting that.

"Oh," she stumbled over the next sentence. "Then come over any time."

He smiled again, seeming relieved. "But I won't pay you!" she joked. She then realized that he had a crush on her. The thought made her blush, and she looked down at her watch. "Uh-oh! It's already 3:20? I need to go buy seeds!" Hoping Cliff didn't think this was an excuse, Alexis blushed even more. Thankfully, he didn't.

"Can I escort you?" he asked.

Alexis smiled. "Sure! Its nice to have someone to talk to!"

Outside, Alexis explained her affair with the Doctor and the misunderstanding. Cliff hadn't heard yet, and, thankfully, didn't believe a word of it. He was also very surprised and upset that the Doctor had treated her like that.

"If he really liked you, he would have believed you!" he exclaimed angrily. Alexis nodded, her mind clouded with thoughts. Nothing more was said until the got to the Supermarket.

"What do you need?" Cliff asked, breaking the silence.

Alexis blushed. "Uh… I don't know." She looked down, and then up again. "Told you I have no idea what I'm doing."

Cliff picked out 9 Turnip seeds, which didn't cost too much, and grew quickly, he said. Alexis nodded gratefully.

"Uh… s-sorry, Alexis, but you don't have enough room in your Rucksack," Jeff explained.

"How much are the Large Rucksacks?" Alexis questioned.

The price made Alexis's smile fade. "Oh. I guess I'll just buy—"

"Here." Cliff thrust a Large Rucksack into her arms, switching it with her old tiny one. "No need to pay me back. I have enough money."

"Oh, thank you, Cliff!" Alexis hugged him tightly, head buried in his chest. He smelled like vanilla. After a minute, she realized what she was doing and let go. She was happy to see she wasn't the only one blushing. She turned back to Jeff. "In that case, I'll take nine Turnip seeds."

Jeff— who already looked happy at the huge sale he had made already— looked overjoyed, and tossed the seeds to her, practically jumping for joy as she handed him the Gold. Alexis looked at Cliff, and they both nodded and walked out.

"Wow, I thought he was going to have a heart attack!" giggled Alexis. "He was practically dancing!" She looked up at Cliff, and realized she also had a crush on him. He seemed to really like her, and she was glad. Maybe she didn't have to leave Mineral Town after all.