CHAPTER 3

A/N: I hope you all know what my job consists of here…That's right, making all the characters seem as mentally psycho as possible…J/k…

–Smile's widely-

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''Look…It's him…!'' People in forget-me-not valley we're whispering on as Jack past them, walking at a fast pace, avoiding eye contact with the villagers that we're already disappointed with him.

For the past couple of days Jack had been completely neglecting his farm…Sometimes he would feed the cow, when Takakura forced him. He never watered the crops; they we're beginning to dry up actually…Jack felt ashamed, he was afraid to look people in the eye and see the shame within them…All those villagers, they turned their backs on him because he didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps. Or at least that's what Jack thought.

Everybody was still hoping kind of…For Jack to change his mind.

Jack hurried on past the inn, where he was heading to meet up with Van. He set his heavy stuff down on the ground that he got from the dig site.

He looked pitifully at the ground, looking depressed and lost…He didn't know what else to do…He clenched and released his fingers over and over again, he looked as if he was trying to hold on to something but it wasn't there. Only air. He didn't talk as much as he did in the beginning, he was quiet, quieter then Nami, who watched him from her bedroom window with an expression of confusion and pity. He ate less and less everyday. He was skinnier and he wasn't happy about it.

''So is that all you'll be selling?'' The salesperson asked Jack who slowly lifted his eyes from the ground, with dull eyes.

''yeah…'' He answered, with an unstable voice, sounding that he would break into tears.

Van checked his price list carefully; he wasn't the kind to pass up on the good prices. Because the better the prices, the better living he could make.

''Ancient relics…Horse statue, gems…And fossils…''

He paused for a second.

''How does…625 G sound?''

Jack furiously looked up at Van, the lack of sleep was tampering with his emotions making him irritable.

''Fuck you Van! I spent a whole 24 hours NONE STOP to get those and you suggest that pitiful price!'' He disfigured the salesmen with his deep blue eyes.

The yelling and cussing made many villagers stop in their tracks, Muffy and Celia both stared, Chris was covering her son's ears with her hands, Lumina looked a little disgusted…The yelling was so loud that it even made the harvest witch, who wasn't to far from there, next to Romana's villa, to stop stirring the ingredients that we're floating in her pot.

Van shrugged, he was getting used to Jack's sudden outbursts, his violent mood swings…

''Look Jack, that's as far as the price will go. Take it or leave it.''

Jack weakly grabbed the money. And glared Van with a deadly stare, if looks could kill…Van would probably be in overkill right now.

''Fine…'' He answered Van bitterly.

He picked up his bag and started to walk passed everyone, who we're almost all in that corner, after Jack's sudden fit…The young tanned haired boy gave them all dirty looks before slowly opening his mouth to speak.

Everyone was puzzled, wondering what he would say.

''Why don't you all stop starring now…? Don't you have somewhere else to BE? Leave me alone! Quit looking at me as if I'm some animal!'' He sprinted off leaving everyone with nothing to saw. Looking on with dismay more then anger.

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Later that afternoon, Jack found himself drinking tea with his only friend. He went there as often as possible, to get away from the harsh looks of everyone. Including the ones of the harvest witch and harvest goddess who saw Jack's actions like failure ever since he started working for the excavation site. So he found himself in Daryl's basement every now and then, it sounded like a weird place to hang out with someone, but it was the only place he could meet with her.

''So you quit the farm…?'' A small voice asked Jack.

The mermaid swam closer to the glass of her aquarium.

Jack took another sip and set the cup on the table, he looked up at Lettuce. She didn't seem angry with him, unlike other people. Lettuce never left Daryl's house…So she wasn't well informed about what happened outside of the house. Even if someone died in the valley she wouldn't of heard the news…That was why Jack came over to see her sometimes to fill her in on what she missed. He started that little ritual a couple of days after he came to forget-me-not-valley, and their meeting was quite by accident.

''Yeah, I did…I didn't really feel like I wanted to follow my family's tradition…Why would I want to after all…? It was my fathers dream…Yet another reason to shatter the chances of it being a reality.''

He stared at his friend, wondering if she was at all disgusted by what he said. Still, no sign of that was on her face. Jack felt like he could just about say anything to Lettuce, she never seemed to oppose his emotions.

''Their all angry at me…And I'm a little pissed off as well.'' He said dryly.

Jack put his head into his hands, shaking nervously,

''Jack, don't worry about it!'' Lettuce said in a tone full of authority.

But he wouldn't stop shaking; he looked as though he was cold, even though the room was at a normal heat level.

''I'm sure their not all angry at you…'' She added, trying to make him feel better.

''YES! YES THEY ARE!'' Was the only answer that would be pronounced.

Jack stood up and started cleaning up the tea that he had spilled.

''Sorry…''

''Jack…You don't have to…''

He grabbed his coat, heading towards the entrance of the basement. Before he left he gave her a cold look and said sarcastically ''Yeah, of course I don't have to. Just like I don't have to take care of that stupid farm left over by my bastard of a father…right?''

He paused, but continued once he was sure that Lettuce wasn't going to add anything.

''Don't make me laugh! Everyone here made it pretty bloody obvious…That if I didn't follow in my dad's footsteps that they we're going to make my life as miserable as possible.''

He slammed the door.

Leaving his green haired mermaid friend alone in the room.

''Jack…''

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Night was falling; the young man kept digging and uncovering new things to sell at the excavation site. He knew he didn't have much time left, soon the dig site you'd close and he would have to ask Carter for another time extension…Which was kind of weird, considering it was Jack who was doing them a favour by opening up new tunnels in the mine.

''Having fun?'' Carter said playfully once he saw Jack covered in dirt, even his hair…which was brown anyway.

The farmer placed the shovel on the ground. Ready for a break.

Carter knelled down beside Jack; he knew he had to say something…

''…Don't you think you should be heading home soon…?''

Silence. Only the sound of water dripping in the tunnels.

''I'm staying here…'' Jack answered back coldly. This wasn't the tone of someone who wanted a favour, it was the tone that opposed a condition.

Carter left him alone, he didn't want to mess with the farmer tonight, maybe he was just plain afraid of him…

Jack spent the remainder of the night digging in the mines, he had nothing much else to do…He certainly didn't want to go back to his farm, where Takakura was probably waiting for him. The young man really started to wonder why he didn't just go to the bar and get drunk enough to pass-out and never wake up…Oups, I guess Jack was a little to broke to get drunk.

He tried to read the map of the mine but it was really hard, the only source of light was the lamp that was attached to his head…And the goggles he was wearing was already making it hard enough to read as it is. He found the tunnels by instinct, relying on the similarity's of the passages to just lead the way for him…Every now and then Jack would fall through a crack in the floor, and every time that happened it made his body just a little more bruised; His stamina was growing fin.

He had to force his eyes open, only to stay awake. He was SO tired, and he definitely didn't want to fall asleep in a place like this. His foot slipped which caused him to fall again. His ankle was badly twisted, it had been like that for quite awhile actually, but he only noticed the pain once he stared at his deformed foot. He crawled the remainder of the way, passing many unknown places, places that didn't even seem to be on the map, he would soon figure out why…In front of him was a dead end. ''…Damn…!'' he exclaimed weakly. He went closer the wall, and tried to support his weight on it, he was so skinny, yes, but the drowsiness still made him feel like he was heavier then Van. Perhaps Jack was heavier then he thought, for the floor that was supporting his weight was starting to make way. It collapsed under Jack's knees which made him fall through yet another flight of floors until he reached the bottom, He landed on his hands and knees, he was definitely ready to break down and cry. Not only because of the pain, but because he felt like everything was against him…Even his luck.

He painfully crawled over to a weird looking wall, he couldn't perfectly picture out what it was exactly…His sight was blurred by his own tears. He lifted his arm off the ground and his hand finally grasped what seemed to be a doorknob. The wounded boy didn't seem to wonder what a door was doing in a place like this, just relieve that he finally was able to touch something that felt familiar. He opened the door which lead him to a huge room, surrounded by expensive furniture and a large bed at the end of the room. Jack's heart pounded with pure joy. He limped towards the bed using the walls as support, the bed wasn't his, the room didn't belong to him and he wasn't even sure if there was anyone else in the room, or on that mine floor, there could have been wild animals or creatures or…something, someone! Jack really didn't feel like debating on all the theory's that popped up in his head, he fell heavily on the bed and went to sleep.

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That's it for now! I don't like making overly long chapters…I think that lots of little chapters are better then only a couple huge one's…But then again that's just me!

Review! Now! Grrrr!