Sorry about the boring calculations and the siblings' financial crisis in the beginning… But it's very essential to Angela's meeting with –BEEP- Oops. I almost spoiled. By the way, that wasn't a curse.
*This chapter is more serious than Molly's (maybe Angela's way of thinking is too mature for a humor-categorized fanfiction.) But that's her nature. And I promise she softens up a lot after living on the island. Well, Castanet isn't an island, but I don't know what else to call it.
And…I noticed there wasn't much romance in this chapter. I thought I'd make it more realistic with real-life conflicts about money…
ITS SO LONG T^T I tried to go back and shorten things, but all go were a few words removed. (That doesn't help)
Okay so the votes for last chapter:
Luke: 0.5 (Someone split their vote)
Owen: 0
Bo: 1.5 (And don't worry, Rachel. Cause I didn't vote!)
And speaking of votes, if you are like... embarrassed or you don't think I deserve a review or something, you can always pm me... But I prefer reviews because it encourages me :D
Spring 1st, Year 1
Farm
7:00 PM
"Now that we all are here," Angela said as Molly walked into their new home. "Let's discuss our living conditions." She made sure to glare at the ceiling that had many holes and cracks all over it before continuing. "First, because we were in a hurry to catch the ship, we could only grab the luggage Lieutenant Brown (A/N: Minor character in chapter 1) had already packed for us. While you were off making new friends, Molly, I looked through our stuff and the only valuables we have are my wallet with about 20000G inside, Kevin's bottle of gold dust (worth about 500G), and Kasey's 'Assassin's Creed'."
"YOU ARE NOT SELLING THAT," Kasey yelled, grabbing his video game from Angela and held it protectively at his chest.
"…Moving on," Angela said. "At best, we will be able to last 3 days."
"What?" Molly exclaimed. "20 thousand G is a lot of G! How come we can only last for three days?"
"Because of electricity bills, dummy Molly," Kasey said, ruffling her hair.
"No," Angela said, giving him the 'are-you-stupid-or-what' look. "Only on food supplies."
"What?" Molly and Kasey exclaimed in unison. "How?"
"Because," Angela said, getting out a sheet of paper and pencil from no where. "We have 20000G. We have four people. 5000G for the each of us to spend just on food supplies. The cheapest food here costs about 500G with drinks. That makes 10 meals. How many meals are in a day?"
"Three…" they mumbled.
"That means we'll last a little up to 3 days if we don't start making profit. And we are going to cut our diet to two meals a day to save money."
"What?" Molly cried. Her stomach growled. "But I am starving!"
"Shut it," Angela demanded. "This must be survival training set up by Captain. Plus, this is a chance for you to finally go on a diet, Molly."
"I refuse!"
9:00PM
"…Done now?" Kevin asked from behind a book.
"Yeah…" Molly grumbled as she joined him on the dusty, worn-out couch.
"…So? What did Angela say?" Kevin asked calmly as he flipped a page.
"Because crop money isn't enough, blah blah blah, we will make extra money by scavenging things from the wild."
"That doesn't sound that bad," Kevin mused.
Molly groaned. "Even after that much screaming, we are still cutting to two meals a day."
"Haha, is that all you care about?" Kasey laughed, poking Molly's puffed cheeks.
"Duh. My tummy here is dying."
…
Spring 4th, Year 1
Farm
6:00 AM
Angela stared at the shipping bin profits from yesterday, her left eye twitching angrily. She hurled her fork at Molly.
"Kyaaa!" Molly screamed. The fork barely missed and shattered a piece of old wood on the wall.
"Che, off again," Angela muttered.
"What was that for?" Molly cried.
She didn't answer and took Molly's plate and dumped its contents in Kasey's plate.
"Ooh, extra today," he almost squealed.
"I can't eat breakfast?" She jumped out of her seat. "You already forbid me to eat dinner and now I can't eat breakfast?"
"It's not that I am forbidding you," Angela said while sitting back down. "It's because you only made 60G yesterday. It's a consequence for slacking off." She handed her a green herb and pushed her out the door.
"WAHHH!" (A/N: If you didn't remember, Molly said she only had a leaf of cabbage for breakfast. But it was a green herb.) Molly cried. "B-but I collected three mushrooms yesterday!"
"You mean toadstools."
"There's no difference!"
"There's a 60G difference!" And she slammed the door in Molly's face.
"Cheapo Angie!" Molly screamed as she stomped off.
Angela rolled her eyes at the door and rubbed her temples. "We are not going to survive if we only rely on scavenger hunting and those slow crops out there (And Molly). Any suggestions, Kevin?"
"Making honey seems like a fairly good way to start," Kevin answered. "The cheapest flower seeds are 20G, and the shining honey is worth 250G."
Angela's face lit up. "A 230G profit!"
Kasey and Kevin both sweat dropped as they watched Angela slam the door shut and made a mad dash towards the Flute Fields. 100 feet later, she collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
"You should walk instead, Angela!" Kasey yelled from the window. "You'll get there faster!"
She glared at him before attempting to sprint; resulting another face-first fall to the ground.
"Told you."
Kevin sighed and put 'A bicycle or horse or ostrich for Angela' on his wish list as he watched her trudge at a snail's pace towards the Flute Fields.
…
Flute Fields
11:00 AM
Angela dragged her feet, loosing her strength in every stride. In the far far far distance, she saw Marimba Farm. "Ugh…" And she collapsed onto the ground and passed out.
'What kind of play is this?' Chase thought as he watched the lifeless-looking body there at his doorstep. He was attracted to the front window when he heard a soft thump outside. He arched an eyebrow. 'Another one of Maya's tricks, I suppose.' He returned to his kitchen. As he continued to work, he felt uncomfortable that there was a strange girl on his doorstep. Chase walked out of his house and poked her cheek with his spatula. He he watched her stir uncomfortably and dialed Marimba Farm. "There's an unconscious tourist at my doorstep."
"What?-" Click.
Operation: Save an Island!
Chapter 3: Hibiscus
...
Chorale Clinic
5:00 PM
"Is she okay?" A girl's voice inquired.
"Yes. She fainted of exhaustion and might be a little dehydrated. Other than that, she's perfectly healthy," a man's voice answered.
There was a sigh of relief.
"Anyways, thank you for calling us here and taking care of my sister," Kevin said in a small voice.
'Fainted?' Angela scoffed. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and rubbed her blurry eyes. 'I'm so weak.'
"Ugh… that Chase, he didn't even bother to help her –Oh! You're awake!" the girl exclaimed, rushing to Angela. She was very pretty. She had long, smooth, brown hair, and very fair skin.
"Are you feeling okay? Would you like some tea?" she asked.
"No, I am fine, doctor," Angela replied politely, getting off of the bed.
"Doctor?" she asked. She chuckled a little. "I am Anissa. The real doctor is out at the moment."
"I see. My name is Angela," and she shook Anissa's hand.
Angela returned it Anissa's smile with on of her forced smiles she used back in the military.
Anissa opened her mouth to say something but hesitated. She glanced at Angela before continuing. "I did not receive the degree, but I think he might have wanted me to say this too; you should take better care of yourself, Angela. I do not think- perhaps Dr. Jin doesn't think it's unusual- for a clearly healthy person with no disease to collapse of exhaustion, even if you were extremely worn out, and recover four hours later like nothing happened-"
Angela took a step towards the Anissa, stopping her rant about health. Nervously, Anissa took a mini step backwards. The way Angela towered over here was quite intimidating, especially if she looked a little annoying.
One corner of her thin lips lifted to make a small (creepy) smile. "I am used to it," Angela stated. "This happens quite often. Back in-"
"If you'll excuse us, Miss Anissa," Kasey said, pushing Angela out of the clinic. "It's late, and we really have to get back. And besides, after loitering for the day, you still didn't buy the seeds."
Angela crossed her arms and huffed angrily. Kevin quickly followed his older siblings out the door.
"You almost exposed our secret!" he hissed once they were out of earshot.
"I know what I am doing," Angela whispered back.
"I suspect Anissa will be suspicious of us now," Kevin added.
"Wait!" Anissa exclaimed, following them outside. The sky was a beautiful orange, not that it mattered right now. The two boys flinched nervously and turned around.
"Yes?" Angela smiled, hiding her annoyance.
"If you are looking to buy seeds, the Marimba Farm in closed on Wednesdays," Anissa said.
Kevin let out a sigh of relief a little too early for comfort.
"I see. That's disappointing." Angela gave Anissa another forced smile as she 'playfully' pulled Kevin's cheek.
"However, I have some seeds on me," Anissa said, getting a small pouch out of her pocket.
"You're a life-saver!" Kasey exclaimed to calm the atmosphere a bit.
Anissa blushed. "It's nothing. I don't have much though."
"Three tulip seeds are fine," Angela said.
"That would be 60G."
Angela nodded and reached for her wallet. She held it upside-down and shook it. Finally, six 10G coins fell out.
"T-that's all you have?" she asked, staring at the pathetic-looking 10G coins.
"Why, yes," she replied normally (with another one of her fake smiles).
Anissa had a very pained expression on her face. "It must be hard for you." She pulled out five extra tulip seeds and three strawberry seeds. "Here, I hope this helps you even a bit," she said, placing them softly in Angela's palm. "If you need anything, feel free to drop by Marimba. My family will be happy to have you guys there."
Angela smiled again. "Thank you," she said. She bowed her head a little in thanks and walked away. 'Oh, free stuff. I didn't think the sad story trick would work-'
-BAM- A door slammed open, hitting her in the face and it sent her crashing to the stone ground. She looked up at Kasey, who was snickering. Angela glared up at him. 'Gosh, karma. Why so harsh?
"Angela, are you alright?" Kevin asked worriedly.
Maya, the one who opened the door, gasped. "I thought I hit something! Are you okay?" Angela nodded solemnly. "Okay!" she grinned optimistically. "Haiiiii strangers!" she waved. "My name is Maya, nice to meet'cha!" she held out her hand for Angela to shake.
'Somebody gave this girl too much sugar,' Angela thought as she grabbed Maya's hand, using it as support to pull herself up. This made Maya fall to her knees. "Hey!" she snapped angrily.
"I suppose we're even now, since you hit me with the door," Angela replied, perfectly masking her anger with a smile. Maya grumbled in response.
"You hit the new residents with a door?" Yolanda demanded with a frown on her wrinkled features.
"N-no, grandma! Only that girl and I didn't do it on purpose!" Maya protested.
"Even if you only hit one of the new residents-"
"Excuse me," Angela said, interrupting Yolanda. "You are the owners of Ocarina Inn, right? May I work here for part-time?"
Yolanda smiled gently. "Let's see what you can do."
…
Ocarina Inn
6:00PM
-KABOOM!-
Inside the kitchen, Angela stared at the exploded 'stuff'-what ever she was attempting to cook- in the pot. Kevin pulled on his gloves nervously. "I told you it wasn't a good idea," Kasey mumbled (for the sixth time).
Maya was sobbing and hugging Angela tightly. "It's okay –sniffle- Angie-Angie. It's okay…"
"Yes, Maya, you found a comrade. Anyways, was this your first time cooking?" Yolanda asked, sweat-dropping.
"Yes," Angela answered. She didn't take her piercing eyes off of the dangerous-looking blob in the pot like it would magically turn into some nice carrot soup any time soon. "Kevin is the one who always cooks for us."
"Why doesn't Kevin want to work here then?" Yolanda asked curiously.
"It would be better for all of us if he tends the farm," Angela said bitterly, remembering her uselessness with the sickle, hoe, AND watering can. She glared at Kasey again, who accidentally let a comment like 'how can someone not know how to water plants?' slip out.
"I see," Yolanda said. She smiled. "Even though your first try was a mess-up, I noticed that you memorized the recipe perfectly just by glancing at it. This was your first time with cooking something, so I wouldn't use that against you that much. Believe it or not, you were a tiny bit better than Maya." Yolanda noticed the two brothers cleaning the mess Angela made and smiled warmly. "You can return tomorrow, and I'll train you."
"Thank you," Angela said, sounding more excited than usual. She bowed and turned to her brothers, who just slowed their cleaning to notice Angela's unusually excited behavior. "Let me help."
Kasey shook his head vigorously. "It would be faster if you didn't help."
…
Farm
8:00PM
When the door slammed open, Molly jumped up from the couch to greet her late siblings. "What took you guys so long- what is Angela doing on Kevin's back?" she asked, frowning.
Kasey entered after the two, staring pitifully at the youngest of the team- whose face was turning redder by the minute. At least Angela is very light for someone that height and age…
"Angela's pace was so slow was she demanded that she wanted Kevin to carry her home. I could have done this without dying, you know." Angela had always hated when 'other men' touched her (especially him) and would always stab him with a pencil or something later. He didn't care anymore. He lifted Angela off Kevin's back. For the first time, she didn't struggle at his touch. He put her down quickly just in case she was gicing him a three-second silence warning.
"Why were you in the clinic, Angela?" Molly asked, effortlessly carrying Kevin to the couch.
"Long story," Angela replied. She turned on the sink faucet and began washing her hands.
"Heh, she just doesn't want to talk about it since she's very embarrassed that she messed up- Ew!" Kasey exclaimed, lifting the wet rag off his face.
Angela smirked and held out her hand. "Can you bring it back?"
Kasey mumbled something as Angela scrubbed the rag (with soap) and put a few ice cubes in it. She placed the ice on Kevin's forehead and petted his hair like a mother caring for a sick child.
"Cute scene, isn't it?" Molly whispered.
Kasey nodded. Angela was older than Kevin by seven years, making her 24 years old and Kevin 17, so it was pretty natural for her to treat him this way. "But what kind of older sister makes her little brother carry her home? I mean, she's so much taller than him," he whispered back.
Molly shrugged. "That's Angela, I suppose."
Kasey nodded. "I guess she has to do something. There isn't much she can do besides petting his hair with her physical abilities." He opened the fridge. "Ah… I would kill for a grape cocktail."
Angela glared at him again. "I heard you guys since the beginning."
"I'm not scared~" Kasey sang. "'Cause she's only good at throwing things under three pounds." A pencil came flying at an inhumanly speed at his eye, at the last moment, he lifted his hand and caught it, 1 millimeter away from his eye.
Before Angela could throw another pencil, Molly said, "So Kasey, when can I try alcohol? I turned 21 for a while now."
"I durnoo," Kasey replied. "I turned 21 four years ago and I wonder when Angela will let me drink in her presence? Hmmm?"
Angela rolled her eyes. "Because only stinky old men drink. You can drink but make sure to stay twenty feet away from me," Angela retorted.
"This house isn't even twenty feet wide!"
"That's my point. And stay away from me after drinking too because your breath always smells afterwards."
…
Spring 10th, Year 1
Harmonica Town
10:00AM
Yolanda smiled. "You have improved a lot these days." She turned to the crying girl in the corner. "For the sake of your friend, you should be happy she improved! Anyway," she continued, ignoring Maya. "Deliver this to a young man named Toby. Making a good meal also involves the happiness of the person eating it."
"If only I knew what 'Toby' looks like," Angela mumbled. She stuffed the apron she received as a sign of being an official apprentice at the Inn into her rucksack. There was no way she was going to be seen wearing that.
"You need something from me?" a man's voice asked.
She looked up to see a silver-haired fisherman dressed in light blue. His eyes were closed, like he was sleep…standing. "Yes I do," she said. "Your lunch," the brunette held out the bento boxes wrapped in a green cloth along with an envelope.
Toby silently thanked her and scanned the letter. Angela stared hard at the custom-made envelope with an ocarina on it. 'Why would people waste money on such tiny things?' she wondered. Angela smiled and bowed her head slightly. Before she could walk away, Toby called out, "Miss... Angela?"
Toby held up the package with a smile. "Would you like to have lunch with me; you are the one who made this, correct?"
Angela blinked. "Making a good meal involves the happiness of the person eating it." She raised her eyebrow, bewildered of his request. "Why would you invite a stranger to eat with you?"
Toby shrugged and cast his gaze on the ocean. "You made the food."
Angela crossed her arms. "Are you implying that people here interrupt the cooks during their shift to share part of their meal?"
"Not exactly; we're just being friendly," Toby said quickly. Angela continued to stare at him suspiciously. Before she could retort and say something very intellectual and leave him with no response, he said, "Are you coming or not? I am not a doctor, but I think being that skinny at that height is unhealthy."
"I am fi-" Angela's stomach growled softly –loud enough for Toby to hear. Her face reddened a little. Toby smiled and motioned her to follow him to the dock.
'Why does everyone on this island think I am unhealthy?' she thought to herself.
"Do you like to fish?" Toby asked when they sat down on a towel and spread out the food.
"Not really," Angela replied while eating rice along with some mushrooms. Toby cast a line. "Do you earn a lot of money from fishing?" she asked.
"Depends on where you fish and how experienced you are," Toby advised. "And-" Before he could continue, he started tugging on the line. "Lately, the fish populations have increased around here. You catch fish much quicker than before."
Angela stared at the azure water, reminded that she didn't ring a bell yet. "Can I try?"
Toby opened his case and took out another fishing pole. "It's my old one. You can upgrade it when you become more experienced."
Angela nodded and cast the line. Not even after five minutes, she caught a fish. She smiled. "You catch on pretty fast," Toby said.
"Thank you."
…
Beach
2:00AM
Wizard walked along the beach, watching the water dance across the sand. He continued to walk in peace until he stumbled over something he did not notice was there. There was a girly squeak as Wizard regained his balance. The brunette sat up, glaring at him. "You kicked me," she hissed.
"…Sorry," he almost whispered.
"Sorry?" Her voice began to rise. "Is that you have to say?" She bolted up to be face-to-face with Wizard, glaring into his emerald orbs. Wizard took a step backward; he was surprised to encounter such a fiery human at this time at the night, and that she was only a centimeter or two shorter than him.
"…Very sorry… for… kicking you," he mumbled.
Angela scowled and crossed her arms. "Never mind, it doesn't matter anymore." When her arm touched the left side of her ribcage-where Wizard had kicked her- she flinched. She scowled again, realizing that the silver-haired stranger's tiny kick had just bruised her. Grumbling to herself about how weak she was again, she sat back down onto a piece of cloth she was laying on to prevent sand from getting into her hair. Wizard observed the cloth and noticed it was an apron from Ocarina Inn; a pink one similar to the one Maya wears.
"Does it… hurt?" Wizard asked both slowly and quietly. Angela cast a line into the sea.
"Not really," Angela lied. It stung every time she moved.
Wizard had a pang of guilt in his chest. He slowly sat down onto the sand. "It… helps… bruises to put… warm sack on… it," he suggested.
Angela inwardly sighed. A hot pack sounds nice, and she would be able to work at Ocarina more efficiently too, but she didn't see it at the clinic and ordering it from online would make the delivering fees expensive, not to mention there wasn't even internet to steal anywhere on the island. If someone on the island had internet, even if it was locked, she would be able to hack it without batting an eyelash. But nooo… this island had to be so rural, there wasn't even one reception bar on her iPhone. Even when she stood on tall things and on tall places.
"Thanks," she said nonchalantly.
Wizard tilted his head slightly to the left. "You… are very kind."
Angela scoffed. "Aren't I?" she asked sarcastically. "How observant of you. Let me guess, you're one of the Harvest Goddess's acquaintances, right? That's how you can read my mind or something?"
"No… Can feel your… emotions…"
"I see. So, did Kasey find the ingredients to that potion you're making yet?"
Wizard shook his head. "Why… do you not… pursue the bells? Will…lose bet… Kevin solved blue bell … Kasey will find… hibiscus on Toucan afterwards…" (A/N: If you don't really understand what he's talking about (I really don't want to make him speak a lot with a bunch of '…'s) he's saying that Kevin unlocked the blue bell already, and Kasey will soon the only ingredient he's missing: the hibiscus from Toucan Island)
Angela shrugged and pulled the line, catching a flounder. "This again," she grumbled. She threw it into the bucket where she kept her caught fish to keep them fresh. "It doesn't matter," she said while casting a new line. "I pay for most of their meals already. Besides, we still have the purple bell after the other four are restored."
"Are you not… afraid… your siblings… will also ring… yellow bell?"
"I doubt it," Angela said confidently. "The crops we plant on the farm on solely for profit, and they know that very well. We need them. However," she snickered. "I don't think they noticed I have a small lettuce patch in the forest behind our house."
"… It must be hard for you," Wizard remarked.
"Not really," Angela replied. "Not many weeds grow nearby because it's in the forest, but the soil quality is horrible. It's very difficult to grow 'good' lettuce. But it'll grow eventually."
There was a silence and only the sound of waves could be heard. Moments later, Wizard asked, "Why… are you… so open… with me?"
"You mean why I talk to you about personal things since we just met?"
Wizard nodded.
"At first glance, I can tell you're not exactly human-no offense," Angela explained.
She paused and stared at Wizard. "?"
"You're supposed to say 'none taken'."
Wizard had a very shocked expression on his face and stuttered, "N-none… t-t-taken."
Angela chuckled. "Anyways, you probably know a lot of things about me already with those special powers of yours. You know very well where we came from, correct?"
"Yes… a hidden division in the U.S. military… Specializes in spying… for terrorist… threats and… eliminating them… Also-"
"I get your point," Angela said, covering his mouth. "No need to say any more than that. My point is, there's no point in hiding anything if you already know. You won't tell anyone, right?" she asked, sending daggers at his face."
"…No," he bumbled.
"That's good," she huffed, returning her gaze on the dark, vast ocean.
"…You… are very trusting…" Wizard whispered almost inaudible-ly. "Why?"
"Because I can tell when people are lying. I've gotten lessons," she replied.
Wizard tilted his head slightly to his left, something he does out of habit whenever he's observing something seriously. Despite her cold personality, the effect of being in the military for years, she was quite trusting of others.
Angela frowned, watching him stare at her with multiple thoughts going on in his head from the corner of her eye. 'Aish, this is why I hate mind readers,' she thought.
"I… can't read minds…" Wizard whispered.
"Then how did you know what I was thinking?" she asked with an annoyed tone.
He shifted his gaze. "I can feel… your… emotions… If you're sad… happy… excited… stressed… I can feel them… like… you can hear... sound. With that… I guess what you're… thinking."
"I see," her voice softened a little. "You seem to understand people very well." She stood up and put away her fishing rod. "It's getting late. It was nice talking to you. You definitely knew already, but I am Angela."
"…Why… do you never say your… last name?" Wizard asked as he stood up.
"Why ask if you know already?" Angela asked. "I am not qualified to use the last name from my real parents, and I refuse to use Captain's last name." She picked up the apron and brushed off any grains of sand that were left. "I never got your name."
"Wizard."
Angela raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Being secretive, aren't you? Oh well, I'm not the type to pry. Good night, Wizard," she waved, turned around, and began to walk away.
As Angela's back began to shrink the farther she walked, Wizard began to wonder if all girls from the military were like that: extremely tall, sharp, and always seemed to have an ice wall around her. It's not that Wizard was particular warm and friendly around humans, but she's the first with that unique personality. He hadn't met many people, but he did live for centuries, and that should be enough to say that Angela is very different from girls her age. He wondered if all female soldiers were like that; he never met any before Angela. If only all the ambitious people in the world were like her: desiring only enough for the survival of her and her loved ones, and knows what is right in every action. Then, the world would be a much better place.
Wizard sat back down to observe the stars, but they seemed a little bit more distant today than other days. He wondered why.
... I know what you're thinking. "I've waited a month and all I get is this c-"
Well SORRY D: It was like politics in my mind to 'includes this' or 'not,' 'to have that' or 'delete it'. I mean, I was arguing with MYSELF for the past month. (And slacking off every now and then) And don't laugh, Rachel, I know you're laughing! -Edit- And I fixed the error you pointed out in your ridiculously long review, Rachel. I bet it took you an hour to write that :D
Don't give up on me, please my only few readers! D:
And the candidates for Angela:
Chase (I know, he only showed up for like five seconds)
Toby
Wizard
... After debating, I decided to take Gill out of this and replace him with Wizard because Wizard and Angela can meet more... naturally. -cough- Well, Toby in the same sense too.
And I apologize to MidnightxMusic who voted -1 for Gill in Chapter 1 (I'm sorry, you wasted your vote D:) But I am planning to make one of the characters play a prank on him and you can laugh at him then :D
