Disclaimer: I forgot this in last chapter. This is only for fun, I don't win any money with this. Harvest Moon is from Natsume. It's not mine. So, all cleared up. :3

Chapter 2

Well, at least everything turned out well. Still, it's truly okay?

I'm questioning this once again,

Hoping to find the solution.

Gretel woke up. It was early and she was tired, since she wasn't accustomed to stand up so early. She yawned and prepared some coffee; then she changed into her work-clothes and went out of the door.

She still didn't have animals, so she decided to go to the field and plant some turnips there.

While working on the fields, she got thirsty, so she went back to her house, stopping in the front door. She noticed something strange: The letter-box. It had some letters in it.

Here, I know you haven't got any money yet, that's why I'll lend you something.

Have a good day, and use this well.

Next to the letter there were tickets: it was money. Altogether it was an amount of 1000 G. She pressed it against her chest, looked at the sky and smiled.

"Thanks, person." She said, while the wind ruffled her hair.
Once she finished with her work, she had a shower, changed and went outside, to read the letter. She examined the handwriting. It was very elegant.

She stood up and walked away, to start knowing the people who lived in Sephyr Town.

While she went down the hill she saw a man coming towards her.

He had dark eyes, black long hair and a turban.

"Hello. I'm Lloyd." He said. "You're Gretel, the new farmer, right?"

Gretel nodded.

"Good. Sherry told me about you. Nice to meet you. I have a stand at the bazaar. I sell ores. It's pretty good. But well, anyways, I bet you don't have much money right now. That's why I'm trying to help you. " He continued.

"Oh, so, it was you. Thanks, then." Gretel said.

"It was me? What? I'm afraid I don't quite understand you. But, whatever, I've got to work. So, see you later." Lloyd said, going away, entering a house.

'Has Sherry told everyone about me? And, if this Lloyd person is trying to help me, why didn't he know about the money? It's strange. Well, maybe, he's too shy to admit he gave me a lot of money. Oh, well, the good thing, is I know who gave me the money' Gretel thought as she walked trough the bridge.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone. From the impact she fell to the ground, hitting the railing very hard.

"Ouch!" She screamed.

The other person gave her his hand, helping her to stand up.

She saw the boy from the day before. Ivan.

"Oh, miss. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…make you fall." Ivan said, clearly worried. "Are you okay?" He said.

"I…I think so. I hit my back pretty hard." Gretel replied quietly, hoping he didn't hear what she said.

"Here, let's go to the café, so you can sit down and rest a bit." Ivan said, helping her to walk.

"I'm sorry. I should have looked where I was going." He said.

"No, no, don't worry, it was my fault. My head was up in the skies." Gretel said.

"Well, it doesn't matter, you need to relax a bit from the shock." Ivan said, disappearing into the café.

Gretel looked around, confused. She wasn't sure what actually happened. Still, she waited for Ivan to come out of the building.

"Here, some water, it'll do good." Ivan said, coming out of the building.

Gretel gulped it down, still confused.

"Good, did you get hurt in any way? Can you move your arms?" Ivan asked.

"Ivan, it's okay, it was just a small impact. Thanks for everything. Now, don't worry anymore. It's nothing." She said, getting annoyed from Ivan's overprotective attitude.

His younger brother came out of the building.

"Gretel! Has something happened?" He shouted, running towards her.

'Not another one…' Gretel thought.

Ivan explained what had happened, and asked him to take care of her, since he had to home-school some girls. He then left.

"Gretel, don't worry. My brother's usually too overprotective. He just tends to care more than it's necessary. I know it was nothing, so, why don't you stay for a bit. You were introducing yourself to the people in Sephyr Town, right? Well, then, let me introduce you to the people from the café. I work here, you know?" Dirk said.

"Oh, okay." Gretel said, going with him into the café.

"Marian, Joan, I want to introduce you to the new farmer."

She saw a young woman with blonde hair and a kind look on her face. The other one was old, small, had also blonde hair tied into a bun and a funny looking hat.

"Oh…this brings memories. I was a waitress before I came here." Gretel said, trying to start a conversation.

"Yes? That's funny, well, then, you're clearly welcome to come here anytime you want. And if you need extra-work, don't forget to ask, specially if you already worked as a waitress." Joan, the older woman said.

"Cool, Gretel, then you'll work with me!" Dirk said.

Gretel politely laughed.

"Well, then, it's time for me to go home, I'll have to take care of the turnips." Gretel said, leaving to her own house.

When she arrived, she looked once again at the mysterious note. She sighed. Then, she opened a blank book and glued it onto the first page.

'I want to take notes of every resident I've met.' Gretel told herself, while taking a pencil and writing in the book.

Sherry: Talk active young girl; about my age. Very kind and polite. Tries to gossip, seems like the gossip-type of girl. Tells everyone about me. May be a very good girl.

She left a big space, for updating her notes.

Dirk: Young boy, nice, talk-active, like Sherry. Seems younger than me. Is very cute, has got a kitty face. Is very kind. Not much information about him.

Ivan: Older brother of Dirk. Nice, polite, handsome. Elegant. Too overprotective. Bumped into him while walking on the bridge. Teacher. Even less info about him.

Lloyd: Random person that talked to me. Seems to know Sherry somehow. He said he wants to help me with my farm. I'm supposing he gave me the note. He looks funny. Seems older than me.

'So, that's everything for now.' Gretel said, closing her book and putting it into her bookshelf. Then, someone knocked at her door, she went to open it, it was Sherry

"Oh, hello Sherry." Gretel said.

"Hehe, I came to say hi." Sherry said.

"Oh, well, I was going to watch over the turnips I just planted." Gretel said.

"Oh, well, I just came to help you understand how to plant seeds, but I see, you can already do it." Sherry laughed. "I'll be going then, good luck."

She accompanied her till she arrived at the field. Then Sherry went away.

While she was working in the ground, she suddenly felt tired.

She saw a shadow before her.

"Let me please help you." It was Ivan's voice. "In exchange for knocking you out back then."

"Please Ivan, it's really nothing. You don't have to worry about anything. Truly." Gretel said.

"But, are you sure?" Ivan insisted.

"Truly, Ivan. I just met you yesterday, so stop being so overprotective. It's getting me on my nerves. You don't have to be protective to people you have just known. It's stupid. I wouldn't care if, for example some random girl, got hit by someone. Of course, I would care about her, I would go to comfort her, and I would face the one who hit her, but that's it. It's just…" She shut up, seeing Ivan's face.

"Look, Ivan. I'm sorry I got so worked up, but I'm new here. I'm not accustomed yet to the people. Everything's just new for me. I can't do anything against it. It's a bit annoying. Just don't worry. I shouldn't have shouted to you. Just, don't worry about it anymore, okay?" Gretel tried to apologize.

"Yeah, I see…" Ivan said. "I'll go then, if you don't need help."

Once Ivan went away, Gretel sighed. She didn't mean to be so harsh. She just got annoyed. She cried a bit. She was ashamed. What would her reputation be now? She sighed again and decided to end her working day there, or so she thought.

She changed her clothes and ran around town, trying to find some of the brothers. She explored the town further, going into the hotel area. There she saw a hill. She went it up, hoping to find them there.

She panted for breath and looked around, still, she couldn't find neither Ivan, nor Dirk. She was tired and certainly not prepared to go down again, so she sat on the edge of the hill and looked at the sun going down. She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling the last sunrays against her skin. It was like she got new energy, so she stayed for a while like that. She napped for some minutes, that's, why she didn't hear the steps behind her.

Finally she stood up, dazzled for some seconds.

"Oh, I guess Ivan will know I didn't say that on purpose. He'll be fine. At least I tried to find him or his brother." Gretel said to herself.

"Oh, well, you've found his brother." Dirk's voice said behind her.

She turned around. It was, in fact, him, the younger brother. He sat next to her, and watched at the horizon, waiting for the suns reflex to disappear, and leave the sky without light.

"So, tell me, what happened." Dirk suggested.

She did so.

"Well, I understand you. I've shouted at him as well, so don't worry about that. I'll tell him you tried to apologize to him." Dirk said.

"Oh, no, that's not necessary. You don't have to. I'll tell him when I see him, okay?" Gretel said.

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave. I've got to help at home." Dirk said. "Do you mind that I watch your work tomorrow? I want to find a job as well, and I'm looking for everything, so maybe I'll move out and start as a farmer, just like you."

"Oh, well, if you insist, you can come." Gretel said, as Dirk stood up and went away.

She stayed there for about an hour, till it was a bit later than usual.

After getting bored she stood up and left. All the lights where turned on, and some of them where off. The night was there and since they where in the middle of the countryside, she heard some birds of the night. She became a little scared, but decided to go on.

Strangely, her adventurer side appeared of nowhere. That side of her that made her take the decision to leave the city. The urge to explore the other sides of the town at night came. She was pretty scared, but then, there was nothing to be scared off. She didn't have to fear anybody. There weren't any bad people in town, so, why not?

She turned around and decided to explore a bit. She came to a very big rock. She saw she couldn't climb it, so she turned around again.

It was then when she hit something.

She screamed like she had never done before.

It was someone with a dark robe and a hood, so she couldn't see the face of the person.

That person held her wrist and dragged her to a place with light.

"Leave me, you stupid! Agh! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Gretel screamed while trying to hit the person.

When they got to the light, the person took the robe off. It was Ivan.

"You…It's you Gretel." Ivan said.

Gretel started crying. She hadn't been so scared in her whole life.

"You jerk! What did you think you where doing?" She said.

Ivan hugged her. She cried in his clothes.

"I didn't know it was you, I thought it was some stranger trying to steal from the other side of that stone." Ivan said. "Oh, Gretel, I'm so sorry for everything I've made you suffer."

"I-It's nothing. Now, I want to go home, so, let me go." Gretel said, running to her own house, slipping into her pyjamas and sleeping again.