Hm… Lots of reviews! That means I want to give EXTRA thanks to the people who did review! Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.
"What do you want?" The evil librarian snapped, eying me guardedly. I took a deep breath, thinking about how I could get out of this –potentially dangerous- situation.
After a moment of silence, and thinking on my part, I came to a few realizations. One: I couldn't talk. Two: I couldn't defend myself well in my destabilized state, and three:
I was going to be murdered by Mary.
I smiled sheepishly, which just made the dark-haired woman's glare fiercer. I was scared.
I don't get it. Mary was so nice the first few weeks I was here, but once Gray and I became friends, it's like she decided, 'Hey, I think I'm going to try to kill Claire now,' It makes no sense! What did I even do?
I was just about to make a run for the door, when I heard something hit the wall a few feet to my right. I stared at the culprit of the noise, shocked. It was a dictionary. A dictionary. One of the largest and heaviest books in the library. I quickly faced Mary, my guard up. Was she going to really get me this time?
"You… What's wrong with you?!" She screeched as she let another book, titled 'Farming for Dummies', launch at me. It missed again, but this time by a smaller margin.
I looked at Mary, whom I thought had finally lost her mind. I let out a tiny squeak as I dodged another, smaller book, as it soared towards my forehead. Mary stopped hurling her precious books –which apparently weren't that precious, or she wouldn't be throwing them- and screamed at me.
"Why are you here?! What do you want?! Get out of here right now, or… Or…"
I didn't want to know what she was going to say. I decided that I'd better leave before she finished her threat, which I knew wouldn't be empty. I turned and walked quickly to the door, but as soon as my hand grasped the handle, I felt a sharp pain, almost like an impact, on the front and on back of my head. I immediately blanked out, and I could just barely feel my body hit the hardwood floor of Mineral Town's library.
Why did she hate me so much? Everyone in town said if I was lonely, to go see Mary, because she'd make a great friend. She was the sweet villager. She was the one who everyone liked. Hell, I'll bet no one could dislike her. I even liked her, until she decided to try to kill me…
"Claire? Hey Claire! Are you okay?"
I slowly lifted my eyelids, revealing the crowd of faces hovering above me. I counted three: Elli, Ann, and Popuri. I glanced around the room I was in, noticing I wasn't in the library anymore. I was laying on one of the Clinic's beds, on top of the fresh white sheets. I sat up, and then I realized the intense pain on all sides of my head. I could feel a bump on my forehead, and a bump equally as large on the back of my head when I felt for them.
"Wh…at?" I whispered, realizing my voice was finally coming back, "What… Happened?"
Elli spoke first, "When Saibara opened the door to go into the library, it hit you at the same time a book flew into the back of your head, it looks like," She stated softly, as if she was afraid I'd be angry with her for telling me.
"Oh…" I said, recognizing what had happened. Elli began to speak again, this time more confidently as she saw how I wasn't upset.
"Saibara rushed you over here, and then a few moments later Ann came in with a few bruises from something I don't know. Popuri came to get a check up, too, so we were pretty busy." She explained, probably remembering the overwhelming-ness of that time.
"Yeah, you've been out for almost twelve hours, Claire!" Popuri chimed in, sounding like she was almost boasting the fact. I gasped.
"Wh-what?! What time is it?!" I asked, my voice being almost completely normal.
Ann smirked, "It's eight in the morning on the fourteenth. And you missed your chance to give Gray cookies."
I rolled my eyes, but then felt a bit panicked. What if he thinks I forgot about him? Was he ACTUALLY expecting something from me? If he was and I didn't give him something, does that mean he hates me?
Ann clapped and startled me out of my terrifying thoughts, "Jeez, Claire. You sure space out a lot. Popuri and Elli asked you why you were going to give Gray cookies, remember?"
I widened my eyes as I felt my face heat up furiously, "No no no! I wasn't going to give him cookies!" I screamed, waving my arms frantically.
"Why not? You've been so in love with him since, like, summer," Popuri said and rolled her eyes, causing Elli to giggle.
"Yes, Claire, I agree. And he's been head-over-heels for you for a while now, too, it seems…" She trailed off, a distant look in her eye.
The girls' remarks embarrassed me awfully, but I felt a spark of… Hope? Determination? I'm not sure, but something made me feel giddy deep in my gut. I sighed.
"My goddess, you people… Just… Ugh." I said, not being able to think up some sarcastic remark about Gray and me just being friends.
"Don't worry, Claire," Ann sang teasingly, "I made extra cookies and gave them to Gray with a note signed with your name. No need to thank me, it was my pleasure," She smiled sincerely.
My eyes widened, my face flushed, my eyebrows shot up, and my neck stiffened all at the same time as my mind fumed.
"WHAAAAAAAT?!" I shouted as loud as my fragile throat would allow. Apparently it was loud enough to scare all three of the girls in the room, as they jumped nearly a foot in the air, "What?! Why?! How?! ANN!" I screeched again, unable to turn my thoughts into words.
What did she write?!
"Goddess, Claire! You scared me half to death!" Ann shouted, her hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat, "What're trying to ask? I just did what you didn't have the guts to do,"
Popuri looked fascinated and she turned towards me, "Claire, were you actually going to give him cookies? If you weren't sick?" She asked seriously, and Elli looked interested in my response as well.
I thought for a moment. Would I have given him cookies? If I did, would he think I was weird? Would he… Not like them? Not like ME?!
"Ummmmm… I-I… I'm not sure, okay? Stop acting like a bunch of seventh-graders all caught up in inexistent relationships of your friends like it's the most important thing on the face of the earth!" I shouted. Ann chuckled.
"Well, you've forgotten something: There are only a few dozen people in this town, and when there's any sort of 'drama', everyone's interested. We have nothing better to do," The waitress explained, smirking. Elli and Popuri nodded with huge grins stuck on their faces. I sighed as Ann spoke again, "And you should be glad I gave him the cookies, because he's totally going to love them. Peanut butter chocolate chip, my specialty!"
I widened my eyes; something hit me, "Ann, what did he say when you gave them to him?" I asked.
"He was still asleep. I just put his plate and note on the table next to his bed after I put Cliff's plate and note on the table next to his bed," She said. I smiled, hopefully.
"What time is it?" I asked, and Elli looked up at the Clinic's clock.
"It's just about six-thirty, why?" She asked.
I leaped out of the bed, forgetting about my bruised head, and ran towards the door as I called, "I gotta go! Bye!"
As I cut through the icy air towards the Inn, I looked up at the sky. It was a grayish blue, and a bit cloudy.
Maybe it'll snow… I thought, But for now I just have to focus on getting those damn cookies back from Gray before he wakes up. Hurry, Claire!
I inhaled the cold air deeply as soon as I reached the Inn's door, and when I exhaled I could see a large puff of white come from my mouth. I was a bit cold outside, even in my sweats. As soon as I caught my breath, I pushed the door open quietly and surveyed the first floor before stepping in.
It was rather dark, with the only light coming in through the few windows on the walls, but I could tell that Ann had just baked the cookies from the warm smell coming from the kitchen. It made me crave a cookie.
C'mon Claire, let's focus!
I nodded to myself as I tiptoed across the empty floor, and I cursed under my breath as I stepped on a creaky step on my way up the stairs. I inched my way over to the door of the boys' room upstairs. I stood there, in front of the oak door, for several moments debating whether or not I should knock.
What if I open the door and Cliff or Gray are, like, changing? THAT would be bad… But if I knock it'd wake them up… Ugh! I'll just…
I turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open a crack. I peered inside, and a wave of relief washed over me as I saw nothing but the two men sleeping in their beds. I pushed the door open the rest of the way and moved incredibly slowly over to the table near Gray's bed. I reached for the note, just to see what Ann had written, when I heard the blacksmith stir.
I froze, hoping he'd just go back to sleep.
"…Mmm…?"
Crap…
I widened my eyes and held my breath, as I watch Gray turn over in his bed. It looked like he was going to go back to sleep, so I went to pick up the plate and run.
"Agh!" I exclaimed quietly as I tripped. Oh, Ann…
I looked at the white glass plate that the sweet-smelling cookies sat on. It had been stuck to the table with something. I sighed angrily to myself just before I heard Gray let out a huge snore.
My goddess, is that what he sounds like while he sleeps?! It's like a monster truck with a tennis ball stuck in its exhaust pipe!
I decided to just take the note and run like hell, but as I reached or the note…
"Who's there?!"
Fudge.
My eyes widened again, and my breathing stopped. I turned towards Gray's bed, expecting to see him ready to deck whoever was here, but… I didn't.
Instead I saw a very tired looking Cliff sitting up in his bed. I sighed inwardly.
He's too far away to see me in the darkness. I'm safe just as long as he goes back to sleep without waking Gr-
"WHAT?!"
I slapped me forehead softly, then remembered my bump, "Owww…" I muttered as I glanced over at the now-awake Gray sitting up in his bed staring at me, bewildered.
"…Claire…?" He said, confused. I laughed nervously.
"Uh… Hey, Gray… I was just, um," I glanced around the dark room, trying to find a good reason to explain my presence. My eyes fell on the cookies next to Cliff's bed. "I was just dropping off some cookies. Happy Valentine's Day!" I sang, trying to act believable.
Gray looked at his clock and sighed, "Oh… Um, thanks…"
I bit my lip nervously as he took the card Ann had written -and forged my signature on- and read it. He smirked and handed me the slip of paper. I read it to myself:
Dear Gray,
Ha! This is Ann. Claire SO was wanting to give you cookies (even if she denies it), but she was sick so I made them! If she tries to take them off your table before you wake up, tell her I glued the plate down, 'kay? These are from Claire, even if she says they aren't! SHE SO LOVES YOU.
Claire (Ann)
My face flushed and I scratched the back of my neck nervously, trying to think of something to say.
"Uh… Ann's evil," I muttered, mainly to myself. "I'll see you later. Bye," I said and walked out of the room, embarrassed. I found Ann and Popuri sitting at the bar eating scrambled eggs when I walked downstairs. I plopped down next to Ann.
"Hey, Claire! What'd you need to do?" Ann asked innocently. I glared at her.
"You… You're just the most evil person ever. I hope you're happy."
The redhead smiled, "Did he like the cookies? Did he like the note?"
I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, Ann. He loved the cookies and when he read your note he swept me off my feet and we locked in a passionate kiss."
"Oh my goddess, Claire! That's-" Popuri started, looking at me in sheer awe. I cut her off.
"Goddess… Popuri…" I shook my head. Ann chuckled.
"Hmph. You're going to thank me for this, mark my words," She stated, crossing her arms. I ignored her.
"I wonder if I act like it never happened, he'd forget or something? Like… If I don't make a big deal, it won't be a big deal…" I mused. It's probably right, that theory, I thought, I'll do it.
"Whatever, Claire… Are you feeling better?" Ann asked, staring at me intently. I furrowed my brow.
"Uh… Yeah, I am, actually. A lot better than yesterday. Thanks," I said, getting a bit creeped out by Ann's gaze.
She beamed, "Great! I'm so glad! Why don't you come back over here then, at say, eight tonight? Popuri here and I decided to have a fancy girl's Valentine's Day get-together, and it'd be a significantly less amount of fun without you, Claire," She explained.
"…Okay. I guess… Um, what do you mean by 'fancy'?" I asked.
"Oh! Well, just wear something like what you wore to your birthday party, okay? If you don't have anything, then we can lone you something," She said, and I nodded.
"Well in that case, the only thing I have is what I wore to the party earlier, and I don't have any shoes to wear, so…" I trailed off; hoping Ann and Popuri would understand my situation.
"No problem! Just come a little earlier, and we'll have something for you." Popuri sang, and I smiled.
"Okay, thanks guys. I'll see you tonight, then. Bye!" I called as I walked towards the door. I didn't think that Ann had another scheme planned for today. She never did more than one a day, especially when it was successful.
I chuckled as I walked towards my farm, also avoiding the library at all costs as I rubbed the bump on my forehead.
I pulled on my red turtleneck and blue overalls. I ran a brush through my hair quickly and clicked the lights off in my house before I stepped out into the dark, cold winter night. I stopped in front of my field and took a deep, refreshing breath; the crisp coldness filling my lungs and making me feel energized and overall relaxed. I hummed a completely random tune and I walked towards the Inn to meet Ann and Popuri, because it was almost seven thirty.
"Ah…" I exhaled, taking in the winter. I glanced up at the sky, not surprised that the clouds from earlier had gone away. It didn't bother me all that much anymore, because I knew that it had to snow eventually.
I turned the corners down the deserted paths, surveying the shops and houses in Mineral Town as I passed them. As I approached the Inn I took one last cleansing breath, and then pushed open the door.
"Claire!"
An overly energetic Ann and Popuri greeted me. They ambushed me and pulled me into the spare upstairs room, where they had apparently set out an outfit for me.
"Oh, wow, guys…" I said as I studied the clothing.
It was a deep cherry-colored silk dress with no sleeves, and it looked like it would only go to my knees. It appeared as though it wouldn't leave much room between my body and the fabric. It had no pattern that I could see, but it was still beautiful. Not my choice to wear the middle of winter, but it was still beautiful, I suppose. I also noticed a pair of matching red heels, at least three and a half inches tall.
"Jeez, what's with the shoes?! Do you want me to sprain my ankle or something?!" I asked, appalled. Popuri giggled.
"It'll be fine, Claire! You'll look great!" Popuri said, picking up the dress and shoes, "Here. Go change in the bathroom, okay? We'll be right here."
I took the outfit and walked into the bathroom, locking the door. I quickly stripped out of my turtleneck, causing my hair to go every way possible. I ignored it for the time being as I zipped up the side of the dress. It was certainly snug; hugging against my body like I'd predicted. I never wore anything that 'showed off my curves', really, because I was always a bit self-conscious.
Oh well… It only us girls, I guess, so it's not like I'll be seen by any guys. That would be embarrassing.
I leaned against the counter in the bathroom and put on those ridiculously high heels. After I had them secured, I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping I wouldn't look too awful. I sighed seeing how all my attempts were in vain and exited the bathroom.
"Oh! Claire! You look fantastic in red!" Popuri exclaimed.
"Now, for your hair and makeup…" Ann said, studying my head.
"Woah, Ann. I don't wear makeup." I said, pushing her away. I never felt the need to put on makeup every single day, especially if all I was doing was working on my farm.
"Come on, it'll be fun! Please?" Ann pouted. I rolled my eyes.
"Well…" I thought. It was only one night… "Fine." I nodded, and Ann and Popuri squealed.
"Awesome! I'll do your hair!" Popuri said as she picked up a hairbrush and pushed me down onto the bed. She sat behind me and started brushing through my straight, long blonde hair. It hurt, but I didn't say anything.
"Lemme do your eye shadow now!" Ann exclaimed as she plopped down in front of me on the ground and started brushing something brown on my eyelids.
A few minutes later the two ladies had finished, they told me to look in the mirror. I stared hard at my reflection. Popuri had pulled my hair up so it was sitting on the top of my head and sort of drooping off to the left and right. The pink-headed girl had also fastened a red clip that matched my dress up where my hair was attached to my head.
Ann's makeup didn't look as bad as I thought it would. You couldn't actually tell I was wearing any, if you didn't know what I looked like without it. The brown eye shadow she'd applied made my sapphire blue eyes stand out more than I ever thought possible, and my eyelashes looked noticeably longer with mascara on.
All in all, I thought I looked like one of the models on those superficial magazines.
I didn't like it. It wasn't me.
"Gee, guys… Well, I definitely look… Different, right?" I said, smiling cheesily.
"You look amazing!" Ann and Popuri gushed. I laughed nervously.
"So, when are you guys going to change?" I asked, realizing it was after eight and the two girls were still dressed in their normal clothes.
"Oh… We'll change now; you can go ahead downstairs since it's about eight. Everyone should be here. Have fun!" Ann said as she pushed me out of the room and into the hallway.
I sighed. I heard voices from downstairs, so I started down the stairs. I was focused on my feet and not twisting my ankle on my way down the stairs, so I didn't notice that the talking had quieted down and the entire first floor was silent.
I sighed, again, when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I walked over to the bar and sat down. I froze as I looked over at who was sitting at the bar with me.
There sat Rick, Cliff, Doctor, and Gray. My eyes widened as I flushed. Ann did it again…
"C-Claire…?!" I heard someone mutter. It could've been any of them. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah?!" I asked angrily. Ann was seriously ticking me off these past few days, and I wasn't in the mood to be drooled on by the town's bachelors.
"…What… Happened?" They asked, and I looked down the bar at the requester.
Once again, it could've been anyone. They were all looking at me with the strangest gazes… It creeped me out. I would've recognized Gray's voice, and Cliff and Doctor wouldn't have had the guts to say anything. That left Rick.
"I got tricked. Yup, I got tricked…" I said, debating whether or not I should make a run for it. I'd already sat down, I couldn't run in those shoes, and… I was probably too shaky to move.
Let's go, Claire. Just… Move.
"Well, then. I'm going to go strangle Ann and Popuri, and don't any of you try to stop me. I'm sure you know that I can -and will- hurt whoever gets in my way right about now," I stated as I got up, "Goodnight."
I was pissed. I stomped over towards the stairs, but in my anger, I must've forgotten to watch where I was going because I tripped in those damned shoes.
Thud.
I fell down. On my face. And it hurt. I could hear someone get up and probably try to come over and help me, but I got up and ran out the Inn's door before they could reach me.
I was crying.
The tears blurred my vision, and in the cold air they made my face feel like a chunk of ice. I stopped and pulled those stupid shoes off and ran home, my feet stinging on the cold stone.
Ann is so evil, Ann is so evil, I kept saying to myself as I tried to wipe the tears off my face. She's evil, but so funny.
I sighed as I entered my house, prepared to not leave my farm for the next three weeks.
I've had way better Valentine's Days…
Not very long, again, I'm sorry! But I guess it's still better than nothing, right? Next chapter comes out next weekend, okay? Please review and tell me what you think! :D