I stayed up well past midnight baking cakes for everyone. There was Elli and Gill, of course, then Mayor Hamilton, everyone at the Inn, and Gray... And while I was at it with Gray, why not everyone else at Brownie Ranch? Then there was Owen and Julius and Luke, and the other people were they worked... I swear, I baked cakes for half the town. I had no idea how I would get them to everyone.
Might as well get started early, I figured once I woke up. I knew the Inn family would be awake, so I'd start off by giving them their cake. I would definitely need to make several trips back to the room, considering Elli had to help me bring back all the cake the night before.
Precariously holding four cakes for Yolanda, Colleen, Jake, and Maya, I made my way downstairs. "Happy Thanksgiving!" I called to them all.
"Well, good morning and happy Thanksgiving to you too!" Colleen chuckled. "Thank you, Starri. The thought is very sweet."
Jake, looking mildly surprised but pleased, offered me a free piece of cake from their stock today since neither he or Colleen had made me one. I told him I'd pick it up that night.
"Aw, now I feel bad! I didn't make you one!" Maya exclaimed, appalled. I had a little feeling she also felt bad about the cold shoulder she had been giving me ever since the cooking session with Chase.
"Oh, no, that's OK," I reassured her. "Your dad offered me one that I'll just pick up tonight. Besides, I don't need that much cake." I patted my stomach jokingly.
She scoffed and laughed. "Starri, don't be silly. You're as thin as a stick!"
That's what everyone back in Flower Bud Village used to say all the time, I remembered. I dashed back upstairs for the next set of cakes. When I came back down Maya stared at me. "How much did you even make?"
"Practically enough to feed an army," Yolanda answered for me. She delicately took a bit of her cake and tasted it. "Oh, my, Starri, this is wonderful. Why are you wasting away all that cooking talent at the Town Hall? Chase had a good eye when he invited you to cook here that one night."
I smiled sheepishly. "I like it at Town Hall."
"Oh, yes, Elli's there. You two are close. She's quite the baker, herself."
I nodded, and then with a goodbye I set off for Brownie Ranch.
Cain and Hanna were surprised but delighted. "Starri," Hanna declared. "Whoever you marry will be a lucky fellow indeed." I blushed but said thank you.
"Thank you for the cake," Cain said. "That was very kind. Renee and Gray are out in the barn or coop."
I nodded and made my way up the hill to the barn. I peeked inside and meekly called, "Gray?"
Both his and Renee's heads popped up from behind different animals.
"Hi, Starri!" Renee was the first to call out cheerfully. "Come on in."
Smiling and feeling shy all of a sudden, I stepped inside the warm barn. "I brought cake. Happy Thanksgiving!"
It felt a little strange seeing Gray; he used to be my only male friend, and now suddenly Elli seemed to be my only female friend. Now I had Gill and Luke and Owen and even Julius. I wondered if Gray felt somewhat abandoned, and my awkward feelings turned to guilt.
But as he walked over to accept the cake, he didn't seem angry or sad; in fact, quite happy (or as happy as Gray would show). Relief washed over me. So much so, for that matter, that I hugged him before I let him take his gift.
"Um... Thanks," he said uncomfortably, obviously embarrassed at being hugged in front of Renee.
I laughed and let go. I was about to tease him, "You know you liked it," but for some reason the words caught in my throat. Instead I turned to Renee.
"Here," I said. "I wasn't sure what you like, so I hope chocolate is all right."
"Oh, that's fine," she said happily. "I'm just glad you even thought of me."
"I'm sure I'm not the only one," I told her. "There's probably someone out there thinking they should make you a cake."
I could tell her mind immediately jumped to someone in particular and she blushed slightly. I smiled knowingly, then said my farewells. I had to hurry to the rest of the Ganache Mine District.
As I slowed my pace slightly along the path to the blacksmith's to enjoy the snow, I found my thoughts wandering to Hanna's earlier comment for no apparent reason, and I felt my face heat up. Would I ever really settle down here on Waffle Island? Would I ever marry someone? The idea was very foreign to me. I had never given the concept much thought before; I guess I took it for granted that I would get married someday, thus never realizing how big of a deal it really was. How would I feel if one of the boys I had met - Owen or Luke or Julius, or even Gill - asked me to marry them one day?
All right, that was getting a little too weird. And ridiculous. Marriage was a very, very long ways off. No need to worry myself over it now.
I had to giggle, though. Gill asking someone to marry him seemed so absurd I could barely imagine it. In fact, the more I thought about it, the funnier it seemed, and by the time I reached the blacksmith's I had to pause and take a long, deep breath to control my fits of laughter before I went inside.
I nearly collided with Julius in the doorway.
"Starri!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry. What a coincidence, though; I was just on my way to see you."
"O-Oh, it's okay!" I said, regaining my balance. "You were looking for me?" I suddenly got a slightly dreadful feeling.
"Yes," he said, then pulled out something from behind his back. "These are for you, my dear."
I stared in astonishment at the large, colorful bouquet of flowers he presented. There were flowers of every sort; hibiscuses, Blue Mists, lilies, snowdrops... Where'd he even get all these flowers during Winter? It was probably the most extravagant gift I had ever received, let alone from a guy.
"Wow..." was all I could manage at first. Then I finally blinked, and smiled. "Thank you, Julius."
"No need to thank me," he said dismissively. "I'm only giving you what you deserve. I see Gill hasn't been making much effort."
Julius' warning to Gill when I first met him suddenly ominously came back to me. If you don't do anything with her, I just might have to steal her away from you! I blushed.
Then, looking at the flowers, I realized that I wouldn't be able to carry them everywhere the rest of the day. I was happy to change the subject.
"Um, Julius, I have a few more stops on the way home, and I'm afraid I can't carry the flowers along with everything I already have," I explained.
He nodded immediately. "Of course. I'll take these down to the Sundae Inn right now. They'll be waiting for you when you return." Then he stooped down, took my hand and kissed it before I could do anything. With a final wink, he left.
I stood there for a few seconds before coming to my senses. Julius was a strange man indeed. But he had good intentions. Overall, he was very kind. Though I wasn't too sure about this whole "stealing me away" business.
"Wow, Starri, this is great," Owen told me when I got to him. "How'd you get the time to make all this cake?"
"All last night," I laughed. "I had some help, though."
"Well, that's good," he said. "Man, now I feel guilty; I didn't get you anything..."
"That's all right," I said good-naturedly. "It's the thought that counts."
"Nah, I think I'll still try and get you something. I'm guessing most of the people you made cake for didn't get anything for you, and that's no good. You deserve it, being so kind to everyone. And you've only been living here for a season!"
"Well, the Inn people are letting me have a free cake," I tried. I didn't want Owen to have to go through all the trouble of getting me a gift. "And Julius gave me flowers."
"Flowers? Did he really?" Owen laughed. "I'll beat his present by ten times, just you wait." He glanced at the clock. "Well, I gotta go to the mines. See ya, Starri." And with that, he left.
It felt a little strange, all these guys getting gifts for me. But that feeling was somewhat overpowered by me remembering I hadn't gotten to try out my hammer Owen had let me have yet. I made a note to myself to ask him advice about the mines next time I saw him.
Saying goodbye to Ramsey and Mira, I made my way to the carpenter's. As always, Bo was out front, chopping away at a tree.
"Hello, Bo!" I called, pulling out his piece of cake. He stared at it in wonder for a moment, then seemed to finally remember it was Thanksgiving.
"Th-Thanks!" he said, surprised. "Oh yeah, Luke was talking about wanting to see you today. He's up in the forest."
I blinked. "Okay, I'll go there. I was planning on giving him cake anyway." I wondered if Luke had a present for me too. Wouldn't that be ironic?
I first dropped off a cake for Dale before I went up to Praline Woods. I saw Luke before he saw me, and I think I startled him when I spoke his name. He tried not to let it show, though.
"Ah! Starri, it's you," he said unnecessarily, fumbling with his axe. He almost dropped it, but made it look like he meant to by setting the bladed end on a stump and leaning against the handle. "What's up?"
I had to smile at his attempt to be cool. "I brought you some cake, " I said, holding out the spinach cake I had made especially for him. I remembered him mentioning he liked spinach. Personally, I thought it was kind of nasty, but whatever floated his boat.
"Whoa, thanks! Spinach is the best!" he exclaimed in awe, taking the cake. "I'm surprised you even remembered I like it."
"Of course I remembered," I said. "By the way, Bo said you were looking for me?"
Luke's face visibly reddened. He tried to hide it by rubbing his nose. "Uh, well... I, um, just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving!"
I tilted my head slightly. "Oh, all right. Thanks, and happy Thanksgiving to you too." I smiled and turned to leave. I had a feeling that was definitely not why he wanted to see me.
"W-Wait! Starri!" Luke suddenly called after me.
I turned to face him again curiously. "Yes?"
"Will... Um... I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out to lunch with me today?"
He said it so rushed I barely understood him. I laughed. "Sure! I was wondering what I was going to do for lunch."
His face lit up and he was obviously very relieved. "Great! Wanna go right now? It's about noon."
I nodded and he walked over beside me, putting away his axe. "I'm going on lunch break!" he yelled over to Bo, who stared at us with an interesting expression. It made me a little self-conscious.
On the rest of the way to town, we didn't really talk much. Luke just walked along beside me with this huge smile on his face. He was pretty proud of himself for asking me to lunch. I found it rather amusing.
When we entered Waffle Town through the archway, I suddenly found myself really nervous. What if Gill was on lunch break at the Inn too? Oh, Goddess, I thought. Please please please don't let him be there! It would be horrible. I could just see it; he wouldn't talk to me for days.
Wait, why was I even thinking that way? I didn't care if Gill saw me on a lunch date with a friend. It's not like Luke and I were in a relationship other than friendship. Nor were Gill and I. He wouldn't care either.
Of course, deep down I knew I was convincing myself of that.
Luckily my fears were washed away when we entered the Sundae Inn. Gill was not there. In fact, it was just Yolanda, Jake, Colleen and Maya. I silently breathed a sigh of relief. Come to think of it, I was glad Julius or Chase weren't there either.
Maya was staring at me with raised eyebrows, but she didn't say anything as Luke and I sat down. I tried not to let her bother me.
I was grateful when Luke broke the awkward silence by asking how I liked it here on Waffle Island. We began a heated conversation that lasted for most of the meal.
After we stopped laughing during one point, he asked, "So, how do you like the food? Do you want some more?"
"It's great," I said sincerely. "Sure, I'll have more."
He blinked in mild surprise. "Wow, most girls would've said something about being on a diet. That's cool you're not into that."
I laughed. "That's cool you think so."
At about two o'clock, Luke seemed to notice the time. "Ah, crap, I'd better get back to work," he said, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"That's all right," I said understandingly. "I have more cake to give out, anyway."
He nodded. "See you later?"
I smiled. "Yeah, see you later." After he left, I went back upstairs to my room for a little while to get some more cake. I marveled at Julius' flowers, which were sitting in a vase, all tidy. When I came back downstairs, I saw Chase had started work. I pulled out his cake.
"Hi, Chase! I didn't know you started work so late."
He looked up from a cookbook he was reading and smiled. "Hey. I forgot you didn't know what time I started work. I get here around two-thirty, which was just a few minutes ago."
"I see. Here, happy Thanksgiving!"
"For me?" He stared at the orange cake. "How'd you know I like this? Well, thanks. I love it!"
I smiled. "I thought I heard you mention you were fond of oranges when we cooked together that one night."
"Did I? Huh, I'm glad you remembered, then." Chase accepted the cake. "Speaking of that night... would you like to help me again today?"
Somehow I knew that was coming. I couldn't just say no! And there was really no way Gill could find out... "OK," I agreed, feeling sneaky. "But only for a few hours. I have some more cake to give out." I was planning on making one last stop at the Town Hall right before they closed to give Mayor Hamilton, Elli, and Gill their cake.
Chase said that was fine, and we spent a fun two hours preparing meals. I was relieved to detect no flirty attitude or indication he wanted to be more than just friends.
It was 4:30 when I left the Inn. Just enough time to hand out cake and chat for a bit with everyone at the Town Hall. This was the visit I was looking forward to the most.
"Starri! Where have you been?" Elli met me at the door to Town Hall and hugged me. "I thought you were coming sooner." She frowned at me.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, suddenly feeling bad. I hadn't told her my plans for today, had I? "That was rude of me."
"Well, don't worry yourself over it!" Her expression turned annoyed. I laughed. Then her voice got low and she murmured in my ear, "Gill's been restless all day, probably worse than I was!" She waggled her eyebrows and snickered. I tried to control the color of my face; Gill was right there at the counter, staring at us. At me, mostly.
I pulled out Elli's cake to change the subject. Her face lit up. "There it is! Jeez, you sure took your time getting here, huh?" she said jokingly. "Thanks, Starri. Your cake's the best. And..." She looked around, seemingly confused. "Oh yeah, I left your cake over there."
I followed Elli over behind the counter, and I gave Mayor Hamilton his cake as she retrieved mine. When she came back and gave me my chocolate cake (since she figured I'd be getting a lot of strawberry shortcake), we got in a conversation with Mayor Hamilton about the cake he had made that he claimed hadn't tasted very good, but Gill still choked down.
Gill himself didn't partake in the talking much. He was... I wouldn't say "unusually quiet". He just seemed even more closed up than normal. I kept throwing half questioning, half concerned glances his way, but he was never looking my way. Strange that I could've sworn I felt his eyes on me every time I turned away.
The conversation carried on right until closing time. I still hadn't given Gill his cake. So when Elli and Mayor Hamilton left, I said my goodbyes but lingered behind to wait for Gill. He gathered his things and walked over to where I stood by the door, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Well? Why'd you wait for me?"
I had to grin, but I tried to hide it by ducking my face as I brought out Gill's cake. "Here, I never got a chance to give it to you."
His mouth quirked as he took it, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to smile or frown. "Starri, you haven't eaten a single bite of cake today, have you?"
I blinked as I realized I hadn't. Elli's cake was still in my hands, and I hadn't picked up the offer Jake made me that morning. "No, I don't suppose I have," I said with a sheepish smile. I wondered what he was getting at.
"And I bet you Elli was the only person who gave you a cake in return."
"Well, no," I started to protest. "Jake at the Inn offered me a free one that I'm going to pick up once I get back."
Gill was silent for a moment. "Speaking of the Sundae Inn, I heard you had lunch with Luke today."
I stiffened. "How do you know about that?"
"Elli," he said curtly.
"But... How did she find out?"
"I think she said something about Maya."
My spirits sank. The image of Maya exiting the the building while Luke and I were eating entered my head. I hadn't thought much of it at the time, but she probably went straight to the Town Hall to report to Elli. "We're... we're just friends..." I said defeatedly. "Really. It was a friend date."
He cast me a sideways glance and then shook his head, opening the door. "Why would I care?"
Right. I felt quite dumb all of a sudden. But then why would he bring it up if he didn't care?
Suddenly I gasped in delight and ran outside to the middle of the square as he locked the door. "It's snowing!" I said happily, raising my face to the sky.
Gill looked at me quizzically. "It snowed last week."
"I know," I said. "This just seems more special, somehow." Like it snowed for us. My own thoughts startled me, and I hoped my face hadn't colored.
He let out a huff of cloudy breath and came to stand beside me. "Snow is troublesome. It doesn't do us any good."
I frowned at him. "Of course it does us good. It lifts spirits and makes kids happy. It makes me happy too."
"That's because you have such a childish personality," Gill insisted stubbornly. But as I peered at him through narrowed eyes with my tongue sticking out, I saw a corner of his mouth curving upward.
My face returned to a normal expression as he brought something into view from his side that wasn't facing toward me. I hadn't noticed he had been hiding something.
"Well, here," he said, holding out a piece of strawberry shortcake. He didn't look into my eyes. "Happy Thanksgiving."
I took the cake and smiled so wide I could hardly believe my mouth could get that big. "Thanks, Gilly," I managed in a squeak. I believed this was proof I had cracked that bothersome nutshell. But inside, I was so happy that I was confused.
"You've been... Really nice to me. Minus the teasing. But, you're a lot nicer than a lot of people. And..." He paused for a second. "Yeah. That's why I'm thankful. That you came here, that is." Gill's intense blue eyes turned to lock with mine.
I could tell that was difficult for him to get out, but I was also positive that was not all he had been meaning to say. We stood there for a long moment, just staring at each other, and then Gill broke the silence by clearing his throat. "I should get back home."
Then he walked away into the darkening evening, leaving me staring after him. My heart was fluttering like the snow, which was coming down harder.
And suddenly, I was certain of one thing. I was falling for Gill.
No, I had already fallen for him. Hard.
The next day there was a snowstorm. Work was canceled, causing for a long day at the Sundae Inn for me to look forward to. So I took the chance to take it easy for a day. I spent most of the morning talking to Kathy and Maya. And mulling over my newfound realization of the night before.
"So, Starri, is there something going on between you and Luke?" Maya startled me out of my thoughts.
Oh yeah. She was the one who told Elli about the lunch date with him yesterday, who then, of course, told Gill. I couldn't say I was thrilled.
"What makes you think that?" Kathy asked before I could answer.
"They came here for lunch yesterday. Together," Maya informed the golden-haired girl.
I suddenly felt very annoyed. At Maya and Elli, mostly, for assuming I was "together" with practically every guy I was seen with. Especially when it was Gill I liked, not any of them. Couldn't I just have friends?
But they didn't know that. I tried to calm myself down. I smiled and shook my head. "No, Maya, we're just friends," I said in such a matter-of-fact tone that Maya couldn't think of anything to say to suggest otherwise.
"Oh, good," Kathy said, sounding half-jokingly relieved. "Because I always thought you and Gill would make an adorable couple." She and Maya started laughing, but my face flushed so hard they stopped and raised their eyebrows.
"What's this? Does Starri actually like Gill?" Kathy asked.
Before I could even think about what to say to that, the front door opened, letting in a gust of freezing wind and a flurry of swirling snowflakes. We all turned to look at who it was, and there was Gill. Why was it that practically every time I thought of him he showed up?
"Gill?" all three of us said at once, though my voice was an octave higher than usual. I hoped my face wasn't red anymore.
"...Hi," he replied after a moment. "Um, I just came... To see how you guys were faring with the blizzard."
Obviously he really had no idea why he was here. Or, at least, he hadn't rehearsed very well.
Kathy raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, then her green eyes slid over to me. Then to Gill. And back to me. "Hey, Maya," she said slowly. "I wanna show you something. Upstairs. Let's go."
Looking a little confused, the petite girl shrugged and followed Kathy upstairs. If I hadn't been blushing before, I probably was now.
Gill stared after the two girls with slightly narrowed eyes. It seemed only Maya didn't catch that Kathy was just trying to get him and I alone.
"Want to sit down?" I attempted to change the subject, my voice still squeaky. This was the first I'd seen Gill since last night, when I realized "that". It felt strange to even think the words, "I'm in love with Gill".
He looked at me funny. "You feeling all right? Your face looks kind of red." He came over to sit next to me.
Aw, great. I was making a total fool of myself. Why did I have to focus on the fact that I had feelings for Gill? If I could stop obsessing over that, things wouldn't be any different than before. Which I wanted.
"It does?" I pretended to be unaware and forced my voice back to its normal pitch. "Well, I'm fine. Why are you here, anyway?"
Now two splotches of pink appeared on his cheeks. "I already told you. I came here to see how you were holding up with the storm."
A tiny smile found its way onto my face and I didn't say anything.
Gill was starting to look flustered. "I-It's not like I was worried about you or anything."
I had to laugh. He was so funny sometimes, trying to deny anything nice he did.
For most of the afternoon Gill hung around, helping me with various chores and just talking with people. I think the main reason he even left was because he got fed up with Kathy and Maya teasing him about liking me. I am proud to say I controlled the color of my face most of the time. Gill hadn't seemed to master that yet, though.
Which got me thinking. Did Gill possibly have feelings for me in return? I was pretty sure he thought of me as a friend, but I couldn't be positive of anything else. I wasn't even sure of how I would react if he did like me back. Happy, I guess. But it would be weird. Very weird indeed.
This whole business of having a crush once again brought old feelings - but stronger this time - from my childhood flooding back. I didn't have the urge to go chase Gill around a playground like I did Gray, but he was always on my mind. Soon it began to get on my nerves. Every time I ran into Gill at work I swear I nearly jumped ten feet into the air.
Meanwhile, back at the Inn, my hammer lay enticingly against one of the walls of my room. I really had to use that thing before it rusted or something.
One day as I found myself staring at the poor neglected tool, I came up with a brilliant plan. That Sunday, the fifteenth, I would go up to the mine and try out the hammer if the weather allowed. That scored two points; finally being able to use the hammer and hopefully getting my mind of Gill, even if only for a little while.
When I mentioned going to the mine to Elli, Gill, of course, overheard.
"I never did like the mines... Suit yourself if you really want to go, though," he said with a frown.
It disappointed me to see him scowl like that, but I really did want to go. So on Sunday morning I was off to Ganache Mine. I was hoping to catch Owen there and maybe get a few tips from him before heading down.
Unfortunately I didn't see him when I got there. But Calvin and Phoebe were there. They told me how to tell if an ore had any value, the floors that had some unusual qualities or more likely to have good items, and what to eat (or what not to eat) if I got tired.
"Thank you! That was a lot of help. I'll keep everything in mind," I promised.
"Good luck!" Calvin and Phoebe said at the same time.
Smiling, I turned and headed down the first flight of stairs.
My immediate reaction was, Whoa, it's kinda dark down here. Then I set my jaw and headed for the other side of the shaft. Phoebe had said the deeper you go, the easier it was to find more valuable ores.
I had gone down about ten floors with only finding two good copper ores. I couldn't say I was impressed so far. But I was determined to find some cool stuff, so I told myself I wouldn't leave until I found at least some sparkly Wonderfuls. I came here for gems, and I was coming out with some no matter what!
Around another eight floors later, I was beginning to doubt my decision. I had no idea how long I had been in the mine, and I was starting to get tired. I tried eating the mushrooms Calvin had said were edible, but I nearly gagged every time I tried to swallow a bite and I didn't feel all that rejuvenated after finishing them.
Despondently, I turned to head back towards the stairs leading to the surface. I supposed I could come back next Sunday, but I was still pretty disappointed.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings. All I heard was a loud crack, then next thing I knew I was on the ground, disoriented. Sharp pain coursed through my ankle and I had to grind my teeth together to keep from crying out. A glance over my shoulder showed me my foot was at an angle it was not supposed to be at.
I felt something hit my head lightly, and I looked up to see a hole in the ceiling. I had fallen down a pit fall. Grit and debris crumbled from the edges, falling directly on my head. Silently, I cursed myself. Calvin and Phoebe had told me specifically to look out for cracks in the floor, and I had been really good about it until I just had to get all depressed and distracted. I was so mad at myself. How was I ever going to get out of this stupid mess? Ugh, I should've listened to Gill...
Soon I began to get annoyed at the tiny pieces of rubble falling on me. I figured I could at least try to stand up, but I had no such luck. I actually let out a yelp and fell to the ground almost immediately. I wondered if I had broken my foot or just sprained it. Sighing, I slowly dragged myself to the wall of the shaft, which was thankfully not too far away.
I don't know how long I sat there feeling hopeless, but in no time I was getting very drowsy. And hungry. Both of these facts sort of scared me. What if someone came for me and didn't see me? I needed to stay awake so I could call out if I heard anything. And if I was already hungry... How long would it be before I starved to death? Maybe I'd have to choke down some mushrooms once my ankle was better. But what if it was broken, and would take weeks to heal? I'd be long dead by then. It didn't help much that I hadn't had lunch or dinner.
With every sentence I thought I was getting more and more nervous and worried. At least I'm keeping myself awake, I couldn't help but think wryly.
Time limped along horribly slow. Well, maybe it was going fast; I couldn't tell. No light from the surface could reach down this deep. I wasn't even sure what time it was. All I knew was that I was tired, hungry, in pain, and it felt like the temperature was dropping. Lovely, just what I needed on top of everything else. I hesitantly drew my legs up so I could wrap my hands around my knees. My attempt sort of backfired, though, since my foot was sticking out at an awkward angle in order for it not to hurt any worse.
Some bats startled me a few times, but I got even more freaked out when I heard something that sounded like footsteps, coming from the pit fall hole. But... maybe it was someone looking for me! I couldn't be too cautious, though.
"Is someone there?" I called out anxiously. The thudding stopped.
"Starri?"
Oh my gosh, that sounds like Gill. My heart started beating faster. "Gill?" I replied incredulously.
The footsteps resumed, more quickly this time and headed directly at the pit fall. Gill's bleach blonde head finally popped through the gap in the ceiling, looked around for a moment, then saw me. The look of relief on his face - well, he didn't try and hide it at all. My face was probably the same. I felt like crying I was so happy.
"You don't know how glad I am to have found you. Everyone's been worried sick. Wait just a second, I'm going to find the stairs leading down there." His face disappeared, and I heard his footsteps retreating up above. My heart started racing again, and I had to reassure myself, He'll be back. He's coming right now.
Soon Gill was running towards me from one end of the enormous shaft I had fallen into. "Are you hurt?" he asked once he got close enough, kneeling down beside me.
I was speechless for the moment, and instead of telling him about my ankle right away I threw my arms around him. I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe I wouldn't die after all.
"You okay?" he asked more quietly, putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me back gently so he could look me in the eye.
I swallowed hard, then shrugged. "A lot better now that you're here," I said with a little laugh. "I was being dumb and not looking where I was going, and I fell down through there." I gestured to the hole in the ceiling Gill had been looking through not too long ago. "I twisted my ankle pretty badly. I dunno if it's broken or just sprained, but it sure hurts."
"I see. Can you stand up?"
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Really, Gill, if I could stand up I'd be out of here by now. What time is it, anyway?"
"Sorry," he said. "And it should be around midnight by now."
Wow, I had been in this dumb mine for over twelve hours. "Are there other people out looking for me?"
Gill suddenly looked a little guilty. "Um, they're planning on searching for you in the morning."
I stared at him, slightly confused. "So what are you doing here?"
He looked away, embarrassed. "I knew you wouldn't like being down here for a whole night alone. And I didn't know if you were hurt or not... What?" He noticed me looking at him almost expectantly.
"Does anyone know you're here?" I asked, kind of already guessing his answer.
"...No," he admitted.
"What were you thinking?" I wasn't mad; just a little mystified. It wasn't like Gill not to think things through.
"I don't really know," he muttered. "But I'm here now. Nothing to do about it. So you sure you can't stand?"
I nodded.
He got a troubled look on his face. "I could carry you...?"
I almost snorted. "I don't think so, not with those skinny arms."
"I'm not that weak," he objected.
"I wasn't finished," I said. "Considering how deep we are in the mine, I don't think even a buff guy like Owen could carry me up all the way."
"We'd take breaks," Gill persisted.
"You'd end up hurting yourself too, and then we'd both be stuck down here!" I cried.
Finally he gave up, begrudgingly. "Then what do you propose we do? I guess I could go back up by myself and tell people where you are."
My eyes widened slightly and I reached out to clutch his arm. "Don't." I did not want to be alone in this creepy mine again. It could take hours and hours for someone to get down the the level I was on, especially when they were originally planning on searching for me in the morning.
"All right, all right," he said, taking my hand to release my grip on his arm. He looked somewhat surprised at my serious answer. "But I don't know how you - or we - are going to get out of here."
"Well, you said people were going to search for me in the morning. Could you maybe..." I hesitated, suddenly nervous. Was this a stupid idea? What if he refused? "Stay with me until someone else gets here?"
Gill sighed. "Okay. But if nobody's here in..." He thought for a moment. "Eight hours, then I'm carrying you to the top. Agreed?"
"Agreed," I said automatically, though I still wasn't fond of the idea of Gill carrying me. Not that it seemed embarrassing; more of that I was worried for him. No offense to him, but Gill never struck me as one of the strongest people around. I've been wrong before, though... but still.
"Might as well get comfortable," he said with another sigh, scooting over next to me. "Or at least as comfortable as one can get in a cold, damp mine."
Without second thoughts I leaned against Gill. "Ah, you're really warm..." I said, feeling like I was in heaven. It felt wonderful to have warmth again after who knows how many hours sitting in the frigid air.
Gill was attempting to hide his squeamishness. My mouth formed a faint, amused smile. Man, I was really tired...
"Starri," he suddenly said harshly. "Don't fall asleep. You could get hypothermia without me knowing." When I didn't immediately reply, he slightly shook my shoulder.
He hadn't done it very hard, but it was enough to shift my ankle since I was half-asleep and my limbs were limp. I took a sharp inhale and my eyes fully opened as fresh pain seared up my leg. "Ouch," I hissed tightly, barely audible.
Gill's eyes widened. "Sorry! Did I jar your ankle? Are you OK?"
After a moment I let out my breath as the pain faded away and I nodded. "Just don't do that again."
"Sorry," he repeated. "But you really can't fall asleep. Ugh, I should've brought some Stay-Awake..."
"Keep me awake, then," I suggested half-heartedly. All I really wanted to do was to go to sleep, but in the back of my mind I knew I should listen to Gill. If I fell asleep, I might not ever wake up again. One of my goals was to get out of there alive, thank you.
"How?"
"How else? Talk," I murmured, already starting to drift off.
"Um..." he started, hurriedly brainstorming topics. "I heard you're a good cook...?" He rambled on about how Chase and Yolanda praised my culinary skills whenever he saw them, but it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I let out a large yawn and my head slumped against his shoulder, only to be shaken like before. I gritted my teeth against the pain.
Gill had to resort to poking my head to keep it upright every time it slid down, and he repeatedly muttered, "Stay awake, stay awake, you've got to stay awake..."
"You're boring," I remarked during one point. He rolled his eyes and kept at his chant. All he was accomplishing was annoying me and possibly making me even more tired.
A while later Gill finally seemed to grow exasperated with constantly saying "stay awake". Or, at least he stopped for a bit. He still continued to poke my head, though.
"Starri," he said, startling me out of my half-asleep-ness. I was starting to get used to the poking.
"Hm?" I mumbled drowsily.
"I don't think I told you that I like your name." The poking stopped.
What was that? My eyes flicked open. Maybe this would be interesting enough as to keep me awake.
"But... When I first met you... You said my name was weird," I recalled, confused.
"It is strange," he agreed. "But that's kind of what makes it a good name."
My eyes slowly slid over to his face. He had a small smile on it and was looking at me in a way I'd never seen him do before.
"You're not just saying that to keep me awake," I ventured suspiciously.
"No," he said, sounding slightly offended. His smile disappeared, and it turned into a tiny frown. "Lately, Starri, I haven't been able to get you off my mind... And... I want to spend every minute with you." He blushed. "Wait, that sounded really weird. Forget I said it."
I had to laugh, but I was blushing too. Was Gill trying to admit he liked me? Well, I was sure awake now.
"And from the very beginning, when you first moved here and started working at the Town Hall, even when I was being rude and unsociable, you seemed determined to befriend me. You're always so nice to me, and I don't know why. I don't deserve it. Why? Why waste your kindness on someone like me?"
My mouth broke out in a wide smile. I sat up a little straighter and turned my head so I was fully facing Gill's troubled face. "Take a hint, silly," I said with a grin. "I like you." Then I leaned in and kissed him right on the lips, before I could lose my nerve.
I had never kissed anyone before, and it felt pretty nice. I guessed Gill hadn't either; the color and expression on his face were pretty priceless when I pulled away.
Gill was obviously at a total loss for words. I didn't think there was much to say, though. My smile was permanent for the time being, and I scooted closer to snuggle up to Gill's side, my ankle temporarily forgotten. "Thanks for keeping me awake," I said humorously. I was confident I wouldn't doze off for now, so I closed my eyes. I had way too much excitement buzzing inside me to fall asleep. Gill liked me back! He hadn't said it directly, but that didn't matter. He basically said it when he told me he "wanted to be with me every minute". Remembering him saying that and being so ecstatic caused me to have to restrain myself from breaking out into a fit of giggles.
I almost forgot about the situation we were in. Down at least twenty floors in a dangerous mine, with me on the verge of catching hypothermia and with a sprained - or possibly broken - ankle, and Gill not really able to do anything about it since I wouldn't let him go up to the surface alone or carry me up. And yet here we were, confessing we had feelings for one another. How weird was that? What a story I would have to tell in the future.
It couldn't have been more than an hour later when Gill broke the long silence my kiss had put us in to. "All right, if no one's here in a half-hour," he reminded me. "I'm carrying you." I nodded, only half-taking in what he said. I was starting to get sleepy again.
I was able to doze off for a little while without Gill noticing, and was woken up when he started to move. "It's been a while now," he notified me, getting ready to stand up. I inwardly groaned. He was going to get us in even more of a precarious situation if he really did try and carry me all the way to the surface. But I supposed there was no use in arguing; I was pretty powerless. I couldn't even stand up. And I really did want to get the heck out of this stupid mine.
Suddenly Gill froze. "What was that?" he asked in a lowered tone. My eyes widened and I shrugged, worried now. What if there was something lurking around in the dark? Something... Evil? I tried to strain my ears to listen intently.
Oh, stop it, I thought to myself. I am really childish. There's no such thing as monsters. But... there were vampire bats in caves - in mines like this one. Vampire bats! Ack! Why did I have to think of that?
Gill got to his feet all the way and moved to stand in front of me protectively. I would've blushed if I wasn't so freaked out.
Then I heard what Gill was presumably talking about. It was a dull thudding noise up above us - exactly like I had heard when Gill found me. "Gill," I hissed, not bothering to use his nickname. I wasn't sure why I was making an effort to be quiet. "There's nothing to be worried about. That's probably someone looking for us!"
As if on cue, a familiar voice called out, "Starri? Gill? Either of you down here?" before Gill could reply.
"Owen!" I cried. "Down here! We're both here!"
Soon Owen's red head was looking down through the pit fall hole just as Gill had done, staring at both of us instead of only me.
"Wow, we were all worried when you went missing, Starri," Owen said breathlessly. "But when Gill disappeared too... Jeez!" He noticed us staring at him impatiently and got back on task. "I'll be there in a second."
Gill turned to look at me in relief.
I smiled. "Looks like you won't have to carry me."
"To tell you the truth, I was getting my doubts about that," he laughed half-hollowly. I could tell he was amazed someone actually came.
That was the first time I'd heard Gill laugh, come to think of it. I wished he'd do it more often.
When Owen got to us, Gill and him agreed to take turns letting me lean on them until we reached the top. If I got too exhausted, Owen would carry me. He was stronger than Gill, obviously. I felt more comfortable with him carrying me than Gill, really only because Gill would end up hurting himself too.
After lots of careful stepping and painful flights of stairs Owen sometimes had to carry me up, we finally made it to the surface. The blast of cool, fresh Winter air and sunlight felt fantastic.
"Starri!" Elli shrieked. "You're alive!" She ran over to hug me before I was even done blinking to get used to the harsh light.
"Oof! Yeah, Elli, I'm all right," I laughed, removing one arm that had been clinging to Gill to partially hug my best friend back. I waited patiently for her to release her vice grip on me so I could breath normally again.
"Everyone's so worried." When she pulled back, Elli had tears in her eyes. I glanced around, and saw all the friends I had made were milling around, casting relieved looks my way. Luke, Julius, Bo, Chase, Dale, Yolanda, Colleen, Jake, Maya, Mayor Hamilton, Gray, Renee, Cain, Hanna... It was overwhelming. And it made me feel doubly guilty. I had made all these people cast aside their daily duties to fuss over me, all because I goofed and slipped on a pit fall.
"I'm so sorry I made all you guys concerned over me..." I said, ashamed and in awe at the same time.
"You deserve it," I heard Gill whisper in my ear. Trying not to blush, I shook my head, partly in disbelief and partly just to close my eyes. That sun sure was bright...
I wrapped my free arm around Gill again. "I don't feel so great," I suddenly stated, feeling sweat break out on my upper lip and a wave of dizziness wash over me. The last thing I remember seeing was Gill shooting an alarmed glance at Elli before it blacked out.
I woke up the next morning with a start from a dream I immediately forgot. I sat up in bed, grimacing at my achy muscles, and looked around. The clinic...? I thought hazily, then saw Dr. Jin.
"Ah, good, you've regained consciousness," he said where he sat on a stool by the hospital bed I was in. Next to him was Gill, looking quite anxious.
"Uh, yeah," I murmured, barely audible. "What happened?"
"You passed out after we got you out of the mine," Gill reminded me. "And gave me and Elli another big scare."
"Sorry," I said sheepishly.
"You were exhausted from physical strain and lack of sleep," Dr. Jin said dismissively. "Don't be sorry. Be thankful you fainted with a lot of people around and not down in the mine. Then you would have been in real trouble."
I took that in for a moment, not sure how to reply, then suddenly remembered, "And what about my foot?"
"You ankle, you mean? You didn't break it, luckily, but you did sprain it pretty badly. I put a small cast on it that you only have to keep on for the next week."
"Oh, thanks," I said gratefully. "It feels a lot better."
"Well, that's what I'm here for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other business to attend to." The doctor gave a formal bow and left the room.
"I thought he'd never leave," Gill muttered. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear that, but I giggled.
"He was fine," I said, smiling. "Dr. Jin is really quite kind."
Gill rolled his eyes. "You think everyone's friendly, Starri. Speaking of, sorta..." he started, clearing his throat and shifting awkwardly. "You don't... 'like' anyone else? Luke or Chase, for instance?"
I stared at him. "No, weirdo. I'm only friends with them. Why do you think I kissed you?"
He looked offended at me calling him a "weirdo" but relieved at the same time by my answer. "Good. So now that we're not in a potentially life-threatening scenario, I need to ask you..." He looked unsure for a second, then seemed to harden. "Go steady with me?"
It took me a second to register what he said, then I burst out laughing. Just the way he said it, especially after all that we'd been through...
Gill looked somewhat horrified at my response, and I started to feel bad. I think he was getting the wrong impression from my laughter. "Of course I will, you dope!" I managed after I settled down my urge to crack up any longer.
Gill's expression changed to infinitely relieved.
"Now come over here so I can kiss you again," I said jokingly.
Just as his face started to turn red, someone entered the room. Elli's face looked almost more relieved than Gill's had a second ago. "Ah, I'm so glad you're finally awake!" she said, plopping down on the stool Dr. Jin had been sitting on. "You feeling better?"
I nodded. "Very much so." Then I had to grin. "By the way, Gilly and I are 'going steady' now," I added abruptly. I think those two words, "going steady", would be forever hilarious to me.
Elli's eyes widened. "You are?" she gasped. "That's wonderful!" She stood up to come and hug me. "I knew you two were meant to be together."
Over her shoulder, I smiled and rolled my eyes at Gill, who looked uncomfortable. Yeah, right, she "knew we were meant for each other". Especially when she had been so insistent that I was dating Chase and Luke before.
Then she straightened up and turned to Gill. He looked bewildered by her stern expression. "You'd better treat her right, you hear me, mister? I hear one complaint from Starri and I'll..." she went on for a while about the punishments Gill would receive if she found out anything was going bad thanks to him in our relationship.
I laughed and leaned against my pillow and headboard of the hospital bed. I was fairly positive everything would be fine between Gill and me. In fact, I even had a strange little feeling he would probably be my first and last boyfriend.
Epilogue
My hunch was correct.
Only about a season later Gill proposed to me. It wasn't as weird as I'd thought it'd be, luckily. Full of a lot of happy tears from Elli, a surprised but very pleased Mayor Hamilton, and ecstatic parents over in Flower Bud Village, but not very "weird". In the sense I had imagined, at least.
We were married on Summer first. Remember that gift Owen said he was going to get me? He got it in the form of a wedding present. A lot of people came to our wedding. I was glad to see that Luke and Julius seemed to be taking all of it all right, because, now that I thought about it, they both kind of liked me. Hopefully they'd find their special someone for real sooner or later.
Probably the strangest part of getting married was, first of all, realizing I would be living with Gill, then, secondly, introducing my parents to him. I had practically forgotten they didn't already know him. I had written so much about him in my letters, I guess somewhere in my mind I assumed they could then automatically know everything that went on between me and everyone else here on Waffle Island. Nothing could prepare me for the scrutinizing eye my father gave Gill the day my parents showed up to see my wedding.
"Dad," I complained when I got my parents alone. "Way to make Gill feel uncomfortable! I'm an adult now. I can take care of myself. Gill is fine. He's not gonna hurt me or anything."
Before my father could defend himself, my mom came over, a tear in her violet eye. "Oh, Starri. You'll always be our little girl." She hugged me and kissed me on the top of my head, her long brown hair falling over her shoulder. "I can't believe you're getting married!"
My dad just smiled and tousled my identical yellow hair to his when Mom let me go. "I can't help being a dad," he said for his excuse, winking one of his green eyes.
Right after we got married, Gill and I combined our money to buy a house on the plot of land in the Caramel River District on the small island that split the river into a fork before it entered the ocean. I started a garden since there was a huge area of fertile soil just begging to be used.
Everything was quiet for a while, until Winter came around again. I still very distinctly remember "that" morning...
It was a beautiful, sunny day despite the snow. I had woken up just a few minutes earlier than usual and went outside to admire the weather and snow for a but. I was watching a bird fly by when suddenly my stomach cramped. I made a face and wondered if I'd eaten something bad last night.
Then Gill came out. He smiled and came over to stand beside me. "I don't really get the big deal about good weather, but I suppose if you like it..."
I scoffed and nudged him. "Thanks for ruining the moment," I said light-heartedly, trying not to show I wasn't feeling all that great.
But of course, Gill caught on straight away. He looked at me skeptically. "You look pale. Are you all right? Don't lie to me," he added sternly.
"I'm okay. I don't feel the best," I admitted. "But I'll be better as the day goes by."
"We're going to the clinic," Gill said immediately.
I sighed. "Did you hear what I just said, Gilly? I'll be fine."
"No. What could be minor, could turn into something worse. Let's go," he said firmly.
Finally I gave in. Gill was just stubborn, and I was certain nothing was wrong, but what harm could it do? If it would satisfy him, fine.
Well, turned out neither of us were quite right or wrong. I wasn't sick, exactly, but I supposed it was a good thing Gill had insisted on taking me to the doctor after all.
If only every person on Waffle Island had seen the look of astonishment on Gill's face. I would've cried laughing so hard if I hadn't been so shocked as well. It wasn't until much later I realized how off-guard he had been caught.
"Are you serious?" Gill made out after we stared at Irene in disbelief for a minute or two. "You're not joking?"
Irene looked somewhat puzzled and amused. "Absolutely not. Why would I joke about something like that?"
My husband turned to stare at me. "Then... I'm going to be a father. We're going to be parents!"
"I guess so..." I said, in a bit of a daze as well. "Wow." My eyes traveled down to my stomach to gaze at it in wonder. According to Irene, I was pregnant. Jeez, and I thought it was bad food...
Finally I came to my senses and smiled at the old woman. "Thank you, Irene."
The nurse smiled back. "Anytime. I'm sure you two will make wonderful parents."
Outside, Gill was at a loss for words, even more so than the time I had first kissed him. I didn't blame him.
Suddenly I let out a short ironic laugh, just remembering something. "Happy birthday, Gilly."
He stared at me again for a moment, then a smile crept onto his lips. "I thought I told you no more surprises."
I grinned but couldn't help it and lightly blushed. "I said no promises."
"Well, I guess I can live with this one," Gill reasoned, pulling me close and kissing my cheek. Keeping his arm around my shoulders, we started walking to work.
Elli completely freaked out. That's really the only way to describe her reaction when we explained our reason for being late, you could say. She almost seemed more excited about this news than Gill and me. For the rest of the day we were subjected to name suggestions every other sentence from her. It got a little annoying, frankly, though I did tuck away a few names in my mind for future reference.
Mayor Hamilton - erm, my father-in-law (it was still strange referring to him as that) - was pretty surprised, but overall he was delighted. My parents, on the other hand, weren't prepared. They thought it would be a few years before they received the news they were going to be grandparents, not a mere two seasons. But I pointed out there wasn't much they could do about it, so they arranged to sail over a week or two before the baby was due.
On Spring second, Gill and I's daughter Trisha was born. She had beautiful bleach-blonde hair like her father and my purple eyes. Five years later, I was due on Fall sixth for a baby boy. Adrian ended up with yellow hair and blue eyes, opposite of his older sibling.
And thus three years later Gill and I found ourselves in the main room of our house, him sitting at the table with eight-year-old Trisha and me tending to Adrian in his highchair.
I kept making silly faces and blowing raspberries at him, trying to get him to laugh. It was pretty easy; Adrian was a giggly toddler. Gill and Trisha cast amused glances my way from time to time at my expressions, then returned to reading. I had to smile. Trisha was sure taking after her dad. She was incredibly smart, and serious-minded about most subjects. Though I'm glad to say she was much less... Rude, to strangers. That was a relief. I could only wish the same for Adrian.
"Twisha!" Adrian shouted proudly for no apparent reason. He beamed at us. Gill and I laughed.
"That's right," Gill encouraged his son. "Trisha's your sister." He turned to me. "He's really smart."
"That's what you said about Trisha, too," I chuckled.
Just seeming to notice her name being mentioned, Trisha looked up from her book and peered at me through her glasses. She had been oblivious to her brother and father an me until then. "What?" she asked, blinking her pretty lavender eyes. "Did you say my name?"
I smiled affectionately at her. "We were just talking about how smart you were when you were a baby," I explained.
"Are you saying she's not smart now?" Gill asked, pretending to be offended on her behalf.
"No!" I laughed. "Trisha, you're the most intelligent girl I know."
Looking bashful, she didn't say anything in return. Adrian squealed to break the silence and win back my attention; he was hungry again. I rewarded him with a spoonful of soft corn from his bowl and resumed making funny faces at him.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. "That must be him!" I announced, then got up to answer it. Mayor Hamilton stood there.
"Hi, Father," Gill said as he came to stand next to me. "Thanks for watching the kids while we're out. It's a big help."
"Are you sure it's not interfering with anything?" I pressed somewhat fretfully. He was the mayor, after all.
"No, no," he assured me. "It's my pleasure! I don't get to see my grandchildren every day. I should really spend more time with them."
"All right, if you say so," I agreed, still doubtful.
"Stowy, stowy!" we all heard Adrian say gleefully as he caught sight of his grandfather. He associated Mayor Hamilton with story time nowadays.
Gill's father laughed. "That's right, I have a story to tell you today." He headed inside. "Hello, Trisha. My, you've grown!"
"Hello, Grandpa," she said quietly, her shyness getting the better of her even with her own relatives.
Gill put his arm around me. "It's fine. If there's an emergency in town - which there won't be - people know where he is. They'll call," he told me, trying to quench my fear that Hamilton was neglecting his mayor-ly duties by babysitting for us tonight.
"I guess you're right," I gave in, nodding. "But next time let's have Luke do it. He's been wanting to babysit for us for a while."
Gill rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Let's go, before we miss it."
"All right. Bye, everyone!" he said, waving to our children. "We'll try and be back by ten." We didn't want to stay out too late now that we had kids to take care of. Plus, we had work tomorrow. Well, I got an altered schedule so Adrian didn't have to be home alone that long. Trisha had school for most of the day, so I didn't worry about her as much.
Yes, you heard me. Now that most of the younger generation on the island had gotten married and had kids, they were all going to school at the Town Hall. Gill had his hands full as their teacher. I noticed Trisha taking a liking to Angie, Julius and Candace's daughter, and Heath, Calvin and Phoebe's son. So far Gill and I were the only ones with two children. I kind of hoped that would change, so Adrian wouldn't have to be by himself when it came time for him to start school. But there was nothing I could do about it, so I tried not to let it bother me too much.
I blew a kiss into the house, then Gill and I set off for Brownie Ranch for the Starry Night Festival. It was my favorite festival of the whole year, no, not because it had my name in its title. Stars had always fascinated me, and I loved to peace and quiet of just sitting there in the snow, watching them for a whole night. They were very beautiful things, and I was honored to be named after them. If I hadn't already been named Starri, I probably would've named Trisha that whether Gill liked it or not.
When we arrived at the big tree at Brownie Ranch and sat down, I sighed. "Wow, who would've thought that nine years after our first festival together, we'd be married with two kids?" I marveled, remembering the first time we went to this festival a little more than a week after we began dating.
Gill shook his head and smiled. "I know I never thought of that."
I giggled and leaned against him, gazing up at the sky in content silence for a bit. Then I suddenly frowned. "Gill?"
"What?"
"I don't feel so good."
He sat up straighter and looked at me with a mixture of alarm and nervousness on his face. I could practically read his thoughts; A third time? "R-Really?"
I stared solemnly into his eyes for a minute, then couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing. "I'm joking, I'm joking!"
Gill put a hand to his forehead and slumped down. "Jeez, don't do that, Starri."
"You're such a worrywart," I said teasingly.
"Well, I'm just looking out for you," he said, somewhat flustered. "So you're sure you feel okay?"
"...Actually, no."