Forewarning of Disaster

The next morning I wake up to the sound of rain tapping the roof. I groan angrily and stuff my head under a pillow. Why did it have to rain today? Does the world hate me or something?

I continue to grumble to myself as I rise and head over to the bathroom. Quickly I take a shower and let the warm water kill the tension in my muscles. In the shower, I can forget that it's raining, but I have to get out eventually.

Stealthily, I get back to my room and toss my clothes over my pruned skin. Lastly, I place my hat on top of my head and then I leave for my morning breakfast.

I enter the kitchen, and surprisingly I'm the only one there. I shrug, not finding much of a big deal about it. From the fridge, I grab porridge and a glass of milk for breakfast.

I've just finished washing my dishes when Mirabelle walks into the room. She seems really happy, and I scowl under my hat. When people were happy on a rainy day, it really bugged the crap out of me.

"Good morning Vaughn." She says to me as she grabs her own breakfast.

"Morning." I say back, not finding much good about it.

As she starts to eat, I figure this might be as good a time as any to ask about staying here. I take a deep breath in and then sit down next to her at the table.

"Mirabelle." I start. She looks up at me while chewing food, so I continue. "Well, I was wondering if I could stay here for a while longer."

She gives me a questioning look, so I explain further. "My boss gave me a vacation, and the lady that's renting out my apartment is really pounding down on my head."

Mirabelle doesn't speak for a minute, so I quickly try to reassure her. "I'll still work when I'm here, so it'll be just like Wednesday and Thursday."

"How long?" She asks when she finally speaks.

"Six weeks." I mumble out.

Mirabelle smiles at me. "I'm not going to kick you out Vaughn. We love having you here and would be delighted if you'd stay here."

I let out a deep breath. Well that was one problem solved. But Mirabelle continues talking. "Besides, maybe after talking to some of the islanders a little more, you'll loosen up and be more open to people."

I stand stiffly. "I hope not." The words are practically growled at her, and I rush out of the house before I can see the hurt cross her face.

Once I'm outside, I want to kick myself. I always hurt the people most close to me. Ever since she had come and destroyed my world. Why couldn't I be nice to my own family? They were always so nice to me, letting me stay with them far longer than any normal family would.

Now I was out in the cursed rain. I growl at myself. Where was I going to go now? I couldn't go back and face Mirabelle and no one else liked me enough. Great. Now I'm stuck in the stupid rain.

I begin to walk around the island aimlessly, when I spot Gannon walking home with a bunch of tools. Curious, I walk up to him.

"Gannon, where are you coming from?" I ask him.

"Building a bridge." He tells me gruffly. "Chelsea already went to explore over there."

"Over where?"

"Forest and a mine."

My eyes almost bug out. I quickly thank Gannon and speed off to where the new bridge was. Sure enough, I find it right where Gannon had told me it was. Without stopping to think about what I was doing, I walk over the bridge.

I find Chelsea not far from the bridge, picking up wild mushrooms to sell. I could have sighed in relief.

"Chelsea." I say gruffly.

She looks up at me in surprise and then she gives me a huge grin as she waves to me. I don't wave back but I walk over to where she was.

"Isn't it great?" Is the first thing she says to me. "I asked Gannon to build the bridge for me after I saw you yesterday. He finished this morning. He really works fast."

She smiles at the leafy foliage around us, and I have to admit that it was very beautiful. I glance at her again as she leans down to pick up another mushroom.

"What are you doing here Vaughn?" The basket that was in her hands is placed on her hip; like you see people do in those old movies.

"I heard there was a mine here." I state gruffly.

Chelsea looks surprised. "You like mining? I never would have thought that about you Vaughn."

"I don't. I hate mining." I correct her.

She looks really confused now. "Then why-"

I answer her before she can finish her question. "I didn't want you going in the mine."

"Why not?" She's smiling when she's talking though.

"They're dangerous." I growl. "There are pitfalls you can fall down and if they're deep enough, you could die. And you shouldn't go there without telling anyone."

Her face is lit up with a smile. "But I'm going to have to do some mining. I actually already came from there."

My face contorts with anger and I pull my hat down so she doesn't see it. Luckily she's fishing around in her basket. She pulls out a diamond. And it's pink.

Now I do growl at her. "Put that away." I snap at her.

She laughs but does put it back in the basket. "Do you not like gems?"

"Not that one." I growl, but I notice that I foolishly let sadness creep into my voice.

She gives me a thoughtful look, but thankfully she doesn't ask. Then she smiles at me. "Well, I'm glad you came here."

"Why?" I ask surprised.

Chelsea's smile morphs into a grin. "Because now I know that you actually do have emotion! Instead of the freaky zombie your cousin keeps telling me you are."

I pull my hat closer over my eyes. Chelsea speaks softly. "Why do you wear that hat?"

Her question catches me off guard; like all her questions do. The way she thought was really refreshing to me. "I like it."

"It hides your beautiful eyes." She whispers.

I'm shocked, and don't move. Chelsea thought my eyes were beautiful? I'm so surprised, I don't react when her hand reaches up and pulls my hat off.

She smiles slightly as she looks at me. "That's much better."

Her eyes are trained on mine, and for a second, I don't want to look away. She begins to blush under my gaze, and then I remember my hat.

Anxiously, I snatch at it. She jumps backwards though, with a smile on her face. Then she places it on her head and looks at me.

"How do I look? Cowboy enough for you?" She laughs, though I notice she's looking at me like she wants an answer.

I lunge for the hat again and she backpedals. Chelsea laughs with the hat still on her head. "You gotta catch me first!"

She begins to run around, and I chase after her. As I'm running, I finally notice that the rain wasn't falling in the forest. Maybe the leaves were blocking it.

Chelsea has the disadvantage of carrying a basket. She stops briefly to put it down. When she does this, I nearly catch her.

She squeals like a girly girl and then laughs as she continues running. She turns to look back at me, so she doesn't see the tree root that she trips over. Unfortunately, I don't see it either.

First Chelsea trips and falls on the ground and then the next second I've landed right on top of her. Thankfully, my hands land on the ground beside her. Instead of…elsewhere.

She blushes as she looks at me. We're less that a few centimeters apart. Chelsea takes the hat off her head and places it firmly on my head. Her fingers linger for a second over my hair; like she wanted to do something else.

I don't move, letting her make the move. Or maybe, I wanted her to do it. Then she drops her hands and I practically jump off her.

Now I really wish I could kick myself. I turn around so she can't see my face. What had just happened? Her fingers had felt so good on my hair. Fantasies flash through my head so fast it makes me dizzy. Ones of Chelsea dragging her fingers through my hair, of her kissing me, and worse.

Someone taps my shoulder, and I swear I must have jumped a foot in the air. It's Chelsea. Of course it's her, she was right behind you! My mind yells at me.

"Vaughn?" She whispers. I don't say anything, so she sighs. "I'm sorry I took your hat."

I shrug. "It's okay."

I glance at her and notice that she has her basket in her hands again. "You want to go?" She asks me.

"Sure." I nod at her and we begin walking. I'm not sure where we're going, but she seems to be leading.

Eventually we reach the shipping bin in town. The rain was pouring down still and I growl at nothing.

Chelsea dumps her basket into the shipping bin and then looks at me. There's a smile on her face. "Don't you just love the rain?"

"I hate the rain." I growl at her.

She looks surprised. "You went all the way to the forest to find me in a weather you hate?" Chelsea laughs and bumps me with her hip. "You're losing your poker face cowboy."

I almost smile at her. She was always so happy. A little optimist. It was actually really nice.

Chelsea looks up at me. I notice that we're closer that I had thought. She face was only a small distance from mine. Her face was shining with the rain as she looked at me with her bright eyes. Unconsciously, I glance at her lips. Even wet with the rain, they looked warm and oh, so inviting.

My eyes go back to hers, and notice that she's looking at my lips too. Then her eyes glance up to meet mine. She blushes but doesn't move. Slowly I feel my face inch forward, but I snap my head back when I hear the sound of an approaching horse.

Automatically, I pull my hat over my head. A glance at Chelsea shows me that she looks disappointed, but the look disappears with the approach of the horse.

One looks tells me that the horse is not alone. There's a man on top of the horse. He stops the horse and slides off. The man has beach blond hair that almost looks white but has a yellow look. It's a little shorter than mine, but was still kind of long. His eyes are a light sky blue and he's dressed in a regal manor.

"I bid you greetings." He says with a smile on his face. "Oh, I've been ever so busy today. You're a resident of these islands as well?"

I notice that he's only looking at Chelsea and not at me. Under my breath, I growl but Chelsea answers. "Yeah, I'm the local farmer."

"Well then I'm charmed to meet you." He flashes her another smile, and I've decided that I hate this guy.

"Oh, well pardon me for being so rude. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alwick Plymouth Junior Regison the third."

We both just stare at him in disbelief. He laughs. "A bit of a mouthful, is it not?" He laughs again. "Worry not. You may call me Will."

Chelsea nods, and Will speaks again. "Pardon me, but might I have your name?"

"I'm Chelsea, and this is Vaughn. He's the animal trader for the island." Chelsea explains.

"Chelsea, I see." He says, completely ignoring me. "A delightful name, befitting a fair maiden such as you."

Oh give me a break. I roll my eyes at this guy. Just who did he think he is, that he can just sweep in and woo any girl he sees? And what is with the British accent, and the old style way of talking? Get with the times already!

Chelsea is blushing though, and I feel something hot and angry stir up in my chest. I desperately want to tell this guy to back off, but instead I lock the feeling up.

"What are you doing here?" She asks him.

He laughs again. This guy was full of laughter. "Father told me to see the world! So I've been traveling this way and that. These islands suit me well. I should think I shall be staying for a spell."

Oh great. He just had to move in the day I decide to stay here for six straight weeks. Well, wasn't that just perfect?

Will continues on with a smile. "As fate would have it, a relative of mine lives here."

Chelsea looks as confused as I feel. Who would be unfortunate enough to be related to this guy? She speaks for me though. "Really, who?"

"Regis is my uncle." He says, and I feel as if my entire world has just collapsed on me.

Chelsea shakes here head. "No one lives here with that name."

Will looks surprised for the first time since arriving. "Bother. I must have arrived a tad bit early then."

"Who's Regis?" Chelsea asks.

Will smiles and goes on to explain, my heart dropping more with every word he says. "Regis is my uncle, as I said before. He's head of a huge mining company, and I was told that he lived by the mine here."

Chelsea shakes her head. "No one lives by the mines. I just opened it late last night and first explored it this morning."

Will laughs. "Well they should be along soon then. Uncle Regis also has a daughter that I assume shall be joining him. She's very sweet, I'm positive you'll be wonderful friends."

Over my dead body. My mind shrieks at him as I begin to feel sick. Chelsea smiles and asks the question that I wish wouldn't be asked. "Oh, what's her name?"

"Sabrina."

Now I really do feel sick. My legs must have shaken or something, because Chelsea grabbed a hold of my arm. "Vaughn! Are you okay?"

"No." I say gruffly as my face contorts.

"I'd better get you inside." She says worriedly. She turns back to Will, and I notice will slight smug satisfaction that her look is of nothing more than friendship. "It was nice to meet you."

Will bows to her. "My ship is anchored by the coast over there. I do hope you'll come visit." Then he takes her hand and kisses the top of it. Even though I feel like I can barely stand, I want to punch him right there. "For now, I bid you adieu."

Chelsea looks at him with wide eyes as he walks back to his horse. "Come, Arthur! Let us depart!"

The horse neighs, and rubs his head against Will's hand. I normally love all animals, but I didn't like this horse very much. Will begins to speak to the horse again. "I've sent for someone to come and get you, so you'll be returning home."

The horse neighs sadly, if that's possible. Then the both walk away and disappear from sight. As soon as they're gone, Chelsea snaps back to attention.

"Come on Vaughn. Let's get you inside."

I let her drag me back to Mirabelle's. My knees feel extremely weak and I collapse on the couch the minute we're inside.

My eyes close and I feel two people rush over to me. Chelsea is still holding onto my arm, and is now kneeling beside me.

"What happened?" Mirabelle's worried voice asks.

"I'm not sure." Chelsea asks. It's only now that I notice that we're both dripping wet still. I'd actually completely forgotten about the rain when pretty boy had shown up. "This new guy showed up and while we were talking, Vaughn just about swooned."

"Vaughn nearly fainted?" Julia laughs. "Don't you go telling me that you're not straight anymore Vaughn!" She laughs again and I growl at her.

I open my eyes and Julia kneels down to talk to Chelsea. "So, the new guy; what does he look like?"

"Is this really the time for that?" Chelsea asks as she glances at me.

"Of course it is!" She shrieks. "Vaughn is fine. He just needs a little rest. So come one! Tell, tell!"

"Um." She glances at me one for time before answering her. "He's got blond hair and blue eyes. He's rich. He actually rode up on a horse."

Julia nearly swoons herself. "A knight in shining armor." She sighs. "So is he hot?"

My gaze hardens. Chelsea herself looks shocked. "I thought you liked Elliot?"

"Oh I do. I'm just curious. You don't have a man, you know." Julia points out.

I try not to notice that Chelsea glances at me again. I turn my head away from her, not wanting to hear her answer.

"I don't know." She answers. 'I guess."

Julia snorts. "What do you mean you guess? You don't know?"

I've turned back around to look at them again. Then I snap at Julia. "Shut up, you're giving me a headache."

Chelsea gives me a worried look. "Do you want me to get you some Advil or something?"

I nod my head. Mirabelle tells her it's in the back and she rushes off to get it. Quickly I seize the chance to tell Mirabelle and Julia why this had happened.

I grab Julia's arm and pull her down towards me. Not hard enough that she shrieks, but she does look at me. I motion for Mirabelle to come closer too.

She does and then I whisper furiously at them. "Will is Sabrina's cousin. There's a mine on this island and Regis is coming. With his daughter."

I let go of Julia and close my eyes before I can see their faces, but I'm too late. Their faces show shock and surprise. Julia's has a bit of horror, but neither of them can imagine the horror I feel.

Okay, I may or may not post another chapter today. If I don't, then I won't update for a while because I leave on vacation tomorrow. But I will try! Please review!

*laughs* Who liked this chapter? I did! I do not own Harvest Moon, and yes, I know that Will is in a different version than that one I'm writing in but he fits in nicely with my plot. Hahaha tell me who you think is better: Will or Vaughn? The sweet talking rich boy with a British accent or the poor gruff cowboy with a dark past? *bum bum bump: dramatic music*