Slightly uneventful, just trying to get the base of the story set up.
Dunhill walked with Rachel out of the Clinic as quickly as he could. While Klaus Stanson was a great doctor, his bedside manner left a lot to be desired. Rachel had seemed so leery of him, Dunhill concluded it would be best to get her out of the clinic as soon as possible. The question was, what to do with her now? A girl who didn't remember anything would certainly cause questions in this small town. He suddenly remembered that Henry, the farmer, was looking for some part-time help.
"Our local farmer, Henry, is looking for some help on his farm," Dunhill advised. "If you're lookin' to stay you'll need a job."
"That sounds lovely," Rachel stated. She was pretty sure she'd never done farm work before, but it was better than nothing.
"Let's get you to that farm then!" Dunhill exclaimed.
Henry Jones had made a good life for himself in Echo Village. His farm was ever expanding, and he needed help. He certainly didn't want to keep asking his beautiful wife Felicity, her passion was cooking and food. She was a renowned food critic. He was proud of her accomplishments, and he wanted her to be able to dedicate her time to what she loved. It had been the cause of a few minor disputes over the past few months. It had been trying times, which had made him decide that he needed to find part time help. But finding that in a small town was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would be. Not too many people would come through looking for jobs. Henry stretched out his back. Farming was hard, yet very rewarding work. He looked up to see Dunhill come onto his farm with a little wisp of a girl.
"Mornin' Henry!" Dunhill called out. Henry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Dunhill had not been his favorite person.
"Mornin'," Henry greeted back. He wondered what Dunhill was doing with this strange girl standing in his yard. Dunhill was not a frequent visitor of the farm.
"You still lookin' for some help?" Dunhill asked.
"Why? You looking to fill that position?" Henry asked sarcastically. Dunhill gave a polite chuckle in response.
"Me no!" Dunhill exclaimed. "My old man bones are much too brittle for the type of work you do my boy. No, we got us a newcomer to town lookin' for some work." Dunhill motioned his head toward the girl.
"Are you sure?" Henry asked. He wasn't sure how much help the small girl standing next to Dunhill would be.
"Sure as shootin'," Dunhill replied. Henry stared skeptically at the girl.
"Name's Henry, what's your name?" Henry greeted.
"Ummm... Rachel," she answered timidly.
"Rachel what?"
She looked at Dunhill for help. How was she supposed to answer that question?
"She has amnesia," Dunhill answered. Neil found her on the ground in the square. Doesn't know who she is. We sorta just picked the name Rachel."
Henry looked at the girl dubiously. He had heard about such things happening, but wasn't sure if he believed any of it. This girl didn't seem too dangerous, but he had learned from his time in the city, the good ones never do. He had seen young girls who were just as adept as conning people as grown men. Those were the ones you had to watch out for, and Henry certainly had a lot to protect.
"I dunno-" he started.
"Henry Thornton Jones!" The voice of his wife came to him clear across the morning air. "After hearing that, how can you not hire her!" Felicity was standing just a few feet behind him in the window of the large farmhouse.
"How long have you been there?" Henry asked, her tone of voice made him feel as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. He hated seeing that half disappointed, half frustrated look that was across her lovely features. It was something that had come across her face more and more these days. All he wanted to do was to make her happy. It was all he had ever wanted from the minute his father had died, and left him the farm in Echo Town.
"That's not what matters! What matters is this girl needs our help!" Felicity all but scolded.
"I suppose you're right," Henry sighed. Felicity's caring heart was what made him fall in love with her in the first place, but at times she was too trusting for her own good. Turning to the girl, he looked over her once more then, he extended his hand. "You sure you're up for this?"
"Oh yes," Rachel replied.
"Great, now that we got that all settled, we just need to find you a place to stay," Dunhill replied.
"Nonsense!" Felicity said through the window. "There's a perfectly good house here on the property for her. It's the one Henry first moved into, before he built this one. It's not being used, she can just stay there." Dunhill chuckled at Felicity's response, and Henry's following scowl. Henry was not known for his generosity, in fact, before he had married he had been quite stingy. He also knew that Henry would not contradict his wife.
"That would be great!" Dunhill exclaimed. "I'll leave her to you then." He said his goodbyes to the young girl, and exited the farm.
Rachel didn't want to see him leave, he had been so kind to her and Henry didn't seem to want her there at all. She instead looked at Felicity who appeared to be more welcoming. Felicity gave her a warm smile, which instantly made Rachel feel less scared.
"Have you eaten yet?" Felicity asked. Rachel shook her head. "Men! I swear they really don't think of these details. I tell you what. I'm going to take you to our town's restaurant where I work, you need to get a proper meal in you before you do anything else."
"Thank you kindly," Rachel stated humbly.
Henry shook his head but said nothing. If Felicity wanted to extend kindness to this girl, then he would allow her to do so. Felicity disappeared from the window.
"Are you sure you don't need me here?" Rachel asked.
"You go on with my wife. We'll get you to work soon enough, don't you worry!" Henry said. His voice was less harsh. It was as if he had made his decision to allow her to stay, so he was going to be nicer to her.
Rachel stood in the middle of the clothing store feeling more than a bit overwhelmed. After Felicity had provided a feast of more food than she could have ever possibly eaten, she had insisted they go to the tailor to buy Rachel some new clothes. Rachel found herself liking the tailor who had introduced herself as Yuri. She was a quiet, straight to the point type of girl, who said few words. She smiled slightly, very unlike Felicity, whose expressions spread across her face.
"Really, you should be wearing darker colors," Yuri stated looking at a few of the outfits Felicity had chosen. Yuri was biting her bottom lip as she said this. Rachel would have taken anything. What she was currently wearing was not only plain, but obviously old and worn. She wasn't sure how she'd even acquired these clothes.
"Oh! Yuri, I obviously don't have the best eye for fashion!" Rachel heard Felicity say. "I am much better with food than with fashion!" Felicity put back some of the outfits she had picked out. Yuri giggled softly and picked out a few other choices.
"I really don't need that many," Rachel insisted.
"Oh yes you do," Felicity countered. "There is so much to do here in town. Festivals, gatherings, and other such fun events, you can't possibly wear the same thing every time!" Rachel decided it was better not to argue with the farmer's wife, and instead she watched as Yuri and Felicity finished the transaction.
While Rachel was having clothing purchased for her, miles away in Flowerbud Village a doctor sat fuming in his office. He had hired the men because they were the best that this small Town had to offer, given the slightly illegal nature of "Project Rachel." He was enraged that they had managed to let the girl slip from their grasp. Doctor Alex Martin had spent the last few years building up his image. He had been seen as the wholesome, good man, in this town. But the money that was offered him was too good to give up. He slammed his fist against his desk, causing several items to fall off. They fell with a loud clatter on his hardwood floor.
"Are you okay in there doctor?" The voice of his nurse Gina called through the door.
"Everything's fine Gina!" Alex called back in response. Regardless of what was happening, he had to find a way to get it together. He picked up the items from the ground and placed them neatly back on his desk. Afterwards he picked up the telephone, to make a call he had been putting off.
"Speak," came a harsh voice.
"Sir, we can't locate her," Alex advised.
"Incompetent fools! Look I'm going to be sending someone your way! He's going to help you find her and fix this mess!"
Alex heard a distinctive click. He sighed heavily. The plan had been foolproof, if only for that girl! She was costing him a lot of money; money that he needed to keep up his failing practice. He needed to find her, his entire reputation depended on it.