So this is turning more into a crossover story than I intended, but I hope you like it! I like the way it's turning :)
Lyla Stark was a hopeless romantic. She adored romance novels and movies, and she would fantasize about her perfect man who would one day stroll into her seed shop and wisk her off her feet. She knew that such fantasies were highly unrealistic, but she still had them anyway. She was a soft spoken woman with long flowing pink locks with beautiful eyes the color of coral. While she knew there were a few men in town who would have readily been willing to fill the role of being with her, she was not interested in any of them. Lyla sighed, as she rang up another customer. Her life had become something of a mundane existence of transaction after transaction. On top of that, she needed help, but finding an employee was hard. Small towns had very few people who were looking for a job. She heard the jingle of the bells and lifted her head. There was always that hope that the jingle might indicate her dream man was walking through that door. Instead she saw the smiling face of Gwen. Lyla smiled sweetly. Gwen was her best friend, she was always happy to see her. It had hard when Gwen had left for the city, but now she was back and Lyla was glad. Behind Gwen, a man entered wearing a baggy pair of jeans and an old tattered shirt.
"Still looking for help?" Gwen asked.
"Yes," Lyla replied, she felt herself feeling a bit breathless. This man was exactly the type of man that she had always dreamed of. She wondered if she really were dreaming now.
"I think I've got your man," Gwen stated. "This is Jack. He's been going from town to town looking for work." Lyla took a look at the man. Even through his tattered clothing she could see the faint outlines of muscle. His face didn't look like the typical wanderer or vagabond. There was still an elegance about him. She wondered what had happened to make him so down on his luck.
"Of course, I'd love to hire him," Lyla replied. She smiled sweetly at the man introduced as Jack. He was certainly handsome, and easily ten years her senior.
"Thank you kindly ma'am," Jack said.
"Please call me Lyla," she said. Jack smiled carefully back at her. He could see clearly that this woman had found him attractive. He was not here to have any type of relationship. He would have to be careful, Lyla was one of those particularly delicately beautiful women. He would have to be careful. Women in small towns were not looking for flings, they were looking for husbands. Jack was certainly not the marrying type.
"Well I'll let you two get acquainted," Gwen replied. She shot Jack a look of warning. He read it loud and clear. He smiled back in return.
Doctor Klaus Sorenson was an ornery old man who disliked people, but loved medicine. He loved gaining more knowledge and learning. He had worked at a large hospital for a few years, which had been wonderful. He had been let go because of his lack of "bedside manner." Klaus fumed when thinking of such things. He had been one of the more brilliant doctors there, and they had let him go. He had been reduced to opening a practice here in the small Echo Town, which was far beneath him.
The door opened, he sighed wondering what minor ailment he was going to have to take care of today. He turned to see Tina, the town's journalist.
"Good morning Dr. Klaus,"' Tina said cheerily. She walked up to the counter. "I was wondering what you can tell me about the new girl."
"What?" Klaus asked shortly.
"I'm interested in doing a story about the new girl, "Tina advised. "I was wondering if there was any information about her that you could shed some light on for me. "Klaus looked at Tina with a scowl on his face. As much as he disliked people, he disliked nosy people even less.
"Why don't you go straight to the source? "Klaus asked.
"I've already tried that," Tina informed. "She won't tell me a thing. But I don't have a bad feeling about her. I think she's hiding something. I want to find out what it is."
"Everybody's hiding something," the doctor replied. "Why don't you just let this drop. Clearly she doesn't want an article written about her. If she's not willing to give you the information, neither am I." It was no loyalty that he felt to Rachel that caused him to react in such a way, rather then his annoyance with the journalist for not respecting someone else's privacy. He himself was a private man. Who did not share a lot of information about his life before coming to Echo Town. He knew that people kept secrets for a reason. And even if those secrets made somebody suspicious, there were always reasons behind them.
Tina felt frustrated. She was getting nowhere. This was possibly a story of a lifetime. This was the type of story that did not come around very often here in this little town. This was the type of story that could possibly get her recognized, and no one seemed to be cooperating with her. Every turn she took she would hit another dead end. But Tina had a determination in her that most people did not. While many would have given up at this dead end, Tina was determined to press further. Tina had not accomplished all she had done and her young life by being a pushover. Tina would get her story
Rachel wondered if talking to Dunhill had been a good idea or not. She had always felt a sense of danger, ever since she had woken up in the middle of Echo Town square. She didn't know whether or not she could fully trust Dunhill, but she needed someone who would be on her side. The most frustrating part was, she didn't even know what that meant. What did it mean to be on Rachel's side? What was this thing that she feared so much, but could not remember?
If she could remember what she needed to, perhaps she could keep herself safe, along with everybody else in this village. Rachel wondered if she should leave for the safety of this community. But then where would she go? She did not know what she had gotten herself into prior to arriving to this town. And she did not know what would happen once she figured it out. She also knew that the nosy journalist was still poking around. Tina was trying to find out more about Rachel and her past. Rachel laughed when she thought of this, for Rachel herself was doing the same thing. It's was quite ironic, that Tina wanted to know about her past, and Rachel would have given anything to be able to tell her.
Then, there was Sanjay. He was an incredibly handsome man, who seemed to be giving her attention. Rachel wasn't sure if he was always the gentleman, or if there was some interest. It seemed almost absurd to her, that there would be interest in her considering that she was a mere girl who had no memory. He was a man in the employment of a rich prince. Sanjay himself seemed to have an air of royalty to him. Yes, he was a servant, but he wasn't a common servant. There was something different about his mannerisms. Rachel also struggled with her attraction to him because of her lack of memory. She hated to think that perhaps there was a family she had left behind. Perhaps there was someone out there who loved her, and was waiting for her return Rachel could not just allowing her feelings for Sanjay to develop when she didn't know these answers.
"I wish I could remember, "Rachel said to no one. She was standing near a beautiful spring in the mountains. It was a spring that she often loved to come to. Rachel couldn't describe exactly why she loved the spring, but there was something almost spiritual about the place. Rachel heard a soft whisper that seems to rustle through the leaves of the trees surrounding the spring. "Look inside your heart" she heard a whisper though the trees. Rachel looked around, to see if anyone was standing near her. Perhaps she was losing her mind? Perhaps the nights of little sleep with horrifying nightmares was finally catching up to her. No one was around her, she stood alone. So who could it have been, that had whispered her that answer? It made sense that she could be losing her mind. She started to walk away, when she heard a commotion behind her she whirled around, to see a beautiful lady emerging from the water. She had green hair, and a flowing dress, and a bright light glowed around her. Rachel had never seen anything or anyone so beautiful in her life before. Once again Rachel wondered if she were hallucinating. Then the beautiful figure from the water start speaking.
"My child, "the figure replied. "I am the Harvest Goddess. It is not within my power to interfere with human interaction, but I need to warn you. My child I cannot tell you more than this, but the danger you feel, is real. Trust no one, outside of the villagers of this town please heed my warning my sweet child."With that said, the figures slowly descended back into the water.
"Wait! "Rachel shouted. "Please tell me more! "The figure shook her head and fully descended below the water. Rachel stood, wondering what had just happened. Who was this harvest Goddess? She needed answers. She walked back to Echo Town, wondering who it was she should ask about this mysterious goddess of the spring.
Incompetency was never something that Vaughn had taken lightly. Incompetency angered him. Vaughn was a professional; someone who got things done, in any means necessary. His boss, the one person that Vaughn had actually ever considered his real friend, needed this project to succeed. Now because of the incompetency of the small-town idiots the project was failing, the girl missing, and time running out. Vaughn was determined, that after this matter was settled, those small-town idiots would pay.
Leaving Zephyr town, had been more difficult than Vaughn had anticipated. Anita that farmer had taken quite a shine to him. She had followed him around like a little puppy for most of the day. He couldn't leave the town with her following him. He had to wait until the nighttime to sneak out of the Inn he was staying at. Of course he left enough money and then some to the innkeeper, but he needed to be on his way. Wherever the girl had gone, she was keeping herself well hidden. Such idiots! He wondered why Will even hired such incompetent fools? Even while thinking it, he knew the answer. Will was a desperate man. He knew that Will had been grasping at straws when he had found the small-town doctor. His friend needed this and Vaughn was determined not to let him down.
The doctor did not seem to pleased to see Vaughn back in the Sanatorium, a fact which Vaughn decided to make work to his advantage. This doctor needed to feel the discomfort that Will must be feeling at this moment. It had been his fault in the first place.
"Have you found anything?" Vaughn asked roughly.
"Nothing unusual has been reported in any of these papers, "Alex answered him. Vaughn could hear the nervousness in the doctor's voice. He stepped closer to the doctor until they were inches apart. Vaughn said nothing. He simply stood hovering over the doctor, enjoying the look of fear that crossed the doctor's face.
"Then you better start looking harder," Vaughn advised.
Alex turned away from Vaughn. How he hated this man. He hated everything that was happening. Vaughn was the type of man that one didn't mess with. Alex knew Vaughn was not past hurting someone else to get to Alex. He thought of all the people in this town, there were many that he held very dear to him. He would need to make sure, that Vaughn did nothing to hurt him or anyone else in the town. They needed to find the girl so he could finally be rid of the wretched man standing behind him.