Note: PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER. This chapter deals with serious issues and brings up concepts that might be upsetting. Please note that if you or someone you know is dealing with these sorts of issues, please ask for help! Thank for you heeding the warning and enjoy the chapter.

After a particularly long day of grueling work, Eve had finally gotten back to her tiny apartment. It had gotten cold rather quickly so she practically jogged home after getting off the bus. She stood at the door after locking up, staring at the wall. It had been a few days since she had seen Joyce at the coffee shop. However, there was one thing that she had said that still was resonating to this day.

"I can't throw my problems on anyone."

While she stuck with her words, she felt herself questioning it. She used to rely on her parents, who were kind and supportive, with everything...but now...she was alone. Everyone that she had relied on in the past was in fact dead. She didn't have many friends as her job really kept her away from anything outside of work...and the people at work weren't exactly her cup of tea. Eve sighed and closed her eyes. She figured she would leave these thoughts for another day before turning to the closet.

"Why do I feel like I...have nothing?" She mused, as she went to put her coat away. When she opened the door, some boxes fell out of the top shelf of the closet. Eve paused and let out a dejected sigh and knelt down to pick up the contents of the box, but stopped upon looking through the old memories she had kept. Pictures of her family, her parents and even grandparents. They were all so happy back then, living in the country without much want for anything. They had family. They had enough. They were all so...happy. Smiling. She started cleaning up the boxes with the photos until she found a particular photo that made her pause. She stopped and picked it up.

"Grandfather…" she looked at it with tears whelming in her eyes. It was a picture of herself when she was a child, and her grandfather, both smiling and both happy. Eve even wore one of his straw hats that was much too big, so she had to hold the brim for the picture. Memories of happier times being on the farm flashed through her mind. She remembered trying to ride on one of the cows as they were grazing, taking carrots to the horse, playing in the fields as she watered the plants. Eve could feel tears run down her cheeks. These were the days she missed. The times she pined for. Only now, all the memories were coming back to her. Simpler times, happy memories. She held the photo to her chest, and started crying. She cried like a child, even screaming as she wept. But no one was around to hear her...help her. Eve was entirely alone...and all of that pain was coming back in one fell swoop. Eve fell onto her knees.

"Where did this go...why did things have to change? WHY?!" She screamed out, curling up into a ball. "Mommy...Daddy...Grandfather...please help me...please...I miss you...I need you…"

Silence

"PLEASE! I can't do this! I can't do this anymore!" She yelled, pounding one fist that wasn't holding the photo down onto the wooden. "I don't want this life! I want to go back! I want to go back to those times again! Please!"

More silence.

Eve slowly looked up, as the tears continued to stream down. Her eyes were glazed over, almost as if she were in a trance. And she was lookin toward her kitchenette...spotting the knife block that was on the counter. Without thinking, she slowly got up and made way toward it.

"I don't want this life…I don't want this life anymore..." she muttered, taking one of the large knives from the wood block set, and held it in her hand. Eve just looked at the knife as the picture slowly fell from her other hand and onto the floor. Eve put her arm on the counter and put the knife lengthwise on her wrist. She didn't press down, but rested the blade on the clear veins on her wrist. Minutes passed as she blankly just looked at the knife on her wrist; any second she just cut through her flesh and end it all. As she started pressing a little; her eyes glanced at the photo that was on the floor. They were so happy...so much life was there. Compared to now...there was nothing. Eve lifted the knife and placed the tip on her skin, drawing blood. She hissed a bit, but it was one step closer. All that was left was to bring the blade across her wrist, and everything could be done.

"Not yet…"

Eve hesitated. She could feel herself shaking. But slowly, she also felt something wrap around her. Arms. They were warm...and gentle.

"Eve...remember…"

As if the voice restored her consciousness, Eve snapped back to life and immediately threw the knife into the sink. Trembling and afraid, she fell to the floor. She held her wrist tightly, effectively now scared of herself and what she nearly had down. She looked down and saw a small puncture in her skin, but nothing serious. Taking a second to calm down, but then rushed to the bathroom. She got herself a bandaid and ran her wrist under the sink, washing off the blood. After treating herself, she slowly got up and went to the couch. She laid down on her back, and just stared at her wrist.

"I almost did that…" she mumbled, feeling more tears run down her face. "I can't believe it...I really do need help…but how..." she rested her arm and closed her eyes, still allowing her tears to run down. She felt herself starting to hear voices as she relaxed on the couch. Most were familiar but inaudible and she couldn't understand what they said. Old friends and family from a time long past. However one stuck out. The voice she had heard not but seconds ago...the voice that saved her life.

"There will come a time where you feel crushed by modern society. When that time comes, you will be ready for this gift."

Her eyes snapped open. She remembered clearly now! Eve had been with her grandfather before he passed away so many years ago. His gift...the letter!

"I have to get it! Whatever it is, maybe it can help!" She knew exactly where she put it, though why was beyond her. But at that moment, she now had something she hadn't possessed in a long time. Hope. A reason to be alive. Whatever that gift was...it was important enough to keep on living.

Eve quickly pulled on a coat and scarf out of her closet and ran outside, not bothering to wait for a bus. She ran all the way to her work...to the Joja Corp main building. She couldn't remember the last time she actually ran that fast or at all. By the time she got there, she was completely out of breath. She had to stop outside the front door, clutching her chest as it was in pain.

"...note to self...start working out…" she mumbled and tried to open the door. It didn't budge. She tried again out of desperation. Same thing.

"Damn it!" She banged her fist on the door. She clenched her teeth closed, and just leaned against it for a moment. She looked forward into the building, feeling defeated and determined at the same time.

"Monday...I'll get through Monday and then I'll have it...but I don't want to be alone right now…I don't trust myself" she was scared of what might happen if she was by herself in her own head. She turned to leave the area and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello? Who is this?" A female voice said from the other side. Eve let out a sigh.

"Joyce? Hi, it's Eve. We talked a few days ago?" She replied and sat on a bench.

"Eve! I'm so glad we exchanged numbers and caught up! What's going on?" Eve paused to take a breath, but answered.

"I...can I stay with you until Monday? It's hard to explain but…" She covered her mouth to try and stifle a sob, but it was still audible.

"Oh sweetie, you sound like you're crying! Is everything ok? Yeah, we can pull the couch bed out!" Eve forced another breath, and looked at her wrist again in fear.

"Y-yeah I'm ok...I just don't want to be alone right now. I'm scared." Joyce paused and then the sound of the door opening was heard.

"Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

Eve screamed and shot up with a start. Her entire body was soaked in a cold sweat and she was nearly hyperventilating. Eve hugged herself tightly, but no matter what, she couldn't stop herself from shaking. Miso, obviously startled, jumped off the bed and raced into the bathroom as the door was open. Tears immediately streamed down her face as the visions of what happened flashed again in her mind's eye. She screamed again and held her head, clenching her eyes shut.

"It was only a dream…" she mumbled to herself. "It was only a dream…it was only a dream. I'm alive, I'm breathing…it was just a bad dream…" hearing that made her feel a little better, but images of the attempted suicide flashed into her head again and she screamed once more. She pulled the covers over herself and huddled under them, as if that would protect her from her own memory. She didn't know what to do and her attempts at calming down were not working. Eve decided that she needed to tell someone…and maybe talking through this would make her feel a little better. Eve emerged from the covers and grabbed hold of her phone. It was 3am…not a great time to be calling someone, however she didn't have a choice. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. It rang…and rang again, before going to voicemail. That wasn't surprising considering the time. "Damn it…please come on…please I need you right now…" she said as she hung up and tried the number again. After ringing twice, finally there was an answer.

"It's 3 in the morning, who is this?" the familiar voice of Joyce said in a very tired and grumpy tone. Eve tried to calm down just enough to talk. She swallowed and spoke up.

"H-hello? Joyce…it's…it's Eve." She said in an almost pathetic voice. Joyce yawned on the other line.

"Hey…okay so, is there a time difference in Stardew because if there is, we need to come up with a system here…don't you know how late it-"Eve couldn't take it. She started to cry on the phone once again. Joyce immediately paused mid-sentence and finally registered what was going on. Her friend was upset. "Hey Eve? Are you crying? What happened? Are you okay?" Eve sniffed and wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"I'm not okay Jo…" she said, calling her a nickname she hadn't used in years. "I had a dream…no a nightmare. It was when…when I…when I…" Eve choked as more tears poured down her face. Joyce was heard scrambling as she was trying to get out of the room.

"No, it's Eve. She needs me, go back to sleep…" Joyce said to her husband before the sound of a door closing was heard. "Okay, say that again? You had a nightmare about what? You can tell me Evey, I'm right here." She said she also used a nickname for her friend. Eve sniffled and tried to take a few deep breaths, but it was very hard with her nose in such a state.

"I had a d-dream…" she mumbled, wiping her face on her arm. "It was when…I…I nearly…killed myself…" Joyce gasped as she heard this.

"Oh, by Yubba hun. Are you okay? You're not thinking about doing that, again are you?" Eve shook her head, as if Joyce could see her.

"No! No no never! Things here are great and I want things to continue to be great. I thought that if I lived my best life, I'd never have to think about that again…but…I was wrong Jo. Remembering it hurts…I'm scared of myself…" Eve continued to cry, and Joyce let out a tiny sigh.

"Alright, take some deep breaths Evey…it's okay. It's okay…you need to feel this, and it will pass. It's okay to cry, I'm right here. Well, not actually, but you know what I mean. If you need me to get there, I'll jump in the car right now and drive..." Eve nodded and just let it all out. She really started to bawl and the tears fell into a collective pile on her blanket. Miso, finally over the early commotion, wandered back in and jumped back onto the bed. He started to rub his body on Eve, trying to make the strange noises she was making stop. Eve continued to breathe more and more and even started to pet little Miso. Miso, in return, chirped happily at Eve.

"I heard that." Joyce said with a chuckle. "See Evey? Even your kitty wants you to feel better." Eve smiled and kept petting him.

"Yeah…" she said. "I'm sorry for-" Joyce cut in almost immediately.

"No no…don't you dare apologize. It's fine, I'm so glad you called me." There was another pause as a door opened on the other line. "I'm not going to hang up until you tell me to okay? Have you thought about a therapist? Is there one in Stardew?" Eve shook her head and kept looking at Miso, who was laying down with his body touching Eve's leg.

"I don't think so. I can ask the local doctor, but I don't think there is a registered therapist here. Maybe he'll have a recommendation. And you don't have to come here...I'll be okay as long as I can talk to someone..." Eve let out a sigh as she was finally calming down. The idea of a therapist was a rather foreign one, but in this case, it could very well help.

"I think you should Eve. I really do. And I'm going to text you a suicide hotline just in case. There are people 24-7 who deal with this, so if you need to talk to someone, anyone, call them or me. I don't care what time it is, what day it is. I will talk to you." Eve smiled and her face scrunched up. She started to cry again.

"Thank you Joyce…you really are a good friend." The woman chuckled.

"Of course, you'd be totally lost without me." Eve laughed at that. Her tears had finally started to slow down and she did really feel better now. Eve let out a yawn and laid down.

"I'm going to try and go back to sleep Joyce…but I'm going to text you in the morning. There is a festival going on later today, so I want to try and get some rest before it." Joyce let out a sigh.

"Okay…alright. You do that Eve. And please do send me that text, I'll feel better." Eve nodded at the phone.

"I will Jo…have a good night." Joyce could be heard opening a door.

"Night hun. Mwa!" she made a kissy sound right before Eve hung up the phone. She put it on her nightstand and stared at the ceiling. She had come so far from that moment…and it scared her that she even attempted something like that. She pet Miso as he curled up next to her.

"I'll be okay…I'll be okay…" she mumbled as her head hit her pillow and she tried to fall asleep. But sleep was done with her for the night. No matter how much she tossed and turned, Eve couldn't get back to sleep. She gulped a bit as she looked at her wrist, staring at it. The small cut that she did manage to make in that time was healed, and replaced with a little scar. Eve touched it, remembering then the events that happened afterward. Her racing to Joja, staying with Joyce, confronting Morris...and finally having hope. Eve slowly got out of the bed and stretched. If sleep wasn't going to take her, maybe some serious soul searching would be helpful. She threw on her boots and went outside. Immediately she was put at peace when the cool air touched her skin. Miso went to the door and sat down, looking up at Eve. Eve knelt down and picked up Miso for a moment, cuddling with him in her arms.

"I'll be back in a bit…" she cooed and put the cat down and closed the door. She looked over the fields as she walked out onto the dirt. She never really took the time to fully explore the farm fully, as the day would always get away from her. She walked to the left of the house, spying what looked like a cave etched into a cliffside. She peeked in, but it was far too dark to see anything, and she didn't want to chance an encounter with something...unpleasant. She kept walking and saw the decimated greenhouse. There really was nothing to salvage with it. However, a little path was right next to the greenhouse, once that Eve had yet to see.

"That's curious." she mumbled and walked through the trees as she took that path. She arrived at a little shrine made of stone that looked like some kind of person. Several nooks were in the rock face around it. However, the most interesting part of the shrine was a piece of paper lying on the shrine. It looked completely untouched by the elements, like the wind couldn't touch it or the rain didn't hit it. Eve took up the paper and read the one sentence on it.

"Wait for my return on the first dawn of your third year...but that's from Grandpa's letter...is this where I should go to wait for him?" she asked herself and took the paper. She stuffed it in her bootlaces and walked away from the shrine. Aside from a small forest area with some stumps and mushrooms, Eve had now pretty much seen the whole farm. She decided to take a walk down to the beach to listen to the waves. The walk off the farm, into town, and to the beach was very uneventful. Fireflies lit her path as she walked slowly, hugging herself and watching her feet move. She was still very shaken up, but the fresh clean air was certainly helping. When she arrived at the beach, she sat down on the sand and watched the tide go in and out. She started to reflect again on what brought her to this point. She was at such a low point in her life to that point...and now here she was. Her life really had taken a 180 from everything she knew.

"Alright...you're just about the last person I'd expect out here…" Eve broke off from her thought and looked up. It was Sebastian, all dressed in black and holding a smoldering cigarette in his hand. Eve looked at him and then just looked at the waves. She was mentally exhausted so she wasn't going to react as much.

"Just needed some air…" she mumbled, trying to keep to herself. Eve was still in quite a state, and didn't exactly look the best. Hopefully the darkness would mask that well.

"Well there's plenty of that…" he said back. There was a silence between the two where neither said anything. It was awkward...almost choking. But then, he spoke up. "So...you normally take 4am strolls to the beach or...is this a new thing?" Eve shivered a little as she heard that. It was a little weird but...she wasn't ready to be honest.

"I couldn't sleep, so...I'm here." Well, it wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't the complete truth. Sebastian nodded and stood there next to her, finishing up smoking.

"I feel that. I guess you just needed to get out huh?" Eve nodded, not saying anything once again. "Well, don't stay out too long. Since the festival is tomorrow, the older folks are gonna wake up at the buttcrack of dawn to finish setting up." Eve looked at him. She never really got to interact with him too much, not at all alone. Maybe he wasn't as aloof as she made him out to be.

"Thanks for the advice...hey, why are you here?" Sebastian looked down at her and shrugged.

"Needed air...we used to live in Zuzu too yah know? But when my mom remarried...him...we moved back here. Sometimes I just need to get away from all the people...I know there aren't a lot of people, but still...it feels like it's choking sometimes." he sighed and took one final drag from his cigarette before putting it out in the sand and disposing of it. "Why'd you leave the city? There is so much there compared to here." Eve smiled. She knew that answer now...it was loud and clear.

"This place...it's my hope...one last chance to make something of myself." she replied. "I need to make the best of it...because if I don't? Then that one hope is gone…" Sebastian wasn't sure how to reply to that. It certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"I'm not sure what that means...but you do you." he started to walk, but put his hand up as a farewell gesture. "Anyway, I'm going home. Night. Careful out there." Eve nodded at him and then looked back out to the sea.

"You too." she mumbled before letting her mind wander again. In truth...she was scared of going down that path again. She didn't want to think that ending her life was the best way out. She grabbed a handful of sand and let it drop back down. "I can't...no...I won't let this chance pass me. If I do, then what will Grandpas actions have been for?" She nodded to herself and got up, smiling. A new sense of resolve flowed through her, just as the breeze blew through her. It was then she let out a yawn. "I better get home…" As she left the beach, she could hear movement of people in the town square. She didn't want to get in the way, so she went back to the farm through the forest instead. Once home, she navigated through the trees and weeds to get back to her home. She looked at it and smiled.

"Just watch me...I'll make this place the best it's ever been…" she said as she entered the house. Tomorrow was a new day...a day full of possibilities and hope.

AN: I wrote that flashback literal years before this chapter went out, but it gave me goosebumps when I read it over. But seriously, seek help if you ever have those types of thoughts. It's important that everyone gets the help they need. Have a great day everyone! Thanks for reading.