Haru fell on the floor roughly, eyes wide. She shook a little bit as her father raised his fist, then stopped. “Feh, I’ve had enough of you. You’re no longer my daughter.” He went over to his desk and got out a couple documents then threw them at her. “You’re of no use to me any longer. Your father had an old plot of land in some tiny, back-water town called Stardew Valley. You have two days to pack. I’ll get you a bus ticket and you’ll go there. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. You’re too rebellious. You’ve brought shame on the family. All you have is yourself to blame.”

  ≈

  Haru jerked awake as the bus came to a sudden stop and she looked around. In her lap sat a small backpack with some outfits and a little bit of money. The one-way ticket she’d had had been taken from her at the bus station, so she didn’t even have that anymore. She was the last person on the bus which spoke to just how absolutely backwater this little town was. Pelican Town? She thought that was the name of it… She couldn’t remember though. Her father had just shoved the documents at her and forced her to leave on the one-way ticket. She had rebelled too much for him to control any longer, so he had no use for her anymore.

  She stepped off the bus and it drove away. She looked around a bit warily, glancing at the documents. She blinked in surprise when she saw a couple of people waiting there to greet her, though. A dark-skinned woman with cat-like ears that looked in her 30s or so and an older man, perhaps 40s. “Welcome!” the woman greeted cheerfully. “Welcome to Pelican Town!”

  “Um, who are you?” She looked around warily. She hadn’t told anybody that she was arriving… It wasn’t like she had any contacts in town. Had her father told them that she was coming? She really had no idea. “Did…Did my father call you?”

  The blue-haired man shook his head. “No. It’s not everyday someone buys a one-way ticket to Pelican Town. We got a call from the bus depot when someone had purchased one and a young girl had shown up. We couldn’t help but be a little worried.” He smiled at her. “You can’t be much older than my adopted daughter. How old are you?”

  “Um, nineteen…” She had to be of-age for her father to feel comfortable throwing her out of the house like this. If not, it would bring the wrath of the media down on him because she knew she could pull it. She didn’t have any contacts really, but she could still post online. It wouldn’t be hard to bring that down on him… Show up at a homeless shelter and have someone contact the local media. But now that she was of age… There wasn’t much she could do about it. She wasn’t sure if this would even get media coverage or not… She just had to deal with what came her way. She knew nothing about farming but it was what she’d have to do in order to make ends meet.

  “Yeah, you’re not too much older than Summer. I’m Rand Young, local carpenter. My wife, Leanne, is an anthropologist that’s interested in the more…supernatural side of the world. So where are you staying? We haven’t had anybody come through and look at apartments or anything recently…”

  “Oh, my father gave me the deed to my grandfather’s farm.” She produced the documents and showed them to the man and woman.

  The woman’s cat ears twitched. “Wait, your grandfather? He was the local farmer when I was a child. That plot of land has been unused for decades now… He moved away when he stopped producing his own ingredients. What’s that business called again…?”

  “Big Bang Burger. At one time, it was a business with all sorts of high-quality ingredients; now it’s just fast-food trash.” Haru frowned. She really hated what her father had done and become. Money had corrupted him absolutely. He had gone from loving and kind when her mother had been alive to becoming a workaholic for a few years, then just straight-up abusive. For the past several years, she’d simply been locked inside her room (barring when she snuck out). She’d been arranged to marry a man that was similar to her father but as the date had gotten closer and closer, she’d rebelled more and more until…this.

  The woman winced a bit, her ears going back. “I’m so sorry. Well, we can show you to the land and cottage that he owned. I can deal with the paperwork to make it yours legally speaking. If you’re here then…I’m guessing he died?”

  Haru gave a small nod. “Yes. He died when I was a young child.” It still hurt. It had definitely marked a bit of a change in her father’s moods, but not as bad as when her mother had died. She didn’t remember her grandfather very well other than his love of cultivating his own food if at all possible. She had helped him in his little indoor greenhouse extension as a young child before he’d died. She’d grown a love of gardening, but hadn’t been able to exercise that since he’d died… “What’s your name, ma’am?”

  “Oh, please, just call me Sienna; I’m the mayor, though I only took over a few months ago. Our previous mayor, Lewis, died unexpectedly so I took over.” Something about her tone said she didn’t exactly miss him. Had something happened with him? She wasn’t exactly sure, but it wasn’t like it was her place to really say anything. It wasn’t like this was her community at all… She was curious, but no, she couldn’t go poking her nose into the affairs of this tiny town she suddenly found herself in.

  “Okay…” It felt wrong to call someone like the mayor simply by name. But if she was someone that didn’t care, who was she to say anything?

  “Can you give me the paperwork? I’ll get it set up for you.” Sienna smiled, her eras twitching a little. Haru hesitated before handing the documents over. “Now, let’s get you to the cottage.” Haru nodded and they started walking. It was a pleasant spring day and she really was glad for that. She didn’t really have many clothes meant for going outside in winter long term. All of her clothes had to look good and be more fashionable than functional. She hated that so much. She was literally just a little doll for her father to dress up and parade around. She didn’t even have the money to go buy new clothes or anything like that. She only had five hundred gold on her… That wasn’t a lot of money.

  “Oh, also, after we show you the cabin, we can go to the store and I’ll get you a housewarming gift of some seeds.” Sienna smiled, her ears twitching a little bit. “I’m not sure how much money you have on you, but I’ll foot the bill for your first round.”

  Haru nodded. “Thank you; I appreciate it.” She bowed to Sienna who looked abashed when she came up.

  “Oh, don’t worry so much… You don’t have to be so formal around me or any of the members of Pelican Town. We’re living life just like you are. You’ll find most people around here helpful. Rand here can and will build anything you need of him while Summer runs our small-town shop. I’d avoid Joja if at all possible.” Sienna frowned. Joja… Oh, right. That was one of those large change stores.

  But Summer? “Rand’s daughter runs the store?”

  Rand shook his head. “There are two Summers in town: Summer Rose and my daughter, Summer Young. Once you’ve lived in town long enough, you should pick up on which one we’re talking about relatively easy. Summer Rose is stupidly talented and I’m not sure why she chose to move to a small town. She inherited the store from her uncle who got too old to run it anymore. Like seriously, woman is outright terrifying with how smart she is. There are similarities between the two, but Summer Rose hates nature while my daughter can and will be out in it as much as possible even in the snow. My daughter is intelligent in her own right and has an odd bond with the supernatural forces around here.”

  “You’re saying that like it’s common knowledge… There are no such thing as supernatural forces.” She had never heard anything about that in her entire life. Why would there be forces beyond what could be foretold by science? She hadn’t heard of anything like that before. Were these people superstitious country bumpkins or something? She was starting to doubt coming to this town…

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “You’ll see once you live here long enough. I promise.” Rand smiled. “But yes, if you need anything built like barns or coops or sheds or have the house expanded, just let me know. As long as you have the gold and materials, I can do anything you need to in a reasonable amount of time.”

  She frowned. “I have barely any money.” Five hundred gold really wasn’t a lot of money. Her father had given her enough to afford a few meals and that was it. She really wasn’t sure about any of this… She didn’t have groceries or anything like that. She really needed some ready meals or something.

  Rand gave her a sympathetic look. “Come on over to my place and we’ll get you fed. Summer Rose would probably also be willing to feed you until you get on your feet. She’s very hospitable.”

  Haru nodded a little bit. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” She couldn’t help but be appreciative. She was a stranger and they were acting like she’d lived here all her life. She really was glad that the people around here did seem to be kind. She needed to be able to eat but if she didn’t have any food, she would starve relatively quickly.

  “It’s really no trouble. We live in the mountains to the north of town. Now come on; let’s get you to see that old cottage.” He smiled and started leading the way.

  The walk was relatively quiet and Haru remained silent, not sure at all what to say to these people. They were being extremely kind, but she couldn’t help but be a little wary. Her father had warned her that people outside of the family would attempt to use her for her connections to Big Bang Burger and how profitable the company was. She had outright told them and it seemed like they weren’t attempting to take advantage of her… Of course, time would tell. Plus, it wouldn’t do any good anyway. She had been completely cut off from her riches and had only the small backpack, couple of outfits, and the money her father had given her. She was glad that these people didn’t seem like they had ill intents… Again, though, time would tell.

  They made their way to a plot of land to the west of the bus stop and Haru sighed when she saw how in disrepair it was. Trees, grass, sticks, bushes, and saplings grew everywhere. It had clearly not been used for a very long time. As if sensing her distress, Sienna looked over at her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not pretty now, but it’s not like you have to clean all of it up immediately. Just clear off what you need little by little. You don’t have to do everything all at once.”

  “That is true, I suppose.” She was just so used to having to do everything at once. This was a massive project and would take a fair bit of time to do. Plus, it wasn’t like she was the physically strongest person in the world. She’d never used an axe or anything like that before. She was about as dainty as a girl could get.

  Sienna motioned over to the small, well-loved cottage and a large bin. “There’s the cottage and a shipping bin as well. Just take whatever you want to sell and put it in the bin. I’ll come by during the night and leave some money for you. Does that sound good? From what Lewis said, it’s what your grandfather would do.”

  Haru nodded. “Okay.”

  “Also, you should find your grandfather’s tools inside the cottage. It hasn’t been used in probably close to two decades, so you’ll probably have to do some cleaning… Want to go look?” Sienna asked.

  “Might as well.” Haru followed her inside and clicked the lights on, a swirl of dust causing Haru to cough. Yeah, this place was definitely in need of some cleaning. There was a bed, but she wasn’t sure how well the mattress had held up to time. When she got the chance, she’d need to go to the city and get one…

  She frowned.

  “Wait, how am I supposed to get to the city if I need anything? I don’t have a driver’s license or a car…” She had never been allowed to drive just because it would give her independence and her father couldn’t have that. She wasn’t used to doing much of anything by herself. This new life would definitely put a bit of a strain on her. She was already struggling to deal with the concept of living on her own and having to deal with her own farm. But without a car, she couldn’t get necessities from the city. She wasn’t sure if this little town could really offer her much in terms of what she needed. She was so used to having everything provided for her without worry to money that she really didn’t know how to handle this.

  “Most people around here have cars to get to Zuzu City,” Rand said. “I have a flat-bed truck, so if you ever need large items from the city, we can go and get them that way. But you said you don’t have a lot in the first place… What were you thinking about needing?”

  “A mattress would probably be a good place to start… I probably won’t have enough for one though.” She honestly didn’t really have any idea how much things cost. She was used to living in the lap of luxury, not this dilapidated little cottage. She wouldn’t complain; she could’ve ended up on the streets with nothing. This was better than nothing. She wasn’t trying to complain but the mattress would probably be pretty bad to sleep on… She just wanted something comfortable to lay on.

  “Actually, we have an extra one that I could give you. It’s only a twin size, but considering everything, it’ll probably do you just fine.” Rand smiled.

  “Thank you…” Haru really wanted to believe the best of these people and she hoped that they wouldn’t try to take advantage of her. The fact that she had basically no money was really difficult. She had no idea how to budget or anything like that. She’d never had to worry about money in her life before this. So the fact they were at least trying to help her… She couldn’t help but be grateful.

  “I’ll bring it over to you while you head with Sienna into town to pick up some seeds. Sound good? And I’ll start cleaning up in here for you.”

  “I truly appreciate it.” Haru bowed again, unable to hide her gratitude. The fact that these people were going out of their way to help a complete and absolute stranger… She really was grateful. The people of the town seemed incredibly kind if this was anything to go off of. She hoped that wouldn’t change. Granted, she knew how small towns could be and often were. They were closed-minded and wouldn’t allow new people into their fold. She hoped that wouldn’t be the case here… She just wanted to live somewhere and exist where she wouldn’t be abused. People could be so cruel. How her father had been so loving and gentle at one time then gone to abusive still boggled her mind… He’d changed over time but still… She just… She wished her mother had never died.

  “Let’s go then.” Sienna smiled and her ears twitched a bit. However, she looked up to the sky when a strange shadow flew over them. It was definitely larger than any sort of bird Haru had seen in her life…not that she had seen many birds aside from what she could see from her window.

  And distinctly human shaped.

  The figure landed in front of them. It was a gorgeous woman with striking green eyes and long, blonde hair dressed in business casual. Her wings looked like that of a snowy owl, white with black banding on it. “Oh, Lady Raftina, I wasn’t expecting to see you here today,” Sienna said.

  “I could hear you guys talking at the bus stop and couldn’t help but worry. A young girl without anyone to help her out? That’s…not good.” The woman frowned. Raftina was her name apparently. What a strange one at that. She had never heard anything like it before. It sounded otherworldly almost. And what was with the ‘lady’ title? It was as if she’d stepped out of book or something. The woman was inhumanly beautiful and looked almost like a legitimate goddess. Plus, heard them? Haru hadn’t seen or sensed anybody else around the bus stop… What was going on here?

  “I have Rand and Sienna offering to help me. I think I should be fine.” Haru smiled as best she could. “I’m Haru Okumura.”

  “Raftina Adlehyde. I’m… Well. Let’s just say I’m not really native to this land and I’ve been here for a while.” She barely looked a day over 25… How long could she have been here if she wasn’t native? None of this was adding up… She was so confused.

  “How did you hear us if you were nowhere near the bus stop?” Haru couldn’t quite stop her curiosity here. If she’d been near the bus stop, why not come out and say something? Why come flying in and scare the heck out of Haru? Sienna seemed relatively at ease with Raftina’s presence… It was odd. She really had no idea who any of these people were or what they were looking for. She just wanted to take care of her seeds and start getting the farmland cleaned up. This place was in desperate need of cleaning… Not to mention how dusty the farmhouse was. Rand had already disappeared.

  “We’ll just save that for a later time. If you need anything from me, feel free to stop by the tower in the forest. Morty might not be the happiest about having uninvited company, but I won’t mind.” Raftina smiled. This woman was definitely on the chipper side of things. However, Haru noticed the smiles didn’t really reach her eyes… She was clearly putting on a mask of some sort. She was definitely difficult to read, but Haru had been around enough fake people to know when someone was faking things. Her offers seemed genuine, but she was definitely holding back quite a lot. “You’re going into town, right? I need to pick up some things from Summer.”

  “All right. Come on with us then.” Sienna smiled. “Let’s go.” With that said and done, the trio of women started walking off. Haru still wasn’t sure about anything to do with this, but all she could do was trust in the people of Pelican Town to hopefully be gracious hosts and allow her into their fold…