"Mayor Oscar, I demand an explanation right now!"


the boy yelled firmly, banging his fist onto the desk. His eyebrows were narrowed as he glared at the short, chubby man in front of him. The fat guy was actually the town's mayor, even though he looked like someone out of a kid's cartoon. He had brown hair, that balded in the middle and a ridiculously huge mustache. He sank down in his seat as he bore a nervous smile, sweating and trembling at the fury of the boy that stood before him.


I, on the other hand, just sat in my chair blankly, too tired and confused to say anything



After that, cough, little incident, we were pretty much shouting at each other comically, as if we were mad, headless chickens or something. Then, we regained our common sense and decided that it was best to get to the bottom of this and go visit the Mayor, who was in charge of mostly everything, including property.


This was so weird... the farm's weird, the tiny little Mayor's weird...


My life's officially weird.


I think I just can't get over the fact that I got traumatized by a semi-naked boy.


Mayor Oscar coughed, shifting his roud specs a bit, trying to avoid the gaze of what's-his-name.



"Erm, well, I sorta... can explain."


"You better!" he warned and the Mayor cringed again.



"Ah, well, why don't you take a seat and calm down, my boy?" the short man guestured to the chair beside me.



The boy rolled his eyes and sat down reluctantly with a huff. He crossed his arms and waited for an explanation.


"Ermmm.... so, you're Juliet Williams, am I correct?" the little man asked, looking straight at me. I nodded in response and he a frown emerged on his chubby face



"I knew this would happen eventually," I could hear him mumble under his breath.


I raised an eyebrow and he cleared his throat.



"Ahem, well, I should probably get this down clear... Erm well, you see, it so happens that both of you," He paused you look at both of us for a breif moment and continued again, "Have both purchased the farm. However, indivisually."



"So, we both paid for the farm?" I opened my mouth for the first time and asked, tilting my head slightly.



"But who owns the farm? We can't possibly both own it! I never saw this person in my life!" the boy outbursted, pointing at me.


"And how the hell did we ended up buying the same farm?" I added, ignoring the boy's rudeness.



"I havn't finished yet," Mayor Oscar said, raising his gloved hand. "You see... Errr... well, it is kinda my fault you both got into this situation..." He began guiltily, look down and kicking his legs out like a child. "Actually, Matthew--"





"IT'S MATT."




"Erm, right. Actually, Matt," he pointed to the boy, "bought the farm first." He then pointed to me with his other finger. "But then, A highclass lady and businessman who came to town about a few days later, saw the farm and wanted to buy it. I didn't really have the heart to reject them... or their handsome amount of money, which was at least thrice the amount of what Matthew paid. So... ermm... yeah."


The boy, who I assume was named Matthew, or Matt, or Mattie, or whatever, stared at him in disbelif. I stared too.


"SO YOU JUST TOOK BOTH OF OUR MONEY WITHOUT THINKING?!" Matt and I screamed at him, nearly bursting a vein. We stood up and leaned in forward, making him shrink back into his chair.


"..Yes..." He squeaked in a small voice.


NOW, I was mad!


"How could you do that!!"


"I can't believe you!!"


".. Well, it was a lot of money.." Oscar said reluctantly, twidling his thumbs, half afraid that we would both pummel him to death at any second.


This little man was REALLY testing my paitience!


"So, what are you gonna do about it, buddy?" Matt gritted his teeth in frustration. "Knowing you, I doubt you can return either of us the money, cos' you already spent it!!"


"Ha-ha... about that..." He laughed nervously, signalling that it was true.


"Ermm... well, I could always save up and return either of you the money... but one of you will have to leave..."


Both of us looked at him and back away, thinking about this.


I... could go back? To New York?


I thought about it hard, rocking my brain. I could, couldn't I? This was the perfect reason to not move. I could go back to how I used to live. In the busy city, partying the day and night away.



But... was that really what I wanted, I thought, shutting my eyes.


Suddenly, I remembered the first time I saw this sweet little town. How it managed to lift off the burden off my shoulders and kill off all my stress just by being here. I remembered how happy I was, thinking that I could start afresh. How nice it would be start again in a new town where no one knew my name...



No. I'm not moving. I want to stay in Mayflower Town.



"I'm not moving," I said, but to my astonishment, the boy said the excat same thing at the same time!


So he wants to stay too?


I looked at him and he looked back.


Our faces said the same thing; 'I'm not backing down.'


"Err... hmm.. Oh dear. Hmm... Matt did pay for the farm first... then again, Juliet paid more... Then... there is ONE solution." Oscar muttered, scratching his face. He crossed his short legs and clasped his hands together.


"You two could share the farm!"


"...Say whut?"


"Think about it! Two people = half of the farm work!! Also, since it's my mistake, I'll make sure you two get a horse, FOC!! (Free of charge)"


I thought about it... Hmm... Half of the farm work... sounds tempting...

But do I really wanna living with this weird dude for who-knows-how-long??

He seemed to be a bit rash and for god's sake, HE SLEEPS IN HIS UNDERWEAR.

I glanced over at him and he seemed to be thinking too.

Finally, he said, "Can you really get us a horse?"

Mayor Oscar shrugged, his mustache twitching. "I could try."

Matt grinned, "Sweet!"

Oscar looked over at me and I shrugged. Then, I grinned.


"But you have to pay for all of our electricity and water bills." I said, the evil grin on my face. "As long as we live here."


"W-what?!" The mayor gasped in horror.


"Hey, because of YOU, I HAD TO SEE SOMEONE IN HIS BIRTHDAY SUITE. I COULD'VE BEEN SCARRED FOR LIFE IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT ONE SINGLE PIECE OF CLOTHING!" I whined dramatically, putting the back of my hand onto my forehead, pretending to be on the verge of fainting. "And.... there's the fact that what you did was a crime.... We could always, ALWAYS go to the police to settle this matter..."


"Hey!!" Matt looked offended as he glared at my dramatic bluff with his bright blue eyes slightly. "What do you mean, 'scarred for life'?!"


"So, go, or no go?" I asked, returning back to normal status in a blink of an eye.



Oscar heaved a sigh, his mustache seemed to droop in defeat along with his shoulders.



"Fine..."


"WHOO! I rock!" I cheered, swinging my hands in the air, walking out the door of the Mayor's cottage, AKA, his office.


I feel rather high right now... I think it's an after effect of sleep for more than five hours on a ship. While standing up.


"So, I guess you'll be living with me then..." I looked over at the person next to me. He stood next to me, hands behind his head. He looked at me as if I had an octopus dancing on my head, but I ignored him and his imagination.


"Yes, yes, Matthew."

His left eyebrow twitched and he turned to me, slowly, like a rusted robot.

"Don't.Call.Me.Matthew." He said hotly, as if on the verge of exploding.

I realised that he had some weird problem with being called Matthew. I grinned cheekily as I chimed innocently, "Why not, Matthew? That is your name, right? Matthew, Matthew, Matthew~!"

He twitched some more, and he looked as if he was on the verge of attacking.

"Ooooh, are you gonna jump at me? I'm so scared~!" I sang in pretend fright, laughing at how annoyed he was.

It was actually kinda cute.

Suddenly, he smirked, and rolled his bright blue eyes, putting his hands back to the back of his head. "Whatever, JU-LIE~" he sang back in the same tone, walking off in a random direction.

"What Julie?! Hey, don't leave me here!!" I darted off in the same way he was going, trying to catch up with that cheeky little brat.

He stuck out his tongue at me, and I glared, a pout on my lips.

I take back that 'cute' part.

"Idiot... I was only playing, you don't have to get all huffy. If you don't like 'Matthew', I'll call you 'Mattie!'"

"...What the hell? MATTIE?! Sounds like something you'd call a hamster or something!!"

"I think it sounds cute."

"Well, I think it sounds horrible."

"Sure.... Well... what do you want to do now?" I asked.

"Slack." He answered in one word.

"... I can see how the farm got to that condition." I said, now seeing the light.

"Hey! It was already like that when I got here, okay! Don't judge me until you know me. Which, of course you don't."

"Right.... well, is there a convince store anywhere? Maybe we could get some stuff to help in our work."

He rubbed his chin in thought. "Yeah. There's one just down this path."

"Great!" I chirped happily, skipping forward. "Well, let's get to it, Mattie!" I strained his nickname on purpose.

He cringed, rolled his eyes and followed suit, replying,

"Right back at you, Julie."






Friday came by faster than I thought.

I soon found myself at the departing place, more ready than I ever thought I'd be. The strong, salty, yet somewhat comforting smell of the ocean flooded my nose as I made my way towards the dock, tugging along my big suitcase, which thankfully, had wheels at the bottom.

Pulling along my suitcase, I handed my crumpled ticket to the ticket-collector and gingerly climbed up the thick wooden plank that was wedged between the dock and the entrance of the ferry.

I gazed upon New York as I leaned against the metal railing that prevented people from falling over the edge. I could see thick grey smoke coming out of the chimney of factories and tall, high-rising buildings that were probably only going to get higher.

Will I miss this place when I'm gone? I wondered.

Would I miss the sound of zooming cars and honking horns?

Would I miss the loud chattering of strangers on their cellphones?

Would I miss the giggling and laughing children that often came by the nearby park?

I closed my eyes and laid my chin on the steel railing. A breeze drifted by and soothed me.


... Would... I... miss... him?


"REACHING MAYFLOWER TOWN IN 5 MINUTES!! IF THIS IS YOUR DESTINATION, ALL PASSENGERS TO GET READY IMMEDIATELY!"

A loud, ear-piecing horn blew and I jerked my head up, startled. We were here already?

I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and found myself on a chair. I must've dozed off accidentally.

I yawned a bit and looked around for my suitcase. Where did I put it now...?

"Ah, shoot..." I mumbled to myself. It would be disastrous if I had lost it.

"Excuse me miss," someone said and I looked up. It was a guy in a uniform with a polite smile on his face, perhaps one of the workers here.

"Is this yours?" he asked, pointing to the suitcase at his feet.

"Oh, yes! Yes it is. Thank you." I said, slightly surprised. "I was wondering where it went off to."

"It must have slid off over there, because that's where I found it,"the guy told me, pointing off to the left. "Ferry rides can be quite bumpy because of the unruly waves, you know."

"Yeah... the sea is quite unpredictable." I agreed, nodding.

"So, are you heading to Mayflower Town?"

I blinked at him at the sudden question. He looked embarrassed for a moment and shook his head.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be so nosy." he laughed nervously and waved his hand. "My bad."

"No, no." I quickly said, smiling. "It's alright. I don't think you're being nosy. Yeah, I am."

He looked at me, relief on his face.

"Really? Most people usually take this ferry to get to the more popular Ruby Island. Is this your first time going there? Are you a tourist?"

"Not really.. well, it is my first time going there... but I'm going to sort of live there." I muttered. It was weird saying that I was going to live in a place where I had never been before.

"Oh. Tired of city life? Well, I suppose everyone wants a new life every now and then." A big smile spread across his face.

Suddenly, the horn I heard earlier blew again and the guy looked panicky. "That's my que! I better go back and help. It was nice meeting you, miss! I wish you luck on your new life!" He nodded one last time before scrambling off.

"Yeah... a new life..." I said softly, looking down.

I smiled.

Before I knew it, the ship set shore and I got ready to get off the ferry.

I took a look around me, at the beach that I was setting foot on for the first time in my life.

The beach was small, but very clean. The light yellow sand was filled with colorful seashells of different shapes and sizes scattered here and there and not a sight of rubbish was to be found, compared to the beach back home, which was rather polluted.

It was a sudden, but nonetheless, nice change.

I found a staircase that lead the way to town and I slowly struggled to drag my heavy suitcase up.

"Stupid, if I knew I was gonna have to go through this, I wouldn't have bought so much clothes..." I grumbled under my breath.

When I finally managed to climb up the stairs, however, what greeted my view was so much more different than what I was used to.


In place of those grand, tall, buildings that towered and covered the gray clouds above, there were these small, short cottages, that were just big enough for 3 to 6 people to live in. They were old looking, yet stood strong and I could actually see the sky, which was also different. Instead of being filled with dark clouds, it was painted a soft baby blue color that matched the calming atmosphere of the rest of the town. The roads were made of some kind of red-colored brick and were slightly bumpy. They were more designed for walking then for driving. In fact, I couldn't see a single car in sight.

And... Grass.

Patches of green invaded most of the land, outside of the rough gray roads. They gave out a sweet, minty fresh scent that drifted through the cool air.


It felt fresh. New. Cooling . Calming. Like after a heavy rain.


I loved it.

"Hey, miss, are you okay?" a deep voice asked as hands reached out for me.

"S-SCREW OFF!" I yelled, my own voice slurring. I slapped the hands away harshly as I swayed to the side, nearly falling over.
I could feel his stares on me as I stomped off blindly in a random direction. The guy probably wondered what he did wrong to tick me off so badly. Well, it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help being born the same gender as that bastard.

An image of him popped up again and I cringed, gritting my teeth together. Shit! After all that alcohol I consumed to just forget about him too!

"GET OUT!" I screamed, shaking my head frantically, my already messy Blond hair flying into my face. I didn't care that I probably looked like someone who just escaped from the nearest mental hospital. Neither did I give a damn that it was staring to drizzle.

The cold water droplets plopping down on me irritated me even more. My tantrum attracted stares from a girl and boy passing by. Through my blurred vision, I could see them sharing an umbrella over their heads, looking snug and cosy as they held hands together.

Lovebirds. Disgusting.

"What are you looking at?!" I hissed fiercely and they scurried away in fright and confusion. In reality, I was way more frightened and confused then they were.

Amazingly, I managed to find my way back to my apartment, where I slammed open the door and headed straight for my welcoming bed. I fell onto the sheets, burying my face into them.

I felt horrible. So miserable, so restless, so heartbroken... so used.

I could feel my eyes watering up but I held back my tears as I gripped onto my blanket tighter.

No, I refuse to cry for him.
He wasn't worth it... he was never worth it... I was so stupid to believe we would be together forever. What did I expect from him? That he was some prince charming from a fairytale book?

I couldn't believe that I was such an idiot to fall for such a slime ball...

I hate his voice, his eyes, his smile, his face, his everything!

I hate him.
I hate him.
I HATE HIM.

Another frustrated scream erupted from me and I couldn't take it anymore; the tears started to stream down my cheeks like mini waterfalls and I hiccuped, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

Does God hate me that much...?

I just sat there on my bed for a good half hour, letting it all out.
I wiped the last tear with the back of my hand and sniffed, feeling much better.

I stood up, making my way to the bathroom. The white light flicked and bathed the tiled room in a bright glow.

Standing in front of the sink, I splashed the water onto my face. I looked up into the circular mirror in front of me and came face to face with a very messed-up girl. There were already bags under my sore red eyes and even my nose was a light pink colour. My hair looked like a rain forest, as if I never brushed it for a whole week. It wasn't much of a mystery why everyone was staring at me earlier. I looked like I just got run down by a train.

I grabbed the brush laying on the sink and gave my hair a good combing.
I couldn't help but wonder why he went and did such a thing to me.

Did I deserve to be punished in such a cruel way? To have my heart ripped from my chest and stomped on? Was I that bad of a person?

I flicked on the radio and plopped back onto my bed, the tunes calming me down a little. I felt so much better than I did a little while ago.
So stupid. I felt like the love-sick female lead in a Korean drama who just got dumped by her true love.

But I guess that wouldn't be that bad if he had just dumped me... he had the guts to do much worse than that.

I flopped over onto my stomach and exhaled deeply. My gaze wandered to my nearby desk and I stared at the papers scattered untidily on it. A yellow envelope caught my eye and I wondered why I couldn't remember seeing it before.

I got up lazily and went over to the wooden desk. I scooped up the envelope with my fingers and scanned the address written on it. I was slightly surprised to find that it was from my parents.

My parents were living in another country, far away from New York City, where I currently live in. I could not even guess where they were, maybe in Paris or China or something.. I just knew that it was far away. It was all because of their jobs as Businessmen. At first I was dead lonely without them, but I guess I learnt to live life without them, though, they still pay my monthly rent. But besides money, what else could they possibly send me a letter for?

I sat down onto my bed, tore open the yellow paper and fished out the letter inside.

I began to read it.

Dear Juliet,

How are you doing sweetie? Are you eating well? Brushing your teeth regularly? Mummy and Daddy are currently in India to attend a very important meeting.

Before we flew to India, we were visiting a small town called 'Mayflower Town' near the countryside.

We were impressed at the nature there, it was truly a beautiful sight to hold, unlike New York, which is pretty much hustle and bustle all the time.
You're probably wondering why we sent you a letter telling you about our little trip and why does it concern you.
Well, darling, I'm actually quite excited to say that it does involve you a whole lot. While in Mayflower Town, we discovered this very charming farm that was up for sale! And the price wasn't bad either! You can plant crops... take of animals... and meet lots of country folk! Doesn't that sound refreshing?

Mummy and Daddy thought that it was such a good idea for someone such as you to live on the farm that we purchased it before we went off for India. And the farm is now yours, and only yours. (Plus, we don't have to send you rent money every month!)

We know this might come as a shock to you, but believe me, we are very serious about this. We want you to gain some lessons in life.
Juliet honey, I don't know what reaction you might have when you read this letter, but negative or positive, you don't really have much of a choice in this matter.

There's a ticket inside the envelope for a ferry that leaves on Friday at 1:30 in the afternoon! I suggest you better pack your stuff as quickly as possible and get everything ready for your big moving day!
Love ya lots, sweetie!

-Hugs and kisses, Mummy and Daddy xoxoxox

As I read it silently, I grew from blank to surprised to shocked to horrified.... then to blank again.

This... this must be a joke right?

I shook the envelope in my right hand and a ferry ticket fell out onto my lap.

That was when I realized that they were serious.
I groaned loudly and fell backwards onto my back again, squeezing my eyes shut.

I already had enough problems to deal with! Why must my parents go ahead and make things worst?

And who does that? Moving their daughter to a farm in a place she's never been to before? That's just strange and uncommon and maybe a tad bit unrealistic. What a crazy thing to do.

I didn't know what to think about this new found problem. I didn't have much of a life here anyway, to begin with. I worked at a small coffee house that was tucked in a small corner of town and I didn't have many friends. Also, right now, I didn't have much of a love life either.

On the bright side, I thought, at least I won't get to see his stupid face again.

Maybe this was supposed to happen after all... Being forced to move to a strange place after getting my heart broken in order to save my sanity.

I guess God's got my life pretty much planned out.

I crumpled the ferry ticket that I had in my hand and laid my head down on my fluffy pillow, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep.

The tears rolled down her face as she stood there, frozen. Cold from shock.

What could she possibly say after seeing the red-haired beauty with her hands thrown around her lover's neck?

"H-how could you...?" was the only thing that came out of her quivering mouth.

"WAIT! It's not what you think!" he denies, pushing off the red-haired girl and reaching out for her.

"HOW COULD YOU!" she screamed, slapping away his inviting hand harshly. She whipped around and ran, never wanting to see his face again.

She had trusted him. She had always loved him. She never knew that it could have turned out this way. He had broken Her.

That night, a girl ran away from her lover.

Would this girl ever love again?

Only time would tell.

"Mayor Oscar, I demand an explanation right now!"


the boy yelled firmly, banging his fist onto the desk. His eyebrows were narrowed as he glared at the short, chubby man in front of him. The fat guy was actually the town's mayor, even though he looked like someone out of a kid's cartoon. He had brown hair, that balded in the middle and a ridiculously huge mustache. He sank down in his seat as he bore a nervous smile, sweating and trembling at the fury of the boy that stood before him.


I, on the other hand, just sat in my chair blankly, too tired and confused to say anything



After that, cough, little incident, we were pretty much shouting at each other comically, as if we were mad, headless chickens or something. Then, we regained our common sense and decided that it was best to get to the bottom of this and go visit the Mayor, who was in charge of mostly everything, including property.


This was so weird... the farm's weird, the tiny little Mayor's weird...


My life's officially weird.


I think I just can't get over the fact that I got traumatized by a semi-naked boy.


Mayor Oscar coughed, shifting his roud specs a bit, trying to avoid the gaze of what's-his-name.



"Erm, well, I sorta... can explain."


"You better!" he warned and the Mayor cringed again.



"Ah, well, why don't you take a seat and calm down, my boy?" the short man guestured to the chair beside me.



The boy rolled his eyes and sat down reluctantly with a huff. He crossed his arms and waited for an explanation.


"Ermmm.... so, you're Juliet Williams, am I correct?" the little man asked, looking straight at me. I nodded in response and he a frown emerged on his chubby face



"I knew this would happen eventually," I could hear him mumble under his breath.


I raised an eyebrow and he cleared his throat.



"Ahem, well, I should probably get this down clear... Erm well, you see, it so happens that both of you," He paused you look at both of us for a breif moment and continued again, "Have both purchased the farm. However, indivisually."



"So, we both paid for the farm?" I opened my mouth for the first time and asked, tilting my head slightly.



"But who owns the farm? We can't possibly both own it! I never saw this person in my life!" the boy outbursted, pointing at me.


"And how the hell did we ended up buying the same farm?" I added, ignoring the boy's rudeness.



"I havn't finished yet," Mayor Oscar said, raising his gloved hand. "You see... Errr... well, it is kinda my fault you both got into this situation..." He began guiltily, look down and kicking his legs out like a child. "Actually, Matthew--"





"IT'S MATT."




"Erm, right. Actually, Matt," he pointed to the boy, "bought the farm first." He then pointed to me with his other finger. "But then, A highclass lady and businessman who came to town about a few days later, saw the farm and wanted to buy it. I didn't really have the heart to reject them... or their handsome amount of money, which was at least thrice the amount of what Matthew paid. So... ermm... yeah."


The boy, who I assume was named Matthew, or Matt, or Mattie, or whatever, stared at him in disbelif. I stared too.


"SO YOU JUST TOOK BOTH OF OUR MONEY WITHOUT THINKING?!" Matt and I screamed at him, nearly bursting a vein. We stood up and leaned in forward, making him shrink back into his chair.


"..Yes..." He squeaked in a small voice.


NOW, I was mad!


"How could you do that!!"


"I can't believe you!!"


".. Well, it was a lot of money.." Oscar said reluctantly, twidling his thumbs, half afraid that we would both pummel him to death at any second.


This little man was REALLY testing my paitience!


"So, what are you gonna do about it, buddy?" Matt gritted his teeth in frustration. "Knowing you, I doubt you can return either of us the money, cos' you already spent it!!"


"Ha-ha... about that..." He laughed nervously, signalling that it was true.


"Ermm... well, I could always save up and return either of you the money... but one of you will have to leave..."


Both of us looked at him and back away, thinking about this.


I... could go back? To New York?


I thought about it hard, rocking my brain. I could, couldn't I? This was the perfect reason to not move. I could go back to how I used to live. In the busy city, partying the day and night away.



But... was that really what I wanted, I thought, shutting my eyes.


Suddenly, I remembered the first time I saw this sweet little town. How it managed to lift off the burden off my shoulders and kill off all my stress just by being here. I remembered how happy I was, thinking that I could start afresh. How nice it would be start again in a new town where no one knew my name...



No. I'm not moving. I want to stay in Mayflower Town.



"I'm not moving," I said, but to my astonishment, the boy said the excat same thing at the same time!


So he wants to stay too?


I looked at him and he looked back.


Our faces said the same thing; 'I'm not backing down.'


"Err... hmm.. Oh dear. Hmm... Matt did pay for the farm first... then again, Juliet paid more... Then... there is ONE solution." Oscar muttered, scratching his face. He crossed his short legs and clasped his hands together.


"You two could share the farm!"


"...Say whut?"


"Think about it! Two people = half of the farm work!! Also, since it's my mistake, I'll make sure you two get a horse, FOC!! (Free of charge)"


I thought about it... Hmm... Half of the farm work... sounds tempting...

But do I really wanna living with this weird dude for who-knows-how-long??

He seemed to be a bit rash and for god's sake, HE SLEEPS IN HIS UNDERWEAR.

I glanced over at him and he seemed to be thinking too.

Finally, he said, "Can you really get us a horse?"

Mayor Oscar shrugged, his mustache twitching. "I could try."

Matt grinned, "Sweet!"

Oscar looked over at me and I shrugged. Then, I grinned.


"But you have to pay for all of our electricity and water bills." I said, the evil grin on my face. "As long as we live here."


"W-what?!" The mayor gasped in horror.


"Hey, because of YOU, I HAD TO SEE SOMEONE IN HIS BIRTHDAY SUITE. I COULD'VE BEEN SCARRED FOR LIFE IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT ONE SINGLE PIECE OF CLOTHING!" I whined dramatically, putting the back of my hand onto my forehead, pretending to be on the verge of fainting. "And.... there's the fact that what you did was a crime.... We could always, ALWAYS go to the police to settle this matter..."


"Hey!!" Matt looked offended as he glared at my dramatic bluff with his bright blue eyes slightly. "What do you mean, 'scarred for life'?!"


"So, go, or no go?" I asked, returning back to normal status in a blink of an eye.



Oscar heaved a sigh, his mustache seemed to droop in defeat along with his shoulders.



"Fine..."


"WHOO! I rock!" I cheered, swinging my hands in the air, walking out the door of the Mayor's cottage, AKA, his office.


I feel rather high right now... I think it's an after effect of sleep for more than five hours on a ship. While standing up.


"So, I guess you'll be living with me then..." I looked over at the person next to me. He stood next to me, hands behind his head. He looked at me as if I had an octopus dancing on my head, but I ignored him and his imagination.


"Yes, yes, Matthew."

His left eyebrow twitched and he turned to me, slowly, like a rusted robot.

"Don't.Call.Me.Matthew." He said hotly, as if on the verge of exploding.

I realised that he had some weird problem with being called Matthew. I grinned cheekily as I chimed innocently, "Why not, Matthew? That is your name, right? Matthew, Matthew, Matthew~!"

He twitched some more, and he looked as if he was on the verge of attacking.

"Ooooh, are you gonna jump at me? I'm so scared~!" I sang in pretend fright, laughing at how annoyed he was.

It was actually kinda cute.

Suddenly, he smirked, and rolled his bright blue eyes, putting his hands back to the back of his head. "Whatever, JU-LIE~" he sang back in the same tone, walking off in a random direction.

"What Julie?! Hey, don't leave me here!!" I darted off in the same way he was going, trying to catch up with that cheeky little brat.

He stuck out his tongue at me, and I glared, a pout on my lips.

I take back that 'cute' part.

"Idiot... I was only playing, you don't have to get all huffy. If you don't like 'Matthew', I'll call you 'Mattie!'"

"...What the hell? MATTIE?! Sounds like something you'd call a hamster or something!!"

"I think it sounds cute."

"Well, I think it sounds horrible."

"Sure.... Well... what do you want to do now?" I asked.

"Slack." He answered in one word.

"... I can see how the farm got to that condition." I said, now seeing the light.

"Hey! It was already like that when I got here, okay! Don't judge me until you know me. Which, of course you don't."

"Right.... well, is there a convince store anywhere? Maybe we could get some stuff to help in our work."

He rubbed his chin in thought. "Yeah. There's one just down this path."

"Great!" I chirped happily, skipping forward. "Well, let's get to it, Mattie!" I strained his nickname on purpose.

He cringed, rolled his eyes and followed suit, replying,

"Right back at you, Julie."






Friday came by faster than I thought.

I soon found myself at the departing place, more ready than I ever thought I'd be. The strong, salty, yet somewhat comforting smell of the ocean flooded my nose as I made my way towards the dock, tugging along my big suitcase, which thankfully, had wheels at the bottom.

Pulling along my suitcase, I handed my crumpled ticket to the ticket-collector and gingerly climbed up the thick wooden plank that was wedged between the dock and the entrance of the ferry.

I gazed upon New York as I leaned against the metal railing that prevented people from falling over the edge. I could see thick grey smoke coming out of the chimney of factories and tall, high-rising buildings that were probably only going to get higher.

Will I miss this place when I'm gone? I wondered.

Would I miss the sound of zooming cars and honking horns?

Would I miss the loud chattering of strangers on their cellphones?

Would I miss the giggling and laughing children that often came by the nearby park?

I closed my eyes and laid my chin on the steel railing. A breeze drifted by and soothed me.


... Would... I... miss... him?


"REACHING MAYFLOWER TOWN IN 5 MINUTES!! IF THIS IS YOUR DESTINATION, ALL PASSENGERS TO GET READY IMMEDIATELY!"

A loud, ear-piecing horn blew and I jerked my head up, startled. We were here already?

I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and found myself on a chair. I must've dozed off accidentally.

I yawned a bit and looked around for my suitcase. Where did I put it now...?

"Ah, shoot..." I mumbled to myself. It would be disastrous if I had lost it.

"Excuse me miss," someone said and I looked up. It was a guy in a uniform with a polite smile on his face, perhaps one of the workers here.

"Is this yours?" he asked, pointing to the suitcase at his feet.

"Oh, yes! Yes it is. Thank you." I said, slightly surprised. "I was wondering where it went off to."

"It must have slid off over there, because that's where I found it,"the guy told me, pointing off to the left. "Ferry rides can be quite bumpy because of the unruly waves, you know."

"Yeah... the sea is quite unpredictable." I agreed, nodding.

"So, are you heading to Mayflower Town?"

I blinked at him at the sudden question. He looked embarrassed for a moment and shook his head.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be so nosy." he laughed nervously and waved his hand. "My bad."

"No, no." I quickly said, smiling. "It's alright. I don't think you're being nosy. Yeah, I am."

He looked at me, relief on his face.

"Really? Most people usually take this ferry to get to the more popular Ruby Island. Is this your first time going there? Are you a tourist?"

"Not really.. well, it is my first time going there... but I'm going to sort of live there." I muttered. It was weird saying that I was going to live in a place where I had never been before.

"Oh. Tired of city life? Well, I suppose everyone wants a new life every now and then." A big smile spread across his face.

Suddenly, the horn I heard earlier blew again and the guy looked panicky. "That's my que! I better go back and help. It was nice meeting you, miss! I wish you luck on your new life!" He nodded one last time before scrambling off.

"Yeah... a new life..." I said softly, looking down.

I smiled.

Before I knew it, the ship set shore and I got ready to get off the ferry.

I took a look around me, at the beach that I was setting foot on for the first time in my life.

The beach was small, but very clean. The light yellow sand was filled with colorful seashells of different shapes and sizes scattered here and there and not a sight of rubbish was to be found, compared to the beach back home, which was rather polluted.

It was a sudden, but nonetheless, nice change.

I found a staircase that lead the way to town and I slowly struggled to drag my heavy suitcase up.

"Stupid, if I knew I was gonna have to go through this, I wouldn't have bought so much clothes..." I grumbled under my breath.

When I finally managed to climb up the stairs, however, what greeted my view was so much more different than what I was used to.


In place of those grand, tall, buildings that towered and covered the gray clouds above, there were these small, short cottages, that were just big enough for 3 to 6 people to live in. They were old looking, yet stood strong and I could actually see the sky, which was also different. Instead of being filled with dark clouds, it was painted a soft baby blue color that matched the calming atmosphere of the rest of the town. The roads were made of some kind of red-colored brick and were slightly bumpy. They were more designed for walking then for driving. In fact, I couldn't see a single car in sight.

And... Grass.

Patches of green invaded most of the land, outside of the rough gray roads. They gave out a sweet, minty fresh scent that drifted through the cool air.


It felt fresh. New. Cooling . Calming. Like after a heavy rain.


I loved it.

"Hey, miss, are you okay?" a deep voice asked as hands reached out for me.

"S-SCREW OFF!" I yelled, my own voice slurring. I slapped the hands away harshly as I swayed to the side, nearly falling over.
I could feel his stares on me as I stomped off blindly in a random direction. The guy probably wondered what he did wrong to tick me off so badly. Well, it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help being born the same gender as that bastard.

An image of him popped up again and I cringed, gritting my teeth together. Shit! After all that alcohol I consumed to just forget about him too!

"GET OUT!" I screamed, shaking my head frantically, my already messy Blond hair flying into my face. I didn't care that I probably looked like someone who just escaped from the nearest mental hospital. Neither did I give a damn that it was staring to drizzle.

The cold water droplets plopping down on me irritated me even more. My tantrum attracted stares from a girl and boy passing by. Through my blurred vision, I could see them sharing an umbrella over their heads, looking snug and cosy as they held hands together.

Lovebirds. Disgusting.

"What are you looking at?!" I hissed fiercely and they scurried away in fright and confusion. In reality, I was way more frightened and confused then they were.

Amazingly, I managed to find my way back to my apartment, where I slammed open the door and headed straight for my welcoming bed. I fell onto the sheets, burying my face into them.

I felt horrible. So miserable, so restless, so heartbroken... so used.

I could feel my eyes watering up but I held back my tears as I gripped onto my blanket tighter.

No, I refuse to cry for him.
He wasn't worth it... he was never worth it... I was so stupid to believe we would be together forever. What did I expect from him? That he was some prince charming from a fairytale book?

I couldn't believe that I was such an idiot to fall for such a slime ball...

I hate his voice, his eyes, his smile, his face, his everything!

I hate him.
I hate him.
I HATE HIM.

Another frustrated scream erupted from me and I couldn't take it anymore; the tears started to stream down my cheeks like mini waterfalls and I hiccuped, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

Does God hate me that much...?

I just sat there on my bed for a good half hour, letting it all out.
I wiped the last tear with the back of my hand and sniffed, feeling much better.

I stood up, making my way to the bathroom. The white light flicked and bathed the tiled room in a bright glow.

Standing in front of the sink, I splashed the water onto my face. I looked up into the circular mirror in front of me and came face to face with a very messed-up girl. There were already bags under my sore red eyes and even my nose was a light pink colour. My hair looked like a rain forest, as if I never brushed it for a whole week. It wasn't much of a mystery why everyone was staring at me earlier. I looked like I just got run down by a train.

I grabbed the brush laying on the sink and gave my hair a good combing.
I couldn't help but wonder why he went and did such a thing to me.

Did I deserve to be punished in such a cruel way? To have my heart ripped from my chest and stomped on? Was I that bad of a person?

I flicked on the radio and plopped back onto my bed, the tunes calming me down a little. I felt so much better than I did a little while ago.
So stupid. I felt like the love-sick female lead in a Korean drama who just got dumped by her true love.

But I guess that wouldn't be that bad if he had just dumped me... he had the guts to do much worse than that.

I flopped over onto my stomach and exhaled deeply. My gaze wandered to my nearby desk and I stared at the papers scattered untidily on it. A yellow envelope caught my eye and I wondered why I couldn't remember seeing it before.

I got up lazily and went over to the wooden desk. I scooped up the envelope with my fingers and scanned the address written on it. I was slightly surprised to find that it was from my parents.

My parents were living in another country, far away from New York City, where I currently live in. I could not even guess where they were, maybe in Paris or China or something.. I just knew that it was far away. It was all because of their jobs as Businessmen. At first I was dead lonely without them, but I guess I learnt to live life without them, though, they still pay my monthly rent. But besides money, what else could they possibly send me a letter for?

I sat down onto my bed, tore open the yellow paper and fished out the letter inside.

I began to read it.

Dear Juliet,

How are you doing sweetie? Are you eating well? Brushing your teeth regularly? Mummy and Daddy are currently in India to attend a very important meeting.

Before we flew to India, we were visiting a small town called 'Mayflower Town' near the countryside.

We were impressed at the nature there, it was truly a beautiful sight to hold, unlike New York, which is pretty much hustle and bustle all the time.
You're probably wondering why we sent you a letter telling you about our little trip and why does it concern you.
Well, darling, I'm actually quite excited to say that it does involve you a whole lot. While in Mayflower Town, we discovered this very charming farm that was up for sale! And the price wasn't bad either! You can plant crops... take of animals... and meet lots of country folk! Doesn't that sound refreshing?

Mummy and Daddy thought that it was such a good idea for someone such as you to live on the farm that we purchased it before we went off for India. And the farm is now yours, and only yours. (Plus, we don't have to send you rent money every month!)

We know this might come as a shock to you, but believe me, we are very serious about this. We want you to gain some lessons in life.
Juliet honey, I don't know what reaction you might have when you read this letter, but negative or positive, you don't really have much of a choice in this matter.

There's a ticket inside the envelope for a ferry that leaves on Friday at 1:30 in the afternoon! I suggest you better pack your stuff as quickly as possible and get everything ready for your big moving day!
Love ya lots, sweetie!

-Hugs and kisses, Mummy and Daddy xoxoxox

As I read it silently, I grew from blank to surprised to shocked to horrified.... then to blank again.

This... this must be a joke right?

I shook the envelope in my right hand and a ferry ticket fell out onto my lap.

That was when I realized that they were serious.
I groaned loudly and fell backwards onto my back again, squeezing my eyes shut.

I already had enough problems to deal with! Why must my parents go ahead and make things worst?

And who does that? Moving their daughter to a farm in a place she's never been to before? That's just strange and uncommon and maybe a tad bit unrealistic. What a crazy thing to do.

I didn't know what to think about this new found problem. I didn't have much of a life here anyway, to begin with. I worked at a small coffee house that was tucked in a small corner of town and I didn't have many friends. Also, right now, I didn't have much of a love life either.

On the bright side, I thought, at least I won't get to see his stupid face again.

Maybe this was supposed to happen after all... Being forced to move to a strange place after getting my heart broken in order to save my sanity.

I guess God's got my life pretty much planned out.

I crumpled the ferry ticket that I had in my hand and laid my head down on my fluffy pillow, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep.

The tears rolled down her face as she stood there, frozen. Cold from shock.

What could she possibly say after seeing the red-haired beauty with her hands thrown around her lover's neck?

"H-how could you...?" was the only thing that came out of her quivering mouth.

"WAIT! It's not what you think!" he denies, pushing off the red-haired girl and reaching out for her.

"HOW COULD YOU!" she screamed, slapping away his inviting hand harshly. She whipped around and ran, never wanting to see his face again.

She had trusted him. She had always loved him. She never knew that it could have turned out this way. He had broken Her.

That night, a girl ran away from her lover.

Would this girl ever love again?

Only time would tell.

By Post:
Chapter 3 - Where do we go from here?
Chapter 2 - A New Life And Mistakes?
Chapter 1 - Letter: I'm moving WHERE?!
The Prologue

By Month:
October 2008
June 2009