Chapter 8: A Day With Family

In the back of his workshop, Yuzuki leaned over his desk, deftly using tweezers to fold a piece of cloth into a flower petal. Rows of cloth, paper, string, needles, and other materials covered his desk from corner to corner. The light from his lamp illuminated the table, so he could see everything he needed to. Folding the petals with utmost delicacy, Yuzuki's fingers gripped the tweezers tightly, but not so tight that he would compromise his work. One petal done, now onto the other. Time seemed to breeze right by him, and he didn't keep a clock in his workshop, so he wasn't sure how much time had passed. All he knew was the swell of pride in his chest when he finally finished painting the flower designs on the kogai stick and kushi comb. The kanoko dome had been finished the other day, so now all that was needed was to make the flowers for the kanzashi.

Five satin petals, a pale yellow color, like daffodils. Yuzuki smiled as he held the delicate, finished product in his hand. He just needed to put in a darker yellow centerpiece, gold thread wrapped around a thin wire, and it'd look like a daisy, but with bigger, shorter petals than that of a normal daisy. He immediately set to work on folding strips of green paper to work on the leaves. A flower ornament just wouldn't be complete without leaves to accent them. Yuzuki finished two leaves before putting them and the petals onto a cypress board coated in glue. Now he needed to wait one hour for the glue to dry onto the cloth. But he had to make as many of the yellow kanzashi as possible, so he immediately set to work on folding more cloth. The chair underneath him creaked as he stretched his legs out. How long had he sat here again? He wasn't sure, but he had a lot of orders to send in, and these accessories weren't going to make themselves.

Just as Yuzuki finished a fourteenth flower petal, he heard the rush of the screen door opening, along with footsteps against the wooden floor. "Hi, Yuzuki-san!" Yuzuki didn't need to turn around to see that Tatsumi and his brother Yaichi had stopped by.

"Hello, boys," Yuzuki said, his eyes still glued to his work. "Did you just get back from school?"

"Yep!" Tatsumi nodded his head. "Sumomo's at work right now," He walked closer, leaning over Yuzuki's shoulder to get a better look. "Are you making another hair piece?"

"Sure am. I got a big order from a client, so I have to get all these done and send them in by the end of next week," Yuzuki told him.

Yaichi scratched the back of his head, unable to see what was on Yuzuki's desk since he was so short. "We saw Harper a little while ago."

Harper...the name made Yuzuki's face light up just a little bit. "Did you now?"

"She took pictures of her morning glories on her phone and was showing them to us," Tatsumi explained, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "She was super happy about them, too."

"They were all pretty and blue," Yaichi chimed in.

Morning glories. Yuzuki remembered seeing the boys' mother plant some a few summers ago, only Shizu's were a whole array of colors. Pink, white, purple, dark pink, red...a whole rainbow of them would completely cover a piece of lattice fencing she had kept around. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees would get their nourishment from them whenever they bloomed, and they provided great inspiration for his own hairpieces. He didn't know Harper really liked them. Yaichi mentioned she had planted blue ones. Yuzuki couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason why she planted blue ones specifically. Maybe blue was one of her favorite colors? Who knew?

"She really wanted to show you and Sumomo-chan too," Tatsumi continued. "But we told her you guys usually work at this time, so she decided to show you another time. She didn't want to bother you, she said."

That explained why he didn't see her. She was just trying to be considerate. Understandable. "I'm sure she'll show me when she's ready, or the next time we see each other," Yuzuki reassured them, his voice calm and gentle, as he preferred. "Maybe I'll visit her farm one of these days and I can see them for myself."

Tatsumi crossed his arms as he backpedaled a bit to give Yuzuki some space. "We were thinking about doing that some time tomorrow or the day after, since it's the weekend and all."

"Wanna come?" Yaichi asked.

Feeling the strain in his eyes, Yuzuki finally set down his work and rubbed his forehead. Perhaps he had worked longer than he had realized. If the boys had just come back from school, it was probably either three o'clock or three thirty, maybe somewhere in between, and he had been working since nine this morning. He repositioned himself in his chair so he could turn around and face the boys with his usual friendly smile. "I'd love to accompany you. I do need to take a break from work anyway."

It was here that he noticed Tatsumi was wearing his scarf. During summer. Yuzuki knew why, as the scarf was a gift from his mother that she made herself. For as long as he knew him, Tatsumi was always the type of kid to use up or treasure things he receives from his family. Still, wearing a scarf during the summer posed quite a few problems.

"Are you sure you should be wearing that scarf during the summer, Tatsumi-kun?" Yuzuki asked, his brow knitting in concern. "It's terribly hot today, and I don't want you to get a rash or heat stroke."

The older boy waved a dismissive hand in Yuzuki's direction, shrugging off his concerns. "I don't feel hot right now. I didn't wear it when I was in school, so I'm fine," Tatsumi assured him with confidence. "Oh!" His eyes widened in realization. "That's right! Dad wants us to help with the shiso harvest!" He gestured for Yaichi to come with it, waved goodbye to Yuzuki, and sprinted out of the workshop like the house was on fire.

Yaichi turned to Yuzuki and deadpanned, "It's useless to tell Big Bro to take off the scarf. He loves it too much."

Yuzuki wore a wry smile. "Can't say I'm surprised."

Yaichi grinned right back at him. "See you later."

With that, the little boy joined his brother as they made their way back to their house further down the road. Yuzuki stood up from his chair and finally stretched his limbs out. Sitting at a chair for so long could really make someone feel bogged down. The idea of visiting Harper's farm was appealing, and he genuinely enjoyed her company when he invited her out to lunch, so maybe he and the boys could visit her tomorrow.

Furthermore, there was something about Harper that Yuzuki found fascinating, but couldn't put his finger on what it was. She wasn't as overtly cheerful as Komari, nor as subdued and overly polite as other girls he knew and grew up with. What was the word for it? Harper seemed...authentic. Nothing about her seemed to indicate she was trying hard to impress him or put on a face that wasn't her own. But he knew he didn't know her enough to know for sure. Yuzuki thought of the warmth in her dark green eyes-even with her lack of eye contact-her merry laugh, and the musical quality her voice adopted whenever she talked, especially about her dream to be a farmer. Oh, that was it. Yuzuki felt refreshed around her.

One thing he knew for sure was that he hoped to see her again. A potential friend was always a good thing. He left his workshop, slid the door closed, and made his way into his house, wondering if there was any natto left in the fridge.


July 18th. Today was the day. The day her mother and sister were to visit. Harper woke up early as usual, watering her crops and making sure the house was as spotless as it could be. Sure, she knew her mother and Lynn were staying at Frank's house, knowing Harper didn't have any extra beds, so she didn't need to worry about making it hospitable. Still, she wanted it to look somewhat presentable. It wasn't perfect, but for now, it'd suffice for the time being. Last night, her mother called to let her know that they'd arrive at her house at about one o'clock or a little later, since the drive was three and a half hours away by car, and they didn't want to spend money on getting there by airplane. That meant Harper had plenty of time to do her chores before they arrived.

After a while, the crops she had were all watered, save for a bunch of radishes she put in the shipping bin. She then decided to dust and sweep the floors with a broom and dustpan Frank had given her a while ago. She had already done it the night before, but she was so antsy and wanting to do something to pass the time that she repeated the chore today. She thought about maybe going into Tsuyukusa and showing Sumomo and Yuzuki the pictures she took of her morning glories, since she didn't get to do so when they first bloomed. But what if she left and her mother and Lynn arrived when she wasn't home? Sure, there was still time before they'd get here, but some things have a way of throwing someone off unexpectedly, like a plane arriving earlier than scheduled.

When she finished sweeping, she walked out of her house and looked past the field of tomatoes and sweet potatoes she cultivated. Come to think of it, was there anything else just past her farm? From what Frank and Megan had told her, her house stood on a particularly large plot of land. She didn't use all of it, as Harper was still trying to figure out how to garner an income with the five acres she was already using for her tomatoes and sweet potatoes. A farmer didn't just start out wanting to own 40 acres of land as soon as possible. That wasn't realistic, especially for someone just starting out. But she did wonder if there was anything else past the area she was working on. Harper crossed her arms and smiled. Maybe she could do some exploring. Not so much that she'd get lost or get down and dirty, but just look around.

"I wonder if I'll see any animals?" Harper asked no one in particular as she made her way further down the land her home settled on.

There weren't many trees or bushes, so if Harper walked far enough, but not too far, she could still see her house if she turned around. The area was fairly wide and flat, with a few scattered oak trees standing high into the sky. Some squirrels scuttled around the meadow, as if they were playing tag. A red cardinal sat on a thin tree branch and tilted its head around, doing some sightseeing. Harper looked down and several heart shaped hoof prints in front of her, leading into some woods nearby, with the sharp tip going deeper into the ground than the back. She inhaled a delighted breath. Deer came through here!

"Maybe I'll see one outside when I'm working one of these days," She kneeled down and smiled, already imagining families of deer coming through her farm. "I sure hope so!"

Satisfied with her current discovery, Harper decided to trek back home, not wanting to spend too much time out here. But there was still time before her mother and Lynn were to arrive. She went back inside to pass the time by reading some books and surfing the internet on her phone. Then, the hum of a car motor cut through the quiet stillness. Was that them? Cars were rare around these parts, so it had to be! Harper shot right up and ran out the front door, hoping to confirm if it was them.

A gray 2016 Impreza sedan pulled in front of Harper's house. Harper gasped. Her mother owned a gray Impreza sedan. She could see her mother's blonde hair through the glass window. A car door opened and slammed closed as a brown and blue blur came running out from the other side.

Lynn sprinted towards Harper, arms akimbo, bronze hair swaying in all directions as she shouted with joy. "Harpeeeeer!"

"Lynn!" Harper kneeled down and braced herself as Lynn tackle-hugged her. Lynn laughed and giggled as she embraced her older sister for the first time in months. Harper held her so tight, she didn't want to let go, and she noticed her blue cardigan smelled like the sun. "Mmmm! It's so good to see you! How's my little sister?"

"I've been great!" Satisfied with the hug she got from Harper, Lynn gently broke away from her sister's embrace, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "There's so much I wanna tell you!" She immediately started looking around at Harper's farm, her blue eyes taking everything in. "This is your farm? Wow! It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be!"

"Lynn, calm down," Marlena told her as she exited the vehicle. "We can explore the farm a little later."

"Mom!" Harper released Lynn and sprinted right towards her mother, tackle-hugging her the same way Lynn did just now. But she was careful not to knock her over. Harper buried her face in her mother's shoulder, her nostrils catching the scent of rose perfume. How long had it been since she smelled her mother's sweet aroma? She didn't care at this point. She missed her so much, and now here she was, visiting! Harper felt like she was back to being six years old again. For a moment, at least. She unwound her arms from her mother's figure and backed off a bit. "Sorry about that. Got a little excited there. How was the drive?"

"A lot smoother than I thought it'd be," Marlena said. "We didn't hit any traffic on the way here. I must say, your farm looks lovely."

Harper stole a glance at her fields, her cheeks dusted pink from the praise. "It's...still kind of a work in progress, as is my house. But I can give you guys a tour of the house if you want," Harper suggested, gesturing for them to come inside as she made her way back up the porch. But she stopped mid-ascension when she remembered something important. "Oh! Before that, come look!"

She raced back down the porch and pointed them towards the fence post that her morning glories took over. As of now, the buds had closed, so the fence post was little more than a cluster of vines. Marlena and Lynn walked closer to get a better look.

Lynn in particular raised an eyebrow. "What are these?"

"These are my morning glories!" Harper explained, pulling out her phone. "I have a picture of them in bloom here!" She wasted no time pulling up the picture and showing it to her mother and sister. Their eyes and mouths widened at the blue blooms dotting the vines in the picture.

"They look lovely!" Marlena exclaimed. "I'm not surprised you tried this out, considering we used to have a bunch of them back when we lived in Concord."

"Huh?" Lynn raised her eyebrows yet again. "I don't remember us living in any place called Concord."

Harper put a hand on Lynn's shoulder. "This was from before you were born, Lynn."

Oh, so that was it. Lynn shrugged, accepting the answer.

"Hi, Harper!"

Voices pulled them from the vines. Harper didn't remember inviting anyone here today. She looked up and saw three familiar people coming her way, all with bright smiles on their faces. Yuzuki, flanked by the Yoshimoto brothers, ambled up the dirt road, making his way towards Harper. But when he saw Marlena and Lynn, he did a double-take.

"Oh. I'm sorry. We didn't know you already had company," Yuzuki said, holding a hand to his chin in surprise.

"It's okay! I don't mind!" Harper waved both hands dismissively, though she was perplexed as to why they were here. "What exactly are you guys doing here anyway?"

"You didn't get the chance to show Yuzuki-san your morning glories, so we all decided to come visit so you could," Tatsumi explained.

Harper blinked. She never expected the young boys to go to so much trouble just to bring Yuzuki here. Hardly anyone she knew ever did nice things like this for her. Gestures like that were rare in her life, especially outside her family. A smile spread across her face.

"That's sweet of you guys," Harper stole a glance towards her family, figuring introductions were in order. "Anyway, this is my mom, Marlena, and my little sister, Lynn! Mom, Lynn, this guy here is Yuzuki, and these kids are his neighbors. The older one is Tatsumi and the little one is Yaichi."

Marlena held a hand out. "It's so wonderful to meet you."

Yuzuki took the woman's hand in his own, giving it a firm shake. "The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Maxwell."

"Anyway, do you guys want to come inside?" Harper asked, clasping her hands together. "I still need to give you all the grand tour!"

The tour of Harper's house wasn't exactly grand, as everyone knew it was still a little run down, what with only one person living here. But everyone was polite enough not to point it out, and Marlena definitely noticed that it was a lot cleaner than the pictures on the house hunting page she originally saw it on indicated. She could tell Harper put in a lot of work all by herself just to make it look somewhat presentable. Harper did take a moment to show Yuzuki the picture she took of the morning glories on her phone.

"Goodness. They're marvelous," Yuzuki's teal hair hung from his face, his amber eyes marveling at the photo. "I take it blue is your favorite color?"

"One of them, yes," Harper said, putting her phone back in her pocket. "My family and I used to live in a town out west called Concord, and one of our neighbors had a bunch of blue morning glories that would always climb onto our backyard fence, and they'd bloom in huge bursts over the summer. I really liked them."

"Hey, Harper?" Marlena chimed in on their conversation as she was looking through the house. "What do you think about maybe doing some shopping tomorrow? She asked. "We could find some places that sell furniture, rugs, or even air conditioners."

All being things Harper was in dire need of, particularly an air conditioner. She balled her hands into fists and shook them up and down. "Definitely!"

"In case you're wondering, Mrs. Maxwell, the nearest home improvement store is only about 15 minutes away, in the next county over," Yuzuki told her politely. "There's also a young man in Lulukoko, the town to the right of where I live, who specializes in making all sorts of things like furniture and rugs."

One had to start somewhere, and Harper was more than willing to take up Yuzuki's suggestions. Her thoughts drifted when she heard laughter outside. She looked out the window and saw Lynn, Yaichi, and Tatsumi playing in the front yard, kicking a ball around. One other thing she noticed was that they were playing away from Harper's fields, being careful not to kick the ball near it. Harper smiled. Her sister had already made friends with them. Or maybe the Yoshimoto brothers were just naturally the kind of kids everyone got along with. Who knows? Still, her heart fluttered seeing her younger sister already having a great time here. Today was going great so far, and her mother and sister had only been here for about an hour and a half so far.

Since Yuzuki and the Yoshimoto boys had come to visit, not knowing Harper's family were coming as well, she thought it'd be rude to just send them away. Sure, their unexpected visit had thrown a wrench in some of her plans, but she genuinely liked them. Yuzuki, Tatsumi, and Yaichi hung out at Harper's house for a while longer, enjoying meeting Harper's family and getting to know them, while Marlena and Lynn got to see a few of the friends Harper made. Harper could only offer water as a refreshment, and there wasn't much she could provide them for lunch, but everyone told her they had already eaten, so she didn't need to go to the trouble. As much as she appreciated their kindness, Harper wanted to be a good host. It helped that Marlena had brought a lot of Harper's things from their house in Beldingsville, so everyone at least had something to do.

At one point, Marlena stole a glance at Harper's clock. "Hey, Harper? It's almost five. Frank said he wanted us to come over for dinner at about six. Is that okay?"

Harper nodded. "Sure! I can't really do much in the way of cooking, especially huge meals, since, well...I don't have much food to cook with, even with my harvests," She admitted sheepishly. As far as she was concerned, Frank was a much better cook, and her mother and sister already made plans to crash at his place for the duration of their visit anyway.

Yuzuki got up from the couch and approached them. Tatsumi and Yaichi flanked him shortly afterward. "I guess it's time we head back. We wouldn't want to get in the way of your plans. Well…" Yuzuki said, scratching his teal hair with one finger. "We kind of already did in a way," He let out a sheepish laugh.

Marlena shook her head. "Not at all. It was wonderful to meet the three of you. Maybe one of these days, we can take you all out to eat," She leaned over to better look the younger boys in the eye. "With your parents' permission, of course."

"That'd be cool! Thanks!" Tatsumi exclaimed happily, raising one hand in the air. "It was nice to meet you guys, too!"

"...Let's play again," Yaichi muttered, giving Lynn a slow wave.

With that, Yuzuki and the boys waved goodbye as they made their way down the dirt road and disappeared as they turned the corner. "They're such sweet boys. You're lucky to have found such great friends here already, dear," Marlena told her.

"They're not the only friends I made," Harper replied, using her shirt to rub some moisture off her glasses. "I still need to introduce you to my friend Lisette. She runs the flower shop, and she's super sweet."

Lynn's mind was on other matters. "I still can't believe Yuzuki is actually a boy. I thought for sure he was a girl, what with how long his hair is!" Lynn mused out loud.

Harper stole a glance at her morning glory vines. "You're not the first person to think such," She admitted sheepishly, remembering her first visit to Omiyo and Umekichi's house.

Marlena clasped both hands together. "Alright, what do you say we head on over to Frank's? We can just take the car to save us the trouble of walking in this heat," She suggested, her pale face beaming.

True to her word, Marlena drove her two daughters down to Frank's house, which turned out to be just a five minute drive from Harper's house. Frank welcomed them right away, and as soon as he opened the door, everyone could smell fresh vegetables and dough in the air. Frank had always been one to get things done right away, preferring to always be prepared than to procrastinate. Tonight's dinner was simmering parmesan chicken with noodles and broccoli, with herbs lightly sprinkled all over.

"So Lynn," Harper began, after she savored some of the noodles. "How's school been going? Did you make any new friends?"

"Yep!" Lynn beamed as she nodded. "There's this girl in my creative writing class, Zara, who's really funny and nice, and her mom works at a pet shelter! And there's this boy in my math class, Dominic, who's really smart and helps me with my homework sometimes."

Frank took a moment to drizzle some gravy over his chicken. "Harper's been makin' friends around here, too."

Marlena flashed a knowing grin in his direction. "We met a few of them today. Yuzuki, Tatsumi, and Yaichi happened to stop by Harper's place earlier."

"Huh? Is that so?" Frank's eyebrows flitted up as the sudden information sank in. "They're good people. Hey, Harper. Tell them about your newest harvesting endeavor."

Upon Frank's nudging, Harper told them about her attempt to grow some tomatoes and sweet potatoes, along with other things that happened during her time here. Dinner turned out to be a lively affair, with everyone chatting happily through the night. Warmth spread all throughout the Bradbury house. Sure, Harper wished her father was here to spend it with them, but for now, just having her mother and sister here was good enough.

It was around eight o'clock that night started to fall. Lynn was outside playing with Lucky while Frank went into a shed to do some quick repairs on his ATV. Harper was inside Frank's guest room, the same one where she slept before moving into her new house. It was still as simple and low on the decor as it was the last time she saw it, only an extra bed had been brought in. It had been only a few months since she had been in here, but it still had that starchy scent in the air. It was oddly soothing.

"Harper?" Marlena poked her head into the room before walking in. Her voice pulled Harper from her reverie. So warm and inviting, as it always was. "How do you like it here in town?"

Harper stole a glance outside, watching as Lynn chased after Lucky, laughing merrily. "It's been great here, honestly. Not without its rough patches, obviously, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Of course she wouldn't. Harper always prided herself on sticking to whatever decisions and choices she made, no matter how much people tried to change her mind. Harper couldn't imagine backing out now. Not when she had already put so much effort into her farm. The tomatoes and sweet potatoes weren't going to grow themselves, and she still wanted to spend time with Lisette, Yuzuki, Colin, the Yoshimoto boys, and so many other people she got to know. Her dream was already in her grasp. To just drop it all would spit in the face of everything Harper had worked so hard for all these years.

Flashing her usual warm smile, Marlena put a gentle hand on Harper's shoulder. "I know you only just started, but I can already see you've become a wonderful farmer, dear. I'm so proud of you," She told her.

Harper's cheeks heated up from the praise. "It's...not that big a deal. Really."

Marlena sat down on one of the empty beds, with Harper joining her soon after. "You know," Marlena was quick to break the silence again. "Back when your father and I first adopted you, the agency told us they didn't have very high hopes for you."

What? Harper was no stranger to her mother telling her about her very early childhood, before she came to live with the Maxwells. She herself barely had any memories of the adoption agency. It had always been little more than a blur in her mind.

"Really?"

"Yes," Marlena replied with a slow nod. "You were so traumatized by what had happened to you that the psychologists and therapists that evaluated you were sure you'd need special care for the rest of your life."

No surprise there. Harper could only roll her eyes, though they weren't exactly wrong about being severely traumatized.

"In fact, I remember the day Daryl and I went to pick you up so well…"


Marlena and Daryl stood at the front of a large, sleek blue and silver building with a sign that read 'Misselthwaite Home For Children.' The day they had been waiting for had finally arrived, but anxiety clutched at them like leeches on a host. Several adults walked around the facility, moving to and fro. A few children were outside playing. None of them were the one they were looking for. Marlena kept her eyes on the door at all times, watching intensely, like if she dared to look away, she'd miss what she was looking for.

A firm hand on her shoulder pulled her back to reality. "Don't worry, Marlena," Daryl reassured, his voice warm and kind. "It'll work out just fine."

She hoped he was right. All she could do was give him a worried look. As much as she wanted to be happy, there was so much that could go wrong. They made sure to do everything that was asked of them. They filled out the necessary paperwork, went to the various court hearings...the past few months began to feel like a blur. Would this even work out?

Then, she saw movement at the entrance. A young woman exited the building, with a tiny girl shuffling behind her. The girl had copper skin, and her thick, rich brown hair streamed down to her shoulders. She looked to be about four, and she wore a warm, pink jacket, blue jeans, purple sneakers with sparkling sequins, and round glasses obscuring her eyes. The girl's hand was wrapped around two of the older woman's fingers, and Marlena could see they were turning a little blue. Was she holding them really tight? She wasn't sure. But this was the moment they had been waiting for.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell. It took us a while to get ready," The woman told them before kneeling down to the girl's level. "Harper. Will you let go of my hand now, sweetie?"

Wordlessly, Harper released the woman's fingers from her grip. Daryl glanced at the woman's name tag-Zinnia-before looking down at Harper. The little girl averted everyone's gaze, keeping her eyes to the ground.

"Jeez. I thought she'd never let go," Zinnia stood up, using her other hand to rub her two fingers. "Anyway, feel free to call me about anything, like whether it doesn't work out or if Harper's acting up."

Marlena flashed a smile. "Thanks so much for all of this, ma'am. You have no idea how much we've been looking forward to today."

Daryl was the first to kneel down to Harper's level. His blue eyes were warm and soft, and he made sure his smile was just as welcoming. But would Harper see it that way? He wasn't sure. They had interacted a few times before this, as was mandated by the facility, so it wasn't like Harper hadn't seen them before.

"Hello, Harper. Guess what? You're coming to live with me and Marlena from now on," Daryl told her in a low but jovial tone. He kept his voice soft so he wouldn't scare her. He opened a black suitcase he had with him and pulled out a tiny pink teddy bear with a red bow around its neck. "Look. I even bought a present for you."

The plush bear was about the size of Harper's two hands put together, and it had a red, heart shaped nose. Harper scrutinized the bear, but didn't take it right off. Daryl could see the deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes plain as day. She was afraid. Her rigid posture and her slow movements as she finally took the bear into her arms told him all he needed to know. He and Marlena were no stranger to Harper's demeanor-they knew all about what had happened to her before she was sent here-but seeing it still made their hearts ache.

Images flashed through his mind that he didn't dare try to think about.

"I'm not gonna lie, we don't have high hopes for Harper," Zinnia's words seemed bitter, but had a touch of sorrow in them. "It's a struggle just to get her to take a bath or drink a cup of water. She constantly hides from people, like she's convinced they'll hit her if she so much as makes a single movement. She'll cry at the slightest provocation. At this point, she still hasn't said a word. I won't blame you at all if this doesn't work out."

Marlena's mind swam with a million different thoughts, but one stood out amongst the rest. Did she really have to make it seem like Harper was a lost cause? They knew all of this. They learned everything they needed to know about Harper. Lots of families struggle with raising kids from time to time, biological or adopted. That was part of the package. Raising children had never been a walk in the park for anyone. Marlena never had any rosy ideas of parenthood. But while she understood where Zinnia was coming from, the idea that she absolutely expected the Maxwells to give up on Harper before they even had a chance to try things out felt like a slap to the face. Was everyone at the facility convinced Harper wouldn't succeed?

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Marlena told her as politely as she could manage. "We'll see how this goes. We appreciate all that you and everyone else here has done for us. We'll take good care of Harper."

Zinnia kneeled down to Harper's level. "Now Harper, be a good girl. Okay?"

Harper paid her no heed as she manipulated the pink bear's arms in her hands. The Maxwells said their goodbyes to Zinnia as they got in the car and left the facility. Harper sat in her seat, quiet as a mouse, clutching the bear like it was the only thing keeping her alive. Daryl kept his eyes on the road, but Marlena could see tears misting his eyes just a little bit. Whether it was anxiety for what was to come, the awful things Harper went through before getting sent to the facility, or something else, Marlena couldn't be sure. But this was the first time she had ever seen Daryl's cool, calm demeanor actually crack.

"...Marlena?"

"Hm?"

"...We're not going to give up on her. No way in hell," Daryl's words were hard, but Marlena could hear the kindness in them clear as day. "We're going to give her the absolute best life we can possibly provide."

Her lips curled back up. No argument there. "Of course we will."


"Their prognosis was that grim, huh?" Harper searched through her memories, groping around for the time Marlena and Daryl first adopted her. She found nothing. It was so long ago, it was like she had never experienced it at all. Or maybe it was locked away somewhere, never to be released into the outside world. But she did remember the days after the adoption.

Hiding from them at every turn. Screaming bloody murder whenever she saw the bath tub full of water, or even water inside a glass cup. Refusing any attempts to take a bath, even though her parents did everything they could to find ways to either get around going into the tub or gradually get her used to it. Waking up from nightmares that plagued her every single night, with Daryl often being the one to wake her up and sing her back to reality, even when he had important meetings coming up soon after. Running away from lakes and ponds, often getting lost, whenever they tried to go out on family outings, like on picnics or walks in the park. Guilt settled in her stomach. Only now did their experiences in raising her really sink in.

"...I caused you guys a lot of trouble, didn't I?" Harper mused as the memories came rushing back. "I'm sorry."

"Harper! You have nothing to apologize for," Marlena exclaimed, her response immediate. "You were just a child, and you had every right to be scared and terrified. After all you went through, it'd be more worrisome if you had gotten over it quickly. Don't ever think you were trouble or a burden," Marlena narrowed her eyes, making a firm, stern expression. Harper knew it wasn't out of anger, but out of genuine concern. "If we were really so awful as to believe that, we never would have chosen you or put in the work to take you in the first place."

A valid point.

Marlena's features softened, and her smile returned. "Besides, nobody ever said raising a child was easy. If it was, everybody would be getting in on it," She reminded her.

Harper tucked a streak of hair behind her ear. "I can imagine."

Before long, an arm snaked around Harper's side, pulling her close. Harper could smell musty air around her. Probably from being in Harper's house, since it was still run down. But the fabric of her shirt was still warm and soft, just as she was. Harper leaned onto her mother's shoulder, trying to hold back tears as she thought of what might have been, had the Maxwells not adopted her.

Actually, scratch that, she didn't want her mind to ever go there.

"Daryl and I never regretted our decision to adopt you. Not even for a second," Marlena told her. "There are times when I wondered if my life could have gone differently, but that never meant that I never wanted what I have now. I love having you, Lynn, Daryl, Frank, and everyone else in my life, and seeing how you're doing now only solidifies how I always felt about the decisions I made. I've learned so much from raising both you and Lynn, things I never could have learned had Daryl not showed me that image of you on that webpage you were featured on so long ago."

Yes. It had all started when Harper's father found her image and story on the adoption facility's website. Harper had asked about it once when she was ten, and Marlena told her that that was how they first found out about her. As soon as they read about her circumstances, they wasted no time making preparations to adopt her as soon as humanly possible. She was their first choice.

They chose her. They could have picked any other child. One that didn't go through awful experiences or who wasn't autistic...but they picked her, of all children.

"I can't imagine my life without you in it, and neither can Daryl or Lynn. You'll always be my precious daughter. You know that, right?"

"Course I do," Harper nuzzled her mother's shoulder, savoring her warmth. "I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Harper."

Just as Marlena couldn't imagine her life without Harper, Harper couldn't imagine what her life would be like without the Maxwells. She didn't want to. The life she had now was all that she could ever want or need.

"Wheeeee!" Lynn's cheering pulled them out of their moment. Harper opened the window and saw Frank driving his ATV, with Lynn sitting right behind him, both hands on the back of his overalls. Lucky was following in pursuit, barking up a storm. Marlena stole a glance outside and let out a delighted giggle.

"Looks like Frank fixed up the ATV," Marlena mused.

"I wouldn't mind having one of those myself," Harper said. An ATV would make certain things a lot more convenient, such as canvassing the area around her farm, or even taking it into town to do shopping. It'd be a lot easier to carry groceries from the towns back to her house with the help of an ATV, and they weren't as big as cars. But they were expensive as well, and there was no feasible way Harper could afford one at this point in time.

"Well!" Marlena clasped her hands together. "How about we make some plans for tomorrow? I'll see if I can look up any home improvement stores that sell air conditioners on the computer."

"Sounds like a plan!" Harper winked and flashed a thumb's up.


Harper spent the night back at her house, while Marlena and Lynn stayed with Frank. But the very next morning, Harper had breakfast with her family. Frank stayed at his farm to do his work, and once Harper was done with her farm chores, the Maxwells wasted no time heading over to the home improvement store Yuzuki told them about yesterday. They found an air conditioner easily, but they also bought other things, such as hammers and nails, extension cords, light bulbs, and rugs. They also went to other stores to buy things such as new bedsheets, pillows, cleaning supplies, some new clothes, a little TV, and curtains. Marlena also took the time to put in orders for a couch and a loveseat, both of which Harper picked out, and arranged for them to be delivered at Harper's house, since the car wouldn't be able to fit them inside. Marlena also decided to call a cable technician to help set up the TV for Harper, along with the internet. Harper and Marlena agreed to split the electric bill between them until the former could raise her income enough to pay for it herself for the time being. Harper's computer was still in Beldingsville, so she wouldn't be able to actually make use of said internet for a while yet, but having it was a start.

Gradually, the house Harper moved into back in January began to look much more like a home. Frank helped to set up some of the furniture Marlena ordered, since he was physically stronger than the girls and had experience with loading and unloading large items like this. He even brought a dining room table that Megan had been planning to get rid of, though he managed to convince her to let him have it so he could give it to Harper. The rugs that they set down on the floors gave the house some much needed color, and they used the new light bulbs to replace the old ones that had gone out. Said new light bulbs were much brighter, giving the house some much needed illumination. There was much more they wanted to do, such as paint the walls, but that would take a long time to get done, and Marlena and Lynn were only staying for a week, which was too little time for something of that caliber. Still, progress was being made, and Harper wouldn't have had it any other way.

On the fourth day of their visit, Harper finally found time to take her mother and sister on a tour of Westown. She had been itching to do so for a while, especially since she really wanted to introduce them to Lisette. They walked up the stairs that overlooked the post office, though before they could go further, Lynn stopped to catch her breath. She bent over slightly, with her hands on her knees, and she rasped with every breath of air she sucked in.

"Ugh! There's so many staaaairs!" She cried. "My legs hurt!"

"Well, don't worry," Harper reassured. "Those were the last stairs we needed to use."

Finally, they made it to the flower shop, which was open. Lisette stood at the counter, finishing an order for a customer. The customer took a freshly made bouquet into his arms and walked out the door. "Thank you for your patronage! Have a nice day!" Lisette waved the customer goodbye with her usual flowery smile.

Target sighted, Harper bounced over to Lisette. "Hey, Lisette!"

"Oh! Hello, Harper! It's been a while," The blonde girl was quick to see the two unfamiliar people standing behind Harper. "Who are they?"

"This is my mother Marlena and my little sister Lynn," Harper introduced them right away. "Marlena, Lynn, this is my friend Lisette. She runs the flower shop."

Marlena was the first to greet her, extending a hand outward. "It's so good to finally meet you."

"Oh no. The pleasure's all mine," Lisette took Marlena's hand and gave it a firm shake, smiling all the while.

The four of them chatted for a short while, but didn't stay long, as Lisette still needed to tend to the shop. But on the way back from the farm, Lynn gently poked Harper's arm with her elbow. "Hey. I gotta say, Lisette's really pretty."

No argument there. Harper leaned down and whispered, "She sure is."

As the trio made their way back through Westown, Harper saw they were passing by Megan's house. A flock of sheep were grazing peacefully, helping themselves to a good meal. Harper found herself skipping along the dirt road with a spring in her step, but stopped in her tracks when a voice called out to her.

"Hi, Harper!" It was Colin, who sprinted right up to them, his orange curls bouncing with every step. Underneath his arm was a brown sketchpad. "How are you?"

"Hi, Colin! I'm good!" Harper greeted him right away. "By the way, my family's here visiting! This is my mother Marlena and my little sister Lynn!"

Lynn was the first to greet him. "Hey there!"

Colin sheepishly greeted her back, though Lynn didn't pay it any mind. Neither did Marlena. "Oh yeah! I wanna show you something," Colin opened his sketchpad and turned to one page in particular. Crayon drawings of blue morning glories decked the paper, complete with the green vines and leaves. Harper smiled when she saw that Colin included the white streaks inside the flowers. For a crayon drawing done by a seven to eight year old child, the drawing was surprisingly accurate.

"Wow! This is really good!" Harper exclaimed, in awe of the details Colin managed to put in. "Did you draw this based on the picture I showed you?"

"Mm-hmm!" Colin nodded vigorously. "I did look up other pictures on the computer."

"Holy cow! That does look good! Way better than any of my drawings!" Lynn commented.

The boy's cheeks dusted pink from the praise. "Thanks."

"Colin!" The deep, burly voice of a man called out to Colin from inside the house. His father, maybe? It had to be.

"Coming, Papa!" Colin called back before turning back toward the Maxwells. "I gotta go. It was nice meeting you guys. I'll see you later, Harper," With that, he trotted back towards his house.

Marlena grinned. "Seems you're popular around here, dear. Even with the kids!" She noted.

Harper averted her gaze. "I wouldn't say I'm popular."

But she had to admit, she loved the people she met here. After that, the Maxwells spent the rest of their time together, whether it was going out to eat or helping Harper with her farm work. On the sixth day, just before Lynn and Marlena were set to leave, Harper and Lynn sat outside, right behind the house, chatting like old times.

"I gotta admit, that was actually pretty fun," Lynn exclaimed. Earlier, Lynn was in charge of watering Harper's crops. "I wonder when the tomatoes will be ripe?"

"Considering I planted them a while ago, it probably won't be until about late August or early September," Harper replied, using the edge of her shirt to wipe off her glasses. "I wonder if I should get some netting, so animals don't come and eat them?"

Instead of answering her question, Lynn said something else. "Y'know...you've changed quite a bit, Sis."

Changed? Harper raised an eyebrow. "Really? How so?"

"Well…" Lynn ruminated on how to put her thoughts into words. "You look...I dunno...more grown up than you did at home. More mature or something. Like, no matter what I asked you about your crops or your farm work, you answered it right away with this happy sparkle in your eyes."

Harper found herself deep in thought. Had she really changed that much in Lynn's point of view? She wasn't sure. Harper never exactly hid her desire to become a farmer, even back when she was convinced her father vehemently opposed the idea. What exactly was Lynn referring to?

"I mean...it really seems like you're in your element here."

Yes. That was it. Harper was definitely in her element. After working so hard just to get here, this truly was where Harper felt like she belonged.

"I...guess you can say that," Harper could only push out a sheepish reply as she tried to process Lynn's proclamation. Lynn's smile and bouncy voice were just too infectious to ignore. God, did she miss her sister's bubbly personality and boundless cheer. "I've wanted to be a farmer since I was a kid...and I just got sick of being made to move around the country all the time. I guess you could say...I just really wanted to grab onto something...stable, y'know."

No words she could form seemed to make any coherent sense when she said them out loud. Putting her thoughts into words had always been a struggle. But typical of Lynn, she figured it out right away. "That makes sense! You saw your chance and just...grabbed it! You actually look a LOT happier than you were before. I mean, not that you weren't ever happy when we lived together, but...it really shows."

Did it?

"I've never seen you like this before! We lived together for so long, but now it's like you're a completely different person!"

Harper begged to differ on that last one. "I wouldn't say completely different. I'm still your big sis, y'know," She gently nudged Lynn's arm with her elbow.

Green leaves fell around them with a musical rustling as the two girls broke into merry giggling. "But...there'll probably come a time when you'll get to be like that, too," She said, more solemn this time.

"Huh?" Lynn paused, blinking once. "Do you really think so?"

"Who knows at this point? You've got all the time in the world to be anything and anyone you want to be," Harper explained. "Maybe one day, you'll have a dream that you'll want to pursue and achieve more than anything in the world."

Lynn pulled her knees to her chest, finding herself lost in thought. "My own dream, huh? I never really thought about it before. It'll be years and years before I'm a grown up, after all. Although…" Just like that, her voice perked right back up. "Seeing you this past week, I bet being a grown up has its perks!"

Growing up wasn't exactly a painless process, but it did have its perks, for sure. No denying that. Harper was eleven years older than Lynn, so she got a head start on that one. "It does. For me, at least," Harper flashed a wry smile in her sister's direction. "But nothing's ever really set in stone."

"True that!" Lynn beamed once again. After a brief minute, she stood back up. "Anyway, what do you say we get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Oh, come on! You literally just had a bag of potato chips earlier!"

"Yeah, well, I have a separate stomach for the stuff Mom makes!"

"Course you do, you little glutton!"

With their conversation over, the two of them raced back into the house, happy to escape the pervasive humidity. At least with the air conditioner finally installed, the Maxwell girls could enjoy a moment of respite.

Of course, their visit had to come to an end sooner or later. On the morning of July 25th, just before eleven, Harper helped the two of them pack their things into the car. She then wrapped the two of them into a particularly tight hug. "I wish you guys could stay longer," Harper told them. She hated how whiny that sounded just now, but she was never one to hide how she felt.

Marlena hugged her right back. "We do too. But you know we'll find a way to visit you again. Maybe next time, your father can come," Marlena told her reassuringly.

As sad as she was about their leaving, Harper never doubted that they would. Families were always there for each other. Real families, at least.

"You guys drive safe. Let me know when you make it back home, okay?" Harper said.

"We will," Marlena replied.

"I'm gonna miss you, Harper," Lynn gave her sister one last hug, like she didn't want to let go. Harper didn't blame her. All she could do was stroke her sister's bronze hair, like she always did whenever her sister was sad.

"I'll miss you guys, too. When school starts in September, tell me all about it. Maybe you can email me some of the stories you write."

Lynn gave a tearful sniff before nodding with her usual bright smile. "You bet I will!"

Having said their goodbyes, Marlena and Lynn got into the car, and Harper watched and waved as they drove away. Just like that, Harper was back to being alone. She had the farm all to herself again...but somehow, it felt emptier now that her mother and sister were gone. Well, they mentioned they were going to see Frank for a bit before actually leaving, so they weren't completely gone yet...but the farm suddenly felt bigger than it had originally been.

Not wanting to dwell on it, she decided to pass the time by pulling some weeds. But even that didn't push away the tears that misted her eyes.


Before leaving for the road, Marlena pulled the car in front of Frank's house so she and Lynn could say goodbye. Lynn gave him a hug and wished him well before returning to the car, but Marlena stayed out a little longer to speak to Frank.

"I must admit, I'm surprised at how well Harper is handling life here," Marlena told him as she adjusted the purse on her shoulder. "I mean, I knew she would in a way, but even now, she never ceases to amaze me."

"You're telling me," Frank put his hands on his hips, flashing a toothy grin in his sister-in-law's direction. "She's taken to farmin' like a fish to water! But I know there's still a lot she still has to prepare for, like the upcoming winter."

Winter...farmers didn't grow crops during that time, meaning their income would take a big hit. It was still a long way off, but Marlena's forehead creased as she thought of Harper trying to make her way through piles of thick, white snow. Part-time jobs would probably still be offered, from what Harper had told her, but those could only go so far.

As if sensing her worry, Frank put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back to reality. His touch was slightly stronger, and his hand more calloused than her husband's, but she felt its warmth straight away. "Don't worry, Marlena. Harper knows I'm always here for her, so she'll never be alone."

Just the way he said it reminded her of the day she and Daryl adopted Harper. The firm, steadfastness in his voice was clear and true, absolutely certain that he would do whatever he could to help Harper, just like she and Daryl promised to give Harper the best life they could provide. This assuaged her worries somewhat, but no parent ever truly stopped worrying about their child, even as they grew up. Still, Marlena knew when to step back and let her child try to stand on her own two feet. Harper did have a pretty steady support network here.

"I know you will, Frank. Sorry we can't stay longer," Marlena told him. "I really wanted to help paint Harper's walls and make her house look nice. But we can probably do that another time."

"Maybe. Tell Daryl I said hi for me, will ya?"

"Of course," Marlena gave Frank a light hug before waving him goodbye as she returned to the car.

Frank watched as his sister-in-law's silver sedan drove away, like a wolf disappearing into the wilderness. Marlena kept her eyes on the road, satisfied that things turned out so well. She had so much to tell Daryl when she got back, and she was sure he would want to hear every word.

"Hey Mom?" Lynn piped up from the back seat.

"What is it, Lynn?"

"Can we maybe go to the store and buy some herb seeds the next time we go?" Lynn asked. "Y'know, stuff like parsley and oregano?"

Herbs? Marlena couldn't believe what she was hearing. When did her younger daughter want to grow herbs all of a sudden? "I don't see why not. But what brought this on?"

"Well...Harper looks like she has a lot of fun growing stuff on her farm. I kinda thought maybe it'd be fun to try it out too," Lynn explained. "Just to see what it's like."

This was a surprise. Previously, Lynn had always balked at the idea of growing plants or food. Granted, she always helped out whenever they would go to various farms to pick fruits and vegetables, but actually working in a garden was another thing entirely. Maybe visiting Harper sparked an interest in doing so? Who knew? Still, Marlena couldn't help but smile at the thought of her younger daughter planting herbs. The idea of using herbs her daughter grew in her own recipes was rather appealing. Having done so herself, maybe it wouldn't hurt to teach her a thing or two.

"Sure. We can do that first thing tomorrow," Marlena answered brightly. "We'll also need to get some mildly rich soil so they'll grow nicely. In fact, you can even pick out whichever pot you like."

Lynn cajoled, throwing her arms in the air and kicking her legs out in her cheer. "Yay!"


A/N: Oh yay, an update that doesn't take two whole years! Also...I'm sure you've all heard the news, but OMG a new Story of Seasons game is coming out next year called Pioneers of Olive Town! It looks so amazing, and I can't wait to buy it the day it comes out! Hnnnngh, I already love the designs for the bachelor/ettes, especially Rin the flower girl! I wanna hug her! Also, does anyone else think Iori kinda looks like a grown up Tatsumi? I only just realized it just now. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!