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Prologue

The place was a ghost town. Despite its breath-taking locale, Appaloosa Plains had become a shadow of what it once was. The residents of the "sleepy ranching town" had drifted off, leaving behind shells of homes, crumbling remnants of Victorian architecture and empty streets. The city tried to save its existence by offering a funding assistance program for repairs, but the program collapsed when it was discovered that nearly all the buildings were contaminated with asbestos, had unsafe lead piping, needed all-new roofs or their foundations completely redone. Historical building legislation delayed construction work to such an extent that people opted to sell their homes to the government at a loss so they could move away from the red tape and renovation nightmare that their neighborhood trapped in. Now almost no residents were left and there was no city government to speak of. Appaloosa Plains was nothing more than a mess that needed to be cleaned up. Luckily, cleaning up
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Chapter 19: Cinnamon Crest Falls

It was a perfect summer morning for wedding photos: clear, sunny skies and not too hot. Dorothy and Matthew were in the Tevellyns’ backyard, where Dorothy’s friend Sage Oxendine was getting ready with her camera. Bridget had set up an arch made of branches next to the pond, and added flowers around it for extra decoration. Dorothy had to admit that it was a beautiful backdrop for their photos, but she was grateful she didn’t see Bridget much that morning. She wasn’t good with thank-yous and giving compliments. Dorothy looked over at her very-soon-to-be husband; Matthew wore a white dress shirt and blazer with black trousers, black dress shoes, and a dark purple bow tie. He looked handsome in a suit. She would have preferred more of the dark purple in their outfits instead of so much white, but she didn’t care enough about the aesthetic of their wedding to argue too much. Her mother, especially, had rather traditional tastes. Dorothy ended up with a simple but elegant look: a white

Chapter 18: Rukiya's House

Content warning: Options for dealing with an unplanned pregnancy are discussed in this chapter. Opinions expressed by the characters may be difficult for some readers. ----- "I don't know how I could have been more clear that moving to the middle of nowhere and having a baby was not a lifestyle I want," Shaun said angrily. "If you decide to keep the baby, that's not going to change my mind. I'm sorry, Rukiya, but I don't know what you were expecting." "Some support would have been nice," Rukiya snapped back, wiping tears from her eyes. "It took both of us to make this mistake." Both of them were quiet for a moment. Shaun eventually broke the silence. "I can come pick you up and take you to a clinic whenever you need me to," he said softly. "Thanks," Rukiya sniffed. "I'd appreciate that." "And I can stay with you while you recover," he added. "I'll ask when I ca

Chapter 17: Champs Les Sims (Part 2)

Part Two: L’amour “You didn’t get her number?” Amelia huffed. “Bloody hell, Em, I thought you like this girl.” “Uh, well— I didn’t say that,” Emery answered sheepishly. Amelia shook her head but was smiling. “You like her.” “I don’t know,” Emery sighed. “She was just being friendly… Doesn’t matter anymore anyway.” “Not with that attitude,” Amelia scoffed. “You said she goes to the nectary a lot, yeah?” Emery nodded. “Then I guess you’ll just have’ta go back a few times,” Amelia smiled. “You’re sure to run into her again.” Emery returned to the hostel after class, still thinking about Amelia’s suggestion. She wished she’d had more time (and courage) to ask Amelia more questions. Like, how do you know when someone’s interested in you? Or if they’re flirting? Can you learn and practice flirting, or does it need to be with someone and in the moment? She imagined Amelia would laugh at that one and say something like, ‘ Well of course you can practice, but you’ll look like