It's officially the day I move to the family farm. My grandparents had already moved out of the cottage and settled into their new home, and my parents helped me pack all of my stuff to prepare for the move. I got a good amount of money by working a part-time retail job throughout my college years, and could buy some things I didn't get previously since I was still living with my parents.

Everything was inside the moving truck, from my clothes down to some of my witchy things. My messenger bag had my grimoire inside along with a phone brick, wireless headphones, and charging cords. While the drive is only an hour long, it gets a little boring. Mom was driving the truck since she wanted to catch up with some of her friends in Magnolia Town, and dad stayed home since he isn't from the town.

It's been years since I've visited Magnolia. I think I was a teenager when I last visited? Mom told me that there are a couple of newer faces in Magnolia who didn't move there until more recently. Given how she's social media friends with some of the townsfolk, it makes sense that she knows about that.

"And we're here!" Mom said, and I looked up from my phone. We were at the family cottage, and there were three people that looked like they were waiting for our arrival. I don't recognize the two blonds, and I vaguely know the one with the black hair. Hopping out of the truck, I walked up to them.

"You must be the one who's moving into the farm." One dude got up, waving to me, "I'm Leslie," he gestured to the two blonds, "This is Seth, and this is his sister Calico. We're

gonna help you move your things in. Mayor Molly's coming by soon to help as well."

The blond dude, Seth, waved, "Greetings." I noticed his dark red jacket and black shirt underneath. Is he part of a punk scene?

"Hey!" The blonde woman, Calico, waved with more enthusiasm. She was wearing a pink hoodie, but the hood itself was white.

"Nice to meet y'all." I smiled, looking at the dude named Leslie. Why does he look familiar?

"Nice to meet you, too. I hope we can become friends!" Calico said, bouncing on her feet.

Sounds like my mom came out from the truck too, since she was next to me now.

"Oh, Leslie! It's been years. How's the bakery?" Mom asked. Leslie scratched the back of his head, an awkward grin on his face.

"It's going well as usual. When mom told me that someone was moving into the cottage, my cousin was excited to bake some bread as a housewarming gift." Leslie replied, god his smile is precious.

"Oh, right! Dawn makes some great pandesal. I've had it before." Calico said, walking up to Leslie. Seth joined as well.

"Mrs. Molly's coming by soon to help. She had to do some errands first." Leslie looked at his phone. "I just got a text. She's coming. We'll start getting everything out and in the cottage in the meantime." His case has knife designs on it. I guess he likes knives.

I heard someone walking up to us, and Leslie waved at the person approaching. I'm now aware of how tall he is. He's easily a head and a half taller than me. Now I wonder if there's someone who lives in the town that's taller than him, but that's unlikely.

Turning around, I saw a woman who looked my mom's age. She had light brown hair, slightly gray at the roots, and was wearing a purple cardigan with a dark blue blouse and gray pants.

"Alyssa, it's been so long!" The woman exclaimed, coming up to hug my mom. "Your daughter's moving into the family cottage. I'm glad that Blackthorne Farm's legacy is continuing."

My mom nodded, both she and the woman walked up to me. Mom gestured to the woman, "Mira, this is Molly Ashford; the mayor of the town, and my childhood friend. Molly, Mirabelle." I waved at Molly, and she waved back.

"You've grown so much since I last met you. You have Alyssa's hair and eyes!" I heard no one say this to me before, but Molly's known my mom for decades and possibly their entire lives. Mom's green eyes and her ginger hair passed down to me.

Mrs. Molly looked at me. "Your grandparents told me before they started packing. Is it okay if I help you unpack as well?"

I shook my hands in front of myself, "No no no, it's fine! You don't need to help if you don't want to!"

"I insist, Mirabelle." Molly placed her hands on her hips, "You're new here, and as the Mayor, it is my duty to get to know everyone in this town to the best of my ability."

Molly turned around. "I'll help with some of the heavier things." She walked towards the truck, helping my mom set it up to get everything out.

After an hour‌ or three, everything was inside. Calico plopped down on the floor. "Yeesh, I'm exhausted."

Seth sighed. "Kory has a few more days before he's in the all-clear from his surgery. If he was here to help, this would've gone a bit more... smoothly." Kory? Who is this Kory? Is he strong?

"You probably don't know who he is." Seth pulled up a picture of this dude. He had a dark complexion with black hair braided on his scalp, pulled back on his head. He was wearing a loose tank top and a... sports bra?

Oh. I get it now.

"Kory lives on the other side of the duplex that Cali and I live in. His housemate is one of the librarians." Seth explained, "They moved in before we did, about a year before us. It's one of the newer buildings, amazing sound insulation."

"Who's the other librarian, though?" I tilted my head, sitting down on a box.

"That'd be Millie." Leslie stretched his arms. "She's my cousin. Her moms run the general shop. Her brother Nikola picks locks as a hobby."

"I'll introduce myself to them later, maybe tomorrow. I should get everything out of the boxes. My grandparents told me ‌they have some of their farming tools in the shed, along with some simple crops and stuff so I can start farming." The larger pieces of furniture were already in place. I bought some at the thrift store in the city just for the cottage, since I was still living with my parents. Some of the upholstery looked ‌gaudy, but I'll address it after I'm fully settled in.

"I understand. I'll give you my phone number. If you need anything, just text or call me." Molly took out her phone, and we exchanged numbers. I also exchanged my number with Calico, Seth, and Leslie. After that, the four of them left, leaving me with my mom.

"You know Leslie and you used to play while his mom and I would talk about things, right?" Mom giggled.

"Oh. OH. That's why he looked familiar!" I clasped my hands together. "Anyway, let's unpack everything."

A few hours later, mom and I finished getting everything out of the boxes. Mom and I sat down on the neon yellow couch.

"So, now you're continuing the legacy of Blackthorne Farm." Mom wiped her brow. "I always thought that the family would abandon the farm after my parents died. Our relatives all branched out. They live in different places. Even your aunt is now living with her wife as a fashion designer."

Mom jolted, "Oh, that's right. Your grandparents wanted me to give you this," she grabbed something from her purse, giving it to me.

I remember this book. Hand-bound by my great-grandfather, it contains an abundance of information about all the plants that the farm has grown over the decades, from how long it took for plants to sprout to how to maintain and prune the crops.

Mom then placed another book over it. This book was more new, and when I turned the pages, they were all blank.

"Your grandpa wanted me to give these to you. He knew ‌you might grow some crops that the book doesn't have information on, so he bought you a journal to have a place to put them in."

I placed the books on the coffee table, then tightly hugged my mom. Tears were forming in my eyes, my nose was running a bit. "Thank you, ma."

She patted my back, returning the embrace. "Of course, little plum."

"Now then," mom let go of me, standing up, "I should get going. If you need anything from me or dad, text or call us. Good luck." I nodded, hugging her one last time before she left.

I looked at my phone. There was a text from Calico. I unlocked my phone, then looked at the message she sent. The upholstery on the furniture sucks ass, especially the couch. I felt my sensory issues going absolutely apeshit lookin' at it. I might not have much experience with furniture fabric, but if you want me to replace it with something that fits the cottage better, I'll do my best. ~Calico Armstrong

I typed my reply. I appreciate it. It was the most affordable, despite the neon hurting my eyes. When I'm getting used to living the farm life, I'll commission you.

After that, I went into the bedroom. It was getting quite dark, and I was also pretty sleepy. I plopped onto my bed, after I changed into my pajamas, of course, and fell asleep.