Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 9 - Fall 7

"Are you sure nothing is up with her?" I asked Haley, nodding to Emily frantically moving about their house.

"Sade," Haley sighed, glancing in the direction of my gaze. "She's too superstitious for her own good. I mean, honestly, she believes those damn crystals you bring home from the mines have more influence over her life than she does. If she is scared of a rock's magical powers, imagine her paranoia when a live animal, who is literally known for having magical powers, chooses her out of everyone."

I stayed silent. Logically, Haley had a point. It had only been a week since the Rare Green Jelly chose Emily as its next victim, and she's seemed perpetually frazzled since. But, deep down, I couldn't help but feel that she was acting weird even before the festival. She'd barely said a word to any of us since Sam and Alex's party, and she couldn't be that mad over a spilled beer...could she?

I dismissed the thought, and reprimanded myself for continuing to stare. Haley is right. The Jelly situation would freak anyone out.

It'd been a few days since I'd been at the farm—I'd been staying with Haley ever since Sam freaked out over an infestation he found in the bathroom. Conveniently enough, there's no such thing as an exterminator in Pelican Town, so Sam called Lewis, who reached out to a specialist from Zuzu City. Between the pests themselves, the commute from the City, and an apparently tedious eradication process, my "roommates" and I were asked to vacate the premises for a few days.

While it wasn't a huge deal—thanks to my newly implemented sprinkler system and automatic animal feeders—I missed the busyness of life out there. Over on Willow Lane, finding something to do was the biggest battle of all, besides silently theorizing about Emily's strange behavior.

Alex and Sam decided to visit their families for a few days, mostly because they didn't have much of a choice. Despite the invitation to stay with Haley and I, they declined—probably because of the awkward atmosphere—which I didn't mind. Awkward or not, a few days in a home with no masculine energy was a prospect that I was okay with.

"Oh!" Haley exclaimed, practically rocketing off of the couch. "Sam just texted that the exterminator is finished! I'm going to go pack my bag!" She said giddily, running off to her room. While it made me smile that they were eager to move back in, I was filled with guilt thinking about their families. I wondered if Emily had anyone to hang out with while Haley was gone, or if being alone was slowly making her more crazy.

"HELLOOOOO!" Sam sang, pushing the front door open while standing in a ridiculous pose. "Sleepover at Sade's tonight! And tomorrow! And the next day! And-"

"Forever." Alex mumbled from behind him, clasping a big hand on Sam's back. "I think I've taken not having to do chores for granted. Granny had a laundry list of a million things for me to do this weekend."

"You should be doing chores at Sade's too, Alex," Haley groaned as she lugged a ginormous duffle bag out of her room. "She's been nice enough to let your bum ass sleep there for the past three months. The least you could do is wash a dish every once in a while."

"Good Lord, woman! What do you have in this thing?" Sam grunted, cutting Haley off as he reached over to carry her duffle.

"All of my belongings, shithead. Where is your bag?"

"Probably a bug's new home," Alex laughed. "He didn't bring it back with him."

Haley shot a glare his way, and pushed past him to leave. "Bye Emily, we love you!" She screamed over her shoulder. Silence.

I stepped into the crisp fall air, and before I could even think, I felt my feet be swept off of the ground. Sam's familiar grasp held me behind my knees, dangling my torso over his shoulder.