Chapter 1: A New Town

    Lacey waved the moving van goodbye and then breathed in deeply. It was time for a new start. She had bought the property months ago but was unable to move in due to her father's sudden illness. But now that he had passed away she had decided it was time to move on and leave home. She came from Riverview to Sunset Valley, hoping for a fresh new start.

    She looked around her at the strange new town. She saw her neighbour collecting the mail, he spotted her and waved her over. Suddenly she felt very nervous, she'd always been shy around people she didn't know.       
    Get a grip Lacey. She muttered to herself.
    She hesitently walked over to the man.
    "Hi." He said a little nervously.
    Maybe he's shy to. Lacey thought to herself.
    "I'm Reno." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake.
    "I'm Lacey." She replied, shaking his hand. "A pleasure to meet you."
    "And you." He said.

 
Reno released her hand. "You're new here aren't you."
    "Yes...yes I am." Lacey replied.
    He nodded.
    "How long have you lived here?" Lacey asked in attempt to make polite conversation.
    "All my life. I inherited this house after my parents died in a car crash last year." He answered, lowering his gaze to the floor and shifting nervously.
    "Oh...I...I'm sorry to hear that." Lacey said. She cursed silently in her head. Could I make things any worse? 
    "I...uh...I left some stuff cooking inside." Reno indicated his house. "I'd better check on it."
    "Yes. I'd better get going myself." Lacey put up her hand in farewell and hurried back to her house.

    What now. Well, I suppose I ought to get a job.
    She dug around her pockets for her mobile and opened the internet.
    "No. No. No. No way! No. No..." She muttered. "Hang on a minute."
    She scrolled back up. There was a job vacancy in the Education Career as a Playground Monitor. It was perfect for her. She may be shy but she was also family-oriented. She dialled the number and waited patiently while it rang.
    "Hello." Said a female voice grumpily.
    "I was wondering about the job vacancy for playground monitor at your school." Lacey explained.
    "Really?" The woman instantly perked up. "Well, we are actually quite desperate for this post to be filled so do you think you could come down now for an interview?"
    "Yes! Yes, of course, that's fine!" Lacey agreed.
    "Your appointment will be in an hour, come straight to the front office."
    "Okay, thankyou!" Lacey put down the phone and dashed for the front door.

    She came out of her interview grinning from ear to ear. She'd got the job!
    She dashed home with a skip in her step.

    As soon as she got home, she got to work doing her favourite thing in the world: painting. Inspiration was seeping from her fingertips as she quikly got out her paints and propped up her easel in her bedroom. And she began to paint. She painted for most of the afternoon until she realized she was actually very hungry.

    She tidied her paints away and went into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and peered inside. Nothing but a load of salad. I guess i'll have to make some autumn salad then, but I don't mind, that's my favourite. She grabbed the vegetables out of the fridge and cradled them in her arms before dumping them on the sideboard. She hunted around in the cupboards for a while before finally pulling out a wooden chopping board. She set to work making her salad.

   The next day, on the way to work, she felt very nervous again. She hated having to sit in that stuffy car with a man she didn't even know, trying to make some kind of conversation but failing miserably.

    When she got home from work she collapsed on the sofa. Maybe the education career wasn't for her? She'd spent the whole day as a nervous wreck because of the multitude of people crammed into the corridors and classrooms, all the kids in the playground.   
    I musn't give up. I'll stick with this job for now, and if I decide I can't cope then i'll just have to get a new one.  
 

    Lacey rummaged around her cupboards and got out her paints again, determined to finish her painting that evening. She loved painting, she enjoyed it because it was a way to escape from everything in her life she hated, and everything she regretted.

   She finished her painting just before she went to bed. It wasn't an amazing painting. It only sold for 49 simeloneons. But she was proud of it.

     That night she slept peacfully. Dreaming of painting and magical places. And of a man, a man with tanned skin and brown hair. She dreamt of her next door neighbour.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Look out for Chapter 2 soon...