Sunshine and Shadow Acres [A Stardew Valley Fanfiction]

Chapter 4: Shane

*Shane's Point of View*

She's back. How is she back? Why is she back? Shane cursed himself as he ran as fast as he could and as far as he could before finally collapsing along the riverbank near the ranch. Shane never thought he'd seen her again. And he certainly never wanted her to see him... like this. Why did she have to see him like this?

He wanted her to remember him how he was. Bright eyed and excited... full of life. Now he was just... numb. Numb from the alcohol he used to drown the pain. Tears pricked his eyes as memories played in his head of them as kids. He was eight when they met, she was five. From the first day he'd met her, he knew that she was something special. A bright, vibrant light in the world.

Many horrors littered Shane's life, dating back to when his parents died when he was five. That's when he moved in with Marnie, having no one left to take him in. Still, Shane had managed to laugh and play despite the significant loss.

Shane looked forward to seeing Adeline every summer. She'd become a source of happiness and light he didn't quite possess the ability to produce on his own. But when he was eleven and the day came, she never showed up. And she never showed up again... until now.

He really thought he'd never see her again. Especially after Mr. Barret had passed. He didn't even know the land had gotten left to her. He hadn't hear Adeline's name in years. Shane thought about the last week, how Marnie had been tiptoeing around him. And then he thought about the whispers around town. He figured that everyone must've known she was here... everyone except him.

No one really talked to Shane anymore... which was fair enough, he thought. He was grumpy and mean and the only person he cared about was Jas. Sweet Jas... Shane wished he'd gotten something to drink before rushing out of the saloon, but he didn't want to face Adeline. He didn't want to be perceived by her. He didn't want her to know what he'd become. So instead, when Shane finally got the endurance to keep going, he went to the dock he spent so much time on, and he just sat. He just sat, and he thought.