Chapter 1.1 – A New Beginning

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Ariana Sloane, Eliza Pancakes, Oasis Springs, Zoe Patel

Ariana Sloane took one look at her bare surroundings and immediately thought what a bad idea it was to spend her entire savings on a huge plot of land in Oasis Springs, a desert town, knowing full well it would be months before she could save enough money to build a house on it.

This town was surprisingly lacking hotels so Ariana knew she would have to camp out on the sandy dirt ground of her new property until she would be able to put a roof over her head. Nevertheless, it did have a scenic view of the canyons at the back and it seemed she only had one neighbour in the vicinity which meant it would be a nice quiet place for her to start her new exciting life.

The last few years for her were tough since losing both parents in a car accident when she was just a teenager. She bounced around foster homes until she graduated high school and became a young adult. She worked for a couple of years doing odd jobs until she had 11,800 simoleons in savings. She always desired living in a big house in Oasis Springs. Unfortunately the real estate in Oasis Springs was quite pricy and the only places she could afford were too small and too cheap looking – not a good investment in the long run. Ariana dreamt of having a large, loving family and she knew she would need a lot of space for it. But she didn’t expect that space to cost her 10,000 simoleons! It didn’t matter though because now it was home.

Ariana decided to check online with her smart phone for any job openings. She managed to find an opening as a Palette Cleaner under the Painter career. She was always artistic and her art projects in school always earned the highest scores in the class. Perhaps, this job would be the best fit for her and so she applied and got an immediate response informing her to come to the museum at 8 am that morning for an interview. She couldn’t believe it happened so fast.

Just as she thought about looking for a video online to buy her time she heard someone whistling as they strolled behind her. When she turned around it was a redheaded woman wearing glasses and the snootiest expression on her face.

She wanted to be friendly with her neighbours so Ariana walked up to her and introduced herself. “Hi there. My name is Ariana Sloane.”

“Hello. I am Eliza Pancakes.” The redhead responded. “Nice to meet you.”

Ariana tried her best to not laugh at the woman’s last name. “Nice to meet you too.”

“So I guess you’re the one who bought this vacant old piece of land huh?”

“Yes I just moved in.”

“Just moved in?” Eliza asked just to make sure. When Ariana nodded she gave her a look of scorn. “There’s nothing here. Absolutely nothing but dirt. You couldn’t possibly be moved in. Are you going to camp out here like some crazy hobo? This is a nice neighbourhood, we don’t need people like you lowering its standards.”

Ariana was offended and couldn’t believe this woman’s attitude. “So what if I do? Why is that your problem?”

“Hmph. The attitude is completely unnecessary sweetie.”

“Your rudeness is unnecessary.” Ariana wasn’t going to let this woman get away with insulting her. “How I live is my business and you have no right to judge me.”

“Whatever. I’m not going to waste my time on you. Unlike you I have a beautiful house to get to.” And with that Eliza strolled down the sidewalk.

“Don’t get yourself worked up over her,” a woman in a yellow dress said to her. “I’m Zoe Patel, I live just a few streets away. She on the other hand doesn’t even live here.”

“Ariana Sloane. What do you mean she doesn’t live here? The way she was talking it sounds like she’s the mayor or something.”

“Nah she’s just a snob from Willow Creek who comes here every now and then to visit her mother. She makes it a point to let everyone she meets know that she has lots of fancy things like designer rugs and antique sculptures that are worth thousands and blah-blah-blah…” Zoe said with a laugh. “No one can stand her, not even her husband from what I’ve heard.”

Ariana and Zoe shared a laugh for a few minutes. It was nice for her to meet someone friendly after her encounter with Eliza. She was beginning to wonder if everyone in Oasis Springs were just like her.

“Welcome to Oasis Springs. It’s a really nice place.” Zoe said to her. They chatted a bit about their backgrounds. Zoe told her that she shared a house with three other roommates – three guys! Ariana couldn’t imagine having so many roommates especially when they were all men. Zoe seemed really sweet so she was sure at least one of them had a crush on her even though Zoe talked about them like they were her brothers.

Zoe left when it started to get dark so Ariana decided to put out some of the furniture she was able to afford to buy. Admittedly it did look quite tacky to her and she hoped that Eliza woman or anyone else didn’t pass by to insult her about having her bed and refrigerator out in the yard.

Still Ariana enjoyed a bowl of cereal as she sat on her bed under the light of the stars and the moon. She moved in, made a new friend in Zoe and got an interview for a job all in one day! Ariana felt good knowing that she made the right decision by coming here after all.