1.0 Prelude

"My name is Amelia, and I'm a workaholic." That's what they had wanted her to say. Even her boss had been pressing in the matter.
"As much as we acknowledge the amazing work you are doing, this just doesn't seem healthy for you." He had said at the "special meeting" they had called for the very purpose of ganging up on her, as she saw it.

Amelia had scoffed and looked around the fancy conference room in disbelief. How could they all sit there and look with pitying eyes at her as if she was a charity case? Well, no one could tell her what to do.

And a workaholic? Well yes, she did enjoy her job more than pretty much anything else, but how was that a bad thing? The company certainly didn't complain and neither did the clients.

It was that very same day that she had gotten the call. It had been another late night at the office. Amelia was the only one left, as usual. On her way back from the kitchen she heard the familiar sound of her cell phone ringing. She sprinted for her cubicle, seeing as she came around the corner that it was lit up by the glowing display on the phone.

She grabbed the phone, pushed the green button and put the phone to her ear so quickly that she accidentally poked herself in the eye with one of her perfectly manicured finger nails.
"Y-yes" she stammered, a bit thrown off by the sudden and persistent stinging in her eye.

"This is Amelia Sterling." She continued, smoothing out her grey pencil skirt with her hand as if it would make her more representable. It was one of her habitual reflexes. A velvety female voice greeted her neutrally.
"Yes, hello, I am Laura Kinley, calling from the office of Mort Termine." Amelia tried franticly to pin down the name. Where had she heard it before? She knew the name was very familiar and to her mind's eye she could somehow see it in a very distinct, bold font. But no bells were ringing. This inner monologue took only a couple of seconds, after which she answered the lady with a short, inquiring:
"Yes?"
"I hope I am not calling at an inconvenient time, it is 10 pm in Bridgeport, is it not?"
"Yes, that is correct, but it is quite all right. May I ask where you are calling from, then?" The stiff, courteous way of speaking in the business was second nature to Amelia and she didn't give it another thought.
"Oh, well I am calling from Riverblossom Falls, Mineor Incorporated, you have heard of it, no doubt?" Amelia's heart skipped a beat. Mineor Inc., of course, that's where she knew the name from! They were the success story of the year, well of the decade actually, and Mort Termine was its visionary, founder and CEO.
"Oh yes!" She exclaimed before composing herself.

"Ahem, yes, of course I know about it. Can I help you with something?" She was starting to fear that this was about some legal matter. Could she have copied some of their work without knowing it? Even though her company had lots of money and lawyers to deal with that sort of thing, she took pride in her work and would be humiliated by an inference like that. She listened carefully to what the lady said next.
"Good, good, then I don't have to explain our demands. We need someone with drive and spark, obviously. Mr. Termine has been surveying your work for some time and he is very impressed. Do you have family in Bridgeport?" Amelia didn't understand.
"Uhm, no, I mean, yes, my parents live here but we don't really... Err, why are you asking?"
"Because Mr. Termine would really like you to start working for the company, and for that, you would obviously have to move." Amelia stared in silence at the grey wall in front of her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Mineor Inc. were offering her a job?

"Miss Sterling? Should I tell Mr. Termine that you're taking the job?" They sure were cocky, but she liked it. Without really thinking, she blurted out a yes! The lady on the other end told her that information would be e-mailed to her, and with that the fateful call was ended.

Amelia came to work the next day wearing a bigger smile than usual on her lips. She went straight into her boss's office and sat down, waiting patiently for him to arrive.

As the man strode into the little room, he jumped. Amelia turned around in the chair to face him.

"Oh, Amelia, you scared me. Is something wrong?" Alfons Andersson secretly hoped that his most treasured employee was there to announce that she was going into a support group or program for her issues. Even though her work was much appreciated by staff and clients alike, he felt that she would soon collapse, and that wouldn't be good for anyone.
"I'm really sorry" She began without being able to wipe the smile completely off of her face "but I'm leaving." Alfons looked at her.
"What?"
"I got another job. I'm here to give my two weeks' notice." He sat down in his chair with a loud thud.
"Amelia, is this about our meeting yesterday? You must know that we value you immensely here, and we won't judge or mistreat you whatever choice you make."

She felt bad for him; he really did seem genuinely concerned. And she knew that he had been eyeing her for quite some time, persistently watching, hinting and complimenting, despite her obvious disinterest.
"No, no, I know the timing is weird, but I got a job offer yesterday and I just can't turn it down. It's with Mineor Incorporated." The words trickled out of her mouth like softly running water. It felt right. And she knew what an impact they made, anyone in the business would be jealous. Amelia beamed at her boss. There was a part of her that was feeling slightly spiteful. This was her revenge, however unplanned and really out of her control.
"Oh" Alfons said in a downhearted voice, staring down at his desk as his hands were nervously fidgeting with some papers. He knew that there was no way they could compete with Mineor Inc. Once they wanted something, they went out of their way to get it. And he could understand why they wanted her.

Her last two weeks in Bridgeport felt long. The work suddenly didn't seem as rewarding as it used to. But when the day finally came to say goodbye to her co-workers, Amelia got emotional.

She held a pretty little speech before leaving the building forever.

Taking farewell of her parents wasn't as emotional. They had had little contact since she moved out and this wouldn't change things much. She anticipated that the monthly phone call from her mother and the birthday card in the mail from her father would still be received no matter where she moved to. They loved her and she loved them, but Amelia's parents just weren't a part of her life and they had all seemed to accept that a long time ago.

Amelia had lived in the same, furnished rental apartment since she moved out from her parents', and upon her moving to another city, she now realized that she barely had any furniture of her own. The only belongings, beside her clothes and make-up, were a floor lamp, her two, treasured computers, and one cardboard box of memories that she had no interest in revisiting.

"I need furniture." she thought. "And I need somewhere to live." The train for Riverblossom Falls was leaving in exactly two hours and the minimal amount of packing needed was all done. But where would she live? Surely there was some hotel where she could stay for awhile, but she intended to buy a suitable apartment as quickly as possible. She shrugged carelessly. Oh well, things usually had a way of working out for her, it would be alright.

The train ride was pleasant, but long. Amelia spent most of it taking advantage if the free wireless internet connection, searching the web for apartments that were up for sale. After an hour and a half with no luck, she sighed and closed her laptop in a fit of exasperation. Were there no apartment in this city? She soon got her answer.

The train only took her to Riverton, and from there she had to take a bus. A bus? That didn't bode well. The closer she got, the more she started to wonder if she would have to regret her decision. All she could see were... Trees. Rivers. Farms.

As the driver announced "Riverblossom Falls Downtown" in the loudspeakers, Amelia almost let out a laugh. Three high-rise buildings and a couple of shops or clubs. This was what they called "downtown"?

She rode on, however, as the website of The Cassandra Motel had said to take the bus to "Riverblossom Falls Park". From there it was only supposed to be a short walk.

At the aforementioned stop, Amelia stepped off the bus and looked around. Now she understood why apartments in Riverblossom Falls were so hard to find. This place was full of... Little houses. There were no high-rise buildings in sight.

Amelia gasped. She couldn't believe that an amazing, ever expanding company like Mineor Incorporated could have its base of operations in this small town. She disliked the place instantly, having always been a city gal. This just wasn't her. Upon finding The Cassandra Motel, her view of the town didn't brighten much.

The rooms were tiny and the furniture were old.

All the rooms were unoccupied, as it turned out, which wasn't a great surprise. Who in their right mind would come to Riverblossom Falls on vacation? But Amelia drew a deep breath and tried to think positive. She was sure that it would all feel less dreary and secluded as soon as she got to the Mineor headquarters.

---

Hello there, I want to thank you for reading through this - the first chapter of my new legacy! What do you think so far? And can you guess what traits Amelia has? Well, other than the most obvious one at the very beginning... :) I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

/Alexandra

"Well, that call was unexpected."

Amelia saying goodbye to her old life.

 "How could you let her go?!"