Chapter 1 Aria and Hunter Zion

                                                                 
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

- Haruki Murakami

Aria Zion was a girl of no particular importance, she had hardly no money to her name. Her family weren't centuries old nor were they big. She had never graduated college instead gaining a certificate that helped forward her career as a stylist. She married at eighteen a young man named Hunter Zion and it is at this age,we meet them heading to the sleepy town of Riverview.

Neither of them were particularly gifted, Hunter wrote books that had so far never been published. They had left the shiny lights of Bridgeport because they both agreed they won't quite suited to city life and they needed a fresh start away from their single partying friends. Childhood sweethearts someone could have told you when they were two, they would get married. An old slightly mad aunt gave them the tiny cottage in Riverview somewhere they had never been, but felt sure would feel like home. No, Aria and Hunter Zion were completely normal in every way, but it is normally these ones that are able to tell the best stories.
"Its small," were the first words to escape Aria's lips as she looked up at the cottage in front of her.
Any dreams of a grand country town home were dashed as she stared at the square structure in front of her.
Hunter grabbed her hand and squeezed, a gentle reminder that they had each other, "Our apartment was probably smaller," he reminded her.
"Hmm," Aria murmurs not quite a agreement or a denial something in between.
Carefully she pulls her hand away, taking out a sliver key from her jean pockets, sighing unhappily as she walked towards the door. It is not right to assume Aria was ungrateful or even perhaps snobby, no the girl had grown up in a bustling city and such a stark contrast cannot first be meet with the remembering of things left behind. As the door swing open Aria braced herself for disappointment and as she stared at the inside of her new home her expectations were not denied.
It was nothing like their old apartment it was packed together tidily and it missed that city feel, the action-packed always having somewhere to go feel. No, this place felt as a home should, but no eighteen year old wants a home, they want a crash pad.
"I like it," Hunter commented brushing past her, taking the first step into their future home.
The comment brought a wisp of a small to Aria's lips, "You would like a tin hut for a home."
"Aria this is what we wanted a change," he says to her, another gentle reminder, another way of saying we're not going back.
"Change," Aria tasted the word on her lips, back in Bridgeport change had seemed like an exotic word, a promise of a future adventure, now it felt like a life sentence. One look toward the man she was in love with told her she had to give this a go, for him because Hunter had never really been a city boy. His only interest lied in an empty field with a blank book in front of him to fill. The city was no place for him and if it was no place for him, it was no place for her. She covered the gap between not even realizing she was entering the house and pulled him into an embrace, "I love you,"
"I love you too," Hunter said repeating the sentiment before kissing the top of her head.
Aria sprang away from him, her mind reminding her of the one thing that could possibly make this place bearable, "My job," she exclaims.
Fishing around in her pocket she pulls out the number of her future boss, Alicia Barney, owner of Barney's Salon and Tattoo.
"You don't mind," Aria asked realizing her husband was still inhabiting the room.
Hunter grinned at her and I couldn't tell you if it was because Aria had actually asked or that she was so excited, "Go ahead, I'll unpack our stuff." Aria paused as Hunter walked out, knowing the moment they unpacked their one box of things it meant they were staying. Temptation flooded her heart, urging her to call out to him, to tell him to stop. Aria forced the temptation away from her like a calorie filled chocolate tart, it wasn't going to get her anywhere in the end. She dialed the number on the card the phone shaking slightly as Aria tried to brush away her nerves.
"Hello, Barney's Salon and Tattoo, what can I be doing for you?" the phone being picked up on the first ring. The voice remembered Aria of candy, lively, upbeat, fearless, candy went with everything. The thought almost caused Aria to giggle but she held it back.
"I'm looking for Alicia Barney," her voice betraying a much more serious tone than the stranger's on the phone.
"That'd be me," the voice responded, the first hint of curiosity sneaking into it.
"Oh," Aria said surprised, she had expected the owner of the salon to be older, dignified, but Alicia didn't sound much older than her.
"I'm Aria Zion," she finally said, remembering she was actually on the phone. At the pause at the other end of the line Aria added, "From Bridgeport."
The breath of realization came across the line, "Of course sorry honey, I didn't expect you to ring till tomorrow."
Aria was taken aback by her friendly manner, bosses were not meant to be that friendly. "I'm sorry," Aria muttered, unsure of what else to say.
A chuckle flowed into her ear, "There's nothing to apologize for hon, how do you like Riverview so far, got to be a change from those fast-paced city dwellers. I would never live there," Alicia told her firmly.
Aria thought that she had no interest in her actual answer to the question, but merely wanted an excuse to complain about the city. Nevertheless an answer was required, "I just arrived."
"Just a sec," Alicia said, just as Aria guessed uninterested in her answer to the question. Hunter had been looking at her questioningly and Aria gave him a forced smile, knowing he would be able to see right through it.
"Right you still there," Alicia's voice came back through.
"Yes," Aria replied in confirmation, were else would she be?
"Um so you're trained, how would you like to start tomorrow?" Alicia asked.
"But you haven't even meet me," Aria protested, wondering what cruel trick of fate had turned her into the one protesting about receiving a job.
"Oh but its fine, I sense you're a good person. I can tell things like that. Anyone have to go, money is time and both those things certainly don't grow on trees," Alicia told her, "I'll text you the details," and before Aria could give a goodbye or even a thank you the line was dead.
Aria sighed letting the hand holding the phone droop down to her side. Aria wondered if everybody in this town gave someone the job because they sensed they were a good person, probably Aria decided. "I have the job," Aria declared to Hunter, trying to make some good comment about an awful situation.
"It's going to get better," Hunter promised her. Aria didn't know if better was ever a word she could apply to Riverview.
It took less than an hour for them to set up their mere twenty belongings and truthfully it shouldn't of taken less time if only Aria hadn't hesitated on each and every bit. Hunter had set out to the field with his notepad like a young explorer sailing to the edge of the world astonished to find that he does not drop off the world itself, but finds a new lands he could only dream about.
Aria was at a loss about what to do and refusing to look at Simbook and all the fun her friends were having took herself down the stairs and the ten steps to her letterbox. Aria had heard the gentle whistle of a lively mailman unworried about being late for his run as they were unpacking and now Aria deciding she wanted to know who had known and sent something to there new address so fast.
Opening the sleek sliver box Aria pulled out a brown package, sealed with a red sign that could only be described as a replica of those used in olden days. While most would have seen it and received it with happiness, Aria looked at it with dread, it spoke of doom and trouble on the horizon as unavoidable as the coming in of the tide. The package could only mean one thing disaster.