Chapter 1

Apple looked up at her fancy new bed and breakfast. It was beautiful. The walls were a sky blue color and the roof was a pretty coral pink. Her feet crunched in the freshly fallen snow as she walked up to the door.

It was too bad that nobody really wanted the bed and breakfast. People said that they could hear creaking sounds. There were the occasional door slams too. Apple didn't believe it was haunted. Maybe the wind was pushing the doors really hard. It was just surprising since the place was still very brand new and the bed and breakfast looked beautiful. How could it be haunted? She opened the door, ignoring the rumors.

The bed and breakfast looked pretty empty inside. She would need help moving furniture in. She'd have to hire one of the townsfolk to help her out. She didn't really know anyone yet to ask for some favors. She was still pretty new in the town of Rainbow Garnet. Apple moved to Rainbow Garnet to get away from her horrible ex-boyfriend.

The first place Apple headed over to was the kitchen. She heard amazing things and she wanted to check it out since she absolutely loved to bake. Her all time favorite food was macarons. She couldn't get enough of them. Even if they were kind of tedious to make.

Apple picked up a strange looking key that was sitting at the end of the counter. Hmm, maybe she should make a necklace with it. The key was very pretty. It had a silver chain with blue and green butterfly wings. The original owner must have left it for her. That was thoughtful.

She figured she should probably figure out what it unlocked. There were many doors in the bed and breakfast. Unless the key unlocks a safe or something. Then she would definitely need to contact the owner.

Her large maine coon cat meowed at her, begging for food. He rubbed against her leg. She had anxiety and he was her emotional support animal. She grabbed him some cat food and he cheered happily.

She yawned. She was definitely not a morning person. She struggled to keep her eyes open. Maybe later she would curl up next to the fireplace and take a little nap. It was a nice thought.

She heard a knock at the door. Apple ran over to open it. Everyone knew that the bed and breakfast wasn't open yet, right? She tucked her sunny blonde hair nervously behind her ear.

"I hope you don't mind. I brought a gift basket," one of the townsfolk said. In the basket was delicious looking bread, cheese, and wine.

"Thank you! That bread looks delicious."

"You'll want to still have it when it is fresh, of course. My name is Ines."

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"I'm Apple. I just moved to Rainbow Garnet last week. Do you know of anyone who might be able to help me unpack all my furniture?

"You can ask my husband." Her face glowed with pride. "He's helped a lot of people move. I'll go tell him you need assistance."

"Thanks. How much should I pay him? I don't have much on me right now, but I can pay back the rest with the Bed and Breakfast earnings." 

"Don't worry about it. You are new to town. Free of charge. Maybe you can give us your best room for the night." Ines winked. "We have been meaning to go on vacation one of these days. What better than a staycation?" 

"Of course, I can definitely book you guys a room. Let me know when you want to." I nodded. She seemed very friendly and generous. Apple could be pretty aloof and down to earth, the complete opposite of Ines.

"Do you know of any good macaron recipes? I was thinking of making some."

"Well, you are in luck. I happen to be the town's best cookie baker. I'll head back to my shop to see if I can find where I put my macaron recipe. Of course, you need to buy a cookie if you want the recipe," she grinned. Apple nodded. Hopefully the cookies weren't too outrageously priced. She figured buying one or two might be OK.

"Do you think this place is haunted like they say it is?" Apple asked her.

"No. I don't. It's just dumb old superstitions. You've got nothing to worry about." She waved her hands. Apple breathed a sigh of relief. Phew. She thought the place was fine too. She was safe. Nothing to worry about.

"Thanks. I'm not the type to hang out at a haunted place just for fun."

"Are you kidding? That's the best! Anyways, I'll let my husband know that you need help with setting up your bed and breakfast. I'm so excited someone finally bought the place," Ines said then skipped out the door, whistling cheerfully.

Apple grabbed the key from the kitchen counter. She sat down by the fireplace and held it up. It shone brightly against the fire. Apple didn't have any magic. She wished she did. All she had was a green thumb.

Since Ines said it would take a few days before her husband was ready to unpack everything, she decided to explore the town a bit. Rainbow Garnet was known as one of the snowiest areas. She shivered. Apparently very cold too. It was weird it was named after a rainbow. In the summer though, Rainbow Garnet was beautiful and hot.

Apple stopped walking and took a breather. She noticed there was an empty fairy garden close by. It was pretty dismal and worn out though. Like someone hadn't replaced the fairy objects in forever. She rubbed her chin. Maybe she could make a new fairy garden. She would have to ask permission. Apple loved gardening.