S1 E20: New Beginnings

Kenzie Tartaglione:

The content warning for this episode includes drinking blood, discussion of death, brief scenes in a hospital room, and sex.

 

Kenzie (MC):

On the ninth of November, Wildmoore change for the better, for the worse… the two extremes so mixed up in one another that it was hard to tell. Wildmoore now feels stuck in an in-between. What you all learned these past few months, the truths disclosed about your families and your home, now makes what you see everyday, seem unfathomable. If you look - which, most don’t - you can see the wavering outline of the once impenetrable barrier. At night it almost looks like a shimmer of green across the starry sky. In the daytime, if the sun hits it just right, a rainbow outline of where a piece had floated down on that dark night.

 

The Wildmoore cemetery was an unexplainable catastrophe. Earth ripped open, bones scattered about. The meadow around The Heart was in a state of destruction. Trees toppled, debris everywhere. The few bodies lost in the fight solemnly removed by Wyatt and his kin.

 

Vampires don’t feed on other vampires. It’s out of respect and because the sole purpose of vampire blood is to turn things. But that night was not the first night Gabriel had resulted to that solution to Bast’s bouts of uncontrollable bloodlust. But this time, as Wildmoore changed, Bast stayed in stasis. His eyes violet normally, turned black in bloodlust, now a golden ring as Gabriel’s blood flows through his veins. And this time, it stayed as such. It’s off-putting even to non-human, that unnatural color.

 

While I don’t usually like to break narration for game mechanics, I think that this is an important reason to do so. So, I just want to remind everybody that many a session ago, someone, I believe it was Sawyer rolled Shut Someone Down against Ely Hook and in doing so gave her the condition of casualty. And so when Sawyer made his way home after a long night, fighting a shadow, restoring The Heart, saving his best friend, and then having to talk to the agents that surrounded Sara Moore’s house, he didn’t get a reprieve. The front door was unlocked, pushed open slightly and you could hear the sound of your sister crying. Pushing open the door you saw Annabelle sitting on the floor of the front hall, sobbing, big loud wails filling the space, as she rocked herself next to the prone body of your mother. Scattered about were the littered remains of darts, vials, and bullet casings. Her left sleeve was ripped open, gashes like claw marks through her shoulders. Unconscious with very shallow breath. The next half hour is a tumultuous whirl of red and white flashing lights. EMTs rushing through your house, a ride to the hospital with Annabelle’ inconsolable form writhing in your lap. Doctors and nurses and explaining the unexplainable to you. At the some point, your father showed up and took over. The doctors bombarding him with medical jargon and possible choices. And since then, Ely Hook has been lying in the Wildmoore Hospital, alive, but comatose.

 

Daniel Moore managed to solely fight off the infection in the lake and by the time the shadow creature was diminished, the lake was mostly back to normal. Except that now the glowing algae phenomenon was there to say. But that wasn’t much of a celebration when he returned to find that his son was dead. The funeral for Adam Moore was delayed, due to the investigation, but when it was finally able to commence, was attended by almost the entire town. Despite the hardships he had been going through for the last half a year, he was still, in the minds of Wildmoore, their hockey star, and the charming Moore kid who had so much of a future to look forward to. The Moore house since has been a somber affair. It’s quiet, Daniel and Sharon Moore do not seem to know how t0o move forward, move on from the loss of a child.

 

And outside of that, the rest of Wildmoore is teeming with questions of these wild occurrence that took place, and confusing theories of what happened, why the moon turned red, was it some astrological event no one knew was happening? But, for the three of you who had been in the center of it and for one of you who had been pulled in in the last minute to a world you didn’t really know existed, you are left reeling in the aftermath of the chaos, trying to find some sort of solace in what used to be familiar and in each other.

 

You have the time from pretty much the night, so November ninth, to December 21st, to decide what conversions are important to have, what you want to do in that time…

 

Kenzie (MC):

Damian has never really had a sense of tact in the sense that he doesn’t really abide by people’s privacy at all, is not one to skirt a pointed question in a time of grieving or sorrow, and also will make unfounded conspiracy video about pretty much anybody, at anytime. And so you have been getting nonstop from him, text after text, about all the shit that went down, what he saw that night - which is more than a lot of people saw the night because of his weird, creepy, stalky patrolly shit that he does.

 

Ashley Westover:

He’s vigilant. I’ll give him that.

 

Kenzie (MC):

The moon, it can be explained off as an unknown astrological event, even though it was crazy and wild. People rising from the grave on the overhand, not necessarily easy to brush under the rug. So, one of the first texts you get is,

 

Kenzie (Damian Evans):

Farrow, I always knew that the zombie apocalypse would happen, I just didn’t think it was going to fucking start in Wildmoore!

 

Ashley:

These texts definitely saved in the middle of Farrow trying to get Sawyer and them in the fucking heart during the height of all his. Their phones just like bzzt, bzzt, bzzt the whole time in their pocket. And it was just Damian. And so I think Farrow sees that first text - and you know when the text pops up and there’s been a bunch and you can kind of see them stacked like cards on your phone screen - I think after things had semi-settled down before there were like interviews with agents and everything that night, Farrow saw that, took a breath, put their phone in their pocket, and decided to respond to them the next morning, slash whenever they woke up. So, they’re scrolling through and not only has Damian sent a million texts, he has also sent them photos and videos of like him driving through and there’s just like a skeleton, just kind a like blurs by in the windshield. Or up a the sky and it’s doing weird shit. And there’s weird sounds in the background. After like probably longer than it should have taken Damian to ask this question,

 

Ashley (Damian):

Farrow are you okay? Wait, shit, did you die?

 

Ashley:

You can see the moment where he kind of switched from this is so wild to oh wait, there’s danger. And of course there are missed calls and everything as well. And so the next morning, Farrow texts back and says,

 

Ashley (Farrow Smith):

Hey, yeah, dude, so fucking wild. Let’s meet at the gas station. Let’s try to figure this out.

 

Ashley:

If there’s anyone who could actually figure the real stuff out and hen expose it, it might be Damian so Farrow has to try to like push him in the wrong direction basically.

 

Kenzie (MC):

You feel a little bit better by him texting you after you said, “Meet a the gas station.” He’s like,

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah, we should meet to talk when the moon is haunted.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Okay, I’m headed there.

 

Ashley:

Usually Damian is Farrow’s ride because they sort of like commandeered his vehicle. So, they take this moment to walk there. They know Damian’s going to get there way earlier than they are, but that is fine. They need to actually breathe and come up with how they’re going to just try to make up something that pushes him away from the trio. But it’s still not too, too far.

 

Kenzie (MC):

When you get there, you see Damian’s car and you see Damian just pacing back and forth along the length of the car and when you come in, kinda puts his hands up by his shoulders like,

 

Kenzie (Damian):

What took you so long!? We got things to discuss!

 

Ashley:

They took their sweet time but they approach as if they had been running a marathon. They’re like,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

(Heavy breathing) I’m sorry. On the way out, my uncle, he was like losing his mind. He didn’t want me to leave the house ‘cause it was so wild last night and dangerous but I’m here, dude. Sorry. What all did you see? I also saw just like a bunch of skeletons, I guess, doing the Monster Mash but not in like a fun way, in a definitely very scary way. Like what are your theories, dude? Come on. Hit me.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

I think that there are a lot of things connected here. Haunted moon, okay? Okay which is -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Moon’s haunted.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Like the red moon sent weird energy signals down.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Like a solar flare, kind of but a moon flare?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yes! Yeah! Kinda of, kind of, kind of!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

(Gasps) Oh shit.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

I think that it like buffed the bats with like - I don’t know - some fucked up type of rabies, or something. That I think somehow polluted - bat feces polluted the soil. And it like radiated into the -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

With the moon radiation! Oh my god!

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah! But also what was really, really weird is that it looked like we live in a dome of northern light.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Gonna be real, I didn’t catch that bit. There were a lot of skeletons on the ground. I didn’t look up too much.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

You know the moon was red though, you looked up at the moon.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah the moon was red but then I had to look down and run because skeletons. Radiation skeletons, they were after me, Damian. It was terrifying.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Well, that’s the other thing. Where’d they go!? ‘Cause then they just like all disappeared.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Do you think the radiation in their bones only animated them for a short time and then ate them away and they kind of like dissolved. Or is that dumb - oh sorry, that was - was that dumb?

 

Kenzie (MC):

He stops pacing.

 

Ashley:

Farrow’s holding their breath.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And kind of leans back against the car.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

That’s not bad.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You think that’s viable?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

I think that’s very viable.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

‘Cause it only lasted for a bit so it must’ve been some kind of weird flare up.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

But the only thing I can’t figure out for sure though, is why there was like an atmosphere of these bone-chilling, goose-dimpling skin thingy screams. And like unnatural growl shit.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Some of the screams definitely could’ve been me or other people

 

Kenzie (Damian):

No, no.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

No, no, no, no. Hold on a second.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And he pulls out his phone and he plays this really dark, fumbling video where you just hear the monstrous shrieks and cries.

 

Ashley:

In their head, Farrow’s like, there’s no way Damian’s the only one who recorded shit like this, so there’s no point in stealing his phone and accidentally erasing everything. That’s not going to help in the overall scheme.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You know what, Damian, I think what we need to do - we need to break down exactly our best theory about the haunted moon’s radiation and how it seeped into everything. I think that’s our best lead so far and we need to get the word out for that. ‘Cause I think people are going to have a lot of questions. They’re going to be really scared and you’re he resident expert on the stuff so, of course, the first person they’re going to listen to is you, right?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah, okay, but what about like the giant cat?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

There was a giant cat?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Giant cat?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah. It like grabbed up - there was like a skeleton that had flaming eyeballs, Farrow, and this giant, massive cat just like bounded down the street, grabbed it in it’s mouth and just like shook it to shreds. Where’d the fucking cat come from?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

That’s a good question actually. I didn’t know there were giant cats.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

There was one giant cat.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

One giant - okay, so only one. That’s a plus. And it took down a skeleton.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

I was on like the northeastern outskirts of town, like heading down towards like how you get to the quarry.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

A giant quarry cat. Okay, okay, maybe that’s it’s litter box. That was dumb, sorry. Maybe same thing. Like moon radiation, it got into a cat -

 

Kenzie (Damian):

That quickly?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, well everything happened so fast, dude. Did you get any photos, video of the cat?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

No, I was driving.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

(Relieved breath) I mean, damn.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah, it sucks!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

We’ll go out to the quarry once things settled down a bit more and we know it’s safe and see if we can find any footprint or anything.

 

Ashley:

Farrow’s definitely going to go out first and hide any footprints they find.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Was there anything else out? Because I pretty much just saw skeletons, moon radiation, radiated bat poo.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

I’m still weird about whatever dome is surrounding this town.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, that does sound - can I see the photos from that? Did you get any of those?

 

Kenzie (MC):

He shows you and it’s like kind of hard to see when you’re trying to capture light in a photo. It’s not the best but you can see that there is a vague shimmer and you can see pieces floating through the air of where the barrier is breaking down and breaking apart.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You know what, maybe your theory about aliens having us in some sort of observatory isn’t that far off.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Because they’re watching our town!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Literally, that’s what this looks like. Maybe they blasted the moon with the radiation. Do you think this was just some sort of experiment, dude? Do you think we’re just getting experimented on like -

 

Ashley:

And I turn to Beauregard, who’s in my pocket, and I’m like,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Not to be offensive but like rats - like lab rats?

 

Kenzie (Damian):

I need you to roll to manipulate.

 

Ashley:

That’s an eight.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

What would be the aliens’ intentions for like - wouldn’t they want to just like observe natural humanity instead of like making it insane? This shit doesn’t happen here normally like that. So what would they gain from observing unnatural circumstances.

 

Ashley:

In Farrow’s mind they’re like, this is the time you want to start actually questioning your belief system and applying logic to shit, Damian? Really? That’s fine. And they turn to him and they say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Well, you know how in like actual science experiments you need the control group and the experimental group, right? Just to see what the differences would be. Maybe there’s other owns that are like control groups and they’re comparing us to them.




Kenzie (Damian):

Farrow, we have to get on Reddit and we have to find these people.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I will get so deep in Reddit for this.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

We have to find these people! Because then we can compare stories and figure this shit out. Because I think maybe - I think you’re right!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, dude, absolutely. Uh, I’ve haven’t really gone into Reddit too much but like I’ll start digging -

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Do you have time? Do you want to come over?

 

Ashley:

Farrow knows that they could get a call from Agent Drummond or Mashburn, or even like Sawyer or one of the other kiddos at any time because they don’t know - it’s so up in the air right now too, their not quite sure.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, I just, um, if I have to dip - my uncle’s been super-protective. Like I said, I barely got out of the house so if I have to dip suddenly just don’t be pissed, dude. But I promise, we’ll get to the bottom of this.

 

Kenzie (Damian):

Great! Cool! Can we like stop in there, I want to get an orange soda before we go.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, I need a meatstick.

  Brennan Hershock:

I think Sawyer would be with Annabelle most days in the hospital room, waiting with his mom and kind of looking after his sister. I think he would be there for longer than the hours would allow for for most days. He’s put together a playlist, a very soft one to just kind of keep her company when he’s not here and he does his best to keep William out of the house and look after Annabelle himself. And he will sleep on the couch in the living with Annabelle and the raggedy blue stuffed animal, George, mom nights and do his best to make light of the situation and pretend like it’s not really happening too much. But she’s pretty smart. She gets he gist. And so he’ll just try to play games with her at home on most of the week. Make sure she’s, if anything, not focused on anything bad and when he needs to sleep, he will sleep with her or if he needs time for himself to cope, he will see if either Farrow or Caleb or possibly Ivy are available to watch Annabelle for a short amount of time.

 

However, I think he’d mostly text Farrow because he’s allowing he other two to sort of have their grief time as well. Sawyer would definitely attend the funeral and be as close as he could to both of them without saying too much. But afterwards, his priorities mainly lie with watching over Annabelle for a little while.

 

Ashley:

I would also like to say, in regards to that, they are still not in the habit of interacting with you all. But, whenever Sawyer is not with Ely, Farrow will sometimes go - even if they have to sneak in, it’s fine, they don’t really have a concept of closed times - they go and they make sure that her pillows are fluffed or hat the desk is dusted. Make sure all of her flowers have water. They don’t ever look directly at her, just because there’s still a lot of guilt so they just want to do what they can to support this family that they don’t belong to, but they do, but not really, and there’s a lot going on right now so they’re not really focusing on that. They do sort of a similar thing with the house because it is just Sawyer in there now and it is a bigger house so sometimes if dishes miraculously get put away, or laundry is done, or there are little bits of y’alls favorite candy in a bowl on a table - they try to be as in the background as possible, just because they want to be there but they don’t want to shoehorn themselves into a situation that they know is very personal and that they have been kind of spying on for a while. They feel a little dirty in that regard.

 

You know that they’re there and I think the first time you catch them making the bed or something, it might have been a little awkward. But we probably start texting more often after that and eventually, Farrow starts asking what you need instead of just doing random things so they can help out more. And they start interacting more and offering to watch Annabelle because I think at first, you probably were not wanting anyone else too close but they do provide hat support that your father won’t - or didn’t - that your mother can’t. That’s one of the things they’ve been trying to do this whole time is just be here, for Sawyer and Annabelle, because they really like Annabelle. They had some great tea parties.

 

Kenzie (MC):

I think that for a bit of time, you’re able to waylay your father, not always but sometimes, from he house itself, though he is often at the hospital. But, legally, he can’t not take care of you or Annabelle so he continues to do that but does try to make himself scarce for at least a bit of time. I think that there is a point in which Bast finds you and pulls you aside and offers - pretty much explains that you can’t file for emancipation, until you’re sixteen, but that if you did ever wan to do that, you would have a place at Blackthorn Manor. Though, your father would still have custody of Annabelle.

 

Brennan:

I think Sawyer would have made a deal with his dad that he can stay in the guest house and visit his mom however he is attempting to keep the majority of times its Annabelle for himself and away from his dad if he can. And I think he would request Bast or Gabriel to - or ask for periodic check-ins as well for Annabelle. And would request for updates on William, if they have any. If they’re snooping.

 

Kenzie (MC):

There are many a clash between you and your father over this. On the end of Bast or Gabriel having any further information about him -

 

Brennan:

It’s mostly just trying to keep tabs on what he’s doing when I’m not around him. If he’s spiraling in anyway or things of that nature.

 

Ashley:

I think if you mention anything like that with Farrow around, they’d be like

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I have been professionally spying on your dad for the last few months so I could just keep that contract going if you would like.

 

Brennan (Sawyer Hook):

Yeah, please do. I just got to make sure he’s not unfit at times.

 

April Consalo:


In the weeks following Ivy coming back into herself, she hasn’t been herself. Most of the time she is lying on her bed, not listening to music, not reading, just thinking. Listening to the sound of her dads in the house, the creak of the floorboards, the whir of the air conditioning, the birds outside. Sound of life. She answers Caleb and Sawyer when they text her and every night, she sneaks into Sawyer’s bedroom through the window. She watches him sleep but hasn’t really been able to herself. Ivy is dressed in all black, she looks in her mirror, she can almost see Adam sitting on the bed behind her, grinning, joking, looking at her with love. Ivy considered not going to Adam’s funeral. The guilt of it was so overwhelming she didn’t know if she would be able to make it through, look the Moore’s in the eye and grieve with them. Although she’s seemingly cried herself out over the past few weeks, tears still come to her eyes. And as she takes a deep breath in, she hears a knock at her door.

 

April (Ivy Duncan):

Yeah, um sorry, one sec!

 

April:

She wipes her face and goes and opens the door.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Bast is standing outside of the door in an impeccable black suit. He kind of cocks his head to the side a little bit as you open the door.

 

Kenzie (Bast Duncan):

I was coming to check on you. See if you were ready. I didn’t expect that you would want to be late to this.

 

April (Ivy):

No! Yeah, I’m almost ready.

 

Kenzie (MC):

He reaches out a hand and places it against your jaw and kind of lifts your head up so he can see more clearly. It’s something that he’s been doing, almost daily, since the ninth, as if he’s checking behind your eyes to make sure it’s really gone.

 

April:

Ivy looks into his eyes and sees how different they are but her own are clear.

 

April (Ivy):

I’m fine. I just need to find my socks.

 

April:

She breaks away from him and starts digging through her drawers. He watches her silently as she gets more and more frustrated until eventually she slams one door shut and puts her head in her hands, makes a deep shuddering breath,

 

April (Ivy):

I don’t even know if I should be going. Why would they want me there?

 

Kenzie (Bast):

Because he would.

 

April (Ivy):

How am I going to be able to look at them? I love these people, I’ve known them my whole life. Do you think -?

 

April:

Ivy finally turns around to really look at Bast.

 

April (Ivy):

Do you think Adam’s parents knew - or when we started dating, do you think they were afraid this would happen?

 

Kenzie (Bast):

I think that we and the Moore’s have something in common. Adam had the capability to do the same in return, or we thought we did at the start, SO, I don’ think there was any concern. But at some point, as a parent, you have to accept that fighting a choice, especially the one that you guys made to be together, to want to be together, was the only way that we were going to be the way to actually protect you. Because if we didn’t accept that, you would have just hated us all.

 

April (Ivy):

Probably would have done it anyway.

 

Kenzie (Bast):

And that.

 

April:


Ivy gives a ghost of a grin.

 

April (Ivy):

Does this ever get easier? Being like this?

 

Kenzie (MC):

The door to your room, without any doing by either you or Bast, slams shut and Bast turns to look and he looks back to you and he says,

 

Kenzie (Bast):

It’s not something that you can ever forget, even without the help of those reminding you of what you did. But it’s up to you to decide how much grief you deserve from yourself.

 

April:

Slowly Ivy nods and hen suddenly feeling like a little kid, she rushes at her dad and wraps her arms around his waist and buries her face in his funeral suit and cries.

 

Kenzie (MC):

He wraps his arm around you and pretty much sweeps you up into his arm and carries you over to the bed where he sits down with you in his lap like he used to do when you were a child.

 

April (Ivy):

I miss him.

 

Kenzie (Bast):

And you probably always will, but there are too many people with demons living in this house. And he one thing that I have learned, aside from needing to take responsibility for your actions, is to also know when you were not responsible for your actions. And hat may not help you take blame off of yourself right now, but Ivy, you were being manipulated and controlled by something that has been doing it to so many of us for longer than I can even remember. You cannot fault yourself. I cannot fault you for giving into something I never even chose to fight against.

 

April:

Ivy pulls back her face and looks at her dad, such a familiar face.

 

April (Ivy):

I’d say you’ve been fighting it pretty well. I’m proud of you, Dad. And hank you. When we get here, if I have to leave, will you come with you?

 

Kenzie (Bast):




Me and Gabriel will always be right by your side whenever you need us.

 

April:


The funeral happened during the day. This is that night. Sawyer when you come into your room, Ivy is just laying on your bed in her funeral clothes, staring up at the ceiling.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer walks in, starts undoing his tie. Walk over and flop next to you like he usually does.

 

April (Ivy):

Thanks for letting me crash here tonight.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s not unlike most nights.

 

April (Ivy):

I know I just - I didn’t know if you would need some space today.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I like that you’ve been sleeping over.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it’s weird. Whenever I feel like I need to be alone, it really is just I want to be around my best friend. Like it almost feels like I’m alone, but better. Does that make sense?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

At this point we’re kinda just extensions of each other. I think, we’re like pillows.

 

Brennan:

And I’ll just grab a pillow and hug it really hard but then start like punching it a little bit but then squeezing it really hard then put it back behind my head.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like that. That’s like you and me.

 

April:

Ivy kinda rolls onto her side a bit and is like,

 

April (Ivy):

So, the part where you punched the pillow? Or the part where you hugged the pillow?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like the whole -

 

April (Ivy):

All of - the whole thing.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah its like comfort but then like (groaning) but then like oh, release, relief, we’re good, and then comfort. And then it’s like where I lay my head every night.

 

April (Ivy):

No, I get it.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah maybe not pillows I don’t know. You, um - I don’t even know if asking if you’re okay is even the right question.

 

April (Ivy):

I’m relatively okay. I’ve been thinking a lot about death. Sawyer, it’s possible that I won’t die for like a really long time. There’s kinda fewer people trying to kill me, I hope, than there used to be but I could live for like thousands of years. And I think about that sometimes and my brain just can’t even wrap around that thought. Like what will the world even be like in a hundred years, or like five hundred years. But I mean, my dads have been around for millennia already and it was okay because they had each other. And uh, for a while I thought that would be like me and Adam, you know?

 

April:

Ivy blinks back tears.

 

April (Ivy):

But also I don’t think it would’ve been. Because actually I think that like my real soulmate is you. And like not in a romantic way - like I’m not, don’t freak out and also maybe don’t tell Caleb I said any of this but I really think that you and me are meant to be in each other’s lives for ever. But like, you’re life - dude you’re only going to make it to like a hundred if we’re really lucky and with he way you like pound junk food I really don’t think that -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m not gonna make it to like sixty.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah exactly! You’re not going to get anywhere close to a hundred.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I know! I think about that a lot.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, you should think about it more maybe.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like sometimes I don’t even know if I’m going to make it to like thirty.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh my god, don’t say that.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Dude, I’m like really reckless.

 

April (Ivy):

I know! And it scares me. Like your life -

 

April:

She holds her hands up and cups both of her hands together.

 

April (Ivy):

You are just this fragile, little glass ball of human. Like you’re slow and you’re not very strong. Look, you’re smart and again, you’re my soulmate and I love you. But you are just so fragile and you’re going to be here for like no time at all. And that’s - I’ve been thinking about that a lot.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Should I be thinking about that more?

 

April (Ivy):

I don’t know! It’s human of you to not think about it, I guess.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What… um, what are you saying?

 

April (Ivy):

I wanted to, um, formally ask you if you would want to spend forever with me. I could turn you if you wanted.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer’s eyes rocket open. He sits up.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh shit.

 

April (Ivy):

I know that’s like really intense. Like a thousand times more intense than like a marriage propose.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m not - woah. Would I be cold all the time?

 

April (Ivy):

Am I cold all the time?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sometimes.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, and you’re cold sometimes.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I guess that’s true. But I’d be fast and -

 

April (Ivy):

You’d be really fast, yeah. Like a to faster than you are now.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

And I would have to drink blood?

 

April:

Ivy slowly nods her head.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that’s part of the deal.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Woah. Whew! Woah.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer gets up and stars pacing his room.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Listen, I’m not saying that I disagree with anything you just said. I think that we’re soulmates as well - don’t tell Caleb - and I think that everything’s going to be great like I think I’ll love you forever. I have no idea - nothing could stand between you and me being anything but the bestest of friends, I just - holy shit.

 

April (Ivy):

You don’t have to decide like right this minute. You honestly - you don’t even have to decide like this year. But every day that passes, I just get more and more aware of you being a little glass ball of mortal and it’s - I just don’t want you to like -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

If I wait too long to make this decision am I going to be like stuck as an old guy? Like if I then decide like on my death bed like, “ oh god, I need -“ and what if I do live - I’m not gonna live to eighty I know that. But thirty? Like fucking - like the guy, like that guy I saw at Crush & Egg!  Like what if I’m stuck like that!? Fuck I gotta make this decision as soon as possible!

 

April (Ivy):

Vampires that get turned when they’re older like they still get - they still get the strength and the speed and everything, you would just look old.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’d have wrinkles!

 

April (Ivy):

You would have wrinkles. Yeah, it doesn’t work on wrinkles. It works on like everything else though!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I feel like I at least need to be eighteen. ‘Cause then things might be weird.

 

April (Ivy):

I mean everything would be weird. Everything is weird no mater if you’re a vampire or a moral or whatever the fuck I am. Like everything is weird.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, I have my decision.

 

April (Ivy):

Already?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I thought I did.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay, no you really don’t have to make this decision right now, I promise.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I didn’t even know this was an option.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I’ve kinda thought about it our whole lives. I just didn’t really have the balls to ask you until now.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I appreciate the offer. I will give it as much brain power as I have.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah… okay…

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I am not saying no.

 

April (Ivy):

Well, that’s better than I expected.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer sits back down next to you very slowly.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

God it’d be pretty fun though, wouldn’t it?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it’s awesome like ninety percent of the time. I think I’d be better with you around and I’m not saying that you would not be around if you stayed human, I mean, obviously eventually you would - but I would love you the whole time. Even when you’re old and like thirty. I’d still love you. And I’d still hang out with you all the time, it’s just um… I can’t picture my life without you.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I have a couple of hang-ups about the whole living forever thing. You know, you always get presented with the, you know, oh man if you could be immortal like would you? Would you do it? And I’d be like, “Ah yeah!” Like every time I’d be like, “yeah, of course! Who wouldn’t want to live forever?” But when it’s right in front of you, you know… I don’t even know myself yet, you know?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I do know.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I would be sad and I think I have a very small inkling of understanding of what you’ve been thinking about for so long. If I left - or if I stayed and Annabelle left. Or if the bot of us just outlived Caleb… I don’t know how werewolf years work.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I don’t know - is Caleb going to live for like a really long time?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Or is it really short like dog years? Like every year is like seven.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah I kind of want to have a conversation with him really soon.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Me too! I mean the shapeshifting has got to put some stress on the bones and he arteries, you know?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that can’t be good for him.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Probably going to have arthritis by eighteen.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh, god.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think I need to graduate high school before I decide if I’m going to be immortal or not.

 

April (Ivy):

That’s fair.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

But like I said, it’s not a no right now.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Whaaaa - oooooh, huh.

 

April (Ivy):

(Relieved sigh)

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s crazy.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that’s my brain. It’s really, um, you can make that decision at any point. It can be when you graduate. It can be when you’re in your twenties. It can be when you’re sixty on your deathbed and you decide hen. You’re still going to be my best friend. And I’d do it then.

 

Brennan:

The sheets slowly start to shift and you feel Sawyer kind of like wrap his arms, dig under you and wrap his legs around you as well and just koala hug you.

 

April:

Ivy is crying a little bit but she laughs. She’s like,

 

April (Ivy):

How did I know you were going to koala me at this moment?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s like the best hug.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it is.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I love you.

 

April (Ivy):

I love you too.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We need to like - we need to do something. You know what I mean? We need to go do something! Come here!

 

Brennan:

And I grab your hand.

 

April (Ivy):

I’m already here.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah but here, in my hand!

 

Brennan:

And I shake your hand.

 

April (Ivy):

Kay. What? What is it?

 

Brennan:




And i run out of the bed and I try to yank you along but I definitely don’t have the strength to yank you so I kind of just like stop when your arm lengthens out.

 

April:

Ivy like uses her other hand to wipe her tear away and hen follows Sawyer.

 

April (Ivy):

Where are we going?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Just come on! There’s been something I’ve been wanting to do.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay…

 

Brennan:

Sawyer sprints down the stairs and almost slips at the bottom on the sleek flooring and runs through the hallway in his house -

 

April (Ivy):

Jesus Christ, what did I just say about being a glass ball?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I'm fine!

 

Brennan:

And I throw open the garage door and I usher you inside, shut the door. I open the garage and moonlight ours in and illuminates this really well-kept, beautifully Harley motorcycle. This gorgeous chopper.

 

April (Ivy):

No.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yes.

 

April (Ivy):

Sawyer.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Tonight. Right now.

 

April (Ivy):

I just had a discussion with you about how terrified I am that you’re going to die and you want us to -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah you’re with me.

 

April (Ivy):

You know that’s true actually. So I’m driving?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We’ll switch off.

 

Kenzie (MC):

I mean I could have Sawyer roll to manipulate Ivy if we wanted to.

 

Brennan:

(Laughs) Sure, I’m down!

 

April:

(Laughs) Actually yeah, I think that’s a good roll.

 

Brennan:

Nine?

 

Kenzie (MC):

I’m going to say that I think, in this friendship, that’s enough to get Ivy to - as she did kind of agree.

 

April (Ivy):

Fine, but I go first.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Fine, deal, but I get to start it.

 

Brennan:

I walk over to a toolbox, I open it up. I like lift up this secret hatch underneath like underneath all these different tools. I’m just throwing screwdrivers and they’re clanging against the ground. And I get this one spare key and I rush over to the motorcycle.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright, are you going to get on?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, wait, alright, fuck it, fine. I’ll be in the back for now if you’re going to ride it first. ‘Cause I think - I don’t know how to ride this I think we just sort of like - like momentum takes us. Like as soon as it starts, you gotta go.

 

April:

Ivy swings onto the motorcycle and waits until Sawyer like koalas on her again and revs it and hen she like peels out of your garage and just cruises down the road.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Slow down!

 

April (Ivy):

You asked for this!

 

Kenzie (MC):

There’s been an emptiness in the Moore house. Adam’s room has been closed off. It’s almost like here’s an abyss behind that door that no one dares enter, dares ask about. You’ve seen your father, every so often, pauses outside of it as if he’s thinking about entering it but chooses not to. And you realize that in the grand scheme of it, you have one thing in common with your dad and it’s that you both lost siblings.

 

Mads McDonough:

It’s difficult to watch because as all of this has been going on, Caleb is very much the type of person to reflect inward, to be able to process hardship of any kind. There’s a front that he puts up that he doesn’t want other people to see him struggling. It’s that mentality of I need to protect them and I need to be their shield. And he even does that with his parents sometimes like this concept of, oh don’t worry about me, even though desperately there’s this deep part that says, please look at me, please look at me, please worry about me. I want you to do it out of your own volition though.

 

Getting wrapped up with the funeral and the process and the stuffy clothes and all of the people that he’s seen and grown up with his entire life and only spoken to once and they don’t care about me, they don’t know me, they don’t know anything that happened here. It’s easy to get lost in that routine, the wash of it, that he slips into this light depression. I say light because when people think of depression they think of crying and screaming and emotions, which is usually what Caleb is. He’s aggressive and forward and all these other things but he’s very, very quiet and very reserved when he’s not doing well. There’s a time where he’s in-between his bedroom, going to use the restroom, that he sees his dad stopped in front of the door. He’s always known that his father’s heavy footsteps land right in front of Adam’s door more often that not these days and he doesn’t comment on it because we all process things in different ways. But in that moment where he’s just going to the bathroom and almost happens upon his father their, the two of them make eye contact. He realizes that there’s something terribly important in all of this that he’s forgotten to talk to him about. And so, he throws on a jacket, tells his dad he needs to show him something really important. It’s late, it’s dark out. That’s about the time that he first saw her, maybe it would happen again. He hasn’t tried since.  

But he leads his father out into the woods and they walk almost aimlessly for a while but Caleb insists that he knows where he’s going. And it’s like something deep in him that understands that when really he has no idea what’s going on. But eventually the two of them make it to that little pond with the tiny little waterfall and he waits.

 

Mads (Caleb Moore):

Just - just don’t freak out. I promise I wasn’t hiding this from you there was just a lot that happened all at once and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help. I don’t know - I don’t know how to help her.

 

Kenzie (MC):

As you enter this space, Daniel is turning and looking at everything. The luminescent flowers, the almost glowing water of this creek and this waterfall and you see that here’s like - it almost looks like there’s a gold dust on his hands, that you’ve never been able to see before. Its like this light has shed something on it and his eyes go wide and for the first time in weeks you see an upturn to his lips and a small smile. And he, looking up says,

 

Kenzie (Daniel Moore):

This is a fae space. How did you find it?

 

Mads (Caleb):

I didn’t find it. I mean, she showed me.

 

Kenzie (MC):

It’s like he hasn’t quite grasped what you’re saying yet and he says,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

I’ve only heard stories. I thought they were legends, myths of some sort. I didn’t think they would exist in the new world.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Well, with the state of this world, nothing really surprises me anymore. The night that everything happened, I went outside, I tried to go out to make sure everything was going to be okay before that big plan to trap Ivy and fix her somehow… and I saw something, something that’s been trying to reach me for a while now but, I mean, I know I was just a kid but I listened to what you said. You don’t go out at weird hours of the night, you don’t look a things that don’t have faces, and you don’t tell them your name, and you don’t say yes or no to them. But there was something about this thing that I found that felt different so I followed it and it led me here. And Dad it’s - Sara didn’t leave us. Not really. She got stuck. And she can’t come home.

 

Kenzie (MC):

As if saying her name is a summoning to her, on the rock that she landed upon when she first brought you here, you hear the wind start to pick up and you see it swirling and it goes from transparent air to gray to a deeper black, until the smokey visage with flashes of a familiar face in it, look out at you.

 

Kenzie (Sara Moore):

I didn’t know if you’d find your way back, Caleb.

 

Mads:

I cross my arms over my chest.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I just knew.

 

Kenzie (MC):

There’s a sharp intake of breath beside you as your father lays eyes on what is left of his sister.

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

Sara?

 

Kenzie (Sara):

I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be this way. I thought I was helping.

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

Why didn’t you tell me? Any of this?

 

Kenzie (Sara):

Because it wasn’t your issue. It wasn’t your problem. You didn’t have what I have and I made that mistake of thinking that I couldn’t confide in you about it. But I’m glad to see you again.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Your dad kind of looks to you, looks back to Sara, looks to you. As he’s glancing back again, says,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

Well, we can fix this. We’ll fix it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Can we?

 

Kenzie (MC):

He swallows and sets his jaw,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

We’ll fix it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Okay. Well, what do we do?

 

Kenzie (Sara):

He’s just being Daniel, Caleb. I don’t think we can fix it.

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

I’m not just being anything, Sara. There’s a solution to every problem. There always is. We’ll fix it.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

I’m not really here in the sense that I was. I think you can call on me but I don’t think I really exist anymore. I think that I’m in another in-between.

 

Mads:

I tuck my head down, feeling defeated and then I hear the two of them bicker back and forth for a moment.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Your dad’s like,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

You always give up way too soon! You never set your mind to anything!

 

Kenzie (MC):

And she goes,

 

Kenzie (Sara):

Sometimes you can’t fix things that don’t need to be fixed, Daniel.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they keep going back and forth.

 

Mads:

It taps something in the back of my brain that’s so terribly familiar, that I miss so much. And the thought of someone else losing that makes me so angry. So I square my shoulders, jut my chin out, arrange myself so i’m standing square next to my father.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Aunt Sara, he’s right. You can’t just give up on this so fast. Look, I know you were just doing this by yourself before. You got trapped, stuck. But you have us now. There are more of the Moores here now. And it might take forever, it might take years, it might take everything that we have but the best part about us, and about this ridiculous family, is that we are so stubborn and we won’t stop trying. We won’t give up on you. So don’t give up on us.

 

Kenzie (MC):

There’s a strange noise from her direction that sounds like a scoff but its so wispy and it’s almost non-existent because of the form that she’s in.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

Everyday I’m a little less attached to this place. It’s hard to remember who I am, where I came from. But that’s a feeling I know well. So, for as much longer as I’m allowed by whatever power to sometimes show myself, that’s all the time you have. A clock ticking until it stops.

 

Mads:

I’m going to look to my father, shake my head, and I am going to hop into the water and wade over to the stones that she is atop and I’m going to crawl up on top of the stones and I’m going to get as close to her as possible, enough that I swear I can feel the heat from the smokey form that she has, rising off of her and starting to encompass me. And with that, this familiar trigger in my mind, I’m going to reach my hand out and try and grab hers and as I do, my hand starts to elongate. The smoke starts to encompass my own so that smoke that she has and my own start to billow around each other. And the smell of it, that like rough charcoal that you’d find at the bottom of a fire pit, washes over me and I am going to attempt to Gaze Into the Abyss. That’s an eleven minus one. It’s a ten.




Kenzie (MC):

The glow and the effervescence and the magical quality coming off of our surroundings grows brighter and brighter and brighter until it whites out your vision. And you’re standing in a white space, but it doesn’t feel like it’s a white box room. It feels like there is permanent to it, that there are slopes and patterns and texture but you can’t really - you know its there but like only out of the corner of your eyes. When you look at it, its just whiteness. And standing before you is the same figure, except hat the color of the flames have shifted to like a gray-blue of this smoke pattern around her. And you see her spreading out her arms and looking at it as if examining this change. And there’s a smile on her face. This is what she used to be.

 

And the smoke slowly swirls around and swirls out across this white, coloring it now in the gray-blue, showing the leaves, showing the rocky forms, showing the trees growing and the creek flowing, and its a replica of the space you were in. And then you watch it chance and you watch time pass. And you watch the leaves fall and you watch the blooms, not wilt but just fade as the seasons change and grow brighter as the seasons change. And the only thing that doesn’t say in that flow of motion is your Aunt Sara. But she’s always there and she’s always looking how she should look. And it seems to be almost like she can be saved from one in-between, but possibly not another. And as that fades, as you’re touching her, when you come back to yourself and you’re touching her and your little bit of elongated form has mixed in with her smoke, you see that there seems to be light between you, flowing between you like an energy. Like the two wolves are connecting. You can feel the twistedness that was pressed into her and that forced her into this stasis. And she looks like she can feel it too, moving as if there’s become a link between the two of you.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

I don’t think there’s ever been two wolves at the same time. I don’t know if it’s possible for both of us to fully exist.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Well, I spent my whole life being the younger siblings. I’m pretty used to hand me downs and sharing at this point.

 

Mads:

And I shrug.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

What if sharing means you become like me, stuck? Or what if it means you lose it altogether? You have a lot ahead of you. I’m not saying I don’t either or I couldn’t, but I’ve made the mistakes that have landed me here. You don’t have to take on my penance.

 

Mads:

I look down at where our hands are locked together, captured in that smokey swirling, and I think about all the times I counted myself so lucky to not be the one to have this inheritance. All the times that I shrugged it off and laughed because this town was a prison of its own making and I was going to be the one to get out. I was going to go out there, I was going to make a name for myself, one that wasn’t a Moore, but one that was just Caleb. Because I chose that name and then I think about Adam and how he never felt restricted by an inheritance, by a gift. He was flattered and honored to be given that responsibility, to be there for our family, our parents. To represent something that was bigger than he was. A little hope from generations and generations and generations ago that we would make it and we would grow roots like all of the trees in this forest. I clench my jaw, unclench it. I nod.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t think it would be so bad, staying here just a little longer. You know the state of the homes around here. Empty. Decrepit. Lonely. I think I would be nice if people were here again. People came back home. I think it would be nice if you could come back home.

 

Kenzie (MC):

You hear your dad go,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!

 

Kenzie (MC):

And he starts running up to where you guys are and it looks like he grass under where his feet step grows a little greener and brighter and he kinda runs up and scrambles up onto these rocks too and he just grasps your hand, and grasps what is kind of Sara’s hand and he goes,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

Well, I’m a bridge, right? Son. Sister. I’m a bridge. Maybe you just need to be better connected.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

Daniel, what are you talking about?

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

I know that I am not the wolf but if there’s going to be two wolves - maybe its not that there can’t be two wolves, maybe its just that they need - I don’t know, you have two trees, sometimes two trees share a root system. What if that’s just me? A connecting point.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Like a conduit. Something to funnel the power through.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

I mean, possibly. But I still feel like - you know what? You might as well try it.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And you stand on this rock in front of a waterfall, in a triangle, holding hands with your Aunt - the only person alive in your family who knows what it’s like to carry this - and your father who just lost somebody, may be able to get somebody back and is looking at you as if you’re his future.

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

Okay, well then what do we do?

 

Mads:

I almost bark out a laugh and it kind of crackles in this in-between form that I’m in, like embers.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t know. Look, I’m the most new to all this.

 

Kenzie (Sara):

Caleb, I think it’s time that you show a little control. You don’t need to be angry. It’s in you. It’s always a part of you.

 

Mads:

I close my eyes. I think about the other two times, three times in my life that I’ve been able to achieve that form. Two of them were anger. One of them was compassion. And I lock onto that feeling, seeing Sawyer, telling him to be safe. Seeing Ivy and he warped form that she was in and wanting to save her. Seeing my brother, who wasn’t my brother anymore, and knowing even though I couldn’t protect him anymore, that I wouldn’t make his memory something to laugh at. And there’s something about anger and how much of a strong emotion it is and I smile to myself, shake my head at how gooey and just corny it is that something that’s stronger than anger is love. So, I grip both my father’s hand and my aunt’s and I let that feeling of warmth start to churn in my gut and I feel it rise and crackle up like flames starting to catch on spare twigs and ruffage. And the way that it encompasses everything. I can feel the cracking of my bones and limbs as hey start to elongate and I start to hunch forward and that smoke starts to travel up from where mine and Sara’s hands are connected to my arms, my chest, down my legs, up and over top my face. And when I open my eyes, its hazy and blurred, but I can see. I can see this in-between Sara. And I can see my dad and I can see this creek and the little waterfall and how beautiful it is here. And I can see above me, the trees and how the canopy spreads just enough with the leaves that have stared to fall, that I can see the sky. I can see the stars, the moon and how big and vast the universe is, how beautiful it is. And something about it and how amazing this feeling is, this wholeness. And I tip my head up and I howl.

 

Kenzie (MC):

I think that this deserves skipping over whatever experience point you haven’t gained yet, and going straight into advancement for Caleb.

 

As the two smokey blacks meet where your hands are, they start mixing and parts of it become blue. And where your hand is holding your father’s hand, the gray and black smoke mixes with the gold flecks that have now lifted off of his hand are swirling. And with his hand and Sara’s the same, except with a blue smoke. All of your arms are pretty rigid, it’s a strong hold. But you feel an influx of adrenaline and serotonin and joy. And you see the smoke swirling around Sara’s face, turn into the smoky visage of a wolf that you’re used to your self becoming. And you see your father looking between the two of you with his stupid smile on his face. There’s a moment where you all feel like you’re almost floating and it’s so stupid because it does feel like a storybook. It does feel like one of the stupid stories that you dad told you guys as kids, that he was told as a kid that sounded absolutely unobtainable. There’s a glowing meadow in the middle of he fires and the fairies dance and everybody has a good time! And yet here you are, literally amidst it because myth isn’t so far from real life from you.

 

And the glowing eventually subsides and you’re back feeling solid and grounded. And it’s second nature to snap out of that form, back to Caleb. And as you do it, so does Sara. And you stand there on this rock and your dad just says laughing,

 

Kenzie (Daniel):

(Laughing) That was a really stupid idea I can’t believe it worked!

 

Kenzie (MC):

And then he grabs his sister and pulls her in for a long awaited hug and reunion. Still laughing. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. She’s hugging him back but looking at you with a smile. And there’s just a nod because nobody’s ever going to be able to share what you share and she was never able to share it with anybody before.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Kai waits a few days after the funeral. And for pretty much the first time, there’s not a knock on your window, there’s a knock on your bedroom door. And she doesn’t wait for a response, she just opens it and peaks in to see if you’re in there.

 

April (Ivy):

Hey.

 

Kenzie (Kai):




Hey. Your dad let me in.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, he loves you.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, I guess.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She closes the door behind her. She kinda just stands in front of it.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

So, um…

 

April (Ivy):

It’s good to see you.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Oh, okay! ‘Cause I was gonna say I could leave if you don’t want me.

 

April (Ivy):

No! No. It’s - it’s good to see you.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I had some…

 

Kenzie (MC):

And she pauses and her eyes squint.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I was going to say something that I don’t think would have gone over well so I’m gonna just not say it.

 

April (Ivy):

Well, now you have to say it because you -

 

Kenzie (Kai):

It was like - it was just like tactless. It was tactless.

 

April (Ivy):

No, you brought it up so I feel like you should say it.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I had some people to bury too.

 

April (Ivy):

I’m sorry.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

But we did it so.

 

April (Ivy):

Us too, obviously.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I know I was there.

 

April (Ivy):

That’s right. I’m sorry… I didn’t really talk to anyone.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, no, um, I don’t know, it felt disrespectful not to be there.

 

April:

Ivy kind of looks around her room. She picks up like one shirt on the ground and she says,

 

April (Ivy):

Sorry, my room’s like a mess.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And then she just watches you pick it up and move it and fold it and place it in a drawer. And she says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

This has kind of been my life for my whole life. But I’m realizing that it’s all very new to you.

 

April (Ivy):

Burying people?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I mean that’s part of it, yeah.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, uh, it’s a little different for me, just ‘cause, you know… I don’t wan this to be weird. It is! I know it is, obviously, it’s really weird. But I don’t want it to be.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I would like it not to be weird either but I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I came in here. I just wanted to come.

 

April (Ivy):

I don’t know. I feel bad. I - I’ve liked you for a while and like I know from my dads that you can like multiple people at the same time. It’s not that I feel bad for what we did but I - I want you to know I wasn’t trying to follow your advice. I didn’t do that to like embrace vampire Ivy or whatever -

 

Kenzie (Kai):

That wasn’t my advice so I didn’t think that.

 

April (Ivy):

Right.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I’m also not here to blame you for it.

 

April (Ivy):

Well, I am to blame. It doesn’t mean - look I’ve been talking to my dads a lot and Sawyer and I know that that means that I’m not like literally the scum of the Earth. Like I get that it means I’m not literally evil incarnate now, I get hat. But I still kinda feel that way most of the time.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She hasn’t really moved from the space right in front of your closed door. She’s not looking at you but it doesn’t look to be like she’s trying to avoid looking at you, it looks like she’s just thinking over what she’s going to say next. Which, Kai is a slow speaker sometimes anyway, so this isn’t like wildly out of character. And she comes out with something completely not what you would have expected her to say next.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Is your house still haunted?

 

April (Ivy):

Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I thought maybe she would leave when the thing happened.

 

April (Ivy):

No, Jane’s still here. I talk to her sometimes honestly.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

She talk back?

 

April (Ivy):

Sort of. I’m trying to establish a system for communication with her but it’s not going very well. You know, slam the closet door twice for yes, once for no, gets kind of annoying after a while.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Should do maybe like a snap system.

 

April (Ivy):

Ooooh, see. You’re smart.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Oh, no, but she has to talk to you. She can’t snap though.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, yeah. I’ve tried like candles.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Maybe like a knock system instead.

 

April (Ivy):

Knocking’s good. She just has to listen to me talk about how much I hate myself.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

That’s kinda like the last time I saw you, you know?

 

April (Ivy):

I know.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Was dancing with Jane and then that wasn’t really you the other time so it’s been a while.

 

April (Ivy):

You don’t think that was me? Not even like a small part.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I’m not gonna say you can’t be a bitch but you’re not usually a dick to your friends like that. So, no, I don’t really think it was you.

 

April:

Ivy finally makes full eye contact with Kai and she smiles just barely.

 

April (Ivy):

Thanks, I guess.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

That was supposed to be - not necessarily a compliment - but an iteration on your character.

 

April:

Ivy grins a little wider.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t know if I nailed it.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, you didn’t do too well. You said I’m not usually a bitch.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No, I think I said you can be a bitch.

 

April (Ivy):

(Laughs) Oh, good. Thanks. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

But you’re not usually a dick to your friends.

 

April (Ivy):

Right. Yeah. Usually not.

 

April:

Ivy looks around.

 

April (Ivy):

So, um, I had - I did - I wanted to ask you something.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay.

 

April (Ivy):

Do you remember when we first met? And I was like covered in blood.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Correct.

 

April (Ivy):

You said you weren’t scared of me.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Mm-hmm.

 

April (Ivy):

I was just wondering if that was still true.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, I’m not scared of you. I was scared of it in you but I’m not scared of you.

 

April:

Ivy goes to say something but then just nods rapidly and then she just runs over and embraces Kai tightly with her arms wrapped around her neck. And she’s shaking a bit.

 

April (Ivy):

That’s good. Uh - I was really afraid that you would be.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I’ve seen a lot of scarier things than you Ivy.

 

April:

She pulls back a bit.

 

April (Ivy):

You can tell me about them sometime.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Are you sure that this is a good time for us to continue doing what we do?

 

April (Ivy):

Well, I wasn’t saying that…

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Oh, I didn’t - no, I didn’t - mmmm… I didn’t mean that (sighs).

 

April (Ivy):

That is what we usually do.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, I know but I mean more as a general - fuck - okay. Um…

 

Kenzie (MC):


She rolls her eyes and looks up at your ceiling.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

This is really stupid.

 

April (Ivy):

What?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t want to have to say it ‘cause it sounds so stupid.

 

April (Ivy):

No, you have to say it.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No, I don’t have to say it because you know what I’m thinking. I know you know - I can see the look on your face Ivy. You know what I’m thinking. And its going to sound so stupid when I say it ‘cause I’ve never said it before in my life.

 

April (Ivy):

Cool, then say it.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No, I don’t want to say it.

 

April:

Ivy tilts her face up and slowly brings the tip of her nose closer to the tip of Kai’s nose.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

That’s not going to work.

 

April (Ivy):

Please.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She like backs up as much as she can from you but hits the door and then like literally does like a fake out move where she bends underneath your arm and gets out from being within your space against the door and like weirdly slinks, crossing her arms, more into your bedroom and is just like,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Don’t make me say it! Why would you make me say it?

 

April:

Ivy follows all of these moves. She could have caught Kai. Kai is not faster than Ivy but she’s just so confused that she like lets it happens.

 

April (Ivy):

Kai, literally, I can’t think of anything that you would have to say to me that would warrant this reaction.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She looks at you, now looking confused, eyes furrowed.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Not one thing?

 

April (Ivy):

No. Kai, you - we - there’s no reason for us to be embarrassed in front of each other.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Oh because we fuck?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, that’s fine.

 

April (Ivy):

Fine!?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No, I just mean that’s not embarrassing.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I wasn’t saying - do you think its embarrassing?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No, I just said that’s not embarrassing.

 

April (Ivy):

But why would you think it could be embarrassing?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t think it could be embarrassing.

 

April (Ivy):

I’m hot. It’s not embarrassing to have sex with me.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No! I don’t - I don’t think it’s embarrassing - do I have to prove it to you? Do you wanna have sex right now?

 

April (Ivy):

No.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay.

 

April (Ivy):

Maybe? Wait… I don’t know! I think maybe not right now but like can I change my answer later?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah. I’m just really confused on how you don’t think -

 

April (Ivy):

Just say it!

 

Kenzie (MC):

She starts scrunching up her nose like she’s disgusted by something and she’s like,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I can’t.

 

April (Ivy):

You’re literally not scared of anything.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

You just know! You know what it is. Why are you making me say it?

 

April:

Ivy does not. She shakes her head back and forth and he’s just like,

 

April (Ivy):

I don’t - I actually, you know, I’m confused by you most of the time and I feel like you assume that I’m reading your mind and I have a lot of senses but reading your mind is not one of them. And actually you in particular confuse me and frustrate me and I just -

 

April:

She walks up really close to you

 

April (Ivy):

And I would just like you to tell me what you mean.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I didn’t know that I confuse you. I’m not trying to confuse you. I thought I’m usually pretty clear.

 

April (Ivy):

You are… yeah…mm-hmmm.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I know I’m not being clear right now but usually, every thing but now -

 

April (Ivy):

You are, yes, usually you are very clear.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay. I’m not trying to ever confuse you.

 

April (Ivy):

Thanks.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I just thought because I’m usually clear, that this would be clear but I’m seeing that it’s not translating.

 

April (Ivy):

No, it’s not. It’s not at all.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay, fine, so, I just came here to talk because I did not know if this would be the best time, seeing as what recently transpired, and what you are feeling and the things that you are going through, that this would be the right time to ask if we would maybe not just fuck.

 

April (Ivy):

What else do you want to do?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Ivy, you’re really making me spell it out more than that?

 

April (Ivy):

(Gasps) Oh! (Clears throat)

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Thank god.

 

April (Ivy):

I see. Sorry, like you said, I have a lot on my mind right now and for some reason the first thing that came to mind was like that we would fight like Fight Club style. I don’t know why that was the first thing that I thought of.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I would easily take you down.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay that’s like really debatable.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I don’t think so.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay so is that a yes to the Fight Club because -

 

Kenzie (Kai):

No, no, no, ‘cause I would just embarrass you.

 

April (Ivy):

I don’t get embarrassed.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay, can you answer my question.

 

April (Ivy):

Uh, the answer is… I will think about it. It’s not that I don’t like you like as a person. I really, really do. I don’t know when I’ll be able to be, uh, phew, god, I sound like every terrible boy ever.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Ivy I literally came over her to ask you if this was a good time to do this and you are giving me your answer which is no, this is not a good time to do this.

 

April (Ivy):

No, it’s no. But it’s not a no. The answer to the question isn’t a no, it’s just uh…

 

Kenzie (Kai):

The answer to the question is a no because I was asking you if this was the right time.

 

April (Ivy):

Kai!

 

Kenzie (Kai):

What?

 

April (Ivy):

I’m trying to tell you that I’m not telling you no, I don’ want to date you, I’m just saying maybe can we date later?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, when you’re ready to be absolutely fucking embarrassed in front of all of your friend when I pin you to he ground, then yeah, just come find me.

 

April (Ivy):

That would not make me embarrassed, just so you know.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She smirks.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

It would make all of them embarrassed.

 

April (Ivy):

Probably.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

We should still do it.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay.

 

April:

Ivy leans in toward Kai and a few millimeters away from her mouth says,

 

April (Ivy):

I have a question for you now.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She is looking directly at your lips when she says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

What?

 

April (Ivy):

Can we still like… even if we’re not…?

 

Kenzie (MC):

She raises her eyebrows.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

What are you asking me? I think you need to be a little bit clearer.

 

April (Ivy):

(Sighs) Will you fuck me while I figure out what’s going on in my life?

 

Kenzie (MC):

She smirks even bigger and she leans in and quickly pecks you on the lips and then says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Woah, woah, woah, this isn’t the right time for that, Ivy.

 

April (Ivy):

You do not get to make fun of me for that.

 

April:




And then Ivy grabs her by the back of the neck and kisses her again, for real.

 

Mads:

Its only a day or two after everything that happened with Caleb, his dad, and his Aunt Sara in the woods, for Caleb to find himself again, leaving his room in-between a game with Sam, running to the bathroom, stopping on his way back, staring at Adam’s door. It hasn’t been locked but it has been shut closed this entire time like a time capsule of whatever it was before the events of the hockey game. At one point Caleb’s mom went inside just to get some clothes to bury him, but other than that, nothing’s been touched. And Caleb makes the rest of the way across the hallway to his brother’s room. There’s one of those cheesy little signs on the outside that says, “Caution: Do Not Enter.” It has like a biohazard symbol of it. Cracks it open and it creaks a little bit. It’s one those things, just about this house, all the doors creak just a little bit differently so Caleb knows when that door opens versus another one. It’s familiar, the sound.

 

He steps inside and shuts he door behind him. The beds unmade. There are some T-shirts, pants thrown on top the comforter. A few scattered around the floor. There’s a backpack spilling open with papers, books, over by his desk. The desk itself is more just extra space than desk. It has his old laptop on it. Piles of stuff, an old pair of shoes he got two years ago for some reason. There are posters all over the walls of sports stars, celebrities hat Caleb can’t name still, an old Radiohead poster. Some knickknacks, memorabilia, awards that he won. Pictures, polaroids that Ivy too. It’s like he never left. It’s like he jus went out for a little bit, a run over to the gas station, the minimart. Like he had hockey practice that ran a little bit late and he’s going to be coming back soon. And Caleb just stands there in the middle of it all and says out loud,

 

Mads (Caleb):

But you’re not coming back soon.

 

Mads:

On the desk there’s an old boombox. It’s like this weird teal color that has chipped off a little around the sides. There’s a stack of CDs that’s sitting next to the desk He flips through a couple of the CDs, pulls out one that he flips over a few times. Kind of shakes the CD case in his hand, kind of taps it agains his nail, cracks it open, pulls the CD out, pops it in, hits play. And goes and sits on Adam’s bed. It takes a minute to kick in. “Marching Band of Manhattan” is the first song that plays on this Death Cab for Cutie album. Adam showed it to Caleb when they were younger. Caleb must have been eight or nine, Adam would have been nine or ten. Adam always knew that Caleb would like music more than him but he was still the older brother. He was the one that had to show Caleb things and make some kind of lasting impression that he knew more. That he knew the right stuff. But Caleb latched on to music and for Adam it was like a hobby, something nice. It was like a gift that Adam didn’t realize he was giving to Caleb that would outlast him.

 

Caleb scoots forward on the bed, kneels down on the floor and stars to rifle around underneath the bed. There’s some boxes of stuff down here. Caleb knows what’s in there. I think anyone can guess what’s in there. Adam always thought he was so secretive and smart and sneaky with everything. He’s still a teenage boy. He takes those old shoeboxes and pushes them out of the way though because there’s one in the back. It’s this old Adidas shoebox, covered in a thick layer of dust. It has drawing in Magic Erase Crayola Marker on the outside. Little doodles of weird looking smiley faces, a big sun - the sun has a pair of sunglasses on it. Caleb added those. He pulls it out, holds it in his lap, takes he top off of the box. There’s not much in here. Some cool looking rocks, an old bracelet from a water park. Some cards from past birthdays that his mother told him to hang on to because he was supposed to write thank you letters for and he never did so Caleb did instead.

 

As he’s rifling through everything, his hand catches son a folded up piece of lined notebook paper. And there’s his quick intake of breath because he honestly didn’t know if it was going to be in here or not, or if Adam would have thrown it away. This little keepsake box of his. If it as worthy of sticking around. But Adam was always deeper and sentimental than he led on to. Caleb pulls it out and unfolds it. It’s a picture in Crayola crayon that Caleb drew for Adam of the Crush & Egg characters because Adam was the one that introduced it to him in the first place. And Caleb drew one of them riding a skateboard and there’s like fire coming out of the back of it. Adam was the one to play it first because Caleb didn’t really know how to work the controls just yet. And Adam being he older brother, of course, gets the good controller. So, Caleb would watch, study it, try and figure out all the little strategies that were going on. And hen Adam went away from some camp, maybe it was hockey, could have been baseball, baseball, who knows. And Caleb loving it so much tried to play it by himself but he just couldn’t figure it out. It was too tough. The levels were difficult and just when he thought he was going to give up, there was a knock on the door and it was Sawyer, looking for Adam. Because the two of them were supposed to go on another one of their adventures into the woods, or catch a newt. But no, Adam was away, it was just Caleb her and he video game on pause, the creaky music playing out of their TV. And well, it wasn’t newts, but it was something to do, so Sawyer and Caleb played together and that’s when Caleb first saw Sawyer as being someone who took an interest in him outside of his brother, not an attachment.

 

Adam wasn’t there, he could’ve left. It was Adam that brought them together though. In he present, Caleb takes the picture and realizes its kind of smudgy now. Maybe time has done just a little bit too much to it even though it was in a box, underneath everything. But then it’s blurring even more and he holds a hand to his face and realizes that he’s crying and he realizes that he hasn’t cried since Adam died. The Death Cab album continues to play behind him. He takes the piece of paper, of all these old memories, hopes, and dreams that Adam won’t get to have anymore. That Adam will always be here so long as Caleb is. He takes the paper and hold it to his chest and allows himself to cry and grieve cause he doesn’t need to be strong for anyone when he’s in Adam’s room. That’s when Adam gets to be strong for him.

 

April:


So, understandably Sawyer has been sticking around his own home which means Ivy has been sicking around his home. Sometimes when Sawyer isn’t even aware of it. I will just be laying under his bed or in his closet or in various parts of the house, watching Annabelle if he doses off. She finds it comforting but one night, she sneaks in and Farrow is downstairs watching Annabelle, and Sawyer is just sitting in his room. Normally, he would be playing with his animals, playing a video game, reading, occupying himself, but he’s jus sitting still. And as he hears the familiar sound of the screen on his window popping out and Ivy lifting the window glass up, he doesn’t even turn his head.

 

April (Ivy):

Hey, how ya doing?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Tired. How bout you?

 

April (Ivy):

Same.

 

Brennan:

And I’ll walk over to my bed, kinda sit down. Pat the spot next to me.

 

April:

Ivy shuts the window and goes and sits next to Sawyer and gently puts her head on his shoulder.

 

April (Ivy):

Rough night.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah. It’s gonna be a rough couple weeks.

 

April (Ivy):

Years.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That was the most emo thing I’ve ever heard you say.

 

April (Ivy):

(Sighs) I know. I’m really getting back into my emo phase. It’s like twelve year old Ivy all over again.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’ve unfortunately been listening to a lot of The Cure.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh god, no, Sawyer. Not The Cure!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, yeah, it’s bad. Have you gone to see my mom?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah. I usually go after hours. I’ve been checking on her, talking to her.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think she’ll be fine soon, right?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, she will be. She has so may people taking care of her and caring about her and -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

She’ll be fine. And Annabelle will be fine too. Uggghhh.

 

Brennan:

And Sawyer will lean back, smash against his bed, bounce.

 

April:

Ivy does the same and lands right next to him.

 

April (Ivy):

So, I was thinking back to when we were little and I have an idea. Feel free to say no. It might not be he vibe tonight. But it might cheer us up a little bit.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay…

 

April:

Ivy turns to face Sawyer and just says,

 

April (Ivy):

Do you know if Caleb’s home?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think so. I can send a text.

 

April (Ivy):

Maybe don’t.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Why?

 

April (Ivy):

It’s been little while, like two years at this point, right?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oooh. That’s what you’re talking about.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’ve got me. Okay?

 

April (Ivy):

Yes!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’ve got me.

 

April (Ivy):

Yes!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

However, maybe we wait just a little bit. I don’t know about tonight. Maybe let Caleb grieve for a little bit.

 

April (Ivy):

That’s fair.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

But like next week.

 

April (Ivy):

I kinda thought maybe we can ell him this time, the it’s us.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh god. Uh…

 

April (Ivy):

Is that too much? I thought maybe it would be a bonding thing. But maybe -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s probably a good idea as long as it’s the best one yet.

 

April (Ivy):

You got it.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think I’ll help us all honestly.

 

April (Ivy):

So, where are we in our Twilight rewatch?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Um… honestly we could just restart.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah from the beginning.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

The first one’s my favorite so…

 

Kenzie (MC):

Farrow at any point do you explain the true nature of the quote unquote FBI and or do you share anything you found in Sara’s house with the rest of the peeps.

 

Ashley:

Farrow told Sawyer they would tell him anything slash answer of all of his questions. So, Farrow will talk to Sawyer about that. When it comes to Ivy, they don’t really feel comfortable being around her. Caleb, especially with all the shit he went through with Adam, even though they have. A lot of respect for him, they do not feel like they’re buddy-buddy in anyway, at least no quite yet. So, without Agent Drummond or Mashburn, of course knowing, they would find a time when Sawyer is not in crises mode to just sort of be like

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Hey, what questions do you have? I will answer them.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah, man! Where do we even start! So you’re what? What’s your status? Your rank?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

My rank?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah. What’s the group - waddaya do?

 

Ashley:

They laugh and they say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Well, you know - you know the X-Files?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You don’t know the X-Files?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh wait, yeah.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, so I’d basically kind of like that. I’d this branch - if I’m being completely honest, they didn’t really tell me too much about their internal operations. I think because they didn’t want to trust a fourteen year old with a RAP sheet as long they are. So, they didn’t tell me too much but the basis of it is The Obsidian agency was built to observe unnatural phenomena. And they’ve had an eye on y’alls town for a long time actually. Like they’ve known about Ivy’s dads and the Moore’s and stuff for a while but your family wasn’t - we didn’t quite know how you all fit in.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

And I totally just gave that up, huh?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Well, the fact that you’re all just humans. They didn’t think that you were just normal people. They thought you were really good at hiding whatever it was. Not to be offensive.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Skilled freaking gardeners.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, dude. But no, so they’ve kept an eye on this place for a while but they started getting worried when things started to deteriorate. They were worried that whatever weird shit was happening here was going to spread an dso they sent me in to figure out what the situation was. To see, you know, if there was a risk to the surrounding area from whatever weird shit was happening here.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do they call you agent?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You know, I tried to get my own badge and everything and I did steal a couple but they never actually gave me my own title.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You don’t have like a ghost gun? Or like -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No! I have asked for so many gadgets, Sawyer, and I have been denied every single time. Honestly, super unprofessional.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

But there are gadgets?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yes, that i’m not allowed to touch!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you know where they are? Or who has them?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

So, you know the lady with the scary ponytail who was asking everybody questions? She’s got a few things. I know she’s at least got like a drone and some thermal cams.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Phew. Well, I’m just saying - i’m not in this agency so I probably - so there probably won’t be too many repercussions if I get caught but like… would be kind of fun to play with those.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I mean, I know where they are but like every time I go near there, they like watch me so be wild if something else happened to slip by while I was talking with people.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, we’ll uh - what are you doing next week?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You know, my week’s pretty open.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Me too! Kind of. We’ll find a time to hang out.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

They have bugs.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Bugs?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No, like the microphones. The little microphone hangs.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah. On you?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No, not on - no, no. They tried. Although you need to learn to lock your phone better.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t have - I don’t keep a passcode.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I know. That’s what I’m saying.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah. Yeah but I feel like if I do a passcode - what am I saying? Hold on. Did you know about Kai and that whole deal?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Alright, not in a weird way, but I was kind of hired to stalk all of you. Think we’ve established that.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

There’s a lot of stalkers in this town.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, y’all have an abundance. It’s really a problem. Kai, is terrifying and she’s he main reason why I wasn’t able to see tabs on the Duncans after a bit because she took -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

‘Cause she’s in the shed.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

She took my spy spot!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You were just going to use the shed?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I basically called dibs on it.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It also would be tough ‘cause like the hearing.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, I mean, I can’t hear stuff. I’d just kind of like watch. ‘Cause again, they wouldn’t give me any gadgets. It’s ridiculous.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, you’re just like as scared as I am with all this stuff.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Um… well, you’ve had your whole life to prepare and get okay with the idea of vampire and werewolves.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Scoffs) Didn’t change much.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I was honestly just there to try to get close to you all which I didn’t really - I don’t know if I did a great job of considering the fact that -

 

Ashley:

They get kind of awkward and they look at you and they say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

This is going to sound shitty but when I first got here, I hated you almost as much as William. And I had no reason to, it was just - I just saw how, I don’t know, how you had both parents and a younger sibling and friends who like hung around and it as super immature and dumb of me but I tried to turn you into a villain in my head, but that didn’t last too long because, I don’t know, I saw how William also was with you. So, I just - I felt weird about it so I just wanted to - I know this is awkward and shit but I just wanted to say I’m sorry -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t think it’s awkward.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You have a different threshold for that, I think.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think so as well.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Here’s the thing, I thought I was super cool until I came her and ya’ll have like -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You are super cool.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Aww, thanks.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re in like a frickin’ secret organization!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh by the way, it is so secret. Holy shit I did not say anything. Sawyer, look at me.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh fuck.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I didn’t say anything, my guy.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

There’s like two people who I really can’t lie to very well.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Noooo. Sawyer, Sawywer, Sawyer.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like especially one of them is really hard to lie to.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Sawyer. Sawyer.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Literally can hear my heart beat.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Sawyer. Sawyer. If Ivy Duncan finds out that I was spying on her, how do you think she’s going to react, my guy?

 

April:

Ivy rolls out from under Sawyer’s bed and says,

 

April (Ivy):

How do you think I would react, Farrow?

 

Ashley:

You hear their heart just stop.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I can give you the card of the person who hired me because it’s technically their fault so if you want to talk to them instead. I’m a child.

 

April (Ivy):

I’m a child!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I’m more of a child!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We’re all children!

 

April (Ivy):

Sawyer, you were actually going to try to lie to me?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No! Uh… no?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No, no! You should have seen the look in his eyes Ivy. He was - he was so ready to be like I can’t ever betray Ivy.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Didn’t you just hear what I was about to say? I was about to say exactly that!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, he was about to betray me.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Any day of the week I’d betray you.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yep, yep.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Any day.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

One hundred percent.

 

Brennan:

I walk over to the other side of the room by Ivy.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Who am I? Nobody!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Team Ivy.

 

April:

Ivy’s eyes just flick back and forth between the two of you. She’s just so still watching you guys like break down.

 

April (Ivy):

Honestly I’m not very surprised but Farrow I will be needing all the file you have on me and my family.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Okay.

 

April (Ivy):

Thank you.

 

Brennan:

Just standing behind Ivy like holding a thumbs up like, just nod and say yes.

 

Ashley:

Okay. And start like nodding.

 

April (Ivy):

Also, if you need help getting those gadgets, i’m much faster than both of you.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, yes!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Holy shit. Oh my god. Now Sawyer, we can have night vision.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Gasps)

 

Ashley (Farrow):

We can finally have superpowers. We’ll be like Batman, dude! Well, I’ll be Batman, you be Robin.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m kinda fine with that. Ivy, turn, uh turn around. Plug your ears.

 

April (Ivy):

That’s not going to help.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Just turn around and plug your ears!

 

April:

Ivy turns around and plugs her ears but it does nothing.

 

Brennan:

And I’ll walk over to Farrow and I’ll put my hand on your shoulder.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

She can’t hear anything now. Um, just roll with it. I don’t blame you. I probably would have hated me too.

 

Brennan:

And I’ll just awkwardly hug you.

 

Ashley:

I think there’s a beat where you just say that and your hand is still just on their shoulder and they’re - we’re both looking at each other with the same awkward expression with the slight nod, with the half awkward smile.

 

Brennan:

I pull you in really like awkwardly slow. Like we have to both take a step forward in order to do it.

 

Ashley:

Farrow like lifts their arms a bit but then doesn’t know if they should go over or under.

 

Brennan:

I’m just squeezing around your arms.

 

Ashley:

And then you feel like something move in their pocket and you hear a (squeak) and Farrow goes,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh shit! Sorry, Beau.

 

Ashley:

And their little rat sticks their head out and looks at you.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You know I’m kinda in to - oh Ivy, you can take off your plugs.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah are you guys done? That was the most awkward shit I’ve ever heard. I mean I didn’t hear.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you want to check out my animals?

 

April (Ivy):

Oh my god.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I know nothing about lizards? Amphibians? What’s your like -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, all that! There’s a lot of different species in this room.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

So long as there are not rat snakes. Get it? Cause - cause Beauregard.

 

April (Ivy):

Do they eat rats?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah that’s like their thing.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, I don’t have anything in here that’s going to eat a rat. But you can see my newt!

 

Mads:

I think it’s a little bit after Caleb has his time really saying goodbye to Adam before he becomes more responsive with messaging and communicating with Sawyer. It’s not that he’s been ignoring Sawyer like earlier this year, it’s more just that he feels distant whenever you do talk to him, like there’s something else on his mind.

 

Brennan:




And Sawyer, throughout the texts, has not attempted to prod any further than need be and has accepted that distance. Has come to terms with its going to be a couple of weeks before we can at least have a regular, somewhat, conversation.

 

Mads:

There’s a mutual understanding as well, even though Caleb is experiencing hardship, that Sawyer is also going through it. I mean, if Adam wasn’t a big enough impact to the group of the whole, you bring Sawyer’s mother into this as well, everything that’s going on with him and his sister, his screwed up fucking dad. It’s been rough to say the least.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer had texted Caleb a few times, we had seen each other but nothing really concrete was founded up until then. And so Sawyer texts Caleb one day,

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Can we -?

 

Brennan:

Deletes.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Can I see you?

 

Mads:

There’s a minute and then a dot, dot, dot disappears. Dot, dot, dot. Disappears.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

On my way over.

 

Mads:

There’s a little thumbs up reaction.

 

Brennan:

Bout thirty-ish minutes later you get a (knock on door) on the door.

 

Mads:

Caleb answers and you notice as well, that the only car that’s in the car port here is Adam’s.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Uh… hey. Is everything okay?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, do you want to go up to your room?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Is that okay?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah! Yes.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer meanders on in.

 

Mads:

Caleb follows him up.

 

Brennan:

Walk inside and kind just stand there in the doorway, rubbing my hands around my pockets.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, uh, you sick of being asked if you’re okay?

 

Mads (Caleb):

You?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

 

Mads (Caleb):

It’s terrible. They could at least try to get some new material or something.




Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s the I’m sorries for me. It’s like I understand, I get it, there’s really not a whole lot else to say but its like, you know, apology accepted. I don’t know what to say to that.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Some lady in the grocery store came up to me and my mom a couple days ago and looked at me dead in the eyes and said, I’m sorry. And I said, “Oh, so you did this?” That shut her up at least but my mom was like pissed.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, that was pretty good.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer grabs your hand, just squeezes it and looks at you.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you think you’re ready to start kinda hanging out again? Seeing people?




Mads:

He squeezes your hand back and lifts them up so he can take his other hand and start to tap against your knuckles. His head turns slightly out to the hallway and you can see that the door to Adam’s room is wide open and it looks like it’s been cleaned recently. There’s no clothes or books or papers laying around on the floor. The bed’s been made. Jasper is actually sitting on Adam’s bed, sleeping in the sunlight. Caleb nods and looks back at their hands.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, yeah, I think I am.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Did you want a sappy speech? Or do you want to just make out?

 

Mads:

He takes their hands, holds them so that he can bring them up to his mouth and places a chaste kiss on the back of Sawyer’s palm.

 

Mads (Caleb):

You’re more of the talker in this relationship. You want to give me a speech?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Sighs) Sit down.

 

Mads:

He goes over to his bed and sits down. Holds his arms out expectantly.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer raises up a finger and chokes on his breath.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah…

 

Mads (Caleb):

Mm-hmm.

 

Brennan:

And then walks over and sits next to you.

 

Mads (Caleb):

You got a really strong start.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, we um… well first off, we should officially date, I think.

 

Brennan:

And I’ll look over at you half-expectantly, wide-eyed.

 

Mads:

Caleb crosses his arms over his chest and the look on his face is like - it’s so disgustingly fond. He’s actually biting his lower lip trying not to smile too much. And he just goes,

 

Mads (Caleb):

Mmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I like the idea of that.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay good! I think that we should go on a date and I think that it should just be you and me and no Sam, no Ivy and I don’t know what the main event would be, we can maybe come up with that together but I know I want to build a fort. And I know I want to cuddle with you and play spooky games or Crush & Egg two. And that just sounds like a nice date and I think we both kind of deserve that.

 

Mads:

Caleb leans over and takes one of his hands to cup against Sawyer’s chin.

 

Mads (Caleb):

How about we go bowling? That’s a good date. Also it brings out your competitive nature and I think that’s really hot.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot about that.

 

Mads (Caleb):

No, it’s good.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It is? Yeah?

 

Mads (Caleb):

I like it.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

 

Mads (Caleb):

And then we can come back here and I mean, if you’re already so riled up from bowling…

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We could skip the fort I think.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, that could be for another day.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Although I do really want to make a fort and cuddle up and get all cozy. Like that just sounds so awesome.

 

Mads (Caleb):

That can be another date. So, what I’m hearing is that we’re planning two dates already.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I have a feeling that the first date’s going to go pretty well.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I do want to actually tell you something though.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’m all ears.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m not the best with words, even though hi spew a lot of them out, and I think you already know this but um… I will always be there. Whether you’re at a different school, whether you’re ignoring me, or hopefully you don’t again. Or whether you’re right in front of me but you’re kinda not present. I will be here always.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I didn’t tell you why I was ignoring you, did I?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I never brought it up, you know? Yeah, no, you didn’t tell me. I was just sort of really, you know I thought we were past it, didn’t want to bring it up. But yeah, why were you ignoring me?

 

Mads:

He moves his hand down to take one of yours and hold it together on your thigh.

 

Mads (Caleb):

My boarding school. I made a scene. I didn’t think that I had to worry about the world, about the inheritance. It wasn’t mine, it was Adam’s. He was the one who had to control his temper. There was a guy - I thought he liked me, I thought he liked me a lot and I was so stupid for him. I would do anything that he wanted. And then he publicly humiliated me. Called me a freak and a weirdo because who could like you? And I got so wrapped up in and I snapped. And it came out. And there was a lot of coverup that had to take place. Uh… he’s fine by the way. His cast is off now. But it was a lot and I came home and Adam was weird, and my parents were weird. I mean I’m sure they had a lot of legal issues that they had to deal with but I felt like a freak and a monster and then here’s Sawyer Hook. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about him before. He’s this kinda dorky guy.




Brennan (Sawyer):

Real lame I hear.

 

Mads (Caleb):

No, he’s not lame. He’s just passionate about everything that he loves. He cares so deeply and I thought that if he saw me for what I was that that would go away too. So, great idea I had, just pretend like he doesn’t exist. Distance yourself from him, Caleb, and then you won’t care about him anymore. And I didn’t think about how much that would’ve hurt you. I’m sorry. That was cruel, what I did. I didn’t take into account your feelings, romantic or otherwise. I just made a decision for the both of us. It was a real dick move.

 

Brennan:


Sawyer starts kinda giggling.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I sorta got in a fight too over the same stuff about you. A little bit before you really started school and I got a little angry. I missed. I got hit pretty hard. I hope this goes without being said but I have always seen you.

 

Mads:

Caleb looks down at their hands and squeezes.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I think some part of me has always known that.

 

Brennan:


Sawyer will lean in and put his hand, slide the hand agains the back of your neck and kiss you.

 

Mads:

Caleb takes the hand, moves it up further and clenches it so that you’re grabbing at the rough of his neck, the back of his hair and then pushes forward, kisses you harder.

 

Brennan:


Sawyer, starts to grab onto your shirt, starts to pull at it, starts to grab your hair a little harder. Leans into you and attempts to push you backwards onto the bed.

 

Mads:

Caleb, surprisingly, goes very willingly.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer starts to move his hand down and starts to unbutton and pulls back.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Is this okay?

 

Mads:

Caleb pulls back for just a minute.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Can I keep my shirt on though?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Whatever you want.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Fuck, okay. Yeah. Yeah.

 

Brennan:

And then reaches down, undoes his belt buckle and then moves back up, no patience. And starts biting at the side of your chin, working his way down your neck. It’s all teeth.

 

Mads:

I think we’re good there.

 

Brennan:

It’ll go fade to black

 

Kenzie (MC):

Farrow, your phone rings and you look at the caller ID and its your mom. Which isn’t weird in the sense - your mom has been periodically checking up on you for the last few months but its always like she texts at the worst time. She’ll be like,

 

Kenzie (Abigail Smith):

Hey, sweetie, how are you doing?

 

Kenzie (MC):

And you respond and she’s like,

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Oh, i’m so sorry, I’m on ER rotation, gotta go.

  


Kenzie (MC):

Or its at two am in the middle of the night shift. Or its like eight am and you text her back and she’s like,

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Oh, I’m sorry, I worked last night, I have to go to bed now.

 

Kenzie (MC):

There never seems to be a good time and there hasn’t really been a phone call so its a little bit odd that randomly, at the beginning of December, you get a phone call from your mom.

 

Ashley:

My mom’s not a big caller anyway. She usually just so this is weird even though the last few months have kinda been weird so I answer and be like,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Hey! What’s up?

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Farrow, it is so good to hear your voice.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, you too.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

How are you doing?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I’m doing good, you know? Schools been great. I made friends.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

That’s wonderful. I think that if I’m reading this calendar correctly that your winter break starts on the, is that the seventeenth?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Uh… yeah, the seventieth.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Wonderful! Are you, um, I was just wondering if you were - you coming home? Because I - do you remember that paramedic, Donnie?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah. Yeah, I remember Donnie.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

We’ve talked a bit and we think that it would be great if we all got together and spent he holidays together. You could get to know him a little bit better -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh! Um… getting to know Donnie better… as fantastic as that sounds, Mom, I actually -

 

Ashley:

And Farrow’s wracking their brain.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I actually - I am spending the holidays with a few friends ‘cause we started a club and we have a lot of research to do when the next semester starts ‘cause its like a science fair club. So, we were just going to hunker down, you know ‘cause I don’t want to lose the scholarship so -

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Oh my goodness. I don’t want you to do that either but you don’t think you could even get off just for a couple days and come back?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I would love to ‘cause Donnie, he and I have had some riveting conversations in the past so I am so looking - I would love to just sort of talk to him more. But no honestly I think you deserve  a Christmas where you can relax and you don’t have to worry about anything.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

I don’t think we’ve ever celebrated Christmas without each other.

 

Ashley:

They have to bite their tongue for saying something like - every Christmas, because their mom works a an ER center and the holidays are like the busiest time, they rarely actually have anything more Han just a cursory, “Merry Christmas,” walkthrough as she rushes out he door, if they get to see her at all. They oftentimes would go to the hospital and spend hours waiting for heir mom to pass by so they can get a couple words in with each other. And every time one of her boyfriends, girlfriends, whatever, stays over, Farrow is put father on the back burner than they normally are anyway. So, they know that if Donnie’s there, their mom’s not going to ask to them really. Not out of malicious, just out of distraction or something they haven’t quite figured it out. But instead of being snarky, they just say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I know and i’m going to miss you a lot. We can still call. Maybe we can, I don’t know, video chat or something?

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

I think hat would be lovely! To video chat on Christmas.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah. Let’s do that.

 

Ashley:

Farrow knows that here’s a fifty percent chance that’s not even going to happen.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Well, I’m very sad -and Donnie’s going to be sad too that you can’t be home.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Ahhh, poor Donnie.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

I’m hoping that your club helps. And I hope that - are you like doing a science fair? Is that what it’s for?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

We are planning it. Yeah, I’ve gotten really into STEM. It’s going to be great. I’ll send a picture of a volcano or whatever the project the we end up doing are. But we sill gotta plan, get everything together.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

Okay. Well, that’s sad news. But I guess I’ll figure it out. How to spend Christmas without you. And, um, I’ll talk to you soon, okay?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, we’ll talk soon. Send Donnie my regards.

 

Kenzie (Abigail):

I’ll let him know you said, “Hi.”

 

Kenzie (MC):

You hang up the phone and Beauregard is kind of climbing around you bed and you hear a call from the kitchen,

 

Kenzie (Elias Mashburn):

Farrow! Dinner’s ready!

 

Ashley:

Farrow scoops Beauregard up and pushes the door open and says,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Is it lasagna again? Or did you like figure out something else you can cook -

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Did you not want it o be lasagna?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No I do! I just think I would be great if you added something else to your repertoire.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Well, the thing about lasagna is that you can eat it for like three days.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, I know, it’s very useful. I got ya.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

You finish your homework?

 

Ashley:

They kind of plop down and start poking at their food and they look up at Elias, who has been way chiller than they thought he would be in the end. They tried to keep things like super business or whatever at one point but that quickly faded once Farrow realized how easy and fun it was to mess with him. And once they sort of created a little bit of a bond. But they sit down at the table and starts like scarfing down the lasagna, even before he gets a chance to sit down.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Um, so (talks with mouthful of food) So, um, I had a question for ya.

 

Kenzie (MC):

He starts cutting into his piece of lasagna.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Yeah? You know, if it’s about class, I can’t give you any pointers, that would be cheating.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh, yeah, ‘cause cheating is so bad. So, do you like - do you go anywhere during winter break? Like is this just your school home? Or do you like get sent on other missions? Or…?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Well, this is my home home.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Some people go on vacations or whatever. You don’t have any plans?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

No, I don’t have enough vacation days lined up from either of these jobs to get -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

The agency doesn’t give you enough vacation days?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

I just don’t have enough saved up to make it worth it. Also, you have to be with them for a certain amount of years and every year you get like one more vacation days. It’s a stupid rule.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

So, good thing i’m starting now. By the time I’m fifty, I’ll be able to take a week off.

 

Kenzie (MC):

He looks a little shocked.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Did you want to continue on?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

That was part of the thing that I wanted to talk with you about. I’ve never had a job with money being given to me before and I find that I like it a lot.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

What type of job did you have - Because isn’t that the definition of a job.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Well it wasn’t so much a job - well, listen, heh…

 

Kenzie (Elias):

I’ve seen your files if the’s what you’re talking about.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, so stealing is much easier but it also comes with more risks and it’s not as fun. So, my mom, she’s got someone staying over during the holidays so there’s not much room for me over there so I was just going to wonder if you were staying here for he holidays, if I could also keep crashing here. I know that wasn’t part of our arrangement but it’d be way easier than trying to find another room or something somewhere. I just figured I’d ask that before I started going around trying to find an apartment or something, I don’t know.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

I don’t think that anybody is going to rent an apartment to a fourteen year old but you can go try.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

That’s fair. That’s fair. I don’t quite look old enough for my fake ID yet.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Farrow, you don’t have to go try.

 

Ashley:

They like smile and then look at the big casserole dish of lasagna and like reach across and just scoop out another big plateful. And they say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

So, do you know if my job is done or if I can still get paid to jus sort of hang out with the trio?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

We’re going to have to take that question to Agent Drummond. I know you don’t like her.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

But Agent Drummond doesn’t like me.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

She likes you in the sense that -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I think her ponytails too tight.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

She could probably get a lot of tension relief if she loosened it a little bit. But I think technically this part of the job is done but, um, we do have he fact that here are people who saw some things that they shouldn’t’ve seen, the fact that, uh, there are probably going to be many more supernatural events in this area seeing as whatever was keeping them out isn’t really doing that anymore. So I think that there’s a good chance that she would have more use for you. But, also, what we’re doing is kind of illegal.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Wait, what do you mean?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Because you’re fourteen, your mother does not really know where you are -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

She’s fine! I told her I was at a cool, new boarding school or whatever there fuck -

 

Kenzie (Elias):

And we made sure you had the papers to prove that but -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah!

 

Kenzie (Elias):

You’re very, very, very much underage. And this was going to be a one off because we were giving you a way out of going to jail.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I feel like that was kind of coercion but I’m not complaining.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

You were given an offer and you accepted.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Okay so what i’m hearing is that I need to do more illegal things to almost get thrown in jail and then have you sweep in and like pluck me from the justice system.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

This is way, way, way past my pay grade on the understanding of how they get away with this. I simply am your handler. I just make sure that you don’t die.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Hey, remember when I told you about the flaming skeleton?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

I was there!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I think maybe you should fight a little harder, that’s all I’m saying, to keep me around.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

You know when you jump head first into an exorcism and don’t text me until you’re already there, that’s a little bit difficult for me to do.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Well, listen, plans change some times and maybe emergencies pop up I was not prepared for.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

I showed up, did I not?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yes, you did, I appreciate that.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

There you go, okay.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

But I can still crash here during winter break?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

For winter break. We’ll see what happens after.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Cool, cool. Well, then the next school year starts and since I’m a minor, you want me to get my education, right? Like it’s very imperative that I stay within the same environment because studies show that a lot of change can be disruptive to a young mind. You don’t want me to have a disruptive mind, do you, Elias?

 

Kenzie (Elias):

Farrow, your job is insane. You’re going to have a disruptive mind.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

It’s all about damage control.

 

Kenzie (Elias):

We will all to Agent Drummond after the holiday, which you will spend here, eating my lasagna, because you know you love it.

 

Ashley (Farrow):


I don’t know what you’re talking about!

 

Ashley:

And then shoves a huge shovelful into their mouth.

 

Kenzie (MC):

It is a week and a half into December, you still have a little bit of school until winter break hits. And you, Caleb and Sawyer, get a text in your group chat with Sam that says,

 

Kenzie (Sam Marshall):




Okay, I am sick of this. We have to do this together or we stop doing it all all. My mom said you can come over. Be here at five.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Cool.

 

Kenzie (MC):

You guys get to Sam’s house - you both have been here before. Sawyer to apologize, Caleb just to see their friend. And you knock on the door and it opens pretty much before you get your knuckles against the wood and Sam goes,

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Thank goodness! Took you long enough.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What’s with the sass?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, where’s this coming from?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

The sass? The sass is because we could have had this game fuckin’ finished.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they stop and they listen for a second into their house.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay she didn’t hear me. We could have had this game frickin’ finished! But we have not been able to work as a group and I’m over here doing my thing and you’re over there doing your thing, and you’re over there doing your thing. And it is not working.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Let’s do a game jam!

 

Mads:

With an absolutely deadpan face, Caleb says,

 

Mads (Caleb):

My brother died.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, Caleb. I’m aware. I was there.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, he’s super dead. Like in the ground. Cold.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

My mom’s in a coma.

 

Kenzie (MC):

They look at Sawyer. They look back.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I am sorry. I’ve said this before to both of you! I am very sorry you are going through what you are going through but can we work on the game now!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah! Let’s do a game jam. Twenty-four hours, let’s do it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, I gotta show you guys what I’ve done because you’ve been missing out!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Lead on!

 

Kenzie (MC):

They lead you into their bedroom and every so often they glance back as you and Caleb, I think you can read that they feel bad but they don’t know necessarily if they’re supposed to feel bad and they also have no idea, at all, how to deal with the situation as such when their friends feel back except for ignoring it entirely and trying to make their friends feel better. So, they’re in this space of like what if we do a thing that nobody has to think about anything else for a really, really, really long time. And that’s what they’re trying to accomplish. And you can just kind of see in the way they’re nervously making sure you guys are following them.

 

So, Sam gets into their room and it’s just a small desk with a big monitor on it. And they’re like,

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay! Update me. Where are you, Sawyer, in your process?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Concept art is pretty much done. I’ve written a couple of like side quests. Ahh, I mean -

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb!

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’ve got -

 

Mads:

And I reach into my bag and pull out a little, portable hard drive.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’ve got chunks of the dialogue and some of the other narration over top set at least for the first level. The second level I need a little bit of help with because we talked about like the platform sequencing being a little bit different and I want to make sure that I hit those beats. Oh, yeah, and I also started working on like an 8-bit -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like the soundtrack!

 

Mads (Caleb):

I know we didn’t talk about it that much but I was messing around with it the other day and I -

 

Kenzie (Sam):

See this is when you text. You text and go, “Hey, i’m going to do this thing,” ‘cause it’s cool and I would like to know the things!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You were working on the theme?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, it’s not like that big of deal though. It’s just like if it’s bad -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, I was working on - this actually worked out great. I was working on the ambiance so like the soundscapes. So, let’s - let me take my - let’s just play them at the same time and see if they work.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

You guys are too in sync. I hope they don’t work.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Their eyes are just narrowed at you.

 

Mads:

I turn to Sam and I go,

 

Mads (Caleb):

Dead brother.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

You can’t use that forever but it’s only been about a month so you can still use it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth, Sam.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Hey, do you remember that time that we tried to get Adam in trouble at a party and then I broke my face and then we still tried to get Adam in trouble at the hospital? We didn’t succeed.

 

Mads:

Caleb like puts a hand over his face ‘cause it’s hard to forget actually.

 

Mads (Caleb):

That was pretty good.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That night was very different for me.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, that was a very different night for you, huh?

 

Brennan:

Goes back to computer typing.

 

Mads:

As Sawyer is busying himself with the computer and like I have set down my little portable hard drive so you can hook that up as well, I’m going to take Sam aside, just for a second and say,

 

Mads (Caleb):

We’re both good, you know? I’m just doing this to rib into you. I’m okay. He’s okay.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, but like, you don’t have to be.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, kinda came to terms with that just a couple days ago.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I want you to be good. I want you both to be good.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I think this is helping.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I do know how to deal with shit sometimes - oh no, she’s going to hear me through the walls. I do know how to deal with stuff sometimes.

 

Mads:

I reach forward and put Sam into a headlock and give them a noogie.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, what are you doing? What? Stop it! What are you doing this for? Sawyer!

 

Mads (Caleb):

You’re so cute.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Sawyer!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hold on!

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Sawyer, help me!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m mixing the sound!

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb is wrestling me.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

So win!

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’m not wrestling you!

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Do you see my lanky, noodle arms!

 

Mads:

As I start to shake them from side to side.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

They are made to sit in front of a computer and type, not to fight off a friend.

 

Mads:

I grab both of Sam’s shoulders and push them forward and then sit them down in the chair next to Sawyer and then I’ll go ahead and pull up a stool that’s in the room as well because Sam does not have enough seating here. And I’ll pull it up right behind where Sawyer and Sam are so I’m looking over both of their shoulders.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer starts rubbing his hands, he sits back.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright, first kinda big milestone. Let’s boot up the start screen and see if the sound all mixes.

 

Brennan:


I’ll press the space bar.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Sam gets really, really close to the speaker and listens without making a comment.

 

Mads:

Caleb is looking in his lap and staring at his fingernails and picking the skin around his fingernails and trying not to look like he’s blushing too much. Because he’s actually really, really nervous and this was actually super important to him and he really wants them to like it but he’s really uncertain.

 

Brennan:

You look up and you see first, as your eyes move, Sawyer’s foot tapping on the ground. And then you keep going up and you see his head just kind of bopping back and forth, vibing out.

 

Mads:

Caleb grins a little bit to himself and looks back down. And then looks over to Sam to see their reaction.

 

Kenzie (MC):

They’re completely stoic-faced, listening. And the song ends and they go,

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, so you know when we were talking about when you could wrap to some other place like if you got through the portal and you would get to the other place in the game, I think what would work is if we took this and then when they were warping, sped it up so it was high-pitched and fast.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That could be cool!

 

Mads (Caleb):

I was thinking too whenever we do the underground level - I know we only have the framework for it right now but I could take this and kind of distort it, make it like pitched down and a little bit eerier and dark.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh yeah! And we’re replacing the underground level - like we’re getting rid of the water level ‘cause our scope was just too big right? And we’re going to replace it with the underground.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

It’s too hard to do underwater. And no one likes playing the underwater levels!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, it always stresses me out.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think we’re going to have a hit.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Well, I did fix the bug that made the start button close the game. So, I fixed that.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s a good start.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Good start? Are you serious, right now? A good start?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Hey I think it was a good pun!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Oh my god.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Thank you!

 

Mads:

I hold my head in my hands.

 

Brennan:

I’m going to pull out my phone, just text Ivy. Just a regular every day text.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What you up to?

 

April:

Ivy is sitting in Adam’s car. She frequently sneaks into it and she’s just laying in the back seat, smelling him and her finger traces the little circle of his blood on the fabric of the backseat. Her phone goes off and she pulls it up in front of her face, types out,

 

April (Ivy):

Hating myself.

 

April:

Backspace.

 

April (Ivy):

Being emo.

 

April:

Backspace.

 

April (Ivy):

Nothing.

 

April:

Send.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer check his phone, looks back at you two, Sam and Caleb.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you think we could get Ivy over here?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay do you know what the weirdest thing is? I was literally going to say, “Hey do you want to text Ivy to come over?” And then I though you were going to yell at me and I was gonna be like, “Oh, it’s just a joke! I was just kidding! I don’t have a crush on her anymore!” And then you said it anyway so it’s not on me.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We need some outside ears and eyes on this. Come over to Sam’s. We miss you.

 

Brennan:

Send.

 

Mads (Caleb):

She’s kinda single, I think, Sam. She’s kinda single.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Oh, that’s good. I’m not.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What!?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Wait, wait, you - wait.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Who? Wait - what?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t want to belittle your dead brother and your comatose mother but you haven’t really been around a lot and things have happened.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah I guess it has kinda almost been like a month.

 

Mads:

I put my hands on Sam’s chair and turn it so that it’s facing me and then I pick my hands up and put them on either side of Sam’s face and say,

 

Mads (Caleb):

Tell me everything right now.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Also sorry Sawyer, I didn’t - I didn’t - I don’t think you got - you don’t get the joke like Caleb gets the joke. I won’t say it anymore.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t have as dark of a sense of humor.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, I’m very sorry.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s okay! Also… do I - I know, right? I know who it is? I know, don’t tell me, I know. Okay, tell me.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I just assumed that everybody knew because you dressed me up like a duck and apparently that worked. I didn’t like the duck. But the duck worked.

 

Mads (Caleb):

It shows off how cute you are.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Oh, I don’t know if - I’m not like single but I don’t know if it’s official - you know, that whole thing? That’s so confusing -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re not single.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I just said I wasn’t single.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I was affirming.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

But I don’t know how it works. Like its really weird. ‘Cause like we’re dating - we’re not dating but we’re like together, but we’re not official. Those are the same three words!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

The person that you really want to ask about all of this is on their way, I think.

 

April:

You get a text from Ivy that says,

 

April (Ivy):

I miss you guys too. Maybe some other time.

 

April:

Ivy puts down her phone, on the back seat and sits up, looking between the seats, looking at the driver’s side, the passenger’s side. She leans her head against the driver’s side headrest and presses her nose against the fabric. Adam was always running late. Always showing and then still getting in his car soaking wet and the headrest has just absorbed the smell of his shampoo and she just sits there and thinks about just the years and years of memories and love. And she lays back down in the backseat and holds her phone over her heart and she thinks about the last thing that she said to him which was, “I love you.” At least she got that right.

 

Brennan:

You get another text.

 

April:

She checks it.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Bitch I know your ass is just sitting around being emo. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be around.

 

April:

Ivy laughs through the tears and she texts back,

 

April (Ivy):

You’re right. I think I have to be for a little bit though. And thanks.

 

Brennan:

You get a Spotify link to “I’m Not Okay” by MCR.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Have fun.

 

April (Ivy):

You know I’ve been listening to this all day.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer hearts that message and just says,

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Love you.

 

April (Ivy):

Love you too.

 

Kenzie (Sam):




Jordan actually told me that we should put a duck in level four.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, so now Jordan’s going to decide where the duck goes?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I didn’t even - there wasn’t even a duck, Caleb! She just said that maybe you could put a duck in!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Does she like - is that like her favorite animal? Did we hit something that we didn’t even know was going on there?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I think she thinks that the little, tiny baby ones are cute.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Little, tiny baby ducks are cute.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What if we like hid a bunch of Easter eggs but they’re like duck eggs and if you collect all the duck eggs then at the end… it hatches into a duck? I don’t know.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I ask her to marry me.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh!

 

Mads (Caleb):

What? Sam, maybe -

 

Kenzie (Sam):

No, that was the result. It was like - if she plays the game and she collects all the eggs at the end it says, “Will you marry me?”

 

Mads (Caleb):

How about we save that for like the sequel?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Is that too far? Did I go too quick?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah take a step back.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Maybe, maybe a couple down the line that could happen.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, yeah, you’re right. You’re right.

 

Mads (Caleb):

But I like the duck egg idea! If it hatches, we can turn it into another asset that it follows your character around.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That would be fun.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, like a little duck like trailing after you. That’d be really cute.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I love that.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Should we make it quack? Like when you jump it quacks.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I like that!

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We’re going to have some heavy inspiration from Crush & Egg. It’s gonna be pretty transparent.

 

Mads (Caleb):

How many games haven’t?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

It is like the only game any of us have played for about twenty thousand times. So, yeah, I think that’s inevitable. It’s our first game though!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Isn’t like the whole thing when you’re first starting out you kinda accidentally maybe kinda steal everything from something you love?

 

Mads (Caleb):

I think that’s every artist ever in the world.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

And then you go and you fix it and you change it. But we have a different story. The game mechanics are just kinda similar. We’re fine!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, this game’s going to be great.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Hey, I’m really glad that you guys are friends so that we’re friends too, now. ‘Cause I was loving being Caleb’s friend but it’s really cool being your friend too.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they’re just typing away at the computer -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We’re friends?

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they pause.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Sorry did I misread the situation?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No i’m totally just fucking with you! Yeah, no.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Ooooh, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, Sam, you’re the best. We are absolutely friends.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

‘Cause you can have your - if you were - you can have your jean jacket back

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No! I was really just fucking with you. Truly. We are friends. I love hanging out with you.



 

Mads (Caleb):

If you weren’t friends with Sam right now, I would break up with you.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Man, did it really not come across? This joke? Man, I gotta work on that.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Well see, you know how you don’t have a dark sense of humor? I sometimes don’t have a sense of humor.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright.

 

Mads (Caleb):

You have a great sense of humor!

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t get it a lot.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, your sense of humor is great though and your timing is impeccable.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You got the pun, that’s all I care about.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

It’s the sarcasm. The sarcasm trips me up.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Noted.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer just smiles.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb can attest to that. He likes making fun of me for it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

It is really good.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Hey, we also never talked about the fact that, uh, the moon was red the other night. Want’t that wild?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Uh… it, uh…

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It was a blood moon. Those are pretty - they’re rare but they happen.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Do you want to see what I found? It’s really, really cool.

 

Mads (Caleb):

What did you find?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, hold on a second.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they get up out of their seat and they go into their closet and they pull this little wooden box down from the top of their shelf.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I thought it was so cool and I’ve never seen anything like it before and I have no idea what it is? But it’s really pretty.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they open the top of this box and they gingerly pull out this like film-like, translucent, shimmery, piece of something that kinda just waves. Kinda like jiggle it a little bit and it flutters.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Isn’t this so cool? If found this!

 

Kenzie (MC):

It definitely looks like a piece of the barrier.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Where did you find it?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

It was on the ground outside my house.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Oh… um, can I touch it?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, I’m touching it! Don’t break it! It’s like really brittle.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

 

Mads:

I touch the barrier piece.

 

Kenzie (MC):

It doesn’t really feel like anything. It is so thin and it’s almost like kinda gel-like but thin. It’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever touched.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Can I see it?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah. It’s -

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Be careful!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

It looks like some sort of salamander skin.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Like a creature shed it?

 

Kenzie (MC):

They grab it back from you.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I didn’t know salamanders glowed.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sometimes! Bioluminescence.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah I mean, you’re like the reptile, amphibian guy. You know these things.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Probably just want to toss it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Or maybe like flush it down the toilet?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah maybe flush it. It might start to smell, to rot.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Oh yeah, ‘cause it’s skin.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

It doesn’t smell like anything.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s actually a really bad sign. That means that it’s starting to put out bad things into the air.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Vapors.

 

Kenzie (MC):

I need you to roll to manipulate.

 

Brennan:

Seven.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Their brows kinda furrow.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

If it’s just salamander skin, why do you need me to throw it out?

 

Kenzie (MC):

And the place it in the box and they close the lid and they put their hand on top of the box and they put their other hand on their hip.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I’ll throw it out, if you tell me what it is. Because I think you know.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Honestly, I do not know the properties of that specific thing that you have in that box.

 

Mads:

I look to Sawyer and there’s something in my eyes that says, “Please don’t be mad at me.”

 

Brennan:

Sawyer’s eyes widen and you get like an, “Oh no,” look.

 

Mads:

I look to Sam.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, there’s -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Clears throat)

 

Mads (Caleb):

-stuff -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Clears throat)

 

Mads (Caleb):

-that, uh -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Clears throat)

 

Mads:

I look to Sawyer again.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Clears throat) Sorry, something in my throat.

 

Mads:

I look to Sam.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Things happened on the night that the moon turned red that aren’t natural.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You guys hungry!? I’m hungry. Should we go to the gas station.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb, what does that mean?

 

Mads (Caleb):

They’re supernatural. Like, uh… like not normal. Um… not -

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Can you stop giving me synonyms and maybe lay a fact on me.

 

Mads:

I look at Sawyer. I look at Sam. I grab Sam’s shoulders, pull them into me, cup my hands and whisper into their ear,

 

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, you are my best friend in the world. You’ve been with me for every hardship I’ve ever hand I need you to know that there are some things that I will never be able to tell you, because if I do, government drones will come and kill me.

 

Kenzie (MC):

You lean back from them. Their eyes widen.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I thought Damian was full of shit but their are aliens, aren’t there?

 

Mads:

My eyes go to Sawyer,

 

Brennan:

Sawyer’s just furiously freaking shaking yes.

 

Mads:

And it’s probably a combination of the anxiety on my face, the stress of the situation of coming up with this half-hearted, ridiculous lie last minute that I look like I’m terrified that I just told Sam that.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Is this alien skin?

 

Mads:

I swallow very deeply.

 

Kenzie (MC):

They drop it and it doesn’t splat, it doesn’t make a sound. It just kind of like - a feather hitting the desk kinda just like fwooo.

 

Mads:

I just stare at it on the ground.

 

Mads (Caleb):

We gotta flush it. It can’t be tied to us, Sam. It can’t be tied to us.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

They could be watching us right now.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Who’s wa - what?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Mmmmm.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

(Clears throat)

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay the government drones.

  


Brennan:

Starts typing again.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay I’ll go flush it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I cannot believe I am touching a piece of outer space!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Ah, zu, zu, zu!

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I’ll go! Fine!

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they walk out of the bedroom.

 

Mads:

I lean into Swayer shoulder and like speak into his armpit essentially.

 

Mads (Caleb):

God I can’t believe I almost did it. Oh my god -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know why - yeah. Oh my god.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t know what I was thinking.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Good maneuver at the end there.

 

Mads (Caleb):

So shocking to me too.

 

Kenzie (MC):

You guys hear the toilet flush down the hall.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay, aliens!

 

Kenzie (MC):

And they come back.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

I feel like i’m going to do - no it’s fine, I haven’t told him yet, it’s fine. It’s not a lie if I haven’t even told.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Who?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Damian’s going to hate not knowing about the alien skin!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, he’s going to figure out something or other, someway or another.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sooner or later.

 

Mads (Caleb):

And let’s be honest, this is Damian we’re talking about. If you were to find something before him, I don’t think he’d ever recover.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

That’s true. Okay! So, let’s do non-alien related topics such as the video game.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Video game!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Video games!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ducky McQuack!

 

Brennan:




Sawyer just squints.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Sits down, starts typing into a code box.

 

Kenzie (Sam):

We like shouldn’t put like a UFO into the game. That would be weird?

 

Mads (Caleb):

No!

  


Kenzie (Sam):

Okay.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think - yeah what happened to just switching the topic?

 

Kenzie (Sam):

Well, it’s kinda just there now. Now I know something, you know, that I wasn’t supposed to know.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I know and you gotta block it out. You gotta think of something else.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Block it out. I am actually hungry, should we go get some food?

 

Mads (Caleb):

We could just got to the gas station. Let’s just go to the gas station.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yep, yep.

 

Mads (Caleb):

That’s a good idea.

 

Kenzie (MC):




The three of you, Ivy, Caleb and Sawyer, from a very young age, being children of the three founding houses of Wildmoore, had been taught their ways, their traditions, the expectations, even though you at the point in time didn’t know everything that it had to do with. And so the subject of The Handing Ceremony has been dropped to the wayside over the last month or so, seeing as there are a lot of other things that the families are contending with. But, as it nears, and the twentieth passes, there is chat. In Blackthorn Manor, brief mentions of

 

Kenzie (Gabriel Duncan):

Bast, don’t forget to press your suit for tomorrow.

 

Kenzie (MC):

In the Moore estate, it’s,

 

Kenzie (Sharon Moore):

Caleb! Did you lose our pin again?

 

Kenzie (MC):

And in the Hook house, its a quick text from William to Sawyer saying,

 

Kenzie (William Hook):

Don’t forget what day it is.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Farrow, you get a text from an unknown number that says,

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

We think you should be a part of this now. You are family after all.

 

Ashley:

Farrow looks at their phone and like - there’s rarely a moment where they’re genuinely confused. They see that and they say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Is this -

 

Ashley:

And then they backspace, backspace.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Who is this…?

 

Ashley:

And they send that.

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

Apologies. This is Gabriel Duncan.

 

Ashley:

Farrow nearly drops their phone. They’re like,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh shit!

 

Kenzie (MC):

Another text comes through.

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

We have a special dinner tomorrow. You should come. Blackthorn Manor. 6pm.

 

Ashley:

They immediately text Sawyer with a screenshot of this and say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Am I the dinner???

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No? You should come.

 

Ashley:

They go back to Gabriels’ text and they say,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Okay. Should I bring anything?

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

We have everything we need.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

They don’t know if they should like that message or send a thumbs up or okie dokie, so they just like awkwardly stare at it for a minute and just leave that screen.

 

Brennan:

You get another text from Sawyer that says,

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

…at least I don’t think you’re the dinner.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Please don’t be a dick right now.

 

Ashley:

And then they backspace, backspace, backspace.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Ha, ha, very funny.

 

Ashley:

Backspace, backspace, backspace. ‘Cause they still don’t know - they’re trying to figure out how to directly interact and what level of sarcasm’s okay and all this other stuff.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Can I bring a plus one? Or is this weird like cult shit?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Probably just you.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Weird cult shit. Copy that.

 

Brennan:

Send a little devil emoji.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer you get a text the day before from Bast that says,

 

Kenzie (Bast Duncan):

Please bring Annabelle with you tomorrow when you come.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I will.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Ivy, you get a text and it says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Are you good yet?

 

Kenzie (MC):

Another one says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Jk.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Another one says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I’m not being pushy.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Another one says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

It was a joke. I’m realizing that it does not come off through text that it was a joke. Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow.

 

April:

Ivy texts back Kai and says,

 

April (Ivy):

I have this dinner thing. Are you coming?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, that’s where I’m going to see you tomorrow.

 

April (Ivy):

Okay. Cool. Sorry to be weird.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I think I started it.

 

April:


Ivy laughs.

 

April (Ivy):

You for sure did. We can hang out after though?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

… we’ll see how it goes.

 

April:

Ivy grimaces at her phone and hearts that text and then she goes to put her phone away but then she pulls it back out and she says,

 

April (Ivy):

Exited to see you!

 

April:

Exclamation point. Deletes the exclamation point.

 

Kenzie (MC):




The twenty-first of December comes and there’s a nervous energy pervading Blackthorn Manor that isn’t normally there. It’s not nervous in that people don’t know what’s going on - it feels like change is in the air. It feels like something is different about this. For one, there’s going to be five House children in attendance which has never happened before. There is going to be outsiders in attendance which has never happened before. And so there’s just a frenetic uncertainty. The Moore’s arrive by car, five minutes before six pm. Sawyer, with Annabelle, rushes in the door about eight minutes after six pm. And Farrow comes strolling in about a quarter after 6pm. And for the first time since that night, the four of you are all together again, in the unknown, waiting for whatever is about to happen. What should happen is that Sara Moore should be passing off the stone to Ivy but Sara Moore arrived without the stone and is currently in the other room, laughing with your dads. Annabelle is kind of following Sawyer wherever he goes in Blackthorn Manor. And William is nowhere to be seen. But, you have a moment, the four of you.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Fancy seeing you all here.

 

Mads (Caleb):

You’ve been waiting to use that all night, haven’t you?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah I’ve been thinking about some sort of ice breaker.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I could see it eating yo alive.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Actually! I do have something kind of interesting. I haven’t really told you guys this yet. I like saw all of history.

 

April (Ivy):

Please explain.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Is that what that was?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, did you - I had like this horrible migraine. It felt like I was having an aneurysm.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You just got glowy for a bit. It was really cool looking.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, really? I saw like everything. Like the whole - everything of history, of here.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I told you specifically to not get yourself hurt or in any kind of trouble. What - how did you do that? Why did you wait so long to tell - all of history?

 

April (Ivy):

Glass ball, Sawyer.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yes.

 

Mads (Caleb):


So weak.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Noted. I'm a motherfucking prophet.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Like a human glow stick.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh my god, Farrow.

 

Mads (Caleb):

So, when you went full -

 

Mads:

And then I do the cracking motion that Farrow just and go,

 

Mads (Caleb):

Whaaaaa. What happened next?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I came to. Head hurt. I don’t know I didn’t have a whole lot of time to honestly comprehend a lot of it. We were kinda onto the next thing.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

But he was okay, obviously! I didn’t let him die.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah if we could all stop making a cracking of a glow stick motion every time we refer to Sawyer that would make me feel a little bit better.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’d feel a lot better too.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I didn’t crack - I didn’t reverberate. The whaaa-whaaas. I didn’t - my mind became like an archivist of Wildmoore.

 

April (Ivy):

Oooh, good word.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Wait, it was just Wildmoore.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh, so you didn’t see actually see everything. Like  all of history.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Not like all of history! I said of here. That’s cool! Fuck you, guys. You guys get other shit. I got to see all of history, this is cool! Be happy for me.

 

April (Ivy):

What’s the coolest thing you saw?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Um… murder?

 

April (Ivy):

Wow, great. Very cool, Sawyer.

 

Mads (Caleb):

We’ve all seen that though. Not to like dull your moment.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

This one dude set the record for like - I mean he like jumped off a really high diving board. That was kinda cool. Lot of mundane shit. And then there’s like a lot of fucked up shit.

 

April (Ivy):

Have you seen anything since?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):


No. I say this though, just be careful when touching the Heart.

 

April (Ivy):

Great, good to know.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I would take some Excedrin.

 

April (Ivy):

It’s okay, I’m already working on it.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I think the plan is to not touch the Heart again. At least -

 

Mads:

And I look to the room where I can hear my aunt’s laugh echoing. There’s something still too that I’m not used to hearing it again, that when I do hear it, it makes me smile instantly.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t think it’s ever supposed to be touched again.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

So is it like - you just have to stand guard outside now?

 

Mads (Caleb):

Beats me.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know.

 

April (Ivy):

I don’t know. I mean, I’m supposed to be doing it and I don’t even really know what it means.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Well, I mean, Sawyer, you saw the history of everything. You watched how it went from hand to hand to hand to hand. Now if it stays put, I mean I guess we just kinda make sure no one touches it?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

We could try.

 

Mads (Caleb):

And all of this -

 

Mads:

And he kinda like motions around the house, the party, all the people dressed up.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Stuffy formalities.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Yeah, Farrow, you realize that you did not get a dress code.

 

Ashley:

This whole time Farrow’s been in their normal jeans and fucking t-shirt and they are fuming at Sawyer for not telling them that there’s a fucking dress code. But they’re also like,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I could also booby-trap the hallway to it if that helps. We could do a whole like… keep it safe!

 

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, I mean it wouldn’t not help.

 

April (Ivy):

Farrow, i’m pretty sure i’m the booby-trap.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah but are you planning on standing next to it for however long.

 

April (Ivy):

Fuck no.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

You’ve got a life, right?

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I have a very rich and varied life, Farrow.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

So booby-traps! They’re perfect!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think the point of it all though is, whatever we decide to do, it’s in our hands now.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Our very skilled, very knowledgeable, very teenage hands. Yep.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sweaty hands.

 

Ashley:

You see Farrow kind of blanche a little bit like, Wait, I don’t want to be included in this particular thing. Actually. Hold on. They kinda lean to you Sawyer,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Wait, am I expected to be part of the y’alls cult or group or like what?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re here aren’t ya?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Yeah, ‘cause Gabriel said. There was food. I didn’t - I didn’t get any other context or dress codes, Sawyer.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I didn’t think - ask more questions next time!

 

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer, you feel a little tug on your pants.

 

Kenzie (Annabelle Hook):

I’m here too! Do I get to do it!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah!

 

Brennan:

And I’ll pick her up.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re part of this team too.

 

Kenzie (Annabelle):

Yay!

 

Mads (Caleb):

You’re potentially the strongest weapon that we have.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She clenches her fist.

 

Kenzie (Annabelle):

I could fight.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah, let’s see those guns.

 

April:

And Ivy like, with just her thumb and forefinger like squeezes Annabelle’s tiny, tiny bicep.

 

April (Ivy):

Whoo! Look at those.

 

Mads:

I’ll take mercy on Farrow in jeans and a fucking t-shirt. I’ll take off my suit coat, hand it over to them. Then I immediately start rolling up the sleeves on this button up and like undo the first two buttons of it. And take the tie off.




Ashley:

They give you like the most grateful look. They’re like,

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Thank you so much.

 

Mads (Caleb):

This was killing me anyways. You were doing me a favor.

 

Ashley:

It’s probably a little big on them but the majority of their clothes tend to be a little bit big on them anyways.

 

April:

Ivy reaches up to her earlobes and says,

 

April (Ivy):

Are your ears pierced?

 

Ashley:

They like pulled their shaggy mess of hair back and they have like a triple helix on one ear and like multiple piercing on their lobes. It’s mainly just little silver studs right now. Like Claire’s level shit.

 

April (Ivy):

Perfect. Here.

 

April:

And she removes both of her diamond drop, two-hundred year old earrings, and drops them in Farrow’s palm. And then she steps close to them and says,

 

April (Ivy):

If you lose those, you are losing a historical artifact.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Why would you give these to someone with a record for stealing shit, Ivy?

 

April (Ivy):

Because honestly I don’t really care and I think they’d look good on you.

 

Ashley:

They kinda smirk a little bit like, you know what, they would look really cool. But they do manage to wedge them in their earlobes.

 

April (Ivy):

They add to the overall effect.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Can we all hang out after this?

 

Mads (Caleb):

We never did go to the diner.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’d be fun. I’d be down.

 

April (Ivy):

Me too.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Farrow, you’ve never been, right?

 

Ashley (Farrow):




Um… so I’ve pretty much been to the gas station and y’alls houses.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Ugh, you have so much to learn. Okay, there’s nothing to do in this town so you’ve hit up unfortunately two of the hottest spots. The diner is nice though.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Okay, that’d be nice.

 

Kenzie (MC):

There is a knock on the front door and Gabriel comes rushing out of the dining room and opens it and standing out front are Wyatt and Kai. And they come in and Kai is in this like white-buttoned down, bolo tie. Kind of like overlarge suit jacket that’s a little too big for her and hands stuffed deep in the pockets of her pants. And she walks in with Wyatt and Wyatt is kind of whisked one way and Kai is just left standing there and then she looks at all of you and meets all of your eyes and she walks up near Ivy and kinda stands behind Ivy and leans close to her ear and says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I trust you.

 

Kenzie (MC):

And then walks away, following Wyatt and Gabriel into the dining room.

 

April:

Ivy lets out a little breath.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer’s just looking at her, waving his eyebrows.

 

April:

She rolls her eyes and looks him dead in the face and just says,

 

April (Ivy):

Not a word. Not a word.

 

Brennan:

Zips his lips. Opens his mouth. Puts the key in.

 

April (Ivy):

How does that work when you just zipped your lips and now the keys going right -

 

Brennan:

Sawyer’s just motioning like he can’t speak.

 

Mads:

Caleb crosses his arms over his chest and like watches this whole display happens.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Yeah, you guys are like really gay, it’s kinda disgusting.

 

April (Ivy):

Yeah (sighs). Yeah, she’s got me good.

 

April:

Ivy meets Caleb’s eyes. She doesn’t know how Caleb would feel about her and Kai so soon, not that it was not happening before but she kind of looks to him to gauge how he’s feeling.

 

Mads:

He nods a few times and then meets her glance and as if to answer her question, turns around over his shoulder to watch Kai leave,

 

Mads (Caleb):

Really not my type. But I can see the appeal. Suits you.

 

April:

Ivy grins. Takes up her whole face.

 

Mads:

Caleb smirks a little bit and then looks down.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Let’s get this fucking show on the road.

 

Kenzie (MC):




There’s a call from Sharon Moore.

 

Kenzie (Sharon):

Kids! If you’re ready, we’re ready for you.

 

Mads (Caleb):

That’s our queue.

 

Brennan:

I grab Ivy’s hand before and just give it a little squeeze and say,

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You got this.

 

Kenzie (MC):

You walk as a group into the dining room. There’s no food set out. There’s no drinks set out. It doesn’t seem like this is a dinner party of sorts despite possibly what Gabriel told Farrow to get them there.

 

Ashley:

Their stomach growls so loud.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Bast and Gabriel on one side. Sharon and Daniel on the other side of this long dining table. And Kai and Wyatt are standing at the opposite end from where you entered the room. As you guys enter, the adults are kinda leaning back, looking at you expectantly. And when you all guys just stand there for a second, Bast says,

 

Kenzie (Bast):

Well, it took us maybe longer than you would have liked but you talked and we listened. And the events in early November changed the course of how we look at this town. And not that our families have not always been intertwined as such, but not in the way you all have formed your relationships. That is different from -

 

Kenzie (MC):




And he nods across the table at the Moore’s.

 

Kenzie (Bast):

-how we think of one another. And this would have been the day that our family would have been receiving the honor of holding the stone, the piece of the Heart, that we have all spent our lives guarding and protecting. But as we can see by Sara’s presence, that thing may be best off where it is. Today, it is your turn to make your decision and the decisions moving forward.

 

Kenzie (MC):

At the other end of the table Wyatt rips a piece of paper into tiny little pieces and tosses ‘em onto the table. Kai kinda looks at him and he nods at her in assurance and she pulls out of her pocket where her hands have been jammed, this crumpled piece of paper that she kind of opens up and she slams it down on the table and its blank and she looks up at you, all of you, and she says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Well, guess it’s time for a new treaty isn’t it?

 

Mads:

I look between my friends and then back to Kai and it feels fitting that I’m the one that grabbed the stone in the first place, that broke and repaired the barrier simultaneously. I step forward first,

 

Mads (Caleb):

What do you need of us?

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I need us to come to an agreement. You all with me and my family and my people, as the Guardians and protectors of the space. Like we had before, but not the same. Something that works for all of us now.

 

Ashley:

Farrow leans toward Sawyer and just whispers,

 

Ashley (Farrow):




This sounds like it might take a while, can we order a pizza or something or is that against protocol?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re that hungry, huh?

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

Okay Farrow, i’m so sorry. I brought you here under false pretenses - Let me go get you - I’ll go get you a snack.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh no, you - you’re fine!

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

I’ll go get you a snack. I’ll be right back.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No you don’t have to - you don’t have to -

 

Kenzie (MC):

And Gabriel stands up.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh, god. No, it’s fine.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, no, no this is exactly what you wanted.

 

April (Ivy):

Actually, Papa, I would love a pizza too. With olives.

 

Kenzie (Gabriel):

I was going to do a nice little charcuterie board but fine, fine, I’ll order pizza.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Can we get one with pineapple?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I just want meat. Like pepperoni.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I like all of the toppings.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I like pineapple.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I like every topping. Anything. Whatever everybody wants.

 

Kenzie (MC):

There’s a moment where he looks to Bast and Bast looks almost appalled. The man who created the seven course French people is now handing over the power to kids ordering a bunch of pizza. But centers himself and says,

 

Kenzie (Bast):

Pizza it is.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Maybe that should be in the treaty. Pizza at every meeting, you know?

 

April:

Ivy puts her hand on Sawyer’s arm and says,

 

April (Ivy):


Maybe we should focus on more important things for the treaty.

 

April:

And she glances over at Kai and mouths, “I trust you,” back at her.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I personally vote to get rid of the two kids only rule. I think that would be nice.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m with you.

 

Kenzie (MC):

Sharon Moore pipes up and says,

 

Kenzie (Sharon):

Well, that was instated so the houses had a balance of power when it came to the transference of the stone and since that isn’t an issue any longer - or at least I don’t think it is - it doesn’t seem to be that there would ever be an imbalance of power. One house wouldn’t have too many to hold. It’s also why all of you are here. There are three Hooks here. There is one Duncan and there is one Moore. And if you guys are fine with that, then that is how we shall move forward. Also, as you can see we are missing somebody. We invited the people today that we thought you would want to be here and we find it necessary to back you up if you decide that William Hook is no longer allowed to be involved in our family workings.

 

Ashley:

If Sharon’s looking at Farrow when she says that, Farrow does kind of shrink back a little bit because - I don’t know - for all of the bravado, these rules have been around and they’re so ancient and there’s so much history here that they just don’t understand. They have no idea like if them showing pleasure at that idea will get like a target on their back. Their kind of waiting to follow Sawyer’s lead.

 

Brennan:

Sawyer will step forward and put Annabelle down, hold her hand.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think that is not up to just me and I think that that’s how things are going to go with every decision we make. We’re going to talk about it and come to the right decision.

 

Brennan:

And I’ll turn around and look at everyone.

 

Mads:

Caleb nods.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Regardless of how many people we have in each house, we still have three houses, that can break a vote.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What do you guys vote?

 

April:

I meet Caleb’s glance and then look between Sawyer and Annabelle and Farrow.

 

April (Ivy):

I mean I want y’all around. I think we should have everyone here.

 

Mads (Caleb):

As for William though?

 

April (Ivy):

I think that’s Sawyer’s decision.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

I hate to be the one to bring this up but does William have any information or skills that are invaluable, that we can’t replicate or improve upon?

 

Mads (Caleb):

I think there are things about William Hook that no one in this room will never know completely. If it’s possible to get that information out of him, I think it’s worth a shot. What this new treaty is going to bring is a sense of community. We have a shared responsibility now. We’re not passing off a rock from one home to another for eternity. We’re taking care of it together.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I, as hard as it is, don’t want to start this new chapter with disdain. So, I vote to keep him.

 

Ashley:

Farrow just gives one solemn nod.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Under the pretense that we deliberately limit his power within the family. But not kick him out.

 

April (Ivy):


Agreed.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I agree.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Are you okay with that Farrow?

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Oh, yeah, I agree. Was I also supposed to say -?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

No I just want you opinion. Yeah, it’s important to me to have your -

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Well, I appreciate that. Okay, thanks.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I just want you to make sure that you would be okay with this.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

No, that makes sense. Of course.

 

Mads (Caleb):

You’ll get used to it the longer you’re here.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Hopefully yeah.

 

Ashley:

And they kind of give a half-smile over at Caleb.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I mean there’s a lot we have to discuss. The first big thing I want to talk about though is -

 

Kenzie (MC):

And then you kind of devolve, the four of you and Kai, with your parents watching and you know, chiming in if they feel like you need help or just a new direction, but the actual writing of this document is apparently between the four of you and Kai and not Wyatt. And the pizza arrives, this treaty is crumpled and grease stained but it is official and it is signed by all four of you and Kai. And there is a sense, in the room, however reluctant that your parents were to have this change, however hesitant, however nervous they have seemed to hand over the reigns so openly to you all, there seems to be an energy of looking forward. Not necessarily an excitement but something of the sort to a new future for this town. A new way to live. A new way to be and a new way to hold one another close.

 

It’s not so late that Joe’s Diner is closed by the time you are all finished with this. And it’s a lot of work and I think there’s a sense of exhaustion of thinking of every possibility, every occurrence, what’s going to happen next, how do we avoid it, how do we stop it, how do we hinder it? And you all stumble your way, the few blocks from Blackthorn Manor to Joe’s Diner. Stumble through the swinging door, the bell jingling at the top as you enter. For the first time its the four of you, the five of you if you count Kai who has uncertainty followed your guys’ lead away from the people who sent Wildmoore spiraling in the first place. And it’s the first time all of you are together in a space that isn’t asking for decorum. Isn’t asking for leadership. Isn’t asking for some undue respect. But in a space in which the waitress looks up from behind the barter and says,

 

Kenzie (Waitress):

Sawyer! It’s been a long time. Glad to see you back!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah! Just here for a couple of sandwiches and a good time.

 

Kenzie (Waitress):

Well, take your seat. We still have the milkshake machine running. I know it’s December but if you’r interested.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m on it! I’m on it!

 

Brennan:

Sawyer will walk forward and go to his regular table. Kinda usher everybody in. Sit down with them. Just kind of pick up the menu and look out at everybody and take a breath in this rejuvenating normalcy, as good as it can get.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

What sounds good?

 

April:

Ivy has hooked a finger through the side of Kai’s jeans and pulled her down into the booth with everyone. She looks at Sawyer over the top of the giant menu and she’s like,

 

April (Ivy):

One of everything?

 

Mads:

Caleb leans into Sawyer’s side, arms crossed, squinting at the menu.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I know she said the milkshake machine’s still running but can she still make like the floats?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, she can still do the floats.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Like I want a Doctor Pepper float. That sounds good.

 

April (Ivy):

Oh, fuck yeah.

 

Mads (Caleb):

If we get French fries is anyone going to judge me if I dip them in the float?

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh no that sounds so good.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I’m definitely going to judge you if you dip them in the float.

 

April (Ivy):

I would judge you if you didn’t!

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’m dipping them in the float.

 

Ashley:

Caleb and Sawyer are on one side of those big, circular booth things and then, um, Kai and Ivy are on the other and Farrow has somehow managed to wedge themselves between Sawyer and Ivy on either side. It’s the first time in this particular group of people - maybe it’s the environment, maybe its adrenaline, maybe it’s just the tiredness - but they’re sitting back and they’re listening but they’re not doing it in a way that they have been this whole time. In like a trying to pay attention, get information, figure things out, make sure if there’s a safe place or whatever, they’re just sort of - this might be the first time, Sawyer, you’ve seen Farrow actually like sit back and relax and not in like a performative way. Whenever the fries get there they start picking at it and they’re just - like there’s a very easy look on their face as they listen. And they’ll occasionally chime in about which flavored milkshakes the best to dip fries in and things like that.

 

Brennan:

You get a thump on your forehead from a paper straw that Sawyer has shot through his plastic straw before he puts it in his drink.  

Ashley (Farrow):

Hey, what the fuck, dude!? I already - here, who has a straw left, I already put mine in. That’s not fair!

 

April (Ivy):

Oh, trust me, I’ve got - I’ve been saving them up because he doesn’t this every time. So here Farrow, you can have some ammo. And you can have some ammo.

 

Ashley:

Farrow props up one of the menus as like a makeshift fort for them and Ivy and they just sort of like -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Caleb, start building up the ammo!

 

Mads (Caleb):

I already started tearing them and folding them into little pieces, I don’t -

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Put ‘em in your mouth!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Ew no don’t put ‘em in your mouth!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

They’re spitballs. Put ‘em in your mouth.

 

Kenzie (MC):

These wet spitball almost thing go flying and stick against the red pleather booth of the backseat every time they miss hitting somebody. Kai settles in and like puts her arm around Ivy’s shoulders and reaches forward and grabs a fry and tosses it in her mouth and in the midst of chewing it says,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Okay, you guys are like better than I thought you would be.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

At paper war?

 

Ashley:

Farrow like looks over in the middle of building a mini paper crossbow thing with straws and shit.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

I knew that you’d come around.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Yeah, well, you know we all had our preconceived notions.

 

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, you like us.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

Shut up I didn’t say that.

­­­­­­­­  

Mads (Caleb):

Oooh.

 

April (Ivy):

That’s so embarrassing. You like us.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, you like us!

 

Kenzie (Kai):

I have no problem leaving right now. I’ll walk out the door.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Get up and go!

 

Ashley (Farrow):

But the foods not here yet.

 

April:

Ivy grabs Kai’s hand that’s on her shoulder and pulls her closer and kind of like snuggle the bottom of her head under Kai’s chin and is like,

 

April (Ivy):

You’ll like us until I use you as a human shield.

 

Ashley (Farrow):

Arm yourself Kai!

 

Ashley:

Farrow yells as they toss a thing at her.

 

Kenzie (Kai):

My hands are kinda being used!

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Now, Caleb!

 

Mads:

In tandem, the two of us shoot spitball at her.

 

Kenzie (MC):

She eventually yanks one of her arms out of Ivy’s grasp and wipes it off of her face and she’s like,

 

Kenzie (Kai):

You will regret that. I know I signed a treaty but that doesn’t mean I can’t fuck with you.

 

Mads (Caleb):

I’d love to see you try.

 

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, I kill fucking skeletons and shit. Fucking (bhoo).

 

Brennan:

And I shoot another one.

 

Kenzie (MC):

As you guys are just terrorizing each other with spitballs, your tables being filled with the stupid amount of food you bought. I think the camera pans out, up and away, through the window of Joe’s diner in Wildmoore as you guys spit spitballs, eat fries, laugh. And we pull up into the sky over the town that we’ve all come to know so well, seeing the strange flickering of the barrier in the distance and seeing a light, streak across the sky and then begin it’s descent as it falls toward the town, Slowly, faster, faster, ganging speed and pings against the Devil Shrine that flares up with a blew light.

 

And that is the end of our first season of queeRPG. Wildmoore High: A Monsterhearts Story!

Please please please click those five stars. And if you have some nice things to say, leave us a review while you’re at it!

I would like to thank our incredibly talented cast for coming on this storytelling journey with me. I want to thank all of you who have listened and give a special shoutout to a patrons who have stuck with us from the beginning! Burke S, Brooke F, Basha C. Lisa B, Rachel C, Jason D, Jordan V, Michael E, Bitty Bitty, and Zack T. Thank you so much for the support!

If you want to support our show by becoming a patron you can go to patreon.com/queerpg. Becoming a patron allows you access to our exclusive after show, where the cast talks about character insights and their own reactions to the episode, as well as a plethora of other perks.

We have a lot coming down the line so stay tuned on our Twitter an Instagram for those updates! You can find all of our relevant links on the episode page.

Our S1 Wrap-Up with be airing Monday, April 10th at 7pm EST on our YouTube channel.

We want to thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts for listening to our show. There are many stories to come.